This morning I am back in some verses from Luke that I was reading yesterday. I do like spending time in the Gospels, as I can never get enough of the life of Jesus. I like to read large chunks of the Gospels, but usually find something that makes me stop and think, and today is such a time. Here are the verses - Luke 4:38-44 NIV:
[38] “Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. [39] So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
[40] At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. [41] Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
[42] At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. [43] But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” [44] And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”
I have been spending plenty of time looking at some of the significant healings in the early church, and her we find Jesus, early in His ministry doing plenty of similar healings. His ministry was marked by healings and authority over evil spirits (demons) from the very start of His public ministry. This particular chapter mentions the demons acknowledging the fact that He was the Son of God a couple of times (See also Luke 4:31-37), and that got me thinking. I asked myself the question if the early church experienced a similar ministry of healing and setting the demonically oppressed free, and I was reminded of a few verses, but want to do a deeper dive.
The first set of verses I remembered is the following story from Acts 19:13-20 NIV:
[13] “Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” [14] Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. [15] One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” [16] Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
[17] When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. [18] Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. [19] A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. [20] In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.”
Obviously this is a bit more intense, but does clearly show the same world-view and ministry. This type of ministry was so wide-known, that others were trying to copy it, but doing it without the relationship and required authority in the Name of Jesus.
Looking at some other verses we do find these types of healings mentioned several times - Acts 5:12-16 NIrV:
[12] “The apostles did many signs and wonders among the people. All the believers used to meet together at Solomon's Porch. [13] No outsider dared to join them. But the people thought highly of them. [14] More and more men and women believed in the Lord. They joined the other believers. [15] So people brought those who were sick into the streets. They placed them on beds and mats. They hoped that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he walked by. [16] Crowds even gathered from the towns around Jerusalem. They brought their sick people. They also brought those who were suffering because of evil spirits. All of them were healed.”
And -
Acts 8:4-8 NIrV:
[4] “The believers who had been scattered preached the word everywhere they went. [5] Philip went down to a city in Samaria. There he preached about the Messiah. [6] The crowds listened to Philip and saw the signs he did. All of them paid close attention to what he said. [7] Evil spirits screamed and came out of many people. Many people who were disabled or who couldn't walk were healed. [8] So there was great joy in that city.”
And -
Acts 19:11-12 NIV:
[11] “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, [12] so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.”
While certainly not conclusive, I think its safe to say that dealing with the demonically oppressed and those affected by evil spirits was a part of the ministry of the early church. I have done plenty of reading of more modern ministers who had great success in praying for healings (Smith Wigglesworth and John G. Lake) and both said that a large percentage of the sick they prayed for were so affected, in fact if I remember correctly I believe Smith Wigglesworth said he thought that close to 75% of those He prayed for were so afflicted.
I think its safe to say that we, as Jesus’ representatives, need to be aware of this spiritual reality and equipped to deal with these types of situations, as the people so afflicted need healing too. Jesus gave His disciples authority over demons and evil or impure spirits. Matthew 10:1 NIV:
“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”
We should not be afraid nor filled with some sort of demon-hunter mentality, but we should expect that as we minister in Jesus Name, we will encounter such afflicted individuals. I heard one teacher describe dealing with the demonic as similar to cleaning toilets, not some glorious thing but something that needs to be done to get rid of the affects.
While not a common encouraging topic, I do believe we will see more and more of the enemies activity as we press into God, working to extend His Kingdom. It was true back then, it is true in the world today, in the non-westernized cultures, and I believe its an important world-view that we need to embrace, for greater effectiveness in representing the ministry of Jesus. As a last encouragement I quote Paul in his letter to the Romans 8:38-39 NIV:
[38] “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Amen and Amen!
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