Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.
(1 Tim. 5:22)
In writing to Timothy, Paul said, “Lay hands suddenly on no man….” If you read the whole context of this verse, Paul is not talking about laying hands on someone to do the person harm; he’s talking about the doctrine of the laying on of hands.
He is instructing Timothy not to be quick to lay hands on people and pray for them. I believe it is important that people are ready to receive when hands are laid on them.
I remember a woman who brought her daughter to me to be healed. The daughter was facing major surgery, and the woman wanted me to pray for her.
Well, I endeavor to keep my spirit open to the Spirit of God, so before the mother said anything, I knew on the inside of me that the daughter didn’t believe in divine healing and was just coming to please her mother. So I said to the two of them, “Well, let’s just sit down and talk a little bit first.”
“Oh, no,” the mother said. “I already told you. I got up early this morning and drove two hundred and forty miles. After you lay hands on my daughter and pray, I’m going to take her back home. I want to get back before our church service tonight.”
“Well, I don’t want to be mean or ugly about it,” I said. “But if that’s the way it is, why don’t you just go ahead, load her up, and take her back. Your daughter doesn’t believe in divine healing, so there’s really no point in me praying for her under the present circumstances.”
The woman looked sort of startled and said, “Well, if that’s the way you feel about it.”
I told her that it had nothing to do with how I felt about it, but I knew there was no use for me to pray for her daughter under those circumstances. So the woman and her daughter agreed to sit down and talk with me.
Confession
I believe in divine healing and keep myself ready to receive when hands are laid on me. Therefore, no man will lay hands suddenly on me, because I am always ready to receive from God.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
Rev. Hagin served in Christian ministry for nearly 70 years and was known as the "father of the modern faith movement." His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God's power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
Rev. Hagin was born on Aug. 20, 1917, in McKinney, Texas, a son of the late Lillie Viola Drake Hagin and Jess Hagin.
Rev. Hagin was sickly as a child, suffering from a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. He was not expected to live and became bedfast at age 15. In April 1933 during a dramatic conversion experience, he reported dying three times in 10 minutes, each time seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life.
In August of 1934, Rev. Hagin was miraculously healed, raised off a deathbed by the power of God and the revelation of faith in God's Word. Two years later, he preached his first sermon as pastor of a small community church in Roland, Texas.
In 1937, Rev. Hagin was baptized in the Holy Spirit and began ministering in Pentecostal churches. During the next 12 years he pastored five churches in Texas: in the cities of Tom Bean, Farmersville (twice), Talco, Greggton, and Van. In 1949, he began an itinerant ministry as a Bible teacher and evangelist.
During the next 14 years, Jesus appeared to Rev. Hagin eight times in visions that changed the course of his ministry. In 1966, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he opened a ministry office. That same year, he taught for the first time on radio—on KSKY in Dallas. In 1967, he began a regular radio broadcast that continues today as Faith Seminar of the Air. Teaching by his son, Rev. Kenneth W. Hagin, is also heard on the program.
In 1968, Rev. Hagin published the first issues of The Word of Faith magazine, which now has a monthly circulation of more than 250,000. The publishing outreach he founded, Faith Library Publications, has circulated more than 65 million copies of books by Rev. Hagin, Rev. Hagin Jr., and several other authors worldwide. Faith Library Publications also has produced more than 9 million audio teaching tapes and CDs.
Other outreaches of Kenneth Hagin Ministries include RHEMA Praise, a weekly television broadcast hosted by Rev. and Mrs. Kenneth W. Hagin; RHEMA Correspondence Bible School; RHEMA Alumni Association; RHEMA Ministerial Association International; RHEMA Supportive Ministries Association; the RHEMA Prayer and Healing Center; and a prison ministry.
In 1974, Rev. Hagin founded RHEMA Bible Training Center USA and in 1976 moved the school and ministry offices to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where they remain. To date, RHEMA Bible Training Center USA has 23,000 alumni, and RHEMA Bible Training Centers have opened in 13 other nations: Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, and Thailand. Together, the 14 schools have more than 28,000 graduates worldwide.
RHEMA Bible Church, pastored by Rev. Hagin Jr., began holding services in October of 1985 on the RHEMA campus in Broken Arrow and has since grown to become a thriving congregation with more than 8,000 members.
Rev. Hagin's daughter and son-in-law, Pat Harrison and the late Doyle "Buddy" Harrison, founded Harrison House Publishers in 1975 and Faith Christian Fellowship International Church in 1977. Both organizations are based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Until shortly before his death in September 2003, Rev. Hagin continued to travel and teach throughout the United States and into Canada conducting All Faiths' Crusades and other special meetings.