Unfortunately, today not many churches are teaching about deliverance. It was a regular and significant part of Jesus’ ministry and the early church.

Today, a big part of the church has lost its position in Christ. Obviously, this is not true for everyone, but in most of my life so far, this is what I've experienced. They know who Jesus is, and what He did for them but haven’t fully grasped the authority and identity they have in Him. This mainly has to do with indoctrination from an early age as people grow up in a specific setting where deliverance is usually not discussed. Even worse, it's taught as dangerous and something to stay away from.

The enemy will always try to plant false stories, and one-time experiences to scare people away from working against his fallen kingdom. We need to compare these things with the Word of God and not let one experience shape our future. The Word of God should dictate and shape our future.

💡 Important: I firmly believe that Christians should not have a deliverance-focused ministry. The goal of believers is to get people to Christ by sharing the gospel. That being said, along that process, deliverance is part of it but never should we make it the centre of attention.

Timeline

Before we look at our identity and authority in Christ, let’s look at the New Testament timeline and the progression of driving out devils. You will see it went from Jesus to the multitudes.

Jesus drove out demons

First, we have Jesus driving out demons himself. Sometimes, the demon was even a cause of a disability.

Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Mar 1:34

And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.

Luk 11:14

The 12 drove out demons

After Jesus gave a glimpse into the deliverance ministry, He gave His twelve disciples the same authority to drive out demons.

And when He had called His twelve disciples to [Him], He gave them power [over] unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

Mat 10:1

"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Mat 10:8

The 70 drove out demons

After the twelve had successfully driven out demons, Jesus increased this ministry by giving the same authority to 70 other disciples. There is not much written about who these disciples were, but it was a larger group of people who, some also later departed from Jesus.

"And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

Luk 10:9

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

Luk 10:17

"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Luk 10:19-20

Believers drive out demons

Now we see a significant change. After the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, He gave all his believers the authority to cast out demons.

"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

Mar 16:16-17

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age." Amen.

Mat 28:18-20

In verse 17, we see the signs that should be following believers. This is a confirmation that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ has the authority to cast out demons, and it's not only reserved for pastors, deacons or elders.

Religious People

There are always going to be religious people who say you can’t do it. They will often use verses like Mat 7:21-23 to bring across their argument. This argument is easily crushed by studying Mat 28:18-20 and the following verses below.

21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

Mat 7:21-23

We have to understand that the above passage is meant to show us that our works, doesn't matter what they are, don't determine our relationship with the Lord. Verse 23 clearly states that he was speaking with people who were practicing lawlessness, meaning they were not even saved to begin with. We can only have a relationship with God if we are in Jesus Christ, His Son. Once we are in Him, we are covered by His precious blood that pleads on our behalf.

Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Act 19:16

Acts 19:16 is another verse that people love to take out of context. If we read the verses before, we read that these people didn't know Jesus. They were saying “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!”

You wouldn't speak like that if you knew Jesus. They were trying to use the name of the Lord without even knowing Him.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1Jo 4:4

If know who you are in Him, no unclean spirit can jump on you. They actually fear you because you have Christ in you.

An Assignment, Not a Gift

Jesus gave His disciples an obvious assignment in Luke 10:19. It was one of the things He told His disciples to do. Later in Mat 28:18-20 He commands them to teach everything they have learned to everyone else (you and me). These apostles now had the foundation they needed to replicate through multiplication. We can now read about this foundation in the Bible; we are also called to build on this foundation and replicate it.

Many believers today confuse the gift of discernment with deliverance. They are two different things. The Holy Spirit, which lives inside of us, gives us the power to drive out demons in the name of Jesus. All authority has been given to Jesus, and he calls us to walk in this authority here on earth to expand His Kingdom.

Your Identity & Authority

This is a big topic, but for the sake of this article, I will only address certain parts to conclude the thoughts of this article.

