What You Should Know About the Deliverance Movement

I have many friends who are involved with the Deliverance Movement, where folks are said to be delivered from oppressive and demonic forces.

What do you think about this as a pastor, and is it biblical? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of Core Christianity. I'm Bill Meyer, along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. You can call us right now with your question at 833-THE-CORE. That's 1-833-843-2673.

Or you can email us with your question at questions at corechristianity.com. First up today, a celebrity chef donates his time in a big way. Food network chef Guy Fieri took his mobile kitchen to the base camp for firefighters who were combating the big wildfires in California, serving them over 2,000 meals. Guy's kitchen turned out penne pasta, meatballs, garlic bread, and green salad for those hard-working firefighters. He says his team made about 3,800 meatballs.

They served the meals at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds near the scene of one of those big fires. Let's get to our first question. Jeff posted this one on our website. He says, Jeff, I first just want to pray for you and for those listening right now who are in the same boat.

And I know that there have to be many people. Let me pray for you, brother. Father, I thank you for Jeff. I thank you, Lord, for the fact that you've called him to serve you. I thank you for his role as an elder in his church.

And God, we know that that is a high calling to care for the sheep that have been entrusted to us, Lord, in the local church. And I pray for Jeff that you would, one, grant him rest in your son, Jesus, that is refreshing, that is invigorating, that helps him, Lord, to continue to serve you in a manner that is pleasing to you and in a way, Lord, where he's depending upon, not his own strength, but the strength that you give us by the grace of the Holy Spirit. I ask that you would give him wisdom to navigate how to work, care for a family, and serve your church in a way that is healthy and in a way that sets a good example for others in his church as well. And so would you be with him? Would you bless him? Would you strengthen him? And would you strengthen all those, Lord, who are engaged in serving your church in one capacity or another, Father, that they would find joy, fulfillment, and rest in Jesus, even as they pour out their lives to serve Jesus.

I pray these things in Christ's name. Amen. Jeff, it's one of the big dangers right now. We're seeing it all around us, pastors of churches, but even elders are just ministry workers who are burning out, who feel like they just can't go anymore because they give, give, give, and they're at a place where they feel completely empty.

And it sounds like that's where you're at right now. It's easy in church work to fall into the trap of serving out of our own strength. Now, I'm not saying that you're doing that necessarily, but I think that that's one of the dangers that we have to watch out for, that we who are pouring out into others, seeking to serve them, to give, to give, to give, are also receiving.

Receiving what? Receiving God's grace, resting in Jesus, being nourished by the truth of the same gospel that we're trying to encourage others with. We need the strength that God supplies. Even with that, I'm not saying it's having that means that you're not going to feel overburdened at times. I mean, I think of what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1, and this is a really important thing, I think, to bring up because there are a lot of people who say, you know, if you're following God, if you're a Christian, if you're serving Jesus, God is never going to give you more than you can handle.

Let me tell you right now, that's a lie. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1, beginning in verse 8, we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia, for we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, but that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. Again, we depend as servants in the church on the grace of God, on the one who raises the dead, and there are times in serving the Lord, in ministry, in church work, where you might feel completely overwhelmed.

This is why Paul says, who is sufficient for these things? We're serving the Lord. This is a calling that's bigger than me, and that's why I need the grace of God. Now, practically, I think it's important for you, Jeff, to have honest conversations with the guys you're serving alongside of, with the team you're working with.

I think it's okay to say, I need a break. It's okay to take six months off or a year off or something like that, and maybe that's a conversation you need to have with the brothers that you're serving alongside of. One of the things, just in research that I've read, studying about ministry and longevity in the ministry is that the primary killer for pastors in ministry, the thing that will just tank a ministry, is when you as an individual are completely isolated, when you don't have the ability to be honest and open and work together through some of the issues, the problems that you're feeling. Isolation is so, so dangerous for a pastor and even for elders. We need to be able to honestly have these kinds of conversations with others, and so maybe part of that conversation is also thinking through, what are the expectations that are being placed on you as an elder?

