I hope you have been making a constant effort as you study God’s word to apply anything that the Holy Spirit reveals to you regarding these elementary teaching so that it matures you as Hebrews 5:14 teaches we need to constantly train ourselves in God’s word so that we begin to understand solid spiritual food so that we can distinguish good from evil. We cannot remain as infants in God’s word.
The 4th elementary teaching from Hebrews 6 is “Laying on of hands”.
In the gospel, we see Jesus at times laying his hand or touching someone to heal them as seen in Matthew.
Matthew 8: 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said, "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
Matthew 8: 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
Matthew 9: 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.
Matthew 9: 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; 30 and their sight was restored.
We need to remember one reason Jesus did miraculously healing was to show that he was sent by God and had the authority to speak for God.
Acts 2: 22 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.
Jesus also healed by the power of the Holy Spirit that was upon him.
Matthew 12: 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Luke 5: 17 And the power of the Lord was present for him (Jesus) to heal the sick.
Some have come to believe because Jesus touched or laid his hands on people that it was also necessary for them to touch the person to heal them, but the gospel teaches that Jesus also healed without touching the person. At time he just spoke, and people were healed.
Examples of this is when Jesus healed the centurion’s sick servant who he did not touch or see but just spoke it and he was healed because of the centurion’s faith or the 10 lepers who asked Jesus to heal them and Jesus just told them to go show themselves to the priest and on the way they were healed because they believed and obeyed what Jesus told them to do.
So, healing comes by faith in Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, but always by God’s will. God’s will because not all will be healed just as Paul asked God to be healed of his torn in his side 3 times and was not healed but told by God that his grace was sufficient for him.
Also, the apostles healed as a sign that they were sent by Jesus to be his spokesman.
Romans 15: 18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done- -19 by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit.
So, healing is not a matter of laying hands on someone it is by the power of Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus. It is also a spiritual gift given by the Holy Spirit to someone as he determines. Laying hands on someone to ask for healing is not wrong, but it is wrong to think it is necessary to heal someone and not remembering it will be God’s decision to heal them.
So, the elementary teaching of laying on of hands should apply to what will build up the church in works of service to unite it in one faith and complete knowledge of Jesus. This is what laying of hands was for in:
Acts 13: 1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas,
Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with
Herod the tetrarch) and Saul 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. 4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit
The prophets and teachers placed their hands on Barnabas and Paul to acknowledge that they were chosen to do the work of the Holy Spirit for the building up of Christ church. It was to choose church leaders.
Also seen in Acts 6 when the church selected 7 men who they believe were filled with the Holy Spirit and God’s wisdom to be its deacons and brought them to the apostles who commissioned them by laying their hands on them.
Acts 6: 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their
hands on them.
Paul also warns Timothy not too hastily lay his hands when selecting church leaders.
1 Timothy 5: 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands,
The elementary teaching of laying on of hands is choosing a church leader that will help build the church.
Paul instructs Timothy of the characteristic that a church leader must have to lay his hands upon. Characteristic that the Holy Spirit looks for to give the gift of spiritual leadership.
1 Timothy 3: 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.
The elementary teaching of laying on of hands is to choose church leaders that will accomplish God’s will for his Son’s church which every disciple will be responsible for knowing this clear instruction given to them of the characteristic they must have to lead Christ church.
Be safe in Jesus
Ps. Glenn