God’s Heart for Healing the Sick #5 — The Laying On of Hands

Healing the sick is not reserved for pastors: Jesus said that signs will follow those who believe, and that they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. In this final part of the series God’s Heart for Healing the Sick, Dr. William P. Hohman reviews the five ways the New Testament shows God’s will to heal, then teaches on the fifth, the laying on of hands. His key point is simple: you do the simple thing God asks, and God does the hard thing. It follows God’s Heart for Healing the Sick #4: Anointing With Oil and the Prayer Cloth.

Below you will find the full video, a structured summary of the message, every Scripture he uses (linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway), a timestamped outline, and practical steps for obeying this word this week.

Sermon at a Glance

This message was preached at NTC Ministries and posted on August 6, 2024. It is the fifth and last part of a series on God’s heart for healing the sick. Dr. Hohman opens with the urgency of the times, recaps the first four avenues of healing, then spends most of the message on Mark 16 and the believer’s simple obedience in laying hands on the sick. He closes by praying over the church and inviting anyone who wants prayer to come forward.

His conviction: God would not give so many avenues of healing if healing were not His purpose.

An Assignment in the Last Days

Dr. Hohman returns to the verse that launched the series, Luke 21:25: in the last days there will be signs in the sun, moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity. He explains that distress of nations means problems so great that there is no way out. He illustrates it with a man he once counseled who had maxed out seven or eight credit cards; through prayer, that debt came down over several years.

The world, he says, is in that kind of place, with wars and conflicts that have no natural way out. But God has a job for His people in the middle of it. Every believer has an assignment, along with the tools and spiritual weapons to accomplish it. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people (Psalm 125:2), and the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits (Daniel 11:32).

That assignment is to go into the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, so that the Father’s house may be filled (Luke 14:23). He rejects the idea that believers are only meant to be a silent witness. People should see a change in our lives, but Scripture also says how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news (Isaiah 52:7), and faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:14–17).

He warns that knowing Christ includes the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10), and that there is no country to run to in order to escape it. Using the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–12), he describes the wise as those filled with the Holy Spirit and not dried out in their purpose. The foolish lived for this world, and the door was shut.

Tradition can also make the Word of God of no effect (Mark 7:13). True life is the presence of God among us and within us. That is why God’s heart for healing is meant to be a dinner bell that draws people into His kingdom.

The Holy Name of Jesus

The first of the five avenues for healing the sick was the name of Jesus. Dr. Hohman reads John 14:12–14: he who believes in Jesus will do the works He did, and greater works, because He goes to the Father, and whatever we ask in His name He will do. These works belong to every real believer, not to someone who merely knows a story or two about Jesus.

Many people treat His name as common, he says, or think it will mystically become a magnificent tool when they need it. But it is the name of our lover. We were created out of His love, shown that love when He came to earth, and saw it poured out on the cross. Just as you cannot degrade your spouse’s name and expect intimacy, the name of Jesus must be held as holy.

In John 16:23–24 Jesus tells us to ask the Father in His name, so that our joy may be full. 1 John 3:23 calls it a command to believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another. He also cautions against arguments over whether to say Jesus or Yeshua. He has seen many people born again, blind eyes opened and hundreds delivered from mental illness through prayer in the name of Jesus. What matters is that you hold the name holy, rather than straining at gnats and swallowing camels (Matthew 23:24).

Healing the Sick Through Agreement, Oil and Prayer Cloths

The second avenue for healing the sick was the prayer of agreement. In Matthew 18:18–20 Jesus says that if two agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done by the Father, and where two or three gather in His name He is in the midst. Dr. Hohman recalls the four men who tore open the roof and lowered their paralyzed friend to Jesus (Mark 2:3–5). Agreement, he says, tears away the barrier between a person and God.

He illustrates it from Psalm 133:1–3. Unity is like the oil on Aaron’s head and like the dew of Hermon. That morning there was dew on his lawn, but not under the tree, where branches blocked it. Agreement tears off the branches so that God’s freshness and goodness can reach someone who does not yet know Him.

The third avenue for healing the sick was anointing with oil. James 5:14–15 tells the sick to call for the elders, who pray and anoint with oil, and the prayer of faith will save the sick. It is not only for elders, he adds: the disciples anointed many who were sick and healed them (Mark 6:12–13).

The fourth avenue for healing the sick was prayer cloths. In Acts 19:11–12 God worked unusual miracles through Paul, and handkerchiefs or aprons carried from him to the sick drove out diseases and evil spirits. Dr. Hohman recounts a woman who placed a cloth under her husband’s pillow. He came home high on drugs, laid his head down, jumped up and gave his life to Jesus, and was in the service the next night.