It’s interesting how there’s not too much spoken about spiritual warfare or deliverance in the epistles. I believe there’s a straightforward reason for this:

The devil is limited. He got defeated on the cross when Jesus took victory over death. This was God’s great master plan that was hidden from the devil before the foundation of the earth.

Now he knows that his last breath is coming and he’s trying to go around LIKE a roaring lion, seeing who he can devour. He isn’t a lion, he is acting LIKE a lion. Lions only roar if they know they can’t get their prey.

Satan is a fallen angel, and so are his servants; they are simply persons with no bodies which you have authority over. Just meditate on these verses 👇

16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

Mar 16:16-17

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age." Amen.

Mat 28:18-20

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

Luk 9:1

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Eph 2:10

But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

1Pe 2:9

But Patrick, this was only for the apostles. We can not do this.

No, actually, we are called to imitate Christ and the apostles in all things because they set the foundation that we need to multiply. Did the demons just leave? Jesus said cast them out!

Imitate me, just as I also [imitate] Christ.

1Co 11:1

Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.

Phl 3:17

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

1Jo 2:6

"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?

Luk 6:46

Should You Do It?

Now that you know, you can do it. The question becomes, should you do it? The answer would vary from person to person. Some people feel called to do it, others avoid it, and some are thrown into situations where they have no choice.

The answer here would largely depend on the situation and your own faith in Christ.

Here are some questions that would help answer this question.

• Does the person really have an unclean spirit? There's no point in driving something out that doesn't exist. Sometimes renewing the mind or receiving a better understanding of the gospel is enough.
• Do you know your identity in Christ? If not, your efforts might be in vain.
• Does that person really want to be free? If not, it's better not to cast out the demon.
• Does that person have the support they need after they are delivered? If the house stays clean, with nobody to occupy the house, and no spiritual support for the person to grow, the unclean spirits can come back and put the person into an even worse state.

Like in all things, wisdom is required. There's no one size fits all, but you must understand how deliverance works, what it is and that you have the authority to perform such works.

Religious shame is unfortunately deeply ingrained in many people's hearts. In this post, we'll examine symptoms of religious shame and how you should deal with it. There is freedom!

Table of contents

How does this happen?

Religious shame usually comes from bad leadership, lack of faith, and, most importantly, a lack of understanding of the Gospel. Churches, where the old and new covenant is mixed, can also experience religious shame among many other things.

“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” Mark 2:22 (NIV)

Common Symptoms

Here are some common symptoms of religious shame. In the event that any of the following points relate or speak to you, it is most likely that you suffer from religious shame. God will never make us feel shamed or fearful. Those are the works of the enemy. Of course, there will be times in our lives when we feel shamed or scared. It is important, however, to find the root cause of constant pressure if it keeps repeating itself in our or others' lives.

One thing is clear, Jesus took all the guilt, shame, and fear on the cross. He who was blameless took your spot. We don’t need to burden other people and for sure not do it on ourselves.

Romans 10:11 (NIV)
As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

Isaiah 54:4 (NIV)
“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

Let’s start with the symptoms.

• You live two lives (double-life) — one for the church on Sundays and one for the outside.
  • In church, you're happy and smiling
  • Outside the church, you're angry and selfish
• You're scared to share your vulnerabilities with other people in the church, and members don't cover each other in their weaknesses, or vulnerabilities because "everything is always fine".
• You’re required to ask for approval from a leadership team for personal matters.
• You’re not allowed to depart the church without the leadership's blessing, and if you do, there’s slander, shame, and suspicion.
• You feel you need to do certain things to please other church people instead of focusing on your high priest Jesus Christ.
• Laws rule you, and through them, you try to be right by God instead of looking at what He did on the cross for you.
• There's pressure on you to do certain things that the church commands.
• There is more focus on your life to follow the rules and regulations instead of building an intimate relationship with Christ.
• You want to do something for God, but leaders do not support you in it.
• In your eyes, is God a loving God or a punishing God?
  • If your first thought is punishing, then you might be suffering from religious shame.

