Impartation, activation or sharing

To enjoy your Christian life, you have to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. But to be fruitful serving others you need an impartation of spiritual gifts. But what is impartation and is it biblical? To answer this question let’s start with the beginning of the Letter to the Romans.

Romans is one of the most important works of Christian theology ever written. It comes packed with important philosophical and theological arguments that months of sermons to explore. There is so much to be studied in the book’s sixteen chapters. Yet, in his introduction, Paul speaks of something that cannot be obtained through the study of a letter alone. He says,

“For I long to see you, that I may impart to + some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:11-12)

While many sermons have explored the weighty topics that fill the rest of Romans – such as the witness of creation, the law versus faith, and the relationship between Jews and Gentiles, the impartation of spiritual gifts mentioned in the introduction is often overlooked. Paul yearns to see the believers in person to impart spiritual gifts to them. He knows that there is something that the written words cannot accomplish.

For those who have eyes to see, this is one of Paul’s major themes: he often reminds us that there is a dimension that we cannot access through the study of the words and letters on a page. For example, in the Letter to the Corinthians he says that when he was with them, his message was not in plausible words of wisdom,

“.. but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

Furthermore, in Romans 2 and Romans 7, Paul contrasts life controlled by the written code with life led by the Spirit, while in 2 Corinthians 3:6, he writes that “the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.”

In other words, Paul the writer of great letters, had no confidence in the written word alone, nor in plausible verbal arguments, he believed that the key to Christian faith is an experience of the power of God and based on what we see in the Bible and in church history, God works through people who he calls and empowers to ministry. And the job of such people, if I understand Paul correctly, is not just to preach the good news of Christ crucified but to also follow up with a demonstration of the power of God.

Beyond words
Why then, has much of the evangelical world come to the conclusion that Christians simply need to hear the Word preached and receive it in faith? Could it be that the failure to understand what Paul is talking about here is one of the reasons why people who stopped going to church during the pandemic never returned? They realised that most of what they were getting at church was available online – a musical worship experience and a carefully crafted message, minus the decibels and the social interactions during the church coffee hour. So why go to church? Paul mentions mutual encouragement and that is vital, but the majority of the worship service is a one-way communication from the stage or pulpit to the audience, then we have to ask how mutual that is. Paul wants to visit “that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine”. That suggests to me that in their services there must have been time for sharing of testimonies. Paul didn’t just come to talk, he came to listen.

But as far as his message was concerned, the Romans might have asked, why come to hear Paul speak when I can read his letter? Paul’s answer is that if he comes, he won’t just bring a message: he will come with more than what you can get by listening or reading. Just as during his visit to the Corinthians, he believes it won’t be a message of plausible words, or entertaining anecdotes. When he comes there will be a demonstration, an experience of the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

Nowadays, we think that because Paul and Jesus are no longer with us, we simply have to teach their words and hope that the more Bible they know, the more Christlike they will become. Certainly, knowing the scriptures is essential for spiritual growth but things don’t really take off in your Christian life until you get baptised in the Holy Spirit and until you receive an impartation of spiritual gifts.

Impartation of simply passing on

In the conservative evangelical churches that I grew up in, in England, impartation meant nothing more than sharing. And the same can be said for the language region where I now live. There is no German unique translation for the word impartation. We only have the everyday word, ‘mitteilen’ – to share or to pass on. So in German we read that Paul wants to visit to ‘pass on’ some spiritual gifts.

The use of ordinary wording helps to make Bible reading accessible to first time readers, but special terminology is used by professionals in all fields to avoid confusing associations. When we talk of passing things on, I think of my teenage years when my uncle kindly passed on his old skis and boots to me. They were worn out and didn’t really fit too well. But the impartation of spiritual gifts shouldn’t be like that. Although sometimes we do have to grow into them.

Spiritual sharing from an endless source
The fact remains that our notions of giving, sharing, or transferring are shaped by our experiences in the natural world. If I give you my wallet, I no longer have it. However, spiritual giving operates differently.

When you give spiritually, you never lack; your own source never runs dry. This point needs a little emphasis because some ministers are indeed afraid to share what they have. Perhaps they think that they have invested so much in their training and in prayer and fasting and so they can’t just pass on their anointing to others who haven’t earned it the same way. Sometimes ministers are concerned that others won’t be able to steward the gift properly.

I doubt that anyone who understands impartation really believes they won’t have the gifts anymore, if they share them. But perhaps they are a little afraid that the rise of other ministries could somehow impact their own wallet. To address such fears let us just remember that in the Kingdom of God there is never a lack of God’s provision.
We see this in numerous Old Testament miracles and the teachings of Jesus:

• The water from the rock (Exodus 17:6) flowed abundantly, providing for all without depletion.
• The widow’s jar of oil (2 Kings 4:1-7) continued to flow as long as there were vessels to fill.
• The father of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) exhibited no fear of lack, giving generously.
• The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) effectively wrote a blank check to cover the medical expenses of the wounded man.
• Jesus spoke of “springs of living water” welling up within believers (John 7:38), indicating an inexhaustible spiritual supply.

