LAYING ON OFF HANDS

BY KENNETH HAGIN

"Twenty-five years ago God spoke to me about

a ministry of laying on of hands," a minister
associated with a certain pentecostal organi
zation said to me. "But you know," he continued,
"I backed off from it. Even though God used
me in it. Some of the brethren didn't understand
and I didn't want to make a doctrine out of it."
"You didn't have to," I said, "Jesus made
a doctrine out of it." And those who will not
accept Christ's doctrine are in serious shape
spiritually.
HEBREWS 6:1-2
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of
Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again
the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of
faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of
hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment.

"Laying on of hands" is one of the half dozen

fundamental principles of the doctrine of our
Lord Jesus Christ. They are listed in Hebrews
6:1-2:
1) Repentance
What would you think if I were to say, "I
do not believe in the doctrine of repentance?"
You'd be ready to withdraw fellowship from me.
2) Faith Toward God
The Bible says, "By grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). What if I were to assert,
"I don't much believe in faith." You'd say,
"We can't be saved without it. Something's
wrong with him. Better watch that fellow."
3) Doctrine of Baptisms
I call your attention to the fact it's in the
pluralbaptisms. It includes first, the new birth.
For when one is born again he is baptized by
the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. Second,
it includes water baptism. Being baptized in
water is an outward sign of an inward grace.
Third, it includes the baptism in the Holy
Ghost with the Bible evidence of speaking in
other tongues. If I said I didn't much believe
in the new birth, water baptism, or the baptism
in the Holy Spirit, you'd be ready to quit me
right now. I wouldn't blame you.

4) Laying on of Hands
Let's skip over this for a minute.
5) Resurrection of the Dead
Notice it doesn't say "the" resurrection.
It says, "and of resurrection of the dead."
Had it said, "the resurrection," there'd be just
one doctrine and one resurrection. But there's
more than one resurrection. So it simply says,
"resurrection of the dead."
This includes the first resurrection, the
second resurrection, and all other resurrectionsv It includes the fact that we're looking
for Christ to come, and the dead in Christ
who shall be raised first. We which are alive
and remainthe rapture of the saints--are
included too. You would be certain something
was wrong with me if I were to say, "Oh, I
don't think the dead will ever be resurrected."
6) Eternal Judgment
Again notice he didn't say, "the" doctrine of
"the" eternal judgment. The word "the" is not
there. It's just simply doctrine "of eternal judg
ment." That's because there is more than one
judgment. All of them are involved in this
doctrine. About seven judgments are spoken of
in the New Testament. All of them are included in
this one doctrine.
How would you feel toward me if I were to
say, "I don't go along with this judgment
business. I don't think there's going to be any
judgment."
You'd say, "There's something wrong with
that fellow. He's not solid. He doesn't believe
the fundamental principles of the doctrine of
Christ."
No matter what else we believe, we must
believe the fundamentals. I can fellowship with
anybody that believes the fundamentals.

N clow, consider this please. Right in the center

of these fundamental principles of the doctrine
of Christ is one called "...and of laying on of
hands..."
But I've heard some Full Gospel ministers
say, "I don't much go along with that." That's
a serious thing. To deny any one of the funda
mental principles of the doctrine of Jesus
Christ is a serious thing.
It is a doctrine which has been greatly
neglected. How many sermons have you heard

on the subject?
Yet the Word of God has a great deal to
say about the laying on of hands. It's surprising
that some Christians see no significance at all
in this scriptural ordinance and doctrine. Others
regard it with something like astonishmentand
some even with fear. Why? I don't know. Because
it is one of the half dozen fundamental doctrines
of the Lord Jesus Christ as laid down in Hebrews
6:2. Something mighty occurs when men of faith
lay hands in the name of the Lord upon those who
in faith receive the impartation.
I know, of course, there is an unprofitable
kind of laying on of hands. We have two extremes
of it in the church world. (It seems the hardest
thing in the world to maintain balance in any
realm relative to the scriptures.)
We see it on one extreme as a mere piece
of ritual. There are churches with a form and
a ritual of laying hands upon people to confirm
them in the church. According to some church
creeds, one receives the Holy Ghost at that time.
But this is a mere ritual and formality and no
thing at all happens.
On the other hand there have been extremities
even in Full Gospel and Pentecostal circles. I
know folks have had hands laid on them for nearly
everything you could mentionand some you
couldn'twith almost everything you could men
tion supposedly imparted to them.
One woman in California went into some
body's meeting where hands were laid on her,
she was prophesied over, and supposedly given
the gift of casting out permanent waves. (I
said if she could have gotten the gift of putting
them in she'd have had somethng.) I call
that laying empty hands on empty heads.
The real is not done away with, however,
because of the excesses. I'm not going to be
scared out of a New Testament practice because
of formality and ritualism on one hand and fana
ticism and excess on the other. I'm going to
practice New Testament methods and produce
New Testament results. I'm going to lay hands
New Testament style upon believers as the Holy
Ghost directs in the name of Jesus Christ and
produce New Testament results.
* It is scriptural to lay hands upon those who
are ordained to the ministry.
They laid hands on those who were separated
to be deacons in the book of Acts.
* It is scriptural to lay hands upon the sick
for healing.
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself freely employed
the use of laying on of hands in healing.

