Deliverance ministries and Biblical Doctrine.
Come Out In Jesus Name
You would think that I, as a Christian, would be happy to see people delivered from demons. Truthfully, if the people in the movie, “Come Out In Jesus Name”, did experience deliverance then I am happy for them. What troubles me are the doctrines that are being promoted by those who created this movie.
I waited until this movie was released for rental before I watched it. Watching it at home I could pause it and look up the scriptures that they quoted and consider these scriptures in their context. This movie, produced by Greg Locke, tells the story of how he became involved in the “ministry of deliverance”. The movie then highlights some people involved in this ministry and excerpts from their meetings.
Before I address some of the statements that were made in this movie, I think it best that we first briefly examine the subject of the movie; demons and their role in our world.
Demons — Evil Spirits
“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give.” (Mt 10:8 NAS)
In the KJV of the Bible Satan is referred to as the devil and unclean spirits are referred to as a devil or devils. Devils, or demons as they are now called, are evil spirits, also called unclean spirits. Our knowledge and understanding of demons comes from the Bible. Without scriptural insight we would only be able to see the effect of these evil spirits and our understanding would be shrouded with mystery. Indeed, for many years these spirits became mythologized as people speculated about them. But when Jesus came, He called them out.
Demons are unclean or evil spirits. Their interaction with people has to be on a spiritual level since they do not have physical bodies. There is good reason for people to fear these spirits, for there is no such thing as a good demon. Casper the friendly ghost does not exist. These are spirits who have left their original abode as servants of God. They are under the influence of Satan and as his minions they are one with him in purpose to destroy the work and purpose of God, which is to reconcile Man.
We are also spirits. But we have been created with a body, a dwelling place for our spirit. We learn from Scripture that we were created for fellowship with God. Our bodies were designed to be a meeting place for our spirit and the Spirit of God. Sin separated us from God leaving an empty space and a desire for that spiritual connection. Since demons are spirits without a dwelling place, they are willing to occupy a place in a human earthly body. Given opportunity to enter a person, they will then strive for dominance over that person.
Possession
Once an evil spirit gains control, it dominates the human spirit and controls the body for its evil agenda. Often it does this will little regard for the earthly body, eventually destroying it. Possibly it is when the human spirit resists that things get ugly. We see in Scripture that these spirits can be the cause of disease, or they cause the person to injure themselves or others. We see that more than one spirit can take of residence in a body. The spirit or spirits can cause the person to have supernatural strength. The spirit can also speak through this person.
A possess person is a tormented person. There seem to be no escape once the evil spirit has gained full control. The tortuous state of these people encompasses their body soul and spirit, leaving only a shell of a person, who writhing in pain.
Not all demonic activity reveals itself as clearly as we see in the image of a possess person that we have just described. Evil spirits also seek to influence the minds of people. None are as susceptible as those who actually seek to find and interact with these evil spirits. Some people have been drawn into the occult simply out of curiosity. By ignoring their natural fears and apprehensions people can find themselves in a realm of Satan and the evil spirits. Promises of power and fame draw some even deeper into the realm of witches, warlocks, and demons.
Seduction and Influence
“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1Ti 4:1 NAS)
One of the questions that come up concerning demonic possession is: Can demons possess a person who is a Christian? The standard answer that we usually hear is that demons cannot possess you if you are a Christian, but they can oppress you. Oppression can come in different forms. There can be times that we encounter spiritual battles, because Satan and his minions are opposed to the work of God. If we are working with God to bring the gospel to people in bondage, we will possibly encounter resistance from these evil forces. But He that is in you is greater than he who is in the world (Satan). So, the following verse is our instruction if this is the case.
“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (Jas 4:7 NAS)
As stressful as satanic encounters may be, I believe that subtle satanic influence is much more dangerous. This happens when we let our guard down and allow ourselves to heed those subtle suggestions that slightly alter the pure Word of God. Just as Eve was tempted in the Garden, satanic voices are there to seduce us if we pay attention to them. If we pay attention to these voices, they will draw us into believing the deceitful doctrines of demons. We are warned that these teachings will cause us to fall from the faith, which ends in our destruction. Our safety lies in strict confidence in the unadulterated Word of God and resistance to compromise.
