BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing July 2017 E-magazine English | Page 6

JULY 2017
others can lay their hands on the believers so that it
would help them increase their faith. But laying
hands is not a must in every case. There was no laying
of hands when the Holy Spirit filled the believers
(Acts 2, 10). In the other incidents (Acts 8, 9, 19), the
laying of hands was by the apostles. In the case of
Paul it was just an ordinary disciple, Ananias. With
these observations I would advise not to rush to lay
hands on everyone.
Some people shake the believer's head and
push them. Such things must be avoided. The Bible
does not specifically speak laying hands on the
“heads” of people, rather just on “them” may be
gently on their shoulders. Don't blow on people to
receive the Holy Spirit. Christ blew on His disciples
because the Holy Spirit was His own, as the Father
had given Him the Spirit without measure (Jn 3:34).
We should not exceed our limits.
d) Encourage the person to SPEAK out the
words the Holy Spirit prompts within (Acts 2:4). The
source of every gift is God. But no gift operates
without our cooperation. We cast out demons in the
power of Christ's Name but nothing happens until
“we” cast them out. Healing the sick is by God's
power but “we” have to lay hands on them. In this
very same list of gifts, speaking in tongues is also
enlisted (Mark 16:17,18). The prompting is by the
Spirit but “we” have to start speaking. Because our
spirits are subject to our control, we normally will not
be able to speak in unknown languages (1 Cor
14:27,32). There is a deliberate choice on our part to
speak in tongues. But we must not coach the
believers to speak in tongues by shouting into his ears
or screaming.
Some people fear that a counterfeit spirit might
make an entry into flesh. It was to alleviate such fears
that Christ gave the examples of stone for bread,
serpent for fish, and scorpion for egg. Make the
believer read for himself Luke 11:11-13. Fear leaves
and faith enters by hearing the Word of God.
Allow Variety!
Though the gift of the Spirit is one in its
essence and nature, the response of the person to its
reception varies in accordance to factors like the
background of the person and his emotional make-
up. Therefore don't insist on uniformity but allow
variety. Some may jump and shout whereas others
may quietly rejoice and whisper praise. Physical
manifestations are not the indicators of the depth or
reality of the experience. The most important and
conclusive evidence is that the person will “know”
that he has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit by
an inward assurance.
If after prayer a believer is not sure that he is
filled with the Spirit, encourage him to go home
seeking the Lord and trusting His Word. Several
people receive the Spirit while on their way back
home or working in the kitchen. The Holy Spirit is
known for surprising us with His “sudden” descent
(Acts 2:2; 10:44). We can quote the right Scripture
texts, give correct answers to the believer's questions,
and follow the steps diligently; but the outpouring is
not guaranteed. Our job is similar to that of a
midwife.
I quote the reply of a king of Israel to a woman
who cried for help - “If the Lord does not help you,
where can I get help for you?” (2 Ki 6:27).
(Taken from the recently released book
“Showers of Blessing” by A. Lionel. To order a copy,
please do see the back page).
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