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Commissioned
and Commanded
It’s Not Just a Sunday School Suggestion
By Pastor John Hamel
“For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
(Ephesians 6:12-13)
We are studying
one of the most pertinent, exciting doctrines in all of the Bible - the
Doctrine of Satanology and Demonology and the Believers Divine dominion over these
normally unseen, unnatural powers.
Next
to the Holy Trinity, Satan is referred to in Scripture more than any other
personality. There
are over 200 references in the Bible to his character, attributes, works and
destiny, as well as the Believer’s
authority over him. Until the
Christian goes to the Bible, for the express purpose of seeing what the Bible says about
Satan, the Christian will live in
submission to him.
There is no neutral ground here.
Far too many
Believers, including many preachers, are afraid of Satan and demons.
They wrongly believe that by ignoring these supernatural entities they will
not be encountered by them. This
could not possibly be further from the truth. Those who ignore
Satan and demon powers become their biggest targets and easiest
captives.
The occult, Satanism,
seducing spirits and false doctrines of demons, even within the Church
of
Jesus Christ, are growing faster than any other time in human history.
As a spokesperson for Jesus Christ, you need information about the
devil in order to help those who are being deceived by him.
Someone
always says, "It's not my job to deal with the devil. That's the
Minister's job alone." But that is not what the Bible says.
“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by
Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;” (2
Corinthians
5:18)
All
Believers have been given the ministry of telling lost souls that God loves
them, will save them and that they can be free from Satan and demon
powers.
The
Christian who has been freely delivered from the control of Satan must
freely offer deliverance to those who remain bound. Christians are not
reservoirs. We are not to store up blessings unto ourselves.
Christians are rivers who are to be flowing with revelation and deliverance
into the lives of those around them.
One
day every Believer in Jesus Christ is going to stand before Him at what the
Bible calls the Judgment Seat of
Christ. At that time they will have rewards given to them or taken
away from them all based upon how effectively they fulfilled Christ's
Commission to go and set the captives free.
The world has never
known such an overwhelming acceptance of witchcraft, Satanism, astrology, magic,
the occult, false religions, seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.
The
Church itself must resist new deceptions from
within on a daily basis. The Transformation Movement, the Emerging
Church and "Chrislam" (the unholy merging of
Christianity and Islam) are all denying that Jesus is the
only way to liberation and deliverance.
Even
"seeker friendly" Churches encourage their people, "Don't
speak about Jesus openly. It will turn seekers away. Talk about God.
Talk about the Bible. But don't talk about Jesus, even though we believe in
Jesus. People won't want to join with us because of Him."
Our children are being
deliberately indoctrinated with magic, witchcraft, false doctrines and
homosexuality right under our noses and even within our school systems
and libraries.
The
Internet, cartoons,
videos, computer games, food packaging, band-aids, clothing, toys, backpacks
and book covers are all splashed with sexual immorality, witchcraft and
supernatural powers beyond human
powers.
The forces of darkness
seek to destroy the human world before Christ can return to complete His
plan of Redemption.
Demon powers are no longer found only in jungle villages or in sleazy
back
alleys. They plague the American
government, cities, suburbs, schools, libraries, public places and, yes, even the Church of Jesus Christ.
This would be very distressing were it not for
God's promise of supernatural deliverance from these supernatural entities.
The Great Commission
“And he (Jesus) said unto
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name
shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall
take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt
them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark
16:15-18)
Here Jesus
commissions all of His disciples to set people free from demon powers for the
express purpose of plundering Hell to populate Heaven.
Yet, so many disciples of Christ ignore Christ’s Commission.
They say, "That is not my job. That is the Minister's
job." But that is not what Jesus said. He said, "He
that believeth" shall cast out demons. He did not say to leave it
to the Pastor or the traveling Minister.
Other
rebellious Believers refuse to submit to
the leadership of a Pastor.
Rather, they choose to gather in
living rooms without any Pastoral oversight, conducting prophecy meetings, dream
interpretation meetings and other unbiblical gatherings. These
meetings offer snacks, refreshments, in some cases even alcohol
and spiritual entertainment
for self-edification opening up the participants to infestation of demon
spirits. All the while they ignore the millions who are in demonic bondage
and suffering.
This is exactly
what Paul said would happen in the Last Days.
“Now the Spirit
speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons.” (1
Timothy 4:1)
This is what is
happening all across America and in other civilized nations of the
world. Millions of Believers who
lack humility and who are possessed with personal ambition are being sucked
right into false "prophetic movements,” hyper-prosperity
and hyper-grace.
Millions are deceived by self-appointed false
prophets and false prophecy.