Exorcism, Casting Out Demons
With the rise of the enlightenment those who chose to ignore God’s revelation to man dismissed demon possession as mere superstition. They attempted to treat it as if there were naturalistic explanations for the bizarre behaviors exhibited in these individuals. They tried to understand it and treat it through modern phycology, medical treatments, and drugs. Their failures to deal with the spiritual realities left the victims either locked up or roaming the streets in the darker places of our societies.
In 1973 the movie “The Exorcist” came out awakening people’s interest in the demonic and exorcism. For many it awakened the reality of demon possession. I believe that this movie was just one of many indications of our increased vulnerability to demonic activity as our nation drifted further from our godly heritage. The walls of safety were being broken down as our national constitution was being eroded. Worse yet was the deterioration of our walls of safety for the Church. That wall of protection is the unadulterated Word of God. Drugs, sex, and rock n roll were tools of that demonic spiritual world that have helped to bring America to the brink of destruction.
Welcome to 2023
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Mt 24:24 AV)
It is truly an age of unenlightenment. The world has gone mad as the fundamental laws of reality are being denied and ridiculed. Technology allows people to live their fantasies and people are encouraged to live in a realm of deceptive illusions. History is being maligned and rewritten. The truth is being ridiculed as people are being told what they want to be true. Sin is being celebrated and holiness is being punished. Freedom is used as a cloak to enslave.
I am not just talking about the world and worldly people, for the church has been infiltrated by the worldly culture. I will not go into all the particulars that have drawn me to this conclusion but I say these things to preface my critic of the movie, “Come Out In Jesus Name”. Many of the statements made in this movie are in contradiction to the Scripture.
The Movie: “Come Out in Jesus Name”
This movie does a good job of revealing how a large part of the American church has forgotten what it means to be Christian. One of the early statements that is made in this move says: “Christians need deliverance and much as the world.” I would contend, based upon Scripture, that people who are under the bondage of demons are not Christian. They go on to state: “Salvation is for the lost, but deliverance is for the church.” To make such statements makes me wonder what Bible they are reading. My Bible tells an entirely different story.
“34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 “And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” (Joh 8:34-36 NAS)
Jesus is our savior because He can set us free from our bondage to sin. Jesus did not die simply to set us free from the penalty of sin, but He delivers us from the bondage to sin so that we might be free indeed. It all begins with our acknowledgement of our sin and sinful state. To receive God’s grace for salvation we must repent of our sins which requires a commitment to abandon our sins. The next step is to be baptized in obedience to our Lord. Having done this, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to indwell in us. Having received His Holy Spirit by faith we are delivered from the bondage of sin and death. Salvation is deliverance, not merely a free pass to sin. Salvation is a new birth giving us spiritual life where we were once dead.
Jesus’ ministry was a ministry of deliverance. He delivered people from sickness, demon possession, and sin. It was His blood that was shed that pardoned our sin, providing a clean temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in.
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph 4:30 NAS)
It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that identifies us as a child of God. Should we allow unclean spirits to dwell in our flesh, God’s Spirit would depart.
Demons, Demons, Everywhere
We all understand that a demon is an unclean or evil spirit. Demons seek to possess humans because they do not have a body. A demon can have a name, for they are spirit beings. God is a spirit. Angels are spirits. We have a spirit. But the creators of this movie manipulate us into thinking that references to the attributes of different spirits are names of demons.
For instance: the Apostle Paul said that we have not been given a spirit of fear. They use this reference as if there is a demon of fear that can demonize us. In reality, Paul is referring to the nature of the Holy Spirit and says that the Holy Spirit that we have been given is a spirit of power and soundness of mind. By manipulating the word spirit to always be referring to demon they demonize individual sins that people commit. If this concept was true, and it is not, then their demon would be a demon of deception.