These examples demonstrate that what God gives is multiplied in the sharing, and hence, the giver never lacks. This truth clarifies that when we discuss impartation or the transference of spiritual gifts, the giver is not left with less afterward.

Generally speaking, using natural language to describe spiritual truths can be limiting and confusing. It is much better to have a term like impartation and then study Paul’s ministry to understand what he means with it, instead of making wrong conclusions from our use of everyday words.

On a trip to Kenya in 2023, I raised the topic of impartation with the Kenyan theologian, Dr. Moenga of Pan African Christian University. He believes that the word ‘impart’ is indeed significant and that it includes both a teaching and a spiritual element. In his view, Paul’s desire to impart spiritual gifts in Romans, alongside his instructions to Timothy, reveals that impartation is not a merely natural or intellectual exchange – it is a spiritual activation facilitated through relational and physical connection.

The role of laying on of hands
Many believers accept that God gives spiritual gifts but struggle with question of the role of the laying on of hands in this process. I once had a long phone call with a minister, let’s call him Tristan, who believed in the gifts of the spirit and the importance of healing and deliverance in evangelism and church planting but he was insistent that the gifts are not imparted from one person to another through the laying on of hands but from God. To support this view, he pointed me to Paul’s letters to Timothy:

“Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.” (1 Timothy 4:14)

Tristan argued that the elders were laying hands on Timothy for ordination into ministry, but he got a spiritual gift God decided to give him a gift and let everyone know that through a prophecy. So, for Tristan the laying on of hands was irrelevant in the process of impartation. I knew this could not be the case because ‘the laying on of hands’ is one of the foundational doctrines that we read about in Hebrews 6. At the time I didn’t know how to answer him because neither of us took into account that this is not the only relevant reference in Paul’s letters to Timothy.

In his second epistle, Paul seems to be saying that the impartation of the gift came through his hands.

“For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6)

The word ‘through’ used here is the Greek word dia and it is used to refer to the channel of an act. That would suggest that the laying on of hands is the channel through which the gifts come into a person. It could also be translated as ‘by reason of’ suggesting that because you lay hands on someone they are able to receive a gift of God. So these two references in the two letters to Timothy show us that Paul believed that Timothy had received a spiritual gift through or because of or at the time of a direct, tangible act – laying on of hands – rather than merely through teaching, instruction or the sharing of the word.

From us or from God?
If the laying on of hands is instrumental in the process by which a person receives a spiritual gift through impartation, then does that mean that the minister is the one imparting the gift to the recipient? In John 7:38, the Holy Spirit is described as a spring of living water flowing from the innermost being of a person. So could it be that we are really transferring something from inside of us to another person?

This question is important because of the implications that it carries for our understanding of what happens when we have physical contact with a person who may have an unhealthy gift or unclean spirit. Can a person transfer or impart a gift or a spirit at will through the laying on of hands? Dr Randy Clark, doesn’t think so. When he does an impartation session in a conference, he says that he cannot simply choose to give a gift to someone. Rather his job is to recognise and affirm through the laying on of hands what the Holy Spirit has determined to do in people’s lives. Randy also points out that he has laid hands on people and they have received gifts that he himself does not have, such as prophecy.

For me, the important thing is that I recognise that everything good is from God anyway. Every breath I take is because he sustains and upholds my life by the Word of his power. Therefore the idea of me doing anything good independently of God is foreign to me. So if the Spirit resides in my belly or innermost parts as per John 7:38, and it can flow to refresh me and others, then my priority becomes remaining in agreement with the Holy Spirit at all times.

While the moment of impartation may be accompanied by strong manifestations of the power of God, that experience will not lead to a lasting change if the person doesn’t choose to embrace the process of refinement and training that God is leading them into. By the same token, you don’t just unknowingly pick up an unclean spirit because someone touched you. It takes a willingness to receive from the Holy Spirit and it takes a willingness to receive and come into agreement with an unclean spirit.

Biblical examples of the transference of anointing

Now that we have established that all the gifts of the Spirit come from God anyway, looking to the Old Testament, we find two examples where it seems that spiritual gifts, were indeed transferred from one person to the another.

• Moses laid hands on Joshua to impart leadership, and “the same spirit that was on Moses came upon Joshua” (Deuteronomy 34:9).
• Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit through close physical proximity and an explicit request (2 Kings 2:9-10). The physical mantle of Elijah symbolized this transfer of anointing.