You will never have an intimate relationship with God if you entertain these types of thoughts from the enemy:

• You're never good enough
• You feel like you're always breaking the rules
• You always have the feeling that you're not worthy
• You think God will punish for every little mistake

These thoughts above are a work of the enemy, so you can't live in the Spirit.

Authoritative Figures

Authority figures can shape our thoughts. Most people have shaped more beliefs from authoritative figures (fathers, pastors, elders, etc.) than the Holy Spirit.

If there are any authoritative figures in your life, ask yourself these questions:

• Are you able to open your heart to them?
• Were you ever happy or warm inside when you had conversations with these leaders?
• Do you feel good in their presence?

If not, they might be using religious shame or spiritual manipulation that is not according to God's Word. Leaders might do this unintentionally or intentionally to make someone do something (convince them about things they believe to be true).

A lot of times, when these things happen, these leaders have unhealed wounds that need to be healed. These unhealed wounds can be unforgiveness, or they are simply not walking in love or the fruit of the Spirit because the full gospel hasn't been revealed to them.

💡 Please note that it's important to forgive them and not hold a grudge against them. They are God's people dealing with their own journey. Forgive and pray for them.

Internal and external shame

This is a set of beliefs that are based on distorted messages or experiences in life. They are formed by leaders and teachers around us who indoctrinate us with a perverted gospel which is no gospel at all.

Religious shame makes us feel like everything we do is wrong. We are so careful not to mess up that every time we stumble, we fall into condemnation. That guilt keeps us stuck in a cycle of death.

External

For example:

• You're not allowed to play chess
• You're not allowed to play sports
• You are not allowed to explore other opinions, matters, or voices

Is chess and sports bad? No, they are not. Can they be bad? Yes, it depends on the context.

• Why are you doing it?
• How are you doing it?
• What is the outcome?

Internal

For example:

• Is it great to read the Bible? Of course! You need the Word of God and let Jesus speak to you.
• Should you feel bad that you didn't read the Bible today but instead went out with friends one night? No!

Breaking the chain

Now that you’ve identified a few symptoms of religious shame, you need to learn how to break out of it.

But before we go into the steps of breaking out, you need to know what happens if people break out of religious shame.

One of the risks is that they run all the way into the other extreme. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t break out of the shame; in fact, you must do. But it's also important that you don’t go to the other extreme.

Here are some examples of extremes:

• "Oh, I can get drunk; who cares? Jesus loves me."
• "Jesus set me free, no more of this religious garbage; now I can do whatever I want."
• Jesus never saved us so that we can live freely in our flesh.

We always have to ask ourselves why we are doing something. If it’s a reaction to an action, then usually, the outcome will be negative.

Everything that's a reaction is bad. For example, leaving a church because of a reaction to an action is bad. Any change or action needs to come within your heart, not from something else such as an emotional response.

1 Corinthians 10:23
“I have the right to do anything,” you say--but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”--but not everything is constructive.

How to get set free

Now you might be wondering how you can be set free from religious shame. Below you will find five steps to break free.

💡 Please note that if the religious shame has turned into depression, abuse, or any other critical condition, get in touch with a loved one you can trust and let them know what happened.

Step 1: Unforgiveness

You must first forgive anyone who has put you into religious shame. If you don’t close these wounds, healing will be impossible. Unforgiveness is an open door for the enemy to enter you for work of destruction. God can do His work only if we get rid of all bitterness and unforgiveness. If we are bitter towards anyone, it grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30). Without the Spirit, we can’t be led by Him into a new life.

Eph 4:26-27
"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Step 2: Looking back

Your victory isn’t in front of you; it’s behind you on the cross where Jesus took all the shame on himself. He died for you so that you may live. We often try to find a solution by looking in the future, but it's important we look back to Jesus and meditate on what He did for us.