Laying On of Hands for Healing the Sick

The fifth avenue for healing the sick, and the focus of this message, is the laying on of hands in Mark 16:14–18. After His resurrection Jesus appeared to the eleven and rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him risen. If He rebuked His apostles for that, Dr. Hohman asks, what about us when we refuse to believe what He said?

Jesus then said to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and that these signs will follow those who believe: in His name they will cast out demons, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly it will not hurt them. He notes that this does not mean snake handling, nor testing God (Matthew 4:7). And they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

He draws attention to the wording. The promise does not say the believer will make the sick person recover; it says believers lay hands on the sick, and the sick person recovers. The believer obeys in the laying on of hands, and God does the healing.

Many Christians, he says, lack the faith to see miracles because they do not know what belongs to them in God’s family. He tells of a Korean refugee girl in his grade-school class who hid food all over her room because she could not believe there would be more tomorrow. But the kingdom is not a machine; it is a relationship. God is our Father, Jesus is our brother, and the Holy Spirit lives in us as His temple, and He does not want His temple sick.

That is why we need to be meek, which he teaches means teachable (Matthew 5:5). You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). He recalls a pastor whose wife was declared cancer-free after prayer, yet who stopped him from teaching on healing because sick people might feel condemned. Faith comes by hearing the truth, Dr. Hohman replies; nobody needs to feel guilty, only teachable.

He shares more testimonies. A church member, Tim, had his eyes improve after prayer and came back to give thanks. A man on a construction site named Al Green asked for prayer for his back; years later he was well and had another baby. And a minister, Devon Mitchell, told him that his brother Kenneth, battling bipolar disorder, had his mind restored after Dr. Hohman laid hands on him and prayed, and now has a wife and children and serves the Lord. “God did it,” he says; his part was obedience.

You Do the Simple Thing, God Does the Hard Thing

A believer, Dr. Hohman teaches, is more than someone who agrees the Word is true; a believer acts on it, and healing the sick begins with that obedience. Obtaining a promise is more about obedience than wild faith. You do what He tells you, then expect Him to do what He said. He has made healing the sick part of his life for some 44 or 45 years and sees far more healings now than at the beginning, simply because he kept choosing to lay hands on the sick. You cannot be self-conscious, he says; you have to be God-conscious.

He walks through the Bible’s pattern, summarized here:

The passages behind these stories are Exodus 14:21, Joshua 6:20, 2 Kings 2:8, 2 Kings 6:1–7 and 2 Kings 5:14. “If you don’t do, God don’t do,” Dr. Hohman says. The more you obey, the more you will see the power of God.

He asks, with Jesus in Luke 6:46, why we call Him Lord and do not do what He says. When he started, he would ask strangers in stores whether he could pray with them, and the laying on of hands was just a hand on the shoulder. He has never been turned down. This is not because he is a pastor or has a doctorate. The least in the kingdom is greater than John the Baptist (Luke 7:28).

In Luke 19:13 Jesus told His servants to do business until He comes. He explains the word as busying yourself with trade so the business grows. On one prayer walk spent complaining, the Lord told him that when the donkey flies, you don’t complain that it didn’t fly far enough.

Believing for Healings, Not Feelings

Laying on of hands is an act of faith, and Jesus said that all things are possible to him who believes (Mark 9:23). Believing, Dr. Hohman says, is not a utopian state of awareness; it is simply obeying. He has the church declare aloud that whatever Jesus told them to do, they will do, and whatever He said He would do, they expect He will do.

He then follows the laying on of hands through Scripture. Jairus begged Jesus to come and lay His hands on his dying daughter (Mark 5:21–43).

On the way, a woman who had spent everything on doctors for twelve years and only grew worse touched the hem of His garment and was healed. When word came that the girl had died, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid; only believe,” took her by the hand and said, “Talitha, cumi.” She rose and walked. Dr. Hohman adds that he has seen three people raised from the dead; his part was the laying on of hands and commanding life.

In Luke 13:10–13 Jesus laid hands on a woman bent over for eighteen years, and she was made straight and glorified God. In Acts 28:8, on Malta, Paul prayed, laid his hands on the father of Publius, who was sick with fever and dysentery, and healed him. The Holy Spirit dwells in every believer, waiting for us to obey.

