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Imparting Spiritual Gifts Part I By Mel C. Montgomery How The Faith Giants Received Their Gifts Mom Goodwin and I never discussed how she and her husband came into the gifting in which God used them. Being a typical Charismatic, I just assumed that someone had laid their hands on them and imparted it to them. Maybe Wigglesworth. After all, they were in a service Smith Wigglesworth held in Dallas, Texas back in the 1930's. He laid his hands on their infant son, Charles Goodwin. Maybe they got it from Wigglesworth, or Charles Parham, or some other early Pentecostal leader. Over the years I have asked several ministers who had known Brother and Sister Goodwin for 30 and 40 years where the Goodwins believed they had received their gifting. The answer was always the same: "They got it directly from God. Nowhere else. It came through no one else at all. It originated with them." Never the less, I doubted this account. I had heard so many teach about spiritual gifts being imparted through the laying on of hands that I was sure someone, somewhere, sometime, must have imparted these gifts to the Goodwins by laying hands on them. Then I heard the account from Sister Goodwin's own lips in a recording of the Goodwins ministering at Christ For The Nations back in the 1970's. She spells out exactly how these gifts came into her first, then began flowing through Brother Goodwin also. No one laid hands on them. The spiritual gifts they operated in came directly from God. As I began to reflect on the biographies of the great men and women of God, I realized that I can't think of any of them that received their anointing or spiritual gifting through someone else laying hands on them. Smith Wigglesworth had possibly the most powerful healing ministry of modern times. Where did his anointing come from? How did he get it? Who laid hands on him and imparted it to him? The record is clear from the biographies that have been written of him. Wigglesworth began gathering up sick people and taking them to a nearby town to be prayed for to receive healing. Eventually the leaders left to attend a convention and they put Wigglesworth in charge of the meetings. He preached and prayed and saw a crippled man healed. Thus began his healing ministry. No one laid hands on him and said, "God wants to use you in the healing ministry. In Jesus' name, receive ye now the gifts of healing!" Didn't happen. Kenneth Hagin tells of being saved, then healed. He began preaching as a teenager. He fellowshipped with Pentecostals and was filled with the Spirit and spoke in tongues. He began to develop into spiritual gifts and the prophet's ministry under the oversight of the Goodwins. But he did not believe, nor did the Goodwins believe, that his gifting and anointing came into him through the Goodwins laying their hands on him. At no time did the Goodwins say, "Brother Kenneth, the Lord has called you to be a prophet. We are going to lay our hands on you and impart to you the gift of prophecy." Absolutely not. Didn't happen. Oral Roberts was healed of terminal tuberculosis as a teenager. He began pastoring, then started praying for the sick. No one laid hands on him and imparted to him spiritual gifts. They came directly from God. T.L. Osborn tells the story of the beginning of his healing ministry in a recording we have on this site. I urge you to listen to it. As a Pentecostal, he believed in miracles. He attended a meeting in which he saw miracles take place. But it was when he got alone with God that the revelation of God's healing power came into him through four visions he was given of Jesus Christ. No one laid hands on him to receive spiritual gifts. It all came directly from God. This is the common theme you see in the lives of the faith giants of the last century. They received their gifts through no man. They received their gifts directly from God as they sought Him alone with all their hearts. |
Are spiritual gifts imparted through the laying on of hands? Until recently, had you asked me that, my response would have been, "Of course! Why not? We lay hands on people for everything else!" But if the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit are commonly imparted through the laying on of hands--as we've always assumed--then why don't we read or hear of the faith giants receiving them that way? Also, why don't we see multiple examples in the Bible of spiritual gifts being given through the laying on of hands? Think about it. Where did Jeremiah get his prophetic anointing? Who laid hands on him? We have no account of someone touching Jeremiah and saying, "Here it is! Boy, you're a prophet now!" Jeremiah makes it clear that his prophetic anointing came directly from God, and not through any human vessel: "Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth."--Jer. 1:9. Where did Isaiah get his anointing? Did someone impart it to him? Read his own account: "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken . . ."--Isa. 1:1,2. Thus Isaiah abruptly begins prophesying after receiving a vision from God. His anointing came from the only One who can give an anointing. It came from God alone. The closest you can come to finding an instance in which a spiritual gift appears to have been imparted from one man to another are the few instances in which the Lord directed a prophet to anoint a king, such as occurred between the prophet Samuel and Saul: "Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?"--I Sam. 10:1. Samuel's use of the past tense, ". . . because the LORD has anointed you. . .," indicates that the kingly anointing was already in Saul. All Samuel did was anoint Saul with oil on the outside where people could see it, as a sign of what God had already done on the inside of Saul. In other words, this was not an imparation of anointing. It was simply a public confirmation of what God had already done inside an individual. In this and other instances we are given no indication that the kingly anointing flowed from the prophet into Saul, David, or anyone else. God did the choosing, the equipping, and He alone directly provided the anointing. You see the same public confirmation of the fact that an anointing was already present when Moses laid his hands on Joshua. What occurred between Moses and Joshua is frequently misrepresented in today's prophetic teachings. The Scriptures read: "And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses."