"We're Doing It Wrong...Again". Or "Unteaching Your Unteaching"

In my last post, I said something that got me thinking; always a dangerous pasttime.

And I quote: "An unclean spirit (a DEMON! Okay!?!) needs your permission to exist in your life. And you can send it away. But if you leave it a room, it will come back with reinforcements."

We have used that piece of  Luke 11/Matthew 14 for years to formulate the idea we shouldn't cast demons out of unsaved people.  For real.

I was trained in my last formal ministry that we only cast the demonic from Christians because we would be causing terible damage to the unsaved.

Who makes this stuff up?

In the New Testament, we see Jesus and the disciples casting out demons everywhere. Healing people, challenging their understanding, forgiving, teaching, everything! 

And they are all "unsaved" folk.

That crazy guy in tombs that could break chains wasn't a Christian.

That girl who used divination wasn't a Christian.

The man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit wasn't a Christian, either.

So why do we teach not to help the ones who really need it?

Because we do not read correctly and investigate what we read.

Anytime scripture seems a little bit "off", it's usually because it's being taken out of context, or it doesn't make sense in light of the whole body of scripture.

You need to find out WHY or you're probably going to make up some new rules!

Matthew 12:43-45 has been used to teach this, and it never sat right with me. 

While I was in approved ministry, I was obedient to not "bruise the Bride" and never delivered anyone that didn't profess Christ from the hell tormenting them. Sigh.

We are doing it wrong.

Nowhere in scripture are we told to minister to only the Church. 

We are told  in Luke 14:18-19,

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Who are the captives? Who are the blind? 

Anyone.

So quit making a formula for who needs Jesus' help. Look for them.

Look for the evil and subdue it. 

Don't think you have a choice. Only the Holy Spirit maked those decisions.

Stop fearing the power of the Enemy and start embracing the Power of the Most High God .

Matthew 12

43 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds itunoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

A 'Christian' who cleans up their life, looks good, smells good, acts good, but never allows God to fill him with the Holy Spirit and transform; this is his future.

You know what a believer who runs from God is like. They are the biggest sin producers you know. They just seem determined to destroy their whole world.

You can help them too, it's just harder!

Once you begin to see who Matt 14 is talking about, it makes a lot more sense. 

And your ability to promote the Kingdom opens up.

Happy casting! Hope the 'fishing' is great!