Healing the sick does not depend on feelings, he stresses. Some people feel heat, chills or something like electricity when believers lay hands on the sick, but if you believe because you feel better, you may decide you lost your healing when a symptom returns. Then your feelings are your lord. Instead, stand on what God has said: He forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases (Psalm 103:2–4).

He backs this with God’s faithfulness to His word: not one word has failed of all His good promise (1 Kings 8:56); I am the Lord, I speak, and the word will come to pass (Ezekiel 12:25); none of My words will be postponed any more (Ezekiel 12:28). All the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him amen (2 Corinthians 1:20), and the Lord confirms His word through accompanying signs (Mark 16:20).

Living It Out This Week

Dr. Hohman ends by praying that every believer would see their own world, whether a few blocks, a town or the nations, as a place to bring life and blessing. Here are practical steps from this message on healing the sick:

• Accept your assignment. Every believer has one; ask God to show you the people around you who need to be compelled to come in.
• Hold His name holy. Speak the name of Jesus with reverence in daily life, not only when you need help.
• Ask before you lay hands on the sick. Like Dr. Hohman in the store, kindly ask, place a hand on a shoulder, and command healing in Jesus’ name.
• Do your part and leave God His. You lay hands on the sick; He makes them recover. Walk away thanking Him.
• Celebrate every improvement. When the donkey flies, don’t complain about the distance; praise God and expect more.
• Stand on the Word, not feelings. If a symptom returns, keep confessing what God has promised instead of deciding you lost your healing.

Timestamped Outline

• 0:00 The final part of the series; Luke 21:25
• 2:20 A man buried in credit card debt
• 5:55 God has an assignment for every believer
• 8:27 More than a silent witness
• 11:28 The ten virgins
• 15:31 The name of Jesus: John 14:12–14
• 16:50 The name of our lover
• 22:57 The prayer of agreement: Matthew 18
• 23:56 Tearing off the roof and Psalm 133
• 24:57 Anointing with oil: James 5
• 25:56 Prayer cloths: Acts 19
• 27:59 Laying on of hands: Mark 16:14–18
• 30:05 The refugee girl who hid food
• 33:22 Meek means teachable
• 36:58 They will lay hands on the sick and they will recover
• 38:22 When the donkey flies
• 41:33 Noah, Moses and Joshua: God does the hard part
• 43:50 The floating axe head and Naaman
• 48:06 Testimony from Devon Mitchell
• 52:11 Occupy till I come: Luke 19:13
• 54:38 Mark 9:23: all things are possible
• 55:41 Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood
• 1:00:13 Luke 13 and Acts 28: hands laid on the sick
• 1:03:27 Faith, not feelings
• 1:07:08 Closing prayer and altar call

God’s Heart for Healing Series

This is the last message in a five-part series. Start from the beginning or go back to the previous message:

• First message: God’s Heart for Healing the Sick #1: Wake Up and Labor Together With God
• Previous: God’s Heart for Healing the Sick #4: Anointing With Oil and the Prayer Cloth
• You are here: God’s Heart for Healing the Sick #5 — The Laying On of Hands

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be a pastor or elder to lay hands on the sick?

No. Dr. Hohman insists that Mark 16 is for every believer. He says many pastors do not see healings simply because they do not do it, and that his own results have nothing to do with being an apostle, a bishop or having a doctorate. Jesus said the least in the kingdom is greater than John the Baptist, so even someone newly born again can obey this command.

What if someone is only partly better after prayer?

Celebrate it. Dr. Hohman tells how Tim’s eyes improved after prayer, though not yet perfectly, and Tim came back to give thanks like the one leper who returned. The Lord once told him that any improvement is a miracle. If you praise God for what has happened, he says, you will see more; if you only complain about what has not, you will see less.

Does it matter whether I say Jesus or Yeshua?

Not to Dr. Hohman. He has prayed in the name of Jesus with countless people who were born again, healed and delivered, and he does not believe those results were fake. Whether you say Jesus or Yeshua, he teaches, it is the same name. What matters is that you hold it as holy and use it out of relationship with Him.

Scripture References

All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:

• Mark 16:14–18 — they will lay hands on the sick
• Luke 21:25 — distress of nations, with perplexity
• John 14:12–14 — greater works and asking in His name
• Matthew 18:18–20 — the prayer of agreement
• James 5:14–15 — anointing with oil
• Acts 19:11–12 — handkerchiefs and aprons
• Mark 5:21–43 — Jairus’s daughter and the woman healed
• Luke 13:10–13 — the woman bent over for eighteen years
• Acts 28:8 — Paul heals the father of Publius

How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.

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