Many of these false prophets charge entry fees to their meetings and
actually sell personal prophecy through their websites with a simple swiping
of one's credit card. In recent
years thousands of participants in the misleading "prophetic
movement" have been led into outright deception by the
appearance to their leading "prophets"
of an unbiblical female angel named Emma.
This
would all be quite distressing if Jesus had not prophesied that this day would come
and there was something we could do about it.
“Behold, I give
unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of
the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this
rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice,
because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20)
Here we see not only
has Jesus commissioned all Believers to rise up against demon powers, but He
has given them supernatural power to do so.
It is time to stop the living room “Bless Me Clubs” and get out
there preaching the Gospel and setting captives free.
Jesus never commissioned anyone to charge $150 registration fees for
conferences where everybody gets a personal prophecy.
Where do you see that in the Bible?
The Prophet Elisha literally forbad taking money while the Spirit of God was
moving. He pronounced a curse on his
servant and his servant's family for his servant having done so. (2 Kings
5:1-27)
Defying
these principles of God's Word and rebelliously charging for operations and
manifestations of the Holy Spirit is one of the quickest ways for Ministers
and their followers to open themselves up to deceiving, evil spirits.
The time has come for
millions of Believers to stop fishing for prophecies and to start
fishing for men. It is time for Believers worldwide to accept the
truth and the responsibility
of “The Great Commission” and setting the captives free.
No
Christian has a
right being free while leaving others in bondage.
Millions who cannot get free of what they have been deceived into
need help. One
does
not need licensing, ordination or the approval of any man to be called into a
full-time Ministry of setting captives free.
All one needs is Jesus on the inside, a little knowledge of the
Believer's authority and a dose of boldness.
It does not matter if
you are 8 years old or 108 years old. All
you need to know is that God’s work at
Calvary
whipped the fire out of Satan’s work in the Garden of Eden.
All you need to know is that the most microscopic drop of Jesus’
Blood is far superior to the greatest concentration of evil.
God’s work in Jesus
far, far outweighs Satan’s work in Adam.
You never need to fear Satan or demon powers in your life or in the
lives of others. They fear the bold, informed Believer.
Ministers of the Gospel Worldwide Need to Be Alerted
Jesus said, “These
signs shall follow those who believe,” not “…shall only follow
Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Evangelists and Teachers.”
Yes, Ministers must
lead the way for Believers, but Believers must never leave the work of
liberation and deliverance from demon powers to Ministry leaders alone.
Jesus said,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me, the works that I
do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go
unto my Father.” (John 14:12)
Do you believe in
Jesus? Did Jesus cast out
demons? Then you are
commissioned and commanded to break the power of the devil over your own
life and over the lives of others. This
is a command, not a suggestion.
There
is no need to wait for someone to prophesy
to you that you should be casting out demons. There are enough
"Confused Convention Christians" already. Jesus did not tell you
to abandon “The Great Commission”
while you run around from this prophetic convention to that prophetic
convention, seeking a prophecy to tell you what to do.
Jesus has already told you what to do.
He said to cast out demons and heal the sick. Just do it.
Catholic, Protestant
and Charismatic Leaders Agree
Pope Paul of the
Roman Catholic Church said, “Whole societies have fallen under the
dominion of the devil. Sex and
narcotics provide openings for Satan’s infiltration of mankind.
One of the greatest needs of our time is a defense against the evil
which we call the devil. We are
all under an obscure domination. It
is Satan, the prince of this world, [who is] the number one enemy.”
After over fifty
years in Protestant Ministry, the Rev. Billy Graham said,
“The devil is actually engaged in combating
America’s growing religious revival. The
proof of the devil’s work is the increasing interest in the occult,
including astrology, tarot card readings, Ouija boards, palmistry,
fortune-telling and particularly witchcraft.
It is perfectly obvious to all of us in spiritual work that people
can be possessed by demons,
harassed by them and controlled by them.
More and more, Ministers will have to learn to use the power of God
to release people from these terrible possessions of the devil.”
Dr. Lester Sumrall, a
world-renown authority on demon powers, said, "I don't know who caused
it or who is to blame for it but millions of Christian Americans are afraid
of the devil. You talk about him and they tremble. The devil's a mean devil
and he's a lying devil. If you don't learn that pretty early he'll
gain victories that he should never gain in your life. You are a conqueror.
You have the victory. Get on with the job. Let's get it
done!"
Christian
author, C.S. Lewis said, "There are two equal and opposite errors into
which our race can fall about the demons. One is to disbelieve
in their existence. The other is to believe and to feel an unhealthy
interest in them! They themselves are equally pleased by both errors
and they hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight."
Corrie ten Boom, a
Dutch survivor of Hitler's worst concentration camps and one of the most
remarkable Evangelists of all time, said, "We
stand in the power of the Name of Jesus, by the Blood of the Lamb and the
word of our testimony. Jesus came
to destroy the works of the devil. Satan is a defeated enemy. It is
necessary that we obey the Word of God and cast
out demons in His Name."
