This Thing Could Hurt Someone

Act 19:13 But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches."

Yesterday, we got a call about a house in Salisbury. The lady had died, and the son wanted to clean out the place and get it ready to sell. He sent three street guys in to move out everything. They got some moved, but when they got to the attic, things began happening. Noises, boxes moving, things actually flying around. They hustled out, never to return. We were asked if we would go and exorcise the thing. Apparently, they were concerned that this thing was capable of hurting someone. It was very powerful.

There was probably something in that attic that shouldn't be there, that was evil, and this thing claimed an ownership of it, and didn't want anyone messing with it. Territory is very important in the spiritual realm. There are many stories in the Old Testament about fighting over land. The concept of "land" can mean this very issue of "territory" (but, that is an aside).

In discussing it with another brother, I felt it wasn't something we should do. This house, family, person was not a member of our assembly, so it really isn't in our jurisdiction.. I've been through a time of prayer for a house, and I know it can be done. We have had to do it for someone in our assembly. They had some things in the house that were "new-age" and there were real things happening, voices and the like. They were not aware of the things brought into the house. It had been one of the children who was searching out the eastern spiritual realm. We prayed one evening, and walked all over the house. They cleaned out the idols and things associated with the demonic. The problems went completely away.

For this house, though, not being a member, or known brother or sister in need, it wasn't what we should do. There is a limit to what we should do. If they had been a part of our body, we would have a different responsibility. We would have the responsibility to protect and help them. It would be our jurisdiction, and I would have no problem going (then, too, if the Lord sent us, there would be no issue, we would go).

We are not in the exorcism business, but the care and protection business of those given to us to watch over.

Then, at that point, we would ask for a sense of our authority, and a boldness, and sensitivity, and pray, pray, pray. I'd say a day or so of prayer and fasting would be necessary. But, I believe the Lord in us is greater than he who is in the world.

Dealing with the spirtual realm is a serious business. You know, it is the business of those who know the Lord. We are called to face this kind of evil and deal with it. We do have the authority. That is, we are offered it. There are times, though, when we do not take the authority, or can not, because we have neglected the walk with the Lord, and we do not have the authority. We are babes, carnal Christians, who have no business confronting evil. We should just meet on Sunday mornings and have our service, or meet in a house and have a meal and a casual, informal get-together with a liturgy or two and maybe a sacrament of some kind.

But, walk with the Lord, and we will be called to a higher purpose. It is quite real. I do not see the current generation even being aware of the invisible. Today, it is all about 'me'. Tomorrow will reveal a weakness and a poverty in spiritual matters such as the world has not seen since before the Lord walked on the earth.

Except, these things are being addressed in other parts if the world. Evil is being faced. It is being confronted. The Kingdom of Heaven is growing stronger, and people are being added to it daily. But, not so much in America, the post-Christian nation.

Further note: I visitied a homeless shelter in Russia that had been taken over by a Church for their ministry. When they first took over the house, there was an evil presence in the house. It was very powerful. People had lived and died in the building, and there was a sense of death in several rooms. Death was in the air almost. A sofa in one room particularly had been said to have been the death bed of someone. There was a coffin in another room. The sister who was moving in to be in charge of the home tried sleeping there. This was to be her new home. The first few nights were very difficult for her. There were noises, doors slamming, winds, and general pandemonium all night long. She couldn't sleep. She wasn't afraid, she just couldn't sleep for all the crashing and banging. A few brothers went through the house. They removed the coffin, the sofa, and all the older furniture that had this sense of death hanging over them. They went praying through the house, in every room. The atmosphere changed. The house became "sanctified". The sister slept solidly from that night on. Many people have had their lives rebuilt in that house. It is a testimony of the power of God and His Church over the principalities and powers in the air.

Who is a Christian?

Act 11:26 … And it came about that for an entire year they met with the church, and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Who wants to be a Christian? Who can become a Christian? What qualifies a person to be a Christian? It might be trusting in Christ. It might be the condition of being born from above. It might be many things. But, in Antioch, the disciples were the ones first called Christians.

This is an historic event, in time and place, when the descriptive name “Christian” came into being. But, it is more than that, if we are willing to trust that God had more to tell us than an historic fact. If we want to believe, then what we see is the necessary qualification to be called a “Christian”. It is to first be a disciple.

We are to be disciples. We are to be students. We are to be taught. We are to learn with considerable others. We are to recognize spiritual authority. We are to walk with the Lord. We are to proclaim the Lordship of Christ (He is Lord). We are to surrender all that we are and all that we have. We are to deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow Him. We are to know the difference between the flesh and the spirit. We are to walk by the Spirit, and not by the flesh. We are to distrust our self-life, and cling to the Life of Christ. We are to know that we are crucified with Christ, and it is no longer we who live but Christ Who lives in us. We are to grow into Him. We are to change from glory to glory. We are to have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. We are to love not our lives. We are to have the ministry of reconciliation. We are to love the brethren. We are to continually devote ourselves to the apostles teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers. We are to not be tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men. We are to be strong in the Lord, and the strength of His might. We are to stand firm, and having done all to stand. We are to pray at all times in the Spirit. We are to overcome.

Then we will be called “Christians”.