What Does The Scripture Say
By Pastor Bruce Hines
Over two thousand years ago, Jesus came to the aid of the suffering
of humanity, working miracles by healing the sick and casting out
demons. In the intervening centuries, God has called Christian men and
women from time to time with miraculous ministries to the sick and
afflicted. Yet, there are few records of people with a ministry of
casting out demons comparable to that of Jesus. As a result, we have
left most victims of demonic oppression or demonization to suffer with
no offer of practical help from the Church. Therefore, the time has
come to clear away the wreckage of religious tradition that has
obscured the clear revelation of the New Testament, and to reestablish
the Church’s ministry on the foundation of Jesus and the gospels.
Mark begins his record of the public ministry of Jesus with an
incident in which a demon challenged Him as He was teaching in a
synagogue in Galilee. This encounter spread His fame immediately
throughout the whole of Galilee (see Mark 1:21–28). From that point
on, we see Jesus dealing with demons wherever He encountered them.
Jesus sent a message to Herod that He would continue to cast out
demons and perform cures until he completed His earthly task (see Luke
13:32). But the ministry was not to end then! When Jesus commissioned
His followers, He transmitted His authority to them. In fact, He sent
no one out to preach the Gospel without specifically instructing and
equipping that person to take action against demons in the same way
that He Himself did. I can find no basis anywhere in the New Testament
for an evangelistic ministry that does not include the expelling of
demons.
Today, we must soon come to realize that Satan has developed a
special opposition to this ministry, especially confrontational
deliverance. He is, by choice, an individual of darkness. He keeps the
true nature of his activities concealed. If he can keep humanity
unaware of his tactics—or even of his very existence—he can use his
two primary tools of ignorance and fear, opening the way for his
destructive purposes. Unfortunately, ignorance and fear are not always
repressed to non-Christians. They are often at work inside the Church.
Some Bible translations use the word “expel” to illustrate the
action of dealing with demons. Expel is a simple, everyday word that
has no particular religious connotations. It brings the whole ministry
down to the level of everyday life. Jesus Himself was extremely
practical in His dealings with demons. He pointed out the unique
significance of this ministry of expelling demons when He said, “But
if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God
has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28). Casting out demons illustrates two
important spiritual truths. First, it exposes the existence of two
opposing spiritual kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of
Satan. Second, it reveals the victory of God’s Kingdom over Satan’s.
From the time of Moses onward, God’s prophets had worked many
miracles that foreshadowed the ministry of Jesus. They had healed the
sick, raised the dead, made miraculous provision for multitudes and
showed God’s power to control the forces of nature. But there is no
evidence that any of them had ever cast out a demon. God reserved this
for Jesus. It was an extraordinary demonstration that the Kingdom of
God had come upon the people of His day. Therefore, evangelism that
does not incorporate the casting out of demons is not New Testament
evangelism. I will take this a step further and connect it to the
ministry of praying for the sick. It is unscriptural to pray for the
sick if someone is not willing, also to cast out demons. Jesus did not
separate one from the other. Just one thought here. I do not intend to
be prideful or offensive, but to state the facts. We are disciples of
Jesus, so we should follow in His footsteps.
Directly, I see this as further evidence of Satan’s special and
intense opposition to the ministry of deliverance. If possible, he
seeks to eliminate it altogether from the Church’s program. If he
fails, his ambition is to discredit it. I certainly did not volunteer,
but was brought in supernaturally to deliverance! It confronted me
with situations in which it forced me to choose between two
alternatives: taking action against the demons or backing down and
giving way to them. We know some people are under demonic oppression
who do not know how to get free and are enduring the various degrees
of torment that demons inflict. I sincerely believe that it is the
purpose of Jesus, through the Gospel and the supernatural power of the
Holy Spirit, to offer hope and freedom to such people.
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