Catholic, Protestant
and Charismatic leaders agree that unless we exercise dominion over unseen,
unnatural demonic powers outside of the Church, and seducing spirits and
doctrines of demons within the Church, Satan’s foothold and chokehold will
continue to grow stronger.
The Believer
must understand that not only has Jesus said we can use His power to set
people free, He said we absolutely must use His power to set people free.
Setting
people free is not an option. Setting people free from the power of
the devil is not a good Sunday School suggestion. All Believers have
been commissioned and commanded to set the captives free.
It Is Simple for Believers to Set People Free
“Submit yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James
4:7)
“Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith,
knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are
in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)
“Behold,
I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions (symbolic of Satan
and demon powers), and over all the
power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding
in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather
rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20)
Setting
captives free is not difficult
or frightening. It is a simple matter
of telling the devil to "Come out" of someone
or to "Come away" from them or their circumstances. This is
especially easy when someone wants to be
free.
There
is no need to worry that someone's head is going
to spin around 360 degrees as they vomit pea soup while the chair they are
sitting in bounces
across the room. Far too many people have been
misled and frightened by foolish movies, TV programs and video games that
are intended to mislead and frighten but are not based on
Scripture.
Yes,
sometimes it may take
a little extra fasting to increase the anointing, but
usually it does not take much at all.
Christ did the heavy lifting at Calvary,
now we simply enforce Satan's defeat in His Name.
Jesus’ Name is the Name above all names and it’s in
His Name, not our own
name, that people are liberated from demon powers.
Christians with hearts filled with compassion will not allow fear
to stop them from setting captives free. Those
who have
respect for the Great Commission, Jesus and His command for them to suppress
the
devil, will rise up, speak up to the devil by faith
and fully expect the devil to obey
them.
The
Great Commission has nothing to
do with natural human ability. It
is all about
Jesus Christ and His authority indwelling and equipping His disciples.
All Christians are encouraged to step out
of fear and unbelief and to step into faith, believing the Greater One within
them drives
off demon forces. (1 John 4:4, 17)
We
are not the way Adam left
us when he fell in the Garden.
We have been redeemed.
We
are not who some of our mean, ungodly Mammas and Daddies said we were.
We are not who our abusers say we are.
None of us were conceived accidentally nor are we in this Earth by
coincidence. We
are not what
drugs and booze and former hatreds say we are. This is not all about
where someone did or did not go to school, how much they do or do not earn
or even how much one does or does not know about the Bible.
This is about
obedience. Plain old-fashioned Bible obedience.
We are “in Christ”
now and we are in this Earth to set people free. We are on probation
while here and we are going to spend Eternity based upon how effectively we
did or did not fulfill Christ's commanded, Great Commission to set the
captives free.
Meditate
on the following verses of Scripture. It
is in the Scripture where we discover who
we really are. Once we discover who we are in Christ, we
become emboldened to break strongholds and loose captives in Jesus' Strong
Name.
“Unto the church of
God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called
to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus
Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: … But
of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” (1 Corinthians 1:2,
30)
“We are fools for
Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye
are honourable, but we are despised.” (1 Corinthians 4:10)
“Paul, an apostle
of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the
church
of
God
which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia: … Now he which stablisheth
us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;” (2 Corinthians 1:1,
21)
“Now thanks be unto
God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the
savour of his knowledge by us in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)
“Therefore if any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female:
for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
“For in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creature.” (Galatians 6:15)
“Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” (Ephesians 1:3)
“And hath raised us
up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
… But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:6, 13)
“Being confident of
this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6)
“Let this mind be
in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:5)
“For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first:” (1 Thessalonians
4:16
)
“Who hath saved us,
and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began,” (2 Timothy 1:9)
“Yea, and all that
will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy
3:12)
Believers
must be motivated
by compassion and who they are in Christ, not by fear.
When
people desire to be set free, we must set them free in Jesus’
Name.
We have been commissioned and we
have been commanded to do so.
There are only three Universal
powers.
First,
there
is the power of benevolence. That is the power of good
and the power of God.
Second,
there
is the power of malevolence. That is the power of evil
and the power of Satan.
Finally,
there
is the power of man. Man is a neutral power who connects to
benevolence or malevolence. To not choose the benevolence connection
is to automatically choose the malevolence connection.
Jesus
Christ calls all men to connect with the benevolent power of God and to
use His power to crush the power of malevolence over humanity.
It
is as simple as telling someone who
wants to be free, "I command you to be free in Jesus' Name."
Be Blessed ... John and Barbara Hamel
How
to Be Born Again (Receive Christ as Your Savior)
How
to Receive The Holy Spirit & Power
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