--Deut. 34:9. People jump and shout when they read this scripture and say, "See, Moses laid his hands on Joshua and imparted the Spirit of Wisdom to him." Not so. Look at the context and then read the full account with me. This occurred at the end of the life of Moses. It was time for the people to have a new leader to take them into the Promised Land: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him. . ."--Num. 27:18. ". . . in whom is the spirit. . ." indicates that what was later referred to as the Spirit of Wisdom was already in Joshua before Moses laid his hands on him. The laying on of hands in front of the people was only a sign to them of Joshua having the endorsement of the Lord and of Moses: "And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient . . . And Moses did as the LORD commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses."--Num. 27:18-23. Moses imparted no spiritual gift or anointing to Joshua. The Spirit of Wisdom was already active in the life of Joshua. Moses was directed of the Lord to acknowledge this fact by laying his hands on Joshua before all the people. We take this Bible incident completely out of context and go running around laying hands on people, trying to impart to them that which only God can give, and we wonder why it never amounts to much of anything. What happened between Elijah and Elisha is similarly misrepresented in our prophetic teachings today. Elijah was a notable prophet of the Old Testament, and Elisha was chosen of the Lord to be his successor. Elisha accompanied Elijah for years. At the end of Elijah's life, Elisha asked for the fulness of the prophetic anointing: "And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me."--II Kings 2:9. Notice though Elijah's response in the very next verse:
"And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so."--II Kings 2:10. Why didn't Elijah say, "Ok, here's the anointing!" Because he couldn't say that. He couldn't impart it. Only God could impart that anointing. So Elijah said, ". . . if . . . " It was entirely in the hands of God. And we know the result: "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him . . . "--II Kings 2:11-13. Elijah imparted nothing to Elisha through the laying on of hands or through any sort of physical contact. God sovereignly chose to take Elijah's anointing and put it on Elisha. Another commonly misunderstood event took place in the life of Paul and Barnabas set out on their first missionary journey: "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away."--Acts 13:1-3. No the Elders and prophets at Antioch did not impart to Barnabas and Saul (Paul) the apostolic anointing. Notice the past tense phrasing of what the Holy Ghost specifically said: "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." He did not say, "I'm going to call Barnabas and Saul to be apostles. So you guys lay your hands on them and impart the apostolic anointing to them." No. The calling, equipping, and anointing was already there. The laying on of hands was simply a public confirmation, endorsement, and specific "separating" of Barnabas and Saul to the ministry God had already put within them. There are other instances in the Bible that are taken out of context and twisted in current Charismatic and prophetic teaching: the commissioning of the seven deacons, and what flowed between Paul and Timothy. I will deal with them at length in Part II. | Frankly I think we have made a horriffic mistake in teaching that spiritual gifts are imparted through the laying on of hands. I know of none of the faith giants that received their gifts in any manner except directly from God alone, with no human intervention. |
I can't tell you how many times I've been approached by someone who claims to be a prophet, and they are asking me to teach them how to prophesy. Teach a prophet how to prophesy? The very idea is absurd. That's like a person saying, "I'm an evangelist, but I've never lead a single soul to Christ. Teach me how to win my first soul!" I ask such individuals what makes them think they are a prophet. The response invariably is, "Oh well, so and so prophesied over me and told me I'm a prophet. He laid his hands on me and imparted to me the gift of prophecy, and I need to learn how to use it." Again and again and again I've been approached by such people. I haven't run into one yet who was actually called to be a prophet or that ever developed into the genuine gift of prophecy. Not one. If you are a prophet, NO ONE will have to teach you how to prophesy. You will prophesy in the shower. You'll prophesy in your car. You'll prophesy in your home. You'll have visions and revelations from the Lord. You'll prophesy when you come in, and you'll prophesy when you go out. There will be a steady stream of the utterance and revelation gifts manifesting through you. Eventually, as with Saul, with Joshua, and as with Baranabas and Saul, those around you will come to recognize, acknowledge, and endorse the anointing that is already flowing through you. The fruit comes first, and the title comes later. You don't claim the title, with absolutely no fruit, and run around trying to learn how to operate in a gift someone supposedly just imparted to you. God's Method of Imparting Spiritual Gifts Although God alone imparts spiritual gifts, a person can begin to recognize the unction of a spiritual gift by observing it in operation. Then after observing a spiritual gift, and humbling yourself, it is a small step to being used in that gift yourself. In other words, spiritual associations can bring about the impartation of spiritual gifts. This is not commonly understood today. The Goodwins were excellent examples of this principle. It was no accident that Kenneth Hagin, John Osteen, Marilyn Hickey, Billye Brim, and so many others came into spiritual gifts under the Goodwins' oversight. A man who served for years as a staff