We need to be realistic. You're working and you're trying to shepherd the flock of God. Well, making sure that there are realistic expectations for the elders of the church for you, I think that's a really important discussion to have as well. Here's another encouragement, practically, make sure you're taking times of intentional rest. I found this to be really important for me personally as I serve in the church. Intentional rest doesn't just mean, you know, vegging out, not doing anything and watching Netflix or whatever. Intentional rest means spending time with Jesus.

He's the one who said at the end of Matthew chapter 11, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. We need to make sure that we're resting in Jesus, that we're spending time with Jesus, that we're being filled by Jesus as we seek to serve others. And just a last piece of advice that has been helpful for me too, in terms of not getting discouraged in the ministry, is make sure in ministry that you're celebrating the victories and not just being crushed by the disappointments. In church work, as an elder, Jeff, as you know, there are all sorts of things happening in the life of the church, and some of them are really hard. And it's easy to get discouraged, to feel like, oh man, is my service really doing anything?

Is anything happening? Are lives changing? And I think it's important that we don't just stay there, but that we remember the fact that God is working, that God is using you and the brothers that you're serving alongside of the people you're serving with. And when you see those victories, when you have people say thank you, or you see, you know, growth in the church, make sure that you celebrate that, that you give thanks to the Lord, so that you're not just crushed by all the challenges of ministry, but that you're also being encouraged by the good things that you see God doing in your midst. And so, brother, one, thank you for your service, and two, have a conversation with the guys you're serving with. Maybe think through, should I take a little bit of time off to regroup, as you say, to spend that time with the Lord to be filled? Something to pray about, and certainly something to get the wisdom of others about, too, there in your church.

So thank you again for your service, and may the Lord bless you. You know, Adriel, I can't help but think there are some church environments that are very healthy, and there are others that can be, unfortunately, kind of toxic, psychologically toxic. And I guess one thing I would say to Jeff is if he asks those elders, those fellow elders, to take some time off or ask his pastor, and the answer he has met with is, no, you can't, or they make him feel guilty, maybe it's not the best place for him to be serving. Yeah, well, using guilt as a motivator for service is never a good idea. No, I mean, we have to take care of each other in the church, and to make sure that if someone's in a position where they feel like they're overwhelmed, they need to take a step back, that we're not forcing them into these positions of ministry where they're serving from unhealthy places, and it's having an adverse effect on them and on their families. And so my prayer is that if Jeff is able to chat with his elders and the others that he's serving with and open up about some of these things, that yeah, I mean, it would just be an easy answer. Hey, we want you to serve from a place that is good and healthy, and so take the time that you need to regroup. And so that way, as you're serving, you're serving not from your own strength, but as Peter says, from the strength that God supplies.

Amen. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Here's the number to call if you have a question. It's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Yes, my name is Joaquin. I'm from Seymour, and my question is, what was God's very first created being if it wasn't Jesus Christ?

Hey, Joaquin, thank you for that question. You know, it's really interesting that you word it that way. There are groups, sects that teach that Jesus was God's first created being, and this is actually one of the most ancient false teachings about Jesus. It was called a heresy, and a heresy means this is a teaching that is so outside of the bounds of what the Bible teaches and what the Christian church has believed and embraced for 2,000 years that you can't be a believer, a true believer in God, and embrace this idea that Jesus was a created being. The first sect that really taught this was a group called the Arians.

They taught that Jesus, although he was divine, he had these special qualities about him. He was also a creature. He was not in the category of creator God, and so it's really important that we understand that Jesus wasn't a created being.

That gets then to your question. Well, what was God's first creature if it wasn't Jesus? Well, I think, you know, you read the beginning of the Bible in Genesis. You have there the description of everything that was created, but you also have the idea that God created the heavens and the earth, God created the heavens and the earth, and I think they're in the word heavens. It's not just referring to, you know, the stars and the moon and all of that, but also the heavenly beings, the angels. So the first creatures were the angels. You see, they're not divine or, you know, uncreated like God is. They're a part of this creation.

