The Topic of Demons in the Church

Many have been in church their whole lives and never heard teachings about Spiritual warfare. It is a purpose in my life to get this message out to the Body of Christ that the ’devil is alive and well on planet earth’ (also the name of a book written many years ago by Hal Lindsay.) Bible scholars say that up to one third of Jesus’ ministry on earth was spent in the deliverance ministry through casting out demons and healing people from demonic oppression. Do we believe that Jesus cast out all of the demons necessary and we no longer need that componet in the Church today? No, it says that as Jesus left, he commissioned us to continue to cast out demons.

We don’t want to deal with demons.

I called a minister to ask him if he could teach me about spiritual warfare and how to deal with demons. He told me to not get involved. He said that he’d been there and was glad to get out of that type of ministry. He said that we, the Body of Christ, don’t need to be playing around with the demonic. I don’t know what his personal experience was, but obviously it was not a good experience. But still, that does not change the fact that sticking our heads in the sand and avoiding the topic is going to satisfy the great commission Jesus gave to us.

Hos 4.6 says that the Lord’s people die because of ignorance.

Jesus cast a demon out of a lady who had been hunched over for 18 years. When Jesus cast the demon out, she was healed and free of the afflicition. Are you afflicted with any physical issues? Do you know for sure that they are NOT demonic? Not all physical afflictions are a demon sitting on a part of the body causing great pain and eventually death, but… some are. Some are demonic attacks that are meant to kill you, steal from you, and destroy your life. To ignore this is to ‘give a place to the devil.’ (Eph 4.27)

Scary and radical Deliverance Ministries

I am not a fan of radical deliverance meetings. I am not saying they are WRONG, but I am saying that I have a peace with a quieter approach. Kenneth Hagin taught that handing out a bag for people to throw up in (when they were delivered from a demon) was just asking for a demon. I will try to find that sermon again and share it. I am more comfortable in a meeting where things are much quieter. I understand that demons cast people down on the ground and make them look as if they are dead, but I also know that many are delivered without a visual profile taking place. The point is to be delivered, and that is a Jesus job. It is by His power, and in His name that demons are cast out. Anyway, that’s just my opinion, but is also one reason that many refuse to go to delieverance meetings. I am just saying that there is more than one way to cast out a demon. The point is that they need cast out.

Oppressed or Possessed

Some believe a christian can be possessed. I don’t. But I am not going to argue the point. I believe that oppression can be strong enough to make it look and feel as if someone is possessed. Have you ever covered yourself with sand at the lake or beach? It’s heavy. Oppression is like that. It’s heavy and makes life hard. Some say that a christian can be possessed and use Jesus casting demons “out” as support for this. I submit that Jesus cast demons out but that this was ‘before the filling of the Holy Spirit’ was available. Still, I don’t believe that the topic of ‘oppression vs possession’ is important enough to keep us from agreement in that people need deliverance.

Jesus has set us free. Let us receive this freedeom and help others get free.

Begin with the prayer for understanding, mercy, and love.