MARK 6:5
5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he
laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

In His home town of Nazareth, the few who

were healed were healed by the laying on of
Christ's hands.
MATTHEW 8:15
15 And he touched her hand and the fever left her; and
she arose, and ministered unto them.

Jesus evidently laid His hand upon the hand

of Peter's mother-in-law.
MARK 8:22-25
22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind
man unto him, and besought him to touch him. (i.e., to
put His hand upon him.)
23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him
out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and
put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw aught.
24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees,
walking.
25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes,
and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw
every man clearly.

I want to call your attention to more than

one fact here.
First, "they" refers to a group of people.
"They" is plural. "They" brought this blind
man and besought Jesus to touch himin
other words to put His hand upon him. These
people believed in laying on of hands. If you
want to get laying on of hands to work for you
you've got to believe in it. If you think it doesn't
amount to anything, then it won't amount to any
thing. And you won't receive anything. These
people believed in divine healing. They besought
Jesus to lay His hands upon him.
Secondlysomeone has said, "Jesus prayed
for that man twice." I do not know that He
prayed for him at all. For the Bible doesn't
say that He prayed. The Bible says He laid
His hand on him twice.
I was preaching in a large city sometime
ago, and a pastor in the city brought his little
daughter, then about 8 years old, to the meeting.
She was cross-eyed.
When I asked how long her eyes had been
crossed he said, "When she was born you could
tell her eyes were weak. She couldn't focus
them. In about six months her eyes crossed.
They've been crossed ever since. She's worn
glasses, but they're still crossed."
So I laid my hands upon her eyes and prayed.
And I felt that warm glow of God's healing
presence and power and anointing flow out of
my hands into those eyes.

I said to the little one and to the pastor,

"There it is. There's her healing." I took my
hands off her eyes and both of them were as
straight as could be. I called her father's atten
tion to it. He looked at her eyes and saw they
were straight. I called for the pastor of the
church where the meeting was being held to look
at them.
"Yes," he said, "they're straight."
I asked some of the folks on the front seat
to look.
"Yes, they're straight," they all agreed.
And just about that timethe left eye began
to cross. The right one stayed straight. But
the left eye crossed until it looked like she was
looking right across the bridge of her nose.
I said to the congregation, "This left eye is
crossed. They were straight there for 3 or 4
minutes."
What am I going to do? Oh, thank God, we
are not left without light, without help. On the
inside of me, real quickly, I said, "Lord, what
am I going to do?"
And on the inside of me the Holy Spirit said,
"Jesus laid His hands on that blind man twice.
The first time he wasn't completely delivered.
The second time he could see."
So I said to the folks, "Well, thank God, I
know what to do." (You see, it's not us doing
anything. It's God through us.)
I called their attention to that scripture, put
my hands on her eyes and that eye came straight
and stayed straight.
After the services, 40 minutes later, people
were talking and visiting and looking into her
eyesand they were still straight.
It is scripturally all right to put your hands
a second time on folks.
MARK 7:32-33
32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and
had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him
to put his hand upon him.
33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put
his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his
tongue;

Again, I call your attention that "they"

bring one. These all believed in laying on of
hands. It makes a difference when people believe
in laying on of hands. It doesn't say they besought
Jesus to heal himthough that's inferredit
says they besought Him to put His hand on him.
Jesus took him aside, put His fingers in his
ears, spit, and touched his tongue. His fingers
are part of His hands. So He did put His hands
on him. And his ears were opened and the string
of his tongue was loosed.
MARK 5:22-23
22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the

synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he

fell at his feet,
23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little
daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come
and lay thy hands on her that she may be healed; and
she shall live.