That's an important thing for us to recognize as well. Satan, you know, he's not all powerful. He's a creature.

He's limited. He's finite because God created him, but Jesus is uncreated. In fact, John says in his Gospel, when he starts off in the Gospel of John—and I think this is really important. It seems like it's a point that John really wants to bring home for us as he introduces us to who Jesus is. He begins that Gospel and he says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Now get this, all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. So John says very clearly, everything that was made, all the creatures, if you will, were made through him. And apart from Jesus, there was nothing created that was created. So right there, Jesus is already in the category of creator, not creature.

So he's not a created being. Adriel, let me ask you about a passage of Scripture that's a little bit confusing. Colossians 1 15, where Paul says, Jesus is the firstborn of all creation.

So how does that fit in with that question? Bill, I'm really glad you brought that passage up, because I mentioned some of these groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, who will say that Jesus is the first created being. And that's one of the verses that they'll go to. Colossians 1 verse 15, it says, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. And then Paul says, For by him all things were created, inhabited on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, rulers or authorities. And so the question is, well, if Jesus is the firstborn of all creation, doesn't that mean that he's created?

Here's the problem. We're not reading the word firstborn according to its context, especially its biblical context. To be the firstborn in the Bible wasn't necessarily about order in terms of, you know, Jesus was the first created being, the first creature.

No, firstborn had to do with having superiority, power, preeminence. For example, Psalm 89 27, God says of David, I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. That's the idea there in Colossians chapter 1, is that Jesus is the highest.

He has all preeminence. By him all things were created. And Paul is certainly not saying that he was created. He's emphasizing the fact that Jesus is all glorious, the firstborn, the highest, if you will, in all creation really is quite beautiful.

Thank you for that clarification. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. You know, a lot of atheists and members of other religions would claim that Jesus was a wise teacher and a good man, but not God. And today we are offering a resource that explains why he is God. It fits right in line with some of this discussion that we've been having, you know, is Jesus a creature? Is he the creator?

It's so important that we get this one right. And so if you're struggling to understand this doctrine, this core Christian doctrine of the deity of Christ, I want you to get a hold of this resource. It's one of our more popular Bible studies actually on corechristianity.com. It's called Jesus is God, and you can download it for a donation of any amount. A great study to go through with a group of friends or even by yourself if you've ever wondered why Christians believe that Jesus is God. Head over to corechristianity.com forward slash offers to download Jesus is God. Of course you can always call us as well for that resource or any one of our resources. Here's the phone number 833-843-2673.

That's 833 the core. And just a reminder, core Christianity is listener supported, so we depend on people just like you to keep us on the air. Let's get back to another question. This is an email we received from Angelica. She says, I have many friends who are involved with the deliverance movement where folks are said to be delivered from oppressive and demonic forces. According to scripture, I don't see anything in regard to this need in the church.

Why is this taught, and what are your thoughts on this? Well, I'm sort of skeptical of the deliverance ministries that are out there. I think sometimes they can treat Christians sort of like spiritual ghostbusters, and we're out there casting out devils. And one of the big dangers with this is I think there are instances, and I've seen these instances in my own pastoral ministry, where individuals are told by folks involved with deliverance ministry that they have some sort of demonic spirit.

And it can actually be completely devastating. For an individual, for example, who's struggling with lust or with pride or something else, for them to be told, well, you're probably possessed by the spirit of Jezebel, or you're possessed by this or that. It really can have a harmful effect on genuine believers who are seeking to follow the Lord and fight against their sin. There are two issues when we talk about spiritual warfare. One is that we just sort of downplay the devil's influence in the world today. We act as if he doesn't exist, or if it's all hocus pocus, and we don't even like to talk about it because it gives people the heebie jeebies, or it might sound weird, or people are going to respect us. If we talk about the devil, well, no. I mean, scripture is very clear that the devil is at work in the world today, that the whole world has been taken captive by the evil one to do his will. And that we are called to be steadfast, to pray, to put on the armor of God.

