Potter's Wheel Episode #1 - April 2019

LUKE 4:31-37

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TRANSCRIPT

(edited)

Hi, friends. Welcome to my video blog that I’m calling, The Potter’s Wheel, which is based on 2 Corinthians 4:7, where the Apostle Paul says that we have this treasure, this ministry, and earthen vessel, referring to the frailty of our own humanity. But at the same time, God chooses to use us and so, it’s a treasure.

I want to read a passage out of the book of Luke. In fact, this whole series will be healing events in the life of Jesus through the book of Luke. What I’m going to do is walk you through some of the things the Lord has spoken to me over about a two-year period as I would read these passages, meditate on them, and then ask the Lord to speak to me and reveal himself to me in a very specific way about how I can be more effective with healing.

So, here’s the passage. It’s in Luke 4:31. It says, “Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit.” So, here we have a man in the house of God, you might say in the place of teaching the Word, who’s being inflicted by a demon. It’s not uncommon for that type of thing to occur all over the world. Sometimes, in the United States we tend to diminish the spiritual warfare that is going on in the preaching of the Word, but it’s a real thing.

It says here that he “cried out at the top of his voice.” Here’s this man screaming, “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the holy one of God.” Now, think about it. Here’s a demon outing Jesus, you might say, that he is the son of God and you might think Jesus would want that, but he doesn’t. He wasn’t ready to reveal himself as the son of God quite yet, but he wanted to do it in a way that would also fulfill prophetic promises from the Old Testament. The person, the messenger, and the man are not the ways that God wanted to reveal who Jesus was.

Jesus says to him, “‘Be quiet!’ Jesus said sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.” In Mark 1:23 it says that the demon threw the man down violently and with a shriek, he came out. We notice that the adversary loves to bring attention to himself, loves a very scandalous moment, to distract people and to create fear and uncertainty in the room. So, it’s very important that when we’re confronting demonic forces that we’re very firm and that we don’t allow them to do whatever they want to do. We immediately take the authority we have in the name of Jesus to bring them under control.

Verse 36 says, “All the people were amazed and said to each other, ‘What is this teaching? With authority and power, he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!’ And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.” Obviously, what the adversary wanted to do by creating a sense of fear and uncertainty in that particular synagogue backfired on him because once Jesus cast the spirit out, then Jesus’ fame grew throughout that particular part of Galilee.

I want to leave this with you today: if you’re in a situation where you’re going to administer deliverance ministry, you always want to do it in a controlled environment, if possible. I would really, really, caution people trying to do this in a public arena. First of all, there can be a prolonged time period of praying for somebody. Secondly, the enemy loves to undo somebody’s dignity. I’ve had cases where people will do strange things because, I believe, the adversary wants to embarrass them. So, I like to have a controlled area, I like to pray with a team, and I often invite and encourage the person to fast and pray when we’re going to pray for them. We fast and pray as well. In Mark 9, which we will talk about later, Jesus told his disciples that this kind of spirit, in one case, would only come out through prayer and fasting, so there’s more spiritual authority when fasting and praying. It’s a very good tool to have in your toolbox when you minister deliverance.

God bless you. I hope you enjoy this. I look forward to sharing another video blog of The Potter’s Wheel with you next month.