Does laying on of hands bring The Holy Spirit?

"Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. There were in all about twelve men" (Acts 19:4-7 (NASB)).

"Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. "For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:14-17 (NASB)).

"So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit"" (Acts 9:17 (NASB)).

"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" (1 Timothy 4:14 (NASB)).

"For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity (2 Timothy 1:6-9 (NASB)),

Additional scriptures about laying on of hands -

"And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them" (Acts 6:6 (NASB)).
"Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away" (Acts 13:3 (NASB)).
"So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; (Numbers 27:18 (NASB)).
"and present the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites" (Numbers 8:10 (NASB)).

Please read, Baptism in the name of the Father and the Son and The Holy Spirit

Commentary

"This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith" (Galatians 3:2 (NASB))? Works of the Law is not the way to receive The Holy Spirit. Baptism in the name of God (truth) comes with faith (John 14:6). Baptism in The Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing the inheritance of salvation in Heaven (Ephesians 1:13,14). The baptism in the trinity (The Father and The Son and The Holy Spirit) usually happens at the same time because there is only one baptism (Ephesians 4:4-6). However, it is possible to believe in God without receiving The Messiah as Savior, and without receiving The Holy Spirit. The devil is a prime example of one who believes in God, but hasn't been baptized in The Holy Spirit (James 2:19). Additional examples of believers who haven't been baptized in The Holy Spirit are those who have failed to develop loving relationships with The Messiah, so He doesn't 'know' those believers. Those believers will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).

The Messiah said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6 (NASB)). According to the will of God, I pray the Jewish people will receive The Son of God as their Savior.

'Acts' in The New Testament describe events in ancient times during a transitional period, when The Holy Spirit was just beginning to get deposited into Christians. According to several scriptures posted on this webpage, the apostles could bless Christians with The Holy Spirit while laying hands on them (Acts 8:14-17; Acts 19:1-7; Acts 9:17). As you know, The Messiah has empowered us with gifts to perform similar deeds, according to the will of God and the strength of belief. Remember Peter could walk on water until he took his eyes off of The Messiah, then he fell into the water and feared for his life. Peter failed the Messiah a number of times, but he never quit, and he later raised Tabitha from the dead. The faith of the apostles and the blessings from The Messiah is what enabled the apostles to perform such remarkable miracles.

"Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin" (1 Timothy 5:22 (NASB)). In ancient times, some people perceived laying on of hands as an act of ordination, and if the believer who was 'ordained' later became involved in misconduct or sin, bystanders had an opportunity to link the wrong doing of the 'ordained' believer to those who had laid hands on him. Therefore, it was not wise to rush into laying hands on believers to ordain them into the position of an elder or minister until they had proved to have sound faith and righteousness. Another type of situation to consider was presented when a believer named Stephen had hands laid on him, and then he performed great wonders and signs, which resulted in bystanders becoming jealous of him and stoning him to death (Acts 6:6-8; 7:59). Jealousy, envy, and coveting were present in ancient times as well as in modern times, so you might want to share responsibilities as a team.

In modern times, most people don't need to concern themselves about getting stoned to death, but there is a modern concern to consider. At the workplace, our society is rapidly moving away from allowing physical contact between people due to sexual harassment complaints. Since a majority of our time is spent at the workplace, we are beginning to adapt this 'untouchable' attitude and practice into many other areas of our lives as well. Therefore, be advised that laying on of hands at church can be perceived by a few people as an offensive and undesirable practice. As you can imagine, preaching and practicing 'love' in our 'modern' society is one of the greatest challenges facing our church today. As you know, 'love' is the first and second commandment given to us by The Messiah.

Please, frequently recite the daily prayer because it reminds Christians about the importance of forgiving other people at all times and in all things. Nobody can come between you and God, and your love for Him, unless you use your free will, and you choose to allow it to happen to you (1 Timothy 2:5,6).