But another danger is that we give the devil too much credit, and that we try to find Satan under every rock, and we're casting out the devil because we have a cold or something like that. We have to be careful, and we have to realize that ultimately we don't do deliverance ministry. Jesus did. You see, there's this wonderful story in the Gospel of Mark. It's actually in the other Gospels as well, but it's Jesus talking about binding the strong man. In Mark chapter 3, verses 22 through 27, listen to what Jesus said. The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, he is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out demons.

And he called them to him and said to them in parables, how can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man.

Then indeed he may plunder his house. Now, this is a parable that Jesus gives, the binding of the strong man. And in the context, the strong man is Satan who's taken people captive. Well, Jesus delivers us from Satan.

He binds the strong man so that he might plunder Satan's house and take from Satan that which rightly belongs to him. Jesus redeems his people. You see, we don't do deliverance ministry. Jesus did deliverance ministry. And one of my concerns, Angelica, is that with some of these deliverance ministries, they put the focus on us.

We're the spiritual ghostbusters fighting against Satan. The focus needs to be on Jesus. And where did he bind Satan? At the cross, when he was bound for our sins.

When he rose again, he conquered the devil. And that has to be our focus. When we think about spiritual warfare, we point to Jesus, we point to the cross, we point to his shed blood that delivers us and all those who trust in him. Thanks for your question. Hmm. Angelica, thanks so much.

Great question. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. And Adriel, we received this call from Dr. Parker. I don't know that James says that if we break one commandment, we've broken all. Therefore, then what are the full 10 commandments?

Thank you. Yeah, you're referring to James chapter two. And James makes that statement very clearly. And so it sounds like you're asking, you know, what's the point of the 10 commandments if when we break one, it's as if we've broken all of them. Let me just read the passage that you're referring to. James said in James two, verse eight, if you really fulfill the royal law, according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors, for whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point, has become accountable for all of it. For he who said do not commit adultery also said do not murder.

If you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

And this is a really interesting question that you have here, Dr. Parker. James does seem to say very clearly, you break one commandment, you're guilty of having transgressed the whole law. I think this is an important point for many people to understand, because we can think that we're doing pretty good, because you know, I don't sin like those other people over there. I might have my own little sins over here, but I don't sin in that way that bad. Well, the fact of the matter is, each of us sins in different ways, yes.

But if you break one of the commandments, you're a transgressor of the whole law. You know, I used to be pretty proud of the fact that I have never received a speeding ticket, and I haven't. To this day, I've never once received a speeding ticket, and I would brag to my wife all the time, I've never gotten a ticket, I've never gotten a ticket. Well, one time we got pulled over, it wasn't for speeding, but we needed it to fix our, I think it was one of our rear driver windows that had been broken, so it was sort of a fix-it ticket that we received.

And my wife teased me, she said, look, you got a ticket, you've finally gotten a ticket. And I said, no, I've never really actually got a ticket. I mean, this isn't a speeding ticket, it doesn't count. But the reality is, it did count. I mean, it was a real ticket, and we really had to pay money. And so it was sort of this interesting thing, but it was like, I can't say I've never gotten a ticket because I've never sped.

No, I've gotten a ticket. And in the same way, I think the writer here, James, is saying, look, you might not break one commandment, but if you break another commandment, you're still a transgressor of the law. And at the end of the day, what this highlights for each and every one of us is, we're lawbreakers. Apart from God's grace, we're lost. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Don't justify yourself or don't try to justify yourself by saying, I don't sin in that way. Look at how those people are sinning.

We like to compare ourselves to others and then think that we're doing pretty good. And James says, you can't. You break one, you're a transgressor. So what's the good news? There's a God in heaven who's merciful towards sinners. And when you go to Him and confess your sin, He forgives you and cleanses you of all unrighteousness. And so one of the things that's being highlighted here is don't hope in yourself, but hope in Jesus. Turn from your sins and hope in Jesus. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this podcast. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.