"Falter at the Altar: The Laying on of Hands!"

In the New Testament (NT) the "laying on of hands" is associated with the receiving of the Holy Spirit or "holy ghost" depending on what part of the country you are from. Initially, this act was primarily a function of the apostles of Jesus Christ as well as Jesus Himself.  It was connected to three different concepts: 1) healing, 2) conveying of the "gifts" of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:4-11) and 3) endorsing a worker chosen by God to begin a great work.  Pretty simple, huh? Nothing too complicated to understand here, right? So can you please tell me how the modern-day church has come from the aforementioned to what we have created today?

The complete and total "bastardization" of this simple yet profound act of the Grace of God has become a circus! It is an abomination what occurs on Sunday morning and Tuesday evening with Christians who feel compelled to "touch ya neighbor" and "slap somebody and tell 'em..." every chance they get!  What is the message we are sending to those "young in the faith" who are already struggling with their spiritual identity? The focal point has become entertainment and not the transference of the person of Christ Jesus!

Many pastors and other church leaders have become too lazy to minister effectively (that which requires intensive study and prayer) in lieu of "shortcuts" that provide short-term remedies to the maladies of the Body of Christ.  Our leaders need to be more accountable to God than their "Q-scores" and popularity on "live stream", YouTube, Twitter and Face book.  The pervasiveness of "too much access" has precipitated an unprecedented rise in fraud, deceit and manipulation which has crippled the reputation of Christians and diluted the overall potency of the evangelistic thrust of believers.

The book of 1Timothy admonishes us not to be quick to lay hands on someone else so that we do not fall into the sin of others (1 Tim 5:22).  The reciprocal effect he is discussing is not evident at first without closer examination.  Timothy is also warning the believer not to be too quick to allow some of these "devils in the pulpits" to lay hands on them either!  In other words, "keep your filthy hands to yourself!"