Jairus believed in laying on of hands. He

didn't say, "Come and pray for her that she may
be healed." He didn't even say, "Come and heal
her." He said, "Come and lay thy hands on her
that she may be healed." He believed in laying
on of hands. He asked Jesus to lay His hands
upon her. We know, of course, she died before
He could get there. But the 41st verse says,
"And he took the damsel by the hand,...."
Praise God.
The Lord Jesus definitely exhorts believers
to employ the laying on of hands in healing:
"And these signs shall follow them that believe;
...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover..." (Mark 16:17-18).
The disciples obviously took Jesus quite
seriously because Acts 5:12 says, "And by the
hands of the apostles were many signs and
wonders wrought among the people;..." By the
hands. By the hands of the apostles.
In Acts 28 Paul is shipwrecked on an island.
The father-in-law of the chief man of the island
was sick of a fever and a bloody flux. In verse
8 we read, "...to whom Paul entered in, and
prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed
him." The man was healed by laying on of hands.
Then the Bible tells us they brought the sick
from throughout the island. And Paul ministered
to them. It doesn't say how, but obviously he
ministered the same way; by laying on of hands.
ACTS 19:11-12
11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of
Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick
handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed
from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

Here, not only were the sick healed, but

the demonized were delivered as cloths Paul
had laid his hands on were laid upon their
bodies. When we talk about the anointed cloths,
we don't mean anointed with oil. Paul didn't anoint
cloths with oil. These cloths were anointed with
the same power Paul was anointed with. He laid
his hands upon them. The Bible says, "And God
wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul..."
It doesn't say, "Paul wrought special miracles
by the hands of God..." God wrought special mir
acles by the hands of Paul. God uses men's
hands. He works by man's hands.
It is scriptural to lay hands on believers to
receive the Holy Spirit.

The Word of God teaches also that in every

single caseexcept the two initial, spontaneous
outpourings of the Spirit upon the Jews in Acts 2
and the Gentiles in Acts 10--the baptism of the
Holy Ghost and speaking in other tongues was
imparted through laying on of hands.
ACTS 8:17
17 Then laid they (Peter and John) their hands on
them, and they (the Samaritans) received the Holy
Ghost.
ACTS 19:6
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the
Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues,
and prophesied.
ACTS 9:17
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the
house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul,
the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way
as thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou mightest
receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Saul's eyes were healed by laying on of hands

and he received the Holy Ghost by laying on of
hands. We know he spoke with tongues because
he wrote a letter later to the Corinthians and
said, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more
than ye all:" (I Cor. 14:18).
TWO-FOLD MANNER/LAYING ON HANDS
1) It is scriptural for any believer to lay hands
upon a fellow believer as a point of contact.
First of all, just because one knows the Word of
God says, "These signs shall follow them that
believe...they shall lay hands on the sick and
they shall recover...," ANY BELIEVER can
lay hands upon a fellow believer as a point of
contact to release faith and expect that person
to be healed.
There are people you can pray for as lay
members that no one else couldneighbors,
friends. Husbands certainly have the right in the
nighttime, if the wife gets sick, to lay hands
upon her in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If the children are sick, their parents can lay
hands on them in the Name of Jesus and pray
and expect them to be healed. That is certainly
scriptural.
2.) There is such a thing as a ministry of
laying on of handsa special anointing.
The first light on divine healing came to me
when I was just a Baptist boy on the bed of afflic
tion, reading Grandma's old Methodist Bible.
As I began to see some things about faith and
prayer, I decided to run references in my Bible
on those subjects. It brought me eventually to
James 5:14 which says, "Is any sick amongyou?