This means there is both Old Testament and New Testament evidence for the transference of gifts or anointings through physical contact. However, many struggle with applying these understandings in the modern world. For some, Christianity is safer when it is about admiring long-dead heroes rather than engaging with real, living apostles.

Afraid of human failings
In the Bible we have countless stories with one theme: God chooses to share his power with imperfect people and he involves them as partners in his purposes. We see Moses, Elijah and Elisha learning to how to use the power that God gave them and making mistakes. God gave Moses a spiritual gift – a supernatural rod. And he was expected to use that rod in different situations to work miracles and God even rebukes Moses for praying when in a situation when he should have been using the rod.

The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.” (Exodus 14:15-16)

In this situation of clear need, God didn’t like Moses crying out for help or asking for guidance about what to do. God expected Moses to use the gift that he was already given to do what needed to be done. So when someone comes to us in need of healing or deliverance, why do we still pray saying, “God if it is your will, do something”?

The problem is that we have tried to eliminate people from the equation, because we want everything supernatural to be God. We are afraid of the idea that he might empower people and let them loose on the world with both spiritual gifts and the freewill to make mistakes. Empowered, anointed leaders are seen as a potential risk to the church’s reputation. What if they make mistakes or become prideful? Doesn’t their presence detract from the sovereignty and glory of God? Doesn’t the belief that we can impart spiritual gifts elevate man to an undeserved and dangerous place of pride, from which they will inevitably fall?

Well, there are risks, but God doesn’t turn off the flow of the anointing or power that he has given when we make mistakes. When instead of speaking to the rock, Moses hit the rock in anger, the water still flowed. Admittedly, this disobedience had consequences for Moses, but the power was in the rod – God’s gift. Moses was the free agent with the authority to decide what to do in this situation. He wasn’t doing what had already been done in heaven. Heaven and earth responded to what Moses decided to do.

In the New Testament, Jesus talks of the Master who gives a talent and then allows one guy to bury it. He gives the disciples the power and authority to heal and deliver and then sends them out on a mission trip before they have been filled with the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, we should stop trying to understand the spiritual world through the filter of fear and an incomplete understanding of the free will that God has given all men and the power and authority that he wants to give those he calls Sons. And bear in mind that this is not some divine after-thought for charismatic believers. We are talking about original intention to have mankind as his friends and partners.

God created humanity to be His image-bearers and to multiply His character and nature throughout the earth. The Bible teaches that we are co-heirs with Christ, partakers of the divine nature, carriers of God’s presence, and sources of streams of living water

• Co-heirs with Christ: 
Romans 8:17 teaches, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
• Partakers of the Divine Nature:
 2 Peter 1:4 states, “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature…”
• Carriers of God’s Presence: 
Believers are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit. For example, 1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you…” and Ephesians 2:22 adds that we are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
• Sources of Streams of Living Water:
 In John 7:38, Jesus promises, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

So why do we struggle to accept that He might entrust us with the responsibility of sharing what He has given us?

An experienced empowering reality

I began this article with the point that while Paul’s reference to impartation could be easily overlooked, it isn’t such an obscure topic after all. The importance of living led and empowered by the Holy Spirit is a central theme in Paul’s writings. Then we saw evidence for the concept that spiritual gifts can be imparted in Paul’s writings to Timothy. Finally we saw the impartation of some kind of spiritual gift from Moses to Joshua. Beyond that, we also learnt that there are numerous biblical references to the idea that the spirit can be an endless source of blessing flowing from an object or from the innermost parts of a person.

If this is true, then can we experience it today? The answer is yes we can! Impartation played a very significant role in my own life. My wife and I experienced the difference it made in our own lives and ministry before we found it in the Bible. After an encounter with God during a revival, we got an impartation of the gift of healing and began to see people getting healed when we prayed. After that we tried serve under anointed ministers as often as possible and sought the impartation of spiritual gifts. We made seeking God and serving people our top priority and as we did, the seeds of spiritual gifts that we received began to flourish and our lives became increasingly spiritually fruitful.

This understanding of impartation is why traveling to impart spiritual gifts and encouragement remains a vital aspect of our ministry. In our “Called + Empowered” series, we see local believers, such as Mehek in “Called + Empowered 3”, Ruth, Pamela and Maggy in Called+Empowered 2, or Bishop Simon in Called+Empowered 1 being encouraged in their faith through the impartation of spiritual gifts. Personal encounters serve as a conduit for these gifts, just as they did in biblical times.

I would like to encourage you therefore to think differently about how you grow in your spiritual life. Yes, you need to know the scriptures by heart to resist temptation as Jesus did. You also need to study the Bible to understand things of the Spirit as we have done in this article. But if you earnestly desire spiritual gifts to be equipped for works of service, then you probably need to seek opportunities where people who evidently have the spiritual gifts you desire are ministering. Then make the effort, invest the time and money to go to that seminar or training conference and then listen, learn and receive.