1. Pray to your saviour Jesus and thank him for dying for your sins, that he redeemed you of death and that he gave you a new life. Thank him that you no longer need to live in shame, guilt, or condemnation and that he has given you freedom from all these things.
2. Ask Jesus to help you change any false beliefs or pull down any religious strongholds in your life.
3. Ask Jesus to reveal your heart so you can fix any holes and/or repent.

Isa 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Romans 10:11
As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

Step 3: Taking down false beliefs

We can’t change our hearts if it's full of false beliefs. It would be best if you replaced false beliefs with the right beliefs.

1. Make a list of all the things that might be associated with religious shame.
2. Find Bible verses that speak against these false beliefs.
3. Memorize these verses and repeat them over and over again.
4. The repetition will change the belief of your heart.
5. Whenever a thought of the enemy comes in, you will be able to fight it with the Word of God.

Heb 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Step 4: Walk in faith

The currency of any believer is faith. You must pray and walk in faith. Fully surrender to Jesus and trust that the Holy Spirit will guide you. If you ever feel confused, the Holy Spirit is there to help. Put your faith in Christ and his work on the cross that he did for you.

Eph 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.

2Co 5:7
For we live by faith, not by sight.

Step 5: Change your influence

It’s important we have the right leaders and teachers in our area of influence. If you hear a wrong message over and over again, it will eventually become truth for you. Change your church, work or whatever you need to do to stay away from communities that don’t transform you. Where the Spirit of God is, there is freedom! Freedom from guilt, shame, condemnation and sin.

If you need more help, you can contact us.

This article is designed to get you to start thinking about multiplication. It is not an in-depth article about how to multiply but rather a starting point to look at discipleship in a bigger picture.

In the body of Christ, multiplication plays an important element in advancing the Gospel. In fact, one of the last things Jesus told His disciples was to teach everyone all things that He commanded them.

Mat 28:20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

This means that the apostles multiplied everything Jesus taught them. But it doesn't stop there. The new believers then learned to repeat those same steps. They took the foundation of the apostles and then replicated it.

We, the body of Christ, are called to imitate our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles.

1Co 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also [imitate] Christ.

Phl 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.

1Jo 2:6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

What it could look like

Below is an example of how a typical discipleship process would look like.

1. You engage various groups: classmates, neighbours, Muslims, and coworkers.
2. You get them interested in the Gospel and start inviting them to your bible study (it could just be you and the person in that study). The goal is to get them into the Word.
3. During this process, the attendees learn the skills of reading and hearing from God directly through His Word and obeying what they read. This is not where you teach but read the Word together and commit to obey the Word.
4. Each week, they share the stories they are reading (from Genesis to Jesus) with those in their lives and love and help others in their community.
5. Through this process of reading through God's Word, God opens their eyes, and they accept Christ and get baptized.
6. Then, they start their very own bible studies with others they know (multiplication). These new groups go through the same process.
7. Eventually, the various bible study groups form larger spiritual communities/churches according to the relationships being built.
8. Over time, those who excel in obedience and demonstrate being filled with the Spirit are appointed to be deacons and elders.
9. However, these spiritual communities will continue to engage others and multiply as when they began. And their disciples will also either join their gathering or form their own spiritual communities as well.
   

Why focus on discipleship?

1. Pressure proof. It doesn't matter what's happening in the world; disciples will keep making disciples.
2. Persecution proof. Large churches will always face persecution. Discipleship Making Movements do not because they are not focused on growing a large church but rather smaller groups of disciples who make more disciples.
   

Below are two diagrams to visualize this discipleship-making process further:

With this strategy, thousands of people could be reached in months, something that would have seemed impossible to one missionary under the old system!

The core idea

1. Sharing things you've learned about God with other people
2. Inviting them to a personal bible study
3. Getting them into the Word and obeying it
   

Questions to meditate on

1. How did Jesus apply this with the twelve disciples?
2. Who in your close network is interested in learning more about God?
3. Are you actively seeking discipleship opportunities?
4. The last time you read something interested about God, did you have any opportunities to share it with someone?