Dealing With Diana Today?
There was a demonic power reigning in Ephesus, but Paul didn"t gather "intercessors" and "prayer warriors" to do battle. He told people the truth, saw them born again and set free, and discipled them to go out and do the same. G.o.d"s Word is what set people free. The truth is what broke Diana of the Ephesians" power!
Several years ago, the leaders of the intercession and spiritual warfare movements went over to Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey). They believed G.o.d told them that the biggest demonic power in our day and age was Diana of the Ephesians. They thought she was the princ.i.p.ality actually controlling the many Muslim people living in the most unreached parts of the world called "The 10/40 Window" At the amphitheater in Ephesus (ruins from Paul"s time),
they gathered about 20,000 "intercessors" and "prayer warriors" from all around the world. All they did was pray and do "spiritual warfare" in order to "destroy" Diana of the Ephesians.
They didn"t preach the Gospel. They didn"t go over there to share the truth of G.o.d"s Word and win people to the Lord. Instead, they all a.s.sembled and simply held a prayer and praise service in which they supposedly "dealt with" Diana of the Ephesians. That"s exactly opposite what Paul did!
Personally, 1 don"t believe that "Diana of the Ephesians" is even a factor today. She was defeated 2,000 years ago by Paul and the fast-spreading truth of the Gospel. n.o.body worships Diana today! Of course, "spiritual warfare" people would say that she"s the same demonic ent.i.ty behind the Islamic faith. However, that"s a completely subjective argument. It"s what their impressions are, but there"s no way to biblically clarify and verify it. Therefore, I don"t believe it"s true.
Yes, there are demonic ent.i.ties operating in the world today. They"re there because people have empowered them through yielding to their lies. The way to change the situation isn"t by dealing directly with the demons in prayer. Their power is cut off when people believe the truth. As individuals, families, and communities come out of deception, demonic powers are weakened and broken.
Who Came First? Came First?
Many Christians think that San Francisco has demonic powers of h.o.m.os.e.xuality and lesbianism hovering over the city and keeping those people in bondage. There probably is a greater concentration of those particular spirits dwelling there than in other places, but how do you deal with them?
The spiritual warfare people try to deal with it through intercessory prayer, spiritual mapping, prayer walks, binding the devil, and other similar kinds of things. That"s not the scriptural New Testament model. These demonic powers are really a non-factor, other than the fact that people have yielded to and empowered them. You can"t just bind those princ.i.p.alities and command them to depart!
Some Christians think that if you just got rid of the demonic powers, then the people would be set free to respond to the Gospel. That"s completely backwards! When the people respond to the truth, the demons will lose their power and leave.
Who came to San Francisco first-the demons or the h.o.m.os.e.xuals? Some people who were h.o.m.os.e.xuals, or favored them, were elected to places of power in the government. They pa.s.sed laws giving special welfare benefits, legal benefits, and other things that made San Francisco attractive to h.o.m.os.e.xuals. Therefore, h.o.m.os.e.xuals from all around the country and the world flocked to San Francisco. There weren"t demonic powers already there who drew these people. The h.o.m.os.e.xuals came and brought their demons with them.
You don"t get rid of the h.o.m.os.e.xual demonic powers by going into the heavenlies and doing battle directly with them. Preach the truth instead. As these people understand and believe that G.o.d loves them and made them Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, they"ll be set free. Then they"ll resist those devils with the truth, and the entire climate over San Francisco will change.
"The Soul That Sins Shall Die"
I have friends who believe that the United States won"t see revival until the atrocities done in the past to the Native Americans are repented of and forgiven. They think we must do "spiritual warfare" to dislodge the demons that came to power over our country through broken covenants and innocent bloodshed centuries ago. Again, this contradicts New Testament Scripture. You might be able to quote some Old Testament verses, but these concepts don"t square with G.o.d"s Word this side of the Cross.
Ezekiel prophesied that every individual would answer for their own sin-and no one else"s-under the New Covenant.