let him call for the elders of the church; and

let them pray over him, anointing him with oil
in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith
shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him
up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be
forgiven him" (James 5:14-15).
In my ignorance I didn't know you didn't
"have" to do that. I thought you "had" to call
for somebody. With tears I cried, "Oh dear
Lord, if I have to call for somebody to pray I
can't be healed. I don't know anybody to call.
I don't know of a church in this town, or a
preacher, or anybody who even believes in pray
ing for the sick. I don't know anybody I could
call."
But thank God, He is faithful. He spoke to my
spirit and said, "Did you notice that it says,
'the prayer of faith shall save the sick'?
"Yes, it does," I said.
"Well," He said, "you can pray that prayer
just as well as anybody can."
So I prayed the prayer of faith for myself
and rose up healed from my affliction.
I began my ministry as a Baptist boy
preacher. I preached faith and healing. It'sin the
Word. I pastored a community church and laid
hands on the sick for healing. I didn't have public
healing services at firsteventually we didbut
I would teach it and preach it publicly and would
lay hands and pray for them in their homes. We
saw marvelous results.
Then I receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost
with speaking in tongues and began to preach
among Full Gospel circlesfor various groups.
I would hold divine healing services.
Then I pastored for a number of years. In
one church we had divine healing services
every Saturday night for several months. Mar
velous things happened. I laid hands on folks, not
because God gave me any special calling to do it,
but because the Word of God taught it. And God
honored faith and the practice and ordinance
of laying on of hands. Many were the healings!
SPECIAL ANOINTING
Butthere is such a thing as a ministry of
laying on of hands. There is such a thing as
an anointing whereby God's Power flows from
your hands into the sick. There is such a thing
as the Power of God being manifested through
you and through your hands.
In 1950, on September 2nd, at 10:00 o'clock
at night, in a tent meeting in Rockwall, Texas,
as I was praying on the platform in other ton
guessuddenly, I heard a voice speak unto me
in the English language saying, "Come up hither.
Come up hither. Come up to the throne of God."

I looked up to where the top of the tent should

be and there stood Jesus. I went up. It seemed
as if we stood in mid-air. Then we went on up
into heaven.
(At that time I had never flown in an airplane.
Three years later when I flew from Kansas City
to Chicago, I said to the pastor flying with me,
"Brother Noah, I had this same sensation that
night in my vision." I believe in spirit I actually
went up to heaven. I could see clouds as we went
by. We went by clouds and through themand
I had the same sensations of being in the air as
I did flying by plane three years later.)
We came up to the throne of God. And we
stood about 18 feet out in front of the throne.
The first thing that attracted my attention
was the rainbow above and to the back of the
throne. The most beautiful thing I have ever
seen. Most beautiful colors.
The second thing that attracted my attention
was the winged creatures which stand on either
side of the throne. Their faces looked something
like a man's in a way--but they had wings which
were covered with feathers. Their feet and legs,
from the hips down, looked like those of a man.
But the body part of these creatures was covered
with feathers. The tops of their heads looked
like the spire of a church steeple in that it went
straight up to a point. They had eyes all the way
around their heads. Eyes about as big as a
quarterand every one of them like a ball of
fire. They could see in every direction at once.
They were saying something, but as we walked up
they stopped and folded their wings.
I looked at the rainbow first, the winged
creatures second, and then I looked toward the
throne. When I did, Jesus said, "Thou shalt not
look upon His face."
At that there seemed to be a veil between
me and the One who sat on the throne. Just as
from a distance you might see a woman with a
veil over her face; and you can tell she has a
face but you can't tell what it looks like, even
so I could see through the veil. I saw Someone
sitting on the throne who had bodily parts like
a man. But I could not distinguish anything about
it. And because Jesus said, "Thou shalt not
look upon His face," I merely glanced that way.
ThenI looked at Jesus. This was the second
time that night I had seen Jesus. But really for
the first time I looked into His face.
After the vision someone asked me, "What is
the most outstanding characteristic about the
Lord Jesus?"
Immediately I said, "His eyes."
"What do they look like?" they asked.
And I coined this phrase which I've never been
able to improve upon in all these years: "His
eyes look like wells of living love."

I just can't express it any other way. There

was such a look of love in His eyes it seemed
to me you could look into them and see a half
mile deep.
I fell at His feet in a heap. And noticed His
feet were bare. I laid my hands on the top part
of His feet, and laid my forehead on the backs
of my hands. "Oh, dear Lord," I said with tears,
"no one as unworthy as I am, is worthy to look
upon Thy face."
And Jesus said, "Stand upright on thy feet."
I stood up trembling.
He, pointed His finger to me and said, "You
are worthy to look upon my face for I have bought
you and cleansed you from all sin by my own
blood."
Then Jesus began to talk to me. He said some
things which astonished meand upended my
theology. He said, "I called you before you were
born. I separated you from your mother's womb.
Satan tried to destroy your life before you were
born and many times since. But my angels have
watched over you and cared for you to this
present hour."
Then He talked to me about my ministry. How
that when I left my last pastorate I entered then
into the first phase of my ministry. He talked
to me about how I was unfaithful in that phase.
He showed me how I was and proved it to me.
Then He talked to me about when I had entered
the second phase of my ministry.
"And now," He said, "I am appearing to you
and speaking to you and you will at this time
enter into the third phase of your ministry."
"Stretch forth your hands," He said. As I
held outstretched hands to Him He took the finger
of His right hand and placed it in the palm of
my right hand, and then my left. The moment
He did, the palm of each hand began to burn like
it had a coal of fire in it; in a spot about the
size of a half-dollar.
"Kneel down before me," He said.
When I did He laid His right hand on my head
and said, "I have called you and anointed you and
have given you a special anointing to minister
to the sick."
(Now my friends, Christ Himself did not
minister as the Son of God, but as a prophet of
God anointed by the Holy Ghost. That anointing
was tangible. It flowed out of Him into the sick.
Jesus pointed that out to me in this vision. That
anointing is what flowed out of Him into the
woman who touched His clothes. The King James
version calls it "virtue." (Mark 5:30.) But the
Greek New Testament says, "power went out of
him." Power went out of Him.
Peter said in Acts 10:38, "How God anointed
Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with
power: who went about doing good, and healing

