DOING as JESUS DOES

Following the King's Example..

Jesus came to earth to purchase people through his blood.  But he came for more than that.  His life on earth is to set an example of how we are to live our lives.  The term "Christian" actually means Christ-like or "little christs."  If we aren't living like him, then we have become "carnal."

So what is our example? What did Jesus do?  

Mark chapter 1 v. 29-39

We are called to do as Jesus does.  These scriptures pretty much sum it up.  So far, this has been his ministry:  To preach the gospel truth, to heal the sick, and to cast out demons.  Often, you find churches who want to do the first two (and some churches only believe in the first one), but Jesus calls us to do all 3.  He says we are to follow his example.   If we aren't doing all three - preaching the gospel (and i don't mean just the pastor on Sunday mornings, but ALL of God's children sharing his gospel in their community/environment), praying for healing, and casting out demons/setting people from from demonic oppression,  then we are lacking in following his example.  I don't mean we have to go LOOK for someone demonized to pray for, but if the presence of God is alive and active within us, the opportune time will come up... Demon's shudder at the presence of God.     

One last thing, this scripture says Jesus SPENT TIME ALONE praying to the father... He created opportunities in his crazy schedule to have ALONE time with himself and Daddy God.  We, too, must set apart ourselves from the world and have alone time with the Father - to just pray, and listen...  It's how we refill ourselves with his presence. If we are just pouring out and not being refilled, then we are going to run dry eventually.

Demons in the Church

Demons in the church...

In Mark Chapter 1, verses 21-27 - there was a man in the synagogue who had an evil spirit in him.  It's funny how many church goers today don't believe that evil spirits exist or could "possess" a person.  Truth is, Scriptures show us that there ARE evil spirits active today, AND in the church, and there are a number of people who are possessed or have demonic attachments, or are "controlled" by a demonic presence.    

In fact, as "holy" as churches are supposed to be, once a door to demonic activity is open, the said church can become a nesting ground for demonic presence.   I worked in a church once where someone in leadership told me God showed them a legion of demons in the church narthex (a religious term for religious churches... basically it's just a "foyer.")  Then, I worked in another church where a woman saw a reptile creature like demon and it actually had control of the pastor of that church.  Her description was amazingly accurate.   We are naive to think that demons don't enter the church doors or aren't concerned with the church.  We are even MORE naive to not believe that people can have demonic junk on them, and that we need to lay hands on them and pray for them...

Someone once asked, why is it that you only see people having demons cast out of them in charismatic, pentacostal, or non-denominational spirit filled churches?  Doesn't that prove that it's fake?  My answer is, no, quite the opposite.  The only thing that's going to bring a demon forth and set a person free is the PRESENCE of JESUS, the presence of his Holy Spirit.  You can be a Bible believing Christian church, but if the Holy Spirit is not active and moving in that church, nothing is going to stir in that person to set them free... The presence of the Holy Spirit must be welcome and active.   If we could see in the spirit realm, I think we would see a number of churches with demons attending them, standing over them, manipulating them as guards.

Going back to Mark verses 23-24,  IT WAS THE PRESENCE of GOD that brought this demon forward, manifesting itself.  I have been in churches during worship where someone possessed by demons fell down, foamed at the mouth, and the demon began talking through the person. It was authentic.  I know this, because on several of the occasions, I was the one praying for them (with others) to get rid of it/cast it out.  It's interesting because the churches this happened in were spirit-filled, believing in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, moving in the gifts of the spirit, etc..   However, I have never witnessed this happening in a traditional, denominational church such as methodist, baptist, lutheran, presbyterian, etc... and I have  been involved with all of them.  My question is why?  I know it CAN happen at these churches, but I have never witnessed it.  However, when I talk to ministers of such churches, they themselves don't truly believe in spiritual oppression, possession, attachments, etc..  They can be great, God-loving, fearing, Bible knowing pastors, but still not believe because they haven't experienced it.   Is it not happening because these churches aren't open to God moving that way?  Is it because these churches don't believe in this kind of warfare -relenting to set someone free because they aren't open to it, or is it because there is a lack of the presence of the moving, active, living, breathing of the Holy Spirit?  Is it because the presence of God that would bring forth such a demonic presence and remove it is not welcome in that church or setting? Or is that church completely LACKING the presence of God, thus, making it a dead, religious, rote church.

Could it be that many of the modern day denominational churches  are so void of a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit because they, like the pharisees of Jesus' time, are so steeped in tradition, religion, repetition, etc..  Have they become so much of a "machine" controlled by man that they have squeezed the presence of God out over the decades (and centuries)?   Would they be open to God truly moving and doing something that the defies the "normalcy" of the weekly service?  Imagine that- Imagine a pastor saying, "God, we just want you this Sunday... Show up... move in us... speak to us... breathe on us..."  Imagine if the pastor DIDN'T follow the bulletin if God truly spoke to him and asked him not to.. What would happen? What would this look like?  How would the church react?

SO WHAT DID JESUS DO?

Jesus cast out the demonic spirit from the man, IN CHURCH!!!!!  He set the prisoner free.  Likewise, we are CALLED to set people free from demonic presence/attachments, etc.  IN CHURCH (and out of church!)  By Jesus' example, a church SHOULD be a place to get healing or to be set free from demonic oppression.  It's so much more than a place to listen to sermons.  The presence of God (the Holy Spirit) must be welcomed in the church!  and the presence of God (usually manifesting itself during true spirit-led worship), will expose the demonic.  Then, just as JESUS did, we are called to pray and cast it out in the name of Jesus and set the prisoner free.  If he did it, then we are called to do it too!