What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children"s teeth are set on edge? [i.e., "generational curse"] As I live, saith the Lord G.o.d G.o.d, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. the soul that sinneth, it shall die.Ezekiel 18:2-4, brackets mine G.o.d doesn"t judge children for the sins of their parents today. (Ezek. 18:20.) There were many terrible atrocities committed against the Native Americans. My wife is a Native American, but she"s not carrying around bitterness and harboring hurt from what happened centuries ago. However, if I met a Native American who was upset at me because of what my great, great, great grandfather did to his people, I"d apologize. It was wrong and shouldn"t have happened, but it"s not what"s holding this man, or anyone else, in bondage today was upset at me because of what my great, great, great grandfather did to his people, I"d apologize. It was wrong and shouldn"t have happened, but it"s not what"s holding this man, or anyone else, in bondage today This man stands before G.o.d on his own. He"s not a product of what happened 300 years ago. Those things might have influenced him, but it"s absolutely his choice to choose life or death. If he can understand and believe the truth that Jesus Christ dealt with all sin once and for all at the Cross, forgiveness would set him free. Deception is what keeps us in bondage, and the truth is what sets us free.
I simply refuse to empower the devil! By saying that revival can"t happen until we do all of these things is giving Satan power that he doesn"t really have.
Europe Christians have actually retraced the route of the Crusades (back in the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries) through Europe. They"ve done penance and apologized to descendants of people they believed their ancestors hurt centuries ago. They"ve done all of this believing that Europe will stay in spiritual darkness until this "reconciliation" takes place. Wrong!
What"s keeping Europe in spiritual darkness? They haven"t heard and believed G.o.d"s Word! European television channels strictly censor my programs. They often edit my teaching so much that it takes a lot of the power out of it. One time, they bleeped out something 1 1 said about spanking your kids as if it were profanity! I can"t say, "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life." Instead, I have to state, "The Bible says that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life." I have to present it as an opinion, not a fact. G.o.d"s Word has been very much hindered in the European airways. It"s this lack of the truth of G.o.d"s Word that keeps Europe in Satan"s grasp. said about spanking your kids as if it were profanity! I can"t say, "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life." Instead, I have to state, "The Bible says that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life." I have to present it as an opinion, not a fact. G.o.d"s Word has been very much hindered in the European airways. It"s this lack of the truth of G.o.d"s Word that keeps Europe in Satan"s grasp.
All across Europe, they"ve pa.s.sed laws against preaching the Gospel. In France, they"ve made it illegal to evangelize. If you laid hands on someone and prayed for their healing, you could be put in jail for practicing medicine without a license. All of these things are against the Gospel. The reason that Europe is staying in the state it"s in is because they"re not open to the Good News, not because of demonic powers.
Demonic powers are a part of it. They"re inspiring people to take those steps. But you can"t solve the problem just by doing "spiritual warfare" and binding demons; you must get G.o.d"s Word into the people!
Preaching & Teaching Christians have spent millions of dollars traveling to some of these least evangelized nations. They They go go over there over there and and "prayer "prayer walk"; that is, they just walk around "binding" spiritual powers. They are specifically told not to witness to anyone-just to pray. If the same amount of money had been spent preaching the Gospel to these unreached people, there"d be revival! This is the wrong approach and it"s not working! walk"; that is, they just walk around "binding" spiritual powers. They are specifically told not to witness to anyone-just to pray. If the same amount of money had been spent preaching the Gospel to these unreached people, there"d be revival! This is the wrong approach and it"s not working!
This meeting in Ephesus with the 20,000 people who just prayed and did "spiritual warfare" occurred before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It didn"t break the demonic powers operating through Muslim extremists. It never will. This is not the scriptural method of dealing with demonic influence in people"s lives.
I"m doing everything I can to get the Word out! We"re teaching G.o.d"s Word on television and radio in America, Europe, and around the world. We distribute thousands of tapes and CDs CDs each year. Many of our materials (i.e., audio messages, articles, and Bible commentary) are available free online. We also support many international Christian workers who are boldly preaching the Gospel. This should be the approach of the entire Church! each year. Many of our materials (i.e., audio messages, articles, and Bible commentary) are available free online. We also support many international Christian workers who are boldly preaching the Gospel. This should be the approach of the entire Church!
