[edwinland]

Those are great passages. But what does 1 Timothy 4:14 mean?

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.

The way I read it, the presbyters or elders (in the plural) laid hands on them and spoke prophetic words and thus transmitted a spiritual gift. It seems to suggest that there is more to the transmission of the faith than words alone. Or at least that the Apostles thought there was. Am I reading it wrong?

[CynicalBear]

The Catholic Church sure does like to take one verse and create some meaning that gives them exclusive power don't they. The first verse I gave you, Acts 15:8 tells us that all true believers are given the Holy Spirit. Not those who had hands laid on them. Acts 10:44 tells us that Paul was simply preaching the word and all who heard the word were given the Holy Spirit.

The "elders" of the ekklesia were to be chosen from among that group and were given specific requirements for that position. Not one of the Catholic Leadership today qualify. So for Catholics to play the game of "how it's done" is ridiculous.