Laying of the Hands
We begin here:
1 Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 of the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (Heb.6.1,2)
This study has to do with your relationships, those with whom you associate or have fellowship with; it does not have anything to do with the work place and those you work with, unless they are given to talking about spiritual things, but this has to do with those you would fellowship with either directly OR casually, as watching television, listening to the radio, reading their material, or supporting them by buying their merchandise.
Let's consider this:
21 I charge thee in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality. 22 Lay hands hastily on no man, neither be partaker of other mens sins: keep thyself pure. (1 Tim5.21,22)
Now, why would he say this, not to lay hands quickly on a person? In other words, BE SURE of him you are about to bless, then why does he says, ..neither be partaker of other men's sins? Even running your references from this verse will lead you here:
11 and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them; 12 for the things which are done by them in secret it is a shame even to speak of. (Eph.5.11)
And here is another admonition of the same essence:
8 Look to yourselves, that ye lose not the things which we have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever goes onward and abides not in the teaching of Christ, has not God: he that abides in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If any one comes unto you, and brings not this teaching, receive him not into your house, and give him no greeting: 11 for he that gives him greeting partakes in his evil works. (2 Jn.8-11)
This admonition cannot be denied. Our associations have everything to do with our relationship with God; we are commanded to keep ourselves pure, that is clean, but if you invite someone teaching falsehood into your home, you are separating yourself from God.
You say, I don't let anyone into my home, but what about your television? you turn it on and watch those people and drink in their foolishness, and how about your radio? you sit there and listen to their regurgitated tripe, then you buy their books and videos. How can you say you are not allowing them into your house?! You are fellowshipping with them as you sit there and listen or read what they have to say and you are partaking of their evil deeds.
You have heard me quote this:
14 Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore, come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, 18 And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
1 Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
(2 Cor.6.14-7.1)
You cannot dismiss the admonition to separate yourself from the unbeliever; to keep ourselves clean so that we may receive the promise that God will receive us. Nevertheless, this is what you are doing, not only that, when you send them money or buy their things, you are partaking of their evil deed...yes, you are.
The Blessing
The laying on of hands also carries with it a fellowship, a union of one person with another, it can be a blessing or a curse; if you sit with them in a place of learning it is in a real way, a participation, a fellowship, a communion with what is being taught, whether it is junk or a blessing, whether truth or garbage. Consider:
15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ? 17 seeing that we, who are many, are one bread, one body: for we are all partake of the one bread. 18 Behold Israel after the flesh: have not they that eat the sacrifices communion with the altar? 19 What say I then? that a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have communion with demons. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: ye cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? (1 Cor.10.15-22)
The word, communion comes from the Greek (koinonia) which is also translated to fellowship, as here:
9 and when they perceived the grace that was given unto me, James and Cephas and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship. (Gal.2.9)
So, here you are, giving to these evil men without realizing that you are not only partaking of their evil deeds, which separates you from God, but then you are fellowshipping with them and making yourselves unclean, so that God will not receive you.
16 But unto the wicked God saith,
What hast thou to do to declare my statutes,
And that thou hast taken my covenant in thy mouth,
17 Seeing thou hate instruction,
And cast my words behind thee?
18 When thou saws a thief, thou consented with him,
And hast been partaker with adulterers.
19 Thou gives thy mouth to evil,
And thy tongue frames deceit.
20 Thou sit and speak against thy brother;
Thou slander your own mothers son.
21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence;
Thou thought that I was altogether such a one as thyself:
But I will reprove thee, and set them in order before your eyes.
22 Now consider this, ye that forget God,
Lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver:
23 Whoso offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me;
And to him that orders his way aright
Will I show the salvation of God.
(Psm.50.16-23)
First, God says you cast His words behind you; how? By not obeying Him; then how do you consent with thieves? You watch them on television, and listen to them on radio, and go off to their churches on Sunday; then you know that many among you are living in adultery and care nothing about it, then you gossip about your neighbor, and even slander them when they are your brethren and sisters, but the incredible thing here is, that He says you suppose God is like you!! So, what will He do? But will correct those who oppose, but the promise is worthy of note...
And to him that orders his way aright will I show the salvation of God.