CHAPTER 17.
A Ploy of the Devil.
Spiritual warfare," as it"s popularly presented today, is actually a ploy of the devil. Consider the fruit: Christians are encouraging Christians not to preach the Gospel but just to "pray" instead. You might wonder, Why would Satan want believers to pray more? Why would Satan want believers to pray more? Simple! The devil delights when we give ourselves to praying fruitless, religious prayers. Simple! The devil delights when we give ourselves to praying fruitless, religious prayers.
Who do you think "inspired" the so-called "prayers" of the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites that Jesus so emphatically denounced? They sounded trumpets, stood on street corners, and did all these other religious things when they "prayed." If you think the devil would never encourage people just to "pray," you"re sadly mistaken. Church history abounds with example after example of the enemy luring Christians into doing all kinds of impressive-looking-but powerless-spiritual calisthenics.
As believers, our focus should be on preaching the Gospel and proclaiming the truth of G.o.d"s Word to all people everywhere. However, there are groups today spending big bucks to send hundreds, even thousands, of Christians around the world on so-called "missions trips" with instructions not to preach the Gospel. "Don"t witness to anyone! Your job is just to walk, pray, and do spiritual warfare." Although their hearts might be in the right place and some partic.i.p.ants" lives are positively impacted for missions, overall-it"s wrong, wrong, wrong! If they took the same amount of money and effort and invested it into preaching the Gospel, distributing tracts, and sharing the truth in those nations, they"d see infinitely greater results.
Preach & Pray It"s not a matter of either preaching or praying, they should be done together. Prayer is like water to a seed. If the seed"s been planted, then it needs to be watered. But you can water and water and water barren ground, and nothing will come of it. People are born again by the incorruptible seed of G.o.d"s Word. (1 Peter 1:23.) Therefore, before you water, you must plant the seed!
When Paul went forth to preach, he asked his friends to pray for him: "That utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel" (Eph. 6:19).
He didn"t say, "Pray that people"s ears may be opened to hear. Pray that demonic powers (like Diana of the Ephesians) would leave." No! Paul asked people to pray that he"d speak with revelation, authority, and power, and that miracles would be done in Jesus" mighty name.
Prayer is an important part of the Gospel, but it can never be subst.i.tuted for the preaching of G.o.d"s Word. Paul"s boldness to share the truth literally destroyed Diana of the Ephesians" power. Finally, Demetrius and the other silversmiths came together
because they were just about out of work. People had quit buying their pagan idol images. They said: "Not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great G.o.ddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshipped!" (Acts 19:27).
Until the spiritual warfare intercessors recently dug her up and gave her power she didn"t previously have, Diana of the Ephesians hadn"t been a factor in almost 2,000 years. Such is the power of G.o.d"s Word!
G.o.d has already accomplished everything. He"s already given it to us in the spiritual realm. The only war we"re fighting is to receive that provision in physical manifestation.
The Truth Sets People Free How is that war fought? Is it in the heavenlies? Do we have to climb tall buildings and rent airplanes to do battle with spiritual wickedness in high places? Must we send people to foreign countries around the world to rebuke the devil over there?
If demonic powers were really the force people claim, you wouldn"t have to climb a building or rent a plane to get up close to them. You wouldn"t have to send people over to foreign countries to pray either. It"s not like our prayers only work within a hundred-yard radius. Even if these ideas were true, you could just bind the demons from right where you are. Prayer is that powerful!
But you don"t have to do those things. Preach the Gospel instead! Tell people the truth. Broadcast His Word by radio, television, and Internet. Distribute tracts, books, and other quality literature. Train disciples and send them out. Start Bible colleges and churches everywhere. At the very least, become a ministry partner and support the work of someone who"s doing these things. The New Testament emphasizes the proclaiming of G.o.d"s Word!