So, they continue to build their case for a demonized church and give us the number one demon that needs to be cast out. “The number one demon that needs to be cast out is the demon of religion.” The they go on and say; “The reason people have a problem with deliverance ministries is because they are oppressed with the demon of religion.” If you follow their logic, you may be grasping the concept that demons specialize in different types of possession and oppression. Since demons are not omnipresent then there must be a whole bunch of religion demons.
“This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (Jas 1:27 NAS)
There is such a thing as pure religion, but it is based upon your character and your actions, not what possesses you. Throughout the movie they continue identify different human behaviors as the work of demons. Almost anything can be the result of demonic activity. You can have the demon of anger, gluttony, bulimia, sexual perversion, or whatever you want to name your demon. All these demons can be cast out of you in Jesus’ name.
Possessed, Oppressed, and Demonized
“And when evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill” (Mt 8:16 NAS)
“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.” (Ac 10:38 NAS)
In Christian circles we often say that Christians cannot be possessed by a demon because the Holy Spirit dwells within us. But we concede that we could be oppressed by demons. If we are to glean from Scriptures what those words mean in context, we will find that Christians should never be possess or oppressed by demons. To be possess would mean that the demon in a sense owns you and is in control of your faculties. The word oppressed in the above scripture means that the devil had power over you. A Christian should never allow devils to have power over us because He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.
What Christians mean when they say that demons or the devil may oppress us, is that we can be attacked by Satan or demons. Our resistance to these attacks is always successful, if we have faith in the armor that God has equipped us with and the power of the Spirit that resides within us.
But the makers of this movie have created their own doctrine. Their doctrine is not taught in Scripture. They know that we know that the Scripture is clear that the Holy Spirit will not share possession of a person with Satan or demons. So, they have to explain how a person can be a Christian and still have demons that needs to be cast out. They call this compromised state of a person as being demonized. They explain demonization by using the illustration of a house. They claim the Holy Spirit resides in the house but a demon can be in one of the rooms.
Here are their actual statements: “We are owned by Jesus Christ, but we can allow demons to come into our lives and possess part of us. Because we are owned by Jesus, we can drive them out.” “Something is controlling my flesh, controlling my mind even though I have crucified the flesh that is demonic.” “Light and darkness should not co-exist, but light and darkness can co-exist.”
Of course, these quotes contradict actual scriptures. There are no examples in Scripture of people being demonized. The example below that they use is of an entirely different nature than their idea of demonization.
“And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me — to keep me from exalting myself!” (2Co 12:7 NAS)
They may be correct that the messenger of Satan may be a demon. But a thorn in the flesh is an external poking. That angel of Satan was buffeting him, which literally mean hitting him with a fist. There is nothing here to cast out, but rather the inconvenience of an external battle.
The Devil Made Me Do It
The devil made me do it! Is not this exactly what people want to believe? My action and attitudes are not the result of my unrepented sins but rather the work of demons. I have crucified my flesh. I have prayed and fasted. I have read my Bible and gone to church. I invited Jesus into my heart, so the sin that I do is not my doing but the work of demons. At least this is what the makers of this movie want you to believe. I am pretty sure that this is what Satan would want you to believe too.
If you find yourself in this condition, then they claim that you have been demonized. But there is deliverance for the believer. As believers we can have authority over these demonic beings through the name of Jesus Christ. It is this deliverance that is demonstrated in this film. Not only do we witness this deliverance on film, but we are told that all believer can exercise this authority over demons. With a loud shout, “COME OUT IN JESUS NAME”, we witness the departure of these demons.
The Witness
One of the examples that we see in this movie is a young man who appears to be demon possess and writhing on the ground uncontrollably. We are told that this young man is a Christian, an evangelist, and a preacher of the gospel. Yet we find him in this condition and through this deliverance ministry we see the demon cast out of him. Once the demon is cast out of him, he regains control and testifies of his deliverance.