minister at the Goodwins' church told me "As I think back on it, just about every minister I can remember that came and humbled themselves and sat under the Goodwins' instruction for a period of time came away with spiritual ministries they never expected to be used in." How did this happen? Brother and Sister Goodwin did not line people up, lay hands on them and say, "Ok, now you have the gift of prophecy. So, prophesy in the name of Jesus! Come on! Prophesy by faith. Step out in your gift!" They didn't get off into that nonsense. They did not hold "prophesying classes." Nor did they pressure people into giving money in order to supposedly "sow" towards receiving a spiritual gift. They did none of that. What they did was very simple: They flowed. Service after service, week in and week out, they flowed in the gifts God had put within them. People heard the gifts taught about, and saw them manifest over and over. There is just something about being in that kind of atmosphere, seeing the reality of spiritual gifts right before your eyes. It changes you. As people saw the gifts manifest again and again, they began humbling themselves and seeking God. Eventually, the Holy Spirit would begin to manifest Himself through them also. This same staff minister told me how he came into being used in the gifts of tongues and interpretation. He was the praise and worship leader for the services. One day Sister Goodwin pulled him aside and said, "You know, when [such and such] happens to you as you are leading praise and worship?" He replied, "Yes." She continued, "Well, that is the Holy Spirit prompting you to give a message in tongues. Why aren't you giving it?" He said, "Is that what that is? I knew it was something, but I didn't know what it was." So the next time he felt that prompting, he spoke it out, and Dad Goodwin interpreted. He told me, "Mom Goodwin pulled me over into speaking in tongues and interpreting. I don't think I would ever have come over into it if she hadn't helped me." Now for forty years this man has been used prolifically in tongues, interpretation, and other gifts. Like the other ministers he spoke to me about who humbled themselves and sat under the Goodwins' ministry, he came away with a spiritual ministry he never expected to be used in. I think this is one reason why Satan fights tongues so fiercely. It seems to me that tongues is the usual starting place to begin being used in spiritual gifts. As you saw the gifts of tongues and interpretation manifest through the Goodwins, you began to develop a sensitivity to that. Dad would be preaching along, and you would percieve, "It is about time for a message in tongues." And just then Dad would stop, Mom would speak in tongues, Dad would interpret and then continue with his sermon. You began to perceive that unction and timing. Then after a period of time, it would change from perceiving when they were to give a message in tongues, to perceiving when you were to give one. T.L. Osborn's miracle ministry began in the very same way. He attended services in which God was manifesting healings, miracles, and spiritual gifts through a man of God. Brother Osborn tells that after awhile it was though a thousand voices were swirling around his head and all of them were saying, "You can do this too. YOU can do this too!" That didn't mean that he could personally work miracles in his own strength and power. It meant that he could perceive that the Holy Spirit wanted to use him in a similar manner. Before long, Brother and Sister Osborn were laying hands on the sick and seeing great miracles. They received the anointing from God, and then developed in it through association. For many years, the Osborns ministered in meetings alongside F.F. Bosworth and other healing evangelists, and they developed further in the anointing God had given them. Something similar happened with me. I tell the story in detail in my article, "The Goodwins and Me." I had known Sister Goodwin for four or five years when in 1989 she laid her hands on me and asked God to use me. I write in the article, "I felt no impartation. Nothing." Why? Because she and no one else could impart a spiritual gift to me. Only God can do that. I simply was honored that she had laid her hands on me, and I trusted God to impart to me whatever He wanted to use me in. Several months passed, I was caught up in a vision. When I came out of it, that unction to give a message in tongues and to interpret it came to me. I recognized it. I had seen the Holy Spirit flow that way through Sister Goodwin for years. Now here it was, coming upon me. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to just yield to it. When I did, a message in tongues came out of my mouth. Then instantly, the interpretation was on the inside of me too and I spoke it out. And from that beginning years ago other gifts began to manifest later. Did that come because Sister Goodwin laid her hands on me? No. It came because I had humbled myself, sat under her instruction, and had witnessed that anointing flow through her for years. Then when the Holy Spirit chose to use me that way, I immediately recognized the anointing to give a message in tongues and I yielded to it. Can you receive a spiritual gift through some anointed person laying their hands on you? Well, God is sovereign and He can certainly impart spiritual gifts in any manner He chooses to do. However, the question is do we have any Bible evidence that God imparts spiritual gifts through the laying on of hands? No, I can't find any. You don't see a single instance in the Bible of Jesus, Paul, or anyone else walking up to a stranger, laying hands on them and saying, "I just imparted to you the gift of prophecy. You are a prophet now. Go for it!" But you do see numerous examples of gifts or anointings coming by association. As you understand this process, you will begin to see certain incidents in the Bible in an entirely new way. Continued in: Copyright 2007. Mel C. Montgomery. All rights reserved. Article may be copied and shared with others as long as it is done so without charge, in entirety, and if attribution is given.
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