However, popular emphasis hasn"t been on preaching the Word. Instead, most spiritual warfare people are into all kinds of weirdness. I"ve even heard accounts of public meetings where women laid on top of men and went through the motions of giving birth. They call it "travailing" and doing "spiritual warfare." Really, it"s just lewd and totally unG.o.dly. The Lord never led anyone to do that type of thing!
Am I against true spiritual warfare? No! Am I against true intercession? No! I"m just against the weirdness being called "spiritual warfare" and "intercession" today. The Body of Christ needs to reexamine these teachings in the light of G.o.d"s Word and the New Covenant.
The only reason Satan is a factor is because there are so many deceived people empowering him and promoting his doctrines. If we preached only the truth, the devil would be reduced to nothing. But since there"s so much error-not only in the world but also in the Body of Christ-we"ll constantly be battling lies with the truth until Jesus comes back. No one has it all figured out, so we"re continually renewing our minds to the truth. There are things we"re fighting, and spiritual warfare is real, but it"s not because Satan has all this power; it"s because he"s deceived so many people. The antidote isn"t intercession-binding demonic powers and enlisting millions of Christians to "pray"; it"s telling people the truth and seeing them set free.
Revival The same holds true for revival. I"m for revival. I want to see the positive effects of revival sweep through America and all around the world. We need a revival, but how do we go about receiving one?
The "intercessors" say that we must pray harder, longer, and recruit more and more people-a hundred, a thousand, a million, ten million-to pray and fast with us. They view G.o.d as the one responsible for sending revival and that He"s holding it back from us for some unknown reason. Since He"s "not pleased," they"re repenting, doing rest.i.tution, and all of these other things to appease Him so that He"ll send revival.
G.o.d has already been appeased! Jesus Christ made atonement for all sin 2,000 years ago. G.o.d"s not angry anymore. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus released all the power it takes for ma.s.sive worldwide revival a long time ago. We just haven"t been receiving it.
We need to believe what G.o.d has already done, not beg and plead with Him for revival. You start being a vessel of G.o.d"s miracles to others! You begin healing the sick and raising people from the dead! I guarantee that you"ll see the effects of revival. In fact, you"ll have all the revival you can handle! I"m definitely for revival. But it"s going to come as people yield themselves to G.o.d, not as we twist His arm more through "intercession" and "spiritual warfare."
I know that many people will reject these truths I"m sharing because they"re so contrary to the mainstream theology in the Body of Christ today Although there are only a few of us preaching this right now, I I challenge you to take another look at G.o.d"s Word for yourself. Study the atonement of Jesus. Follow the example of the book of Acts. You won"t find "intercession" or "spiritual warfare" being done as it"s promoted today. Satan is a factor, but he"s not the powerful menace he"s been made out to be by people who"ve missed the parade. challenge you to take another look at G.o.d"s Word for yourself. Study the atonement of Jesus. Follow the example of the book of Acts. You won"t find "intercession" or "spiritual warfare" being done as it"s promoted today. Satan is a factor, but he"s not the powerful menace he"s been made out to be by people who"ve missed the parade.
Jesus: Our Mighty Deliverer!
Visualize the triumphant procession. See Satan defeated, stripped of all power and authority, and nailed to the cross. Allow this vision of the devil-impaled and on exhibition-to sink deep into your heart. Once you"ve been to the victory parade, you"ll never fear him again. Satan won"t be able to intimidate you the way he did in the past. You"ll be set free and able to boldly minister G.o.d"s freedom to others!
CHAPTER 18.
Put Your Faith To Work.
You don"t need more faith-so quit trying to get it! If you"re born again, you"ve already been given all the faith you"ll ever need. Right now, you have more than enough faith. You"re just ignorant of what you"ve got and how to use it!
The disciples had the same problem. Notice their response to Jesus" teaching: Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespa.s.s against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespa.s.s against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.Luke 17:3-5 Jesus had raised people from the dead, opened blind eyes and deaf ears, healed lepers, cast out devils, and done many other miraculous things no one else had ever done. However, it was His command to continually forgive-not these other things-that provoked the disciples to say, "Lord, increase our faith!"