all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was

with him."
Notice it says: He was anointed with the Holy
Ghost AND with power. Just because you're filled
with the Holy Ghost or even anointed by the Holy
Ghost to preach is no sign you're anointed with
this power. The Word of God says it was that
"power" which went out of Him.)
Jesus said to me, "When you lay hands on the
sick, lay one hand on one side of the body, and
one hand on the other side. If that fire, or
anointing, in your hand jumps from hand to hand,
there is an evil spirit or demon in the body
causing the trouble. Call the demon out. In my
name the demon or demons will have to go. If
the fire or anointing (He called it bothfire and
anointing. It felt like fire. Fire has always been
a type of the Holy Ghost.) does not jump from
hand to hand, then it is a case of healing only."
(The Bible does differentiate between casting
out devils and healing the sick.)
"Then," He said, "lay your hands upon them
and pray. If they will believe it and accept it,
then the anointing will flow from your hands
into their bodies and will drive out their sickness
and their disease."
(This is not the only way of receiving
healingbut it is one way. And it is a Bible way.)
Then Jesus explained to me that the reason
He was able to heal only a few in His home town
of Nazarethand then only those with minor
ailmentswas because they wouldn't believe He
had the anointing. (Mark 6:5.) Read the 4th
chapter of Luke. He told them He was anointed
but they wouldn't believe it.
Jesus said to me in the vision, "You go tell
the people exactly what I told you. If they will
believe it (that is, believe I have the anointing),
and they will accept it (you can't give anybody
anything they won't acceptmaterial or spirit
ual), then the anointing will flow from your hands
into their bodies and will drive out their sickness
and their disease."
Then He told me, "I want you to lay your hands
also on believers to receive the Holy Ghost."
And He gave me scripturethe 8th chapter
of Acts.
ACTS 8:14-15, 17-20
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they
sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Ghost...
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they

received the Holy Ghost.

18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the
apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered
them money,
19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whom
soever I lay hands, he may received the Holy Ghost.
20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with
thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God
may be purchased with money.

Jesus pointed out to me first that Simon tried

to buy the ability to lay hands on people for them
to receive the Holy Ghostand secondly, that
Peter said it was a gift. Peter said he and John
were "gifted" by the Holy Ghost to lay hands on
folks. Some are "gifted" and some are not.
(Keep in mind you can still lay hands on people
in faith as a point of contact to release faith,
whether you're gifted along this line or not.)
Jesus said to me boldly and plainly, "I have
given you that 'gift' of laying on of hands to
receive the Holy Ghost." Peter called it a gift
in Acts 8:20.
Jesus said to me, "I have given you a ministry
of laying on of hands. You are going to have to
give an account to me..."
Then there swelled up within my heart a love
such as I have never known for those who
criticize this type of ministry, and I said, "Lord,
I will pray for them, for they don't know or they
would not say the things they do. I myself have
said similar things, never realizing as of course
they do not. Forgive them, Lord."
"Go thy way, Son. Fulfill thy ministry and
be thou faithful, for the time is short."
As I walked,away from the throne of God,
Jesus told me to give all the praise, honor,
and glory to Him for all that is done in His name;
also, to be careful about money. Many of His
servants whom He has anointed for this type of
ministry have become money-minded and have
lost the anointing and ministry that He gave them.
There are many who would pay a great deal to be
well. There are parents with children whose
bodies are crippled and twisted. They would
give thousands of dollars for their children's
healing. Many of these shall be delivered as
hands are laid upon them. But I must not accept
a charge for my ministry, only offerings as I
have been doing. I must be faithful for the time
is short, He advised.
I tell this because He told me to do so. He
told me to tell about this healing ministry, and
the anointing.