This salvation is deliverance for those who would correct their ways by separating themselves from the wicked I will quote this to you again:
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Cor.6.14-22)
Some of you are not doing this. Yes, it is painful because some of those folks are your long time friends; been there, done that; some that I had to leave were family. It is not easy, but if you want to save yourselves, you will obey God and come out of them and join the rest of us who are castigated and chided by them, and this is how Jesus said it would be:
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a mans foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that takes not his cross, and follows after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it. 40 He that receives you receives me, and he that receives me receives him that sent me. 41 He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophets reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous mans reward. (Mt.10.34ff)
Nobody said serving Jesus was easy. It is not. Then there is this:
28 And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful: 32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that do such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that do them. (Rom.1.28-32)
You know the Ten Commandments, yet you refuse them knowing that the wages of sin is death, as you also know that sin is defined thus:
4 Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.' (1 Jn.3.4)
You fellowship with these people and have no compunction about sinning, when you know that what they do will bring them into judgment, and some of you are practicing the same things.
This is the essence of the laying on of hands; it is a fellowship, as Paul tells Timothy,
22 Lay hands hastily on no man, neither be partaker of other mens sins: keep thyself pure. (1Tim.5.22)
The reason he says, not to lay hands on or to fellowship with anyone quickly, is that you need to be sure where they are coming from; to be sure that they are of the truth, as in ordaining a man into the ministry, as here:
1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. (Acts 13.1-3)
This, of course, was the ordination of Paul and Barnabas, and if you consider where these men had been, you would understand that the Lord takes great care in those whom He sets into the work.
So then, Paul lays down qualifications for those who would enter into the ministry to represent God, as here:
1 Faithful is the saying, If a man seeks the office of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money; 4 one that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (but if a man knows not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 8 Deacons in like manner must be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9 holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10 And let these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, if they be blameless. 11 Women in like manner must be grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For they that have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. (1 Tim.3.1-13)
Then, he adds this for elders:
5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou should set in order the things that were wanting, and appoint elders in every city, as I gave thee charge; 6 if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children that believe, who are not accused of riot or unruly. 7 For the bishop must be blameless, as Gods steward; not self-willed, not soon angry, no brawler, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; 8 but given to hospitality, a lover of good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled; 9 holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the gainsayers. (Tit.1.5-9).
Your ministers do not meet these qualifications by any stretch of the imagination; not only so, but those who have PUBLICLY shown their immorality are allowed to continue and even to be blessed, and I don't have to name them to you.
Now, let's go and see how this occurs in another way, to IMPART something, as in the case Moses was commanded to appoint Joshua over the congregation of the people, as here:
15 And Moses spoke unto the LORD, saying, 16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, 17 who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in; that the congregation of Jehovah be not as sheep which have no shepherd. 18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay thy hand upon him; 19 and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. 20 And thou shall put of your honor upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey. 21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. 22 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: 23 and he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD spake by Moses. (Num.27.15-23)
Moses IMPARTED TO Joshua the ministry. This is where the institution of ordination began, but it is also the IMPARTING of authority and a charge, but it is more than ordaining ministers; it is to IMPART a blessing, or as curse, as we may read in Gen.48.14-17 where Jacob laid hands on Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, and blessed them; then in the case of imparting a curse, we read about that in Lev.8.14ff where they laid hands on the sin offering, then killed it, a figure of passing the sins of the people on so that their sins would be done away. And this:
15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. 18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lords table, and of the table of devils. 22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? (1 Cor.10.15-22)
But now, when it comes to blessing, consider this and you will be surprised:
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all. 4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth out of the chief spoils 6 but he whose genealogy is not counted from them hath taken tithes of Abraham, and hath blessed him that hath the promises. 7 But without any dispute the less is blessed of the better.' (Heb.7.1ff)
Here is Abraham, who had received the promises of God, called the father of our faith BEING BLESSED, and he says, it cannot be denied that the less is blessed of the greater! As we may read:
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself, 14 saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15 And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men swear by the greater: and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation. 17 Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath; 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us: 19 which we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and stedfast and entering into that which is within the veil; 20 whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
The blessing was that he would give him the land, and the multiplying was that his seed would be as the sand of the sea shore, through Christ, whereof we are partakers through this same promise when we are obedient to the truth.
Being Negative
I know, children of God, that is seems I am negative all the time, but I am exhorted to reprove you, as here:
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becomes saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. (Eph.5.3-13)
Then, this:
1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Tim.4.1-4)
See: this is the work of Elijah, as Malachi says:
1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appears? for he is like a refiners fire, and like fullers soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. (Mal.3.1-3a)
What else can I say?
Amen
Resurrection from the dead next...