Faith is for everyday life! It"s not only to effect miraculous healing and financial deliverance. Although these things are important, it"s your daily interpersonal relationships that will place the greatest demand on your faith. You"ve missed it if you think faith is primarily for impossible situations, like when the doctor says you"re going to die or you"re facing bankruptcy. Faith certainly applies to your crises, but you need faith for the people you live and work with day in and day out all week long. How else can you turn the other cheek when someone hurts you?
It takes faith to always unconditionally love and forgive your coworkers, your spouse, your children, your parents, and your neighbors. The disciples were so overwhelmed by Jesus" command to forgive-even up to seven times in one day-that they exclaimed, "Lord, increase our faith!"
More Than Enough Faith Jesus answered, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you" (Luke 17:6).
In a sense, it appears as if Jesus didn"t really answer their question. They had asked, "Increase our faith," and He answered, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could do this." What the Lord was telling them was, "Guys, you don"t need more more faith. You don"t have a faith problem. You just aren"t using the faith you"ve already got!" faith. You don"t have a faith problem. You just aren"t using the faith you"ve already got!"
A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds there is. It"s so tiny that when you hold one between your thumb and index finger, it"s hard to tell that you even have anything there. Jesus said, "If your
faith is only this much-the size of a mustard seed-you could tell this tree to be planted in the sea, and it would obey you." In other words, you don"t need "big" faith, or even "more" faith. You just need to learn how to use the faith you already have.
Most Christians don"t have this concept today. They believe faith works but think that theirs is deficient. That"s a deception from the devil! Satan has blinded us to what we already have.
You already possess the same amount and quality of faith as Jesus did when He physically walked on the earth. It"s inside every born-again believer. Satan lies to Christians to keep them from understanding this. They believe faith works, but not that they have enough of it. They think it comes and goes-sometimes strong, sometimes weak. It"s like they can"t get a handle on it, can"t hold" it, and can"t control it because it"s intangible. That"s a totally wrong att.i.tude about faith. You have-right now-more than enough faith. You just need to use it!
A Servant Called "Faith" Servant Called "Faith"
Then in verses 7-10, Jesus immediately launched into a parable to ill.u.s.trate His meaning. If you understand that you already have faith and you need to use what you"ve got, then this parable makes sense. If you try to apply it any other way, this parable doesn"t make sense. The context dictates its meaning.
But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till 1 have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not [Old English for "I don"t think so!" or "That"s not how it works!"]. So may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till 1 have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not [Old English for "I don"t think so!" or "That"s not how it works!"]. So likewise likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.Luke 17:7-10, brackets mine Jesus was saying, "You need to use the faith you"ve already got! Even if it"s only as big as a mustard seed, it"s enough to cast a tree into the sea. You"d put your servant to work, if you owned one, wouldn"t you? You already have faith. Now put it to work!"
Servanthood and slavery were an everyday part of life in Jesus" time. If you owned one, you expected them to serve you. It didn"t matter that they were tired and had just come in from working all day in the fields. If it was suppertime, you expected them to serve you your food. Their time to eat was after you were finished and satisfied. They didn"t eat with you, and they definitely didn"t eat before you. You were the master! and slavery were an everyday part of life in Jesus" time. If you owned one, you expected them to serve you. It didn"t matter that they were tired and had just come in from working all day in the fields. If it was suppertime, you expected them to serve you your food. Their time to eat was after you were finished and satisfied. They didn"t eat with you, and they definitely didn"t eat before you. You were the master!
In today"s touchy, feely politically correct mindset, most people would say, "Well, you shouldn"t treat a servant that way!" But in the time that Jesus spoke this parable, servants and slaves weren"t pampered; they were used. You didn"t just allow them to lie around and do nothing all day because you didn"t want want to impose on them. Neither were you kind and gentle with them. You commanded them to take care of your needs before their own. You didn"t have to be mean and nasty about it, but as their master, you definitely gave them orders. If you had a slave, you put them to work! to impose on them. Neither were you kind and gentle with them. You commanded them to take care of your needs before their own. You didn"t have to be mean and nasty about it, but as their master, you definitely gave them orders. If you had a slave, you put them to work!