Deliverance
Casting Out Demons
Deliverance is defined as the action of being rescued or set free; rescue from bondage or danger; liberation; release; freeing; emancipation; redemption.
In Christianity deliverance ministry refers to the practice of setting people free from demons-those who are demonized are released from the hold of demonic spirits.
Deliverance
The word ‘deliverance’ is not in the Bible. What you will find is Jesus casting out demons, Jesus disciples' casting out demons, and Jesus commissioning 70 people to cast out demons. These actions delivered people from the oppression of the devil-the demonized were set free.
Deliverance, in the realm of casting out of demons, is not one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, in fact, nowhere in Scripture does it say the casting out of demons is a gift from God. However, Jesus clearly states, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we as Christians will cast out demons.
Mark 16:17-18
"These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
When Jesus left this earth and now sitting at the right hand of the Father, when the disciples passed away, demons did not leave this earth. They are still tormenting individuals 2,000 years later. Thus, there still is the need for the casting out of demons-the need for deliverance ministry.
Possessed
It should noted that there is no Greek word for the word possession regarding ownership. There is the phrase daimonizomal which is translated as'possessed with a devil' by most Bible translations. However, the same phrase is used in regard to various realms of demonic activity. It can mean to be exercised by an unclean spirit, to have a spirit, to be under the power or influence of one, or to be vexed by a devil. To be vexed refers to harassment, torment and troubling from an evil spirit. In our culture, possession refers to ownership, so there is much confusion when it comes to the phrase demon possessed. Most hear the word demon possessed and they immediately think of an insane person totally possessed and controlled by a demon and the person is doing abhorrent, perverted things. The problem is this is not the case in many examples in the Bible.
In Scripture there were individuals that were daimonizomal, possessed with a devil, but the person was only being harassed with a demon, or coming under the influence of a demon, or had a sickness caused by a demon. These individuals were perfectly sane.
The Bible makes it clear that a Christian cannot be possessed:
1 Corinthians 7:23, Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."
However, the Bible also makes it clear that it is impossible even for a non-Christian to be possessed.
Ezekiel 18:4, Behold, all souls are mine...
No human being can being saved or lost, can be completely possessed by a demon(s). One great example of this is the young man in the graveyard. He had thousands of demons, yet those demons could not stop him from running to Jesus and bowing at the feet of Jesus.
Oppressed or Demonized
Based upon the above information it is best to avoid the term demon possessed because it is not an accurate term in the strictest sense of the word possession, and it leads to many connotations that are not accurate. It is much better to use the phrases of:
Having an unclean spirit, having a demon, being vexed or oppressed. The best word to cover all the various types of demonization is the word DEMONIZATION. Anybody can be demonized. It really becomes immaterial if the demon is inside someone's flesh, sitting on their shoulder, speaking in their ear, or legions covering their body-they need delivered.
Semantics
While Christians are debating about if a person (or a Christian) can be demon possessed, oppressed, demonized there are multitudes of people bound up that could be set free through the Name of Jesus. Jesus commanded followers of Christ to cast out demons, not to debate on semantics.
Cast Out Demons
If the Church today is going to be the Book of Acts Church, if the Church today is going to be the Church Without Walls, we are going to need to be about the business of CASTING OUT DEMONS.
When was the last time you saw a demon cast out of a person in church? When was the last time you saw a demon cast out of someone outside the church. For most, the answer is never. Does any true follower of Christ believe that there are not people walking into churches with demons. Does any true follower of Christ believe that there are not people walking on our streets that have demons? We need to start CASTING OUT DEMONS.
Look at our world today. Look at the hunger for the supernatural. Look at the obsession to the demonic realm. Look at how influential and bold the demonic realm is in our culture. Satan has had free reign in our culture, sadly even in our churches, and even worse, in the lives of some Christians. Isn't it time we start CASTING OUT DEMONS?
REMINDER
Mark 16:17-18
"These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
If you are a born again devoted follower of Jesus Christ you have the authority to cast out demons in the Name of Jesus. It is not a unique spiritual gift only available to a unique few, it is accessible to all followers of Christ. Is it helpful to be equipped with spiritual gifts including the gift of discernment? Absolutely! You can trust God to provide you with whatever you need to go forth CASTING OUT DEMONS.
Can Christians Have Demons?
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