As we are presented with services in which demons are being cast out in Jesus Name, the dialogue continues to tell us that as Christians there may be areas of out lives that are not submitted to Jesus Christ. It is in these areas of our lives that can be possess by demons. But since this is only a small area of our lives we cannot say that we are possess, but merely demonized.
There are signs that you are troubled by demons. If you were involved in the occult in you past, or have a generational curse, or if you have voices in your head, or if you are uncomfortable with deliverance ministries, then you may be troubled by demons. If you have anger impulses, random evil thoughts, or have things you cannot control then you might need deliverance from demons. Casting out these demons will set you free.
What the Scripture Says
“And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.” (1Co 6:11 NAS)
If we simply read Scripture, we get an entirely different picture of demons and their activities. If we are being controlled against our will, then we have not truly experienced salvation. Salvation is deliverance and if we again find ourselves in bondage it is because we have rebelled against the Spirit that dwelled within us. In this state we cannot be considered Christian. If we are guilty of sinning as a Christian, we can find forgiveness if we repent. God disciplines His children. But if we are under the power of a demon, we can no longer consider ourselves to be a child of God. Darkness cannot exist where there is light, regardless of what these false teachers declare.
“1 ¶ There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Ro 8:1-4 NAS)
No where in all of Scripture do we find the erroneous teaching that is presented to us in this movie. There is no doubt that there are people that are possessed with evil spirits. There is no doubt that there are people that have been influence by the doctrines of demons. These people are not Christians for they are still in bondage.
It is true that our American churches are full of people who are still in bondage to sin. They seem to be powerless to free themselves from the sinful desires. These people are not Christians for they are walking according to the flesh and they are powerless to follow the leading of God’s Holy Spirit.
“And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.” (1Co 6:11 NAS)
If people are possessed, oppressed, demonized, or in away under the control of Satan or his demons, then through the power of God they can be delivered by the commanded authority of Jesus Name. Deliverance from demons does not free you from your bondage to sin. Deliverance from sin was purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. To receive deliverance, you must repent of all of your sins. You must put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as you Lord. Without a complete surrender you will not be washed, sanctified, and justified. In other word you will not be a Christian until the Holy Spirit finishes this work and you are born again as a new creation in Christ Jesus.
False Doctrines Bring False Hope
When we look and Scripture and see how Jesus delt with demon possession and sin it looks a lot different than what is revealed in this movie. Jesus spoke with authority and it was the demons that left hollering and screaming. These deliverance ministers create a rock concert atmosphere in their audiences and then they seem to be the ones screaming instead of the demons.
But what I think is most dangerous is the perception that they present that people are Christians that in fact are not according to Scripture. By doing this and blaming demons for the sins they are guilty of presenting a false reality. Instead of bringing sinners to an acknowledgement of their sin and a need to repent they insist that they can cast it out in Jesus’ name. The names they give these demons are the names of the things that the Scripture calls sin. Instead of leading these sinners to find salvation in Jesus Christ, they merely comfort them on their way to hell.
Do They Actually Cast Out Demons?
To be honest, I simply do not know if they actually cast out demons. I do know that there are demons and some of those who were filmed in this movie certainly looked like they were possessed. God is the judge, not me. But we all have the Scripture and we can read the Bible for ourselves. We can know for certain that those under the influence of Satan or demons are not Christians. We also can know that anyone who is still a slave to sin is not a Christian. We are to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. If we are in the faith, we will be following Jesus in righteousness, empowered with the gift of His Holy Spirit.
Is it possible to cast our demons if you are preaching false doctrine?
“22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’” (Mt 7:22-23 NAS)
Yes, it is possible that you, by using the Name of Jesus, might cast our demons, even if you yourself are not redeemed. It is not for me to judge who is or is not a Christian. God is the judge and He will judge every person. Our duty as Christians is to share the Word of God which leads to Salvation. The Word is clear as to what we must do to receive salvation. If we believe and put our faith in God’s Word, then He will lead us into righteousness.
“17 ¶ And the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you. 20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” (Lu 10:17-20 NAS)
Bob Gunderson