Exorcism

OK, here is another example for you to think on:

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit..." Acts 5:3

Now I will admit that this does not say he was possessed but it is a distinct possibility. If he was possessed, then it occurred after the Holy Spirit was given.

But, we also don't know the condition of his heart to begin with. Maybe he was not a true believer to start with?

I have a question for you. What is driving you to insist a Christian can be posessed??? Your question is very simple.

Good question. Does everyone that goes to Church accept the Jesus the first time they go?

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation."
(Matthew 12: 43-45)
　

When a demon or unclean spirit comes to a believer in Jesus. Is the house empty?
NO, It is filled with the Holy Spirit.

I feel confident to say "no." I attended for almost 20 years. Another 5 on and off...mostly off. It wasn't until two years ago that I surrendered myself to Jesus. For me...it really was like surrendering. Pride can be good or bad depending on the situation. Pride in your children is an example of "good." The pride I had was in myself...that was the "bad" pride.

Well,because I believe it is a doctrine of demons that has infiltrated the church, that Christians can't be possessed. If they believe this lie, then they will not seek help in getting rid of their demon issue. This false doctrine only serves satan and hinders the church. It gives demons immunity to do as they please in a christian's life with no worries about ever being cast out.

I once helped a Christian brother out with a pornography issue. He said it was uncontrollable and was destroying his testimony. A demon entered into him in his teens, as he was raped/sodomized by his uncle. He became free of his addiction to porn and felt like he finally got his testimony back. Two weeks after, he sent me an email describing how thankful he was to be free and how it had changed him for the better. He was a part of a group of Christians who were also struggling with pornography. Six men and a woman, all of them Christians, one by one contacted me and all got free of their porn addiction, except one, by casting out the demons behind it, in Jesus name. This is just another clear example that proves demons do in fact possess Christians with a sin issue.

So in a nutshell, I think this false belief that Christians cant be possessed is doing great harm to the body of Christ.

We do know Ananias had a sin issue he did not repent of. That is all it takes to get possessed. God does not offer much protection to Christians who are actively engaged in sin and have no desire to deal with it. (1Cor. 5:5)

Now...These are teachings in the Church that are dangerous. The sinful nature of man is shocking when we get honest with ourselves. THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT????

I am very sorry your friend went through this. I have a similar testimony but I chose alcohol to deal with it.
I chose to use alcohol to cope with the rape/molesting I was not saved at the time. To be honest, I thought Jesus was a joke at that time.



Here is the problem with the scripture you quote.
According to this scripture. Your friend was immoral and chose to be raped and enjoyed it.
I know that is not the case.

1 Corinthians Chapter 5

Immoral Church Members

1 It is widely reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated among the Gentiles—a man is living with his father’s wife.

2 And you are inflated with pride, instead of filled with grief so that he who has committed this act might be removed from your congregation.

3 For though I am absent in body but present in spirit, I have already decided about the one who has done this thing as though I were present.

4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus with my spirit and with the power of our Lord Jesus,

5 turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord.

6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast permeates the whole batch of dough?

7 •Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch. You are indeed unleavened, for Christ our •Passover has been sacrificed.

8 Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old yeast or with the yeast of malice and evil but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.


( I mean no disrespect to your friend. I am sorry he went through this)

Yes, but a person with the gift of casting out demons is a very humble person and you won't see them here much.

[QUOTE=Elizabeth619;924125]Can a Christian today perform an exorcism? What does the Bible say about casting out demons?[/QUOTE]

1) Here is where Jesus gives his followers the authority to cast demons out.

He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. Mathew 10:1

2) Here the disciples of Christ are concerned that some one not connected to them is casting out demons. We read here that Jesus approves of this person casting out demons.

[SUP]38 [/SUP]John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.”[SUP]39 [/SUP]But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.[SUP]40 [/SUP]For he who is not against us is [SUP][x][/SUP]for us. Mark 9:38-40

3) Here we see people whom Christ never knew casting out demons.
Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many[SUP][n][/SUP]miracles?’ Mathew 7:22

Conclusion: Many like the Catholic church, tries to restrict who can cast out a demon but scripture is clear that any believer in Christ can do this.

Casting out demons is not a gift. It is a simple matter of using/exercising the authority we all have been given by God, over the realm of the demonic. Just on this one thread 3 people have claimed to cast out demons from Christians, so I dont think they are rare at all.

Well...Lets just say 99.99% of what I have seen in this subject is fake junk. Most of it is all show and false pride showing it.

I could sit here and tell you I have raised the dead. Doesn't make i true. No offense, but not everything people say on the internet is true.

These were people who honestly thought they cast out devils.

People assume that just because people may say that, implies they actually DID cast out devils.

We have people now days who find a devil under every stone.
They yell at the demons under every stone in Jesus name.
When chances are, there isn't a demon there to yell at!

So when those folks meet Jesus on judgement day.
They'll be all like...Hey I cast out demons....
When in fact they were just yellin at shadows.

WHAT!! My life is shattered now.....lol

Im usually the bearerr of bad news. It's a tough job, but I do it well.