Demonized girl mentioned on the program

[paulespino]

Hi Guys,

First I want to say that I believe with what happened was for real.

I heard John MacArthur mentioned that if a person is a Christian there is no way Demons can occupy a Christian's body because the Holy Spirit is in them.

The pattern that was shown in the bible does not seem to match in the pattern that Steve mentioned. In the Bible whenever Jesus or the apostles cast out demons,
the demons will immediately go away . There are no left over.

Would appreciate your response.

Thanks,
Paul

[look2jesus]

Hi Guys,

First I want to say that I believe with what happened was for real.

I heard John MacArthur mentioned that if a person is a Christian there is no way Demons can occupy a Christian's body because the Holy Spirit is in them.

The pattern that was shown in the bible does not seem to match in the pattern that Steve mentioned. In the Bible whenever Jesus or the apostles cast out demons,
the demons will immediately go away . There are no left over.

Would appreciate your response.

Thanks,
Paul

Matthew 17:14 When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 "I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him." 17 And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" 20 And He *said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. 21 ["But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."](NASB)

Since there really isn't any detailed teaching on the casting out of demons, it would seem to me, at least, that some of these things can only be experienced, and we need to do the best that we can, incorporating what we have been taught by Jesus here.

l2j

P.S. My opinion is that Christians can be "demonized". I don't find anywhere in Scripture where that might be precluded. Why should we think that the Holy Spirit would be a deterent to demonization for the christian when it is certainly true that He indwells us in the presence of our own sins?

[paulespino]

Thanks for your reply Jason.

Is it also possible that those Christians who secretly backslide might be the one who are susceptible to demon possession ?

[paulespino]

My mistake, I was referring to Look2Jesus. Thanks for your reply.

I read the link that Steve have provided. The demon does not seem to have completely left the woman. They keep on coming back, why is that? It seems that the demons

in the experience of Blumhardt are more powerful than his prayers.

Again I believe that Jesus is Sovereign overall. But my concern is that as Christians we are protected by the blood of Jesus Christ. If the woman in Blumhardt's story

has truly repented why does the demons keep on coming back.

Is it possible that Jesus allowed this to happen so that we may have a better understanding of the demons and so that this may serve a lesson and warning to all of us?

[steve]

The demons, in Blumhardt's case, eventually left the girl after two years of battling them. They did leave permanently. My impression is that there were many of them, and they did not leave all at once.

I also used to say, "Demons always came out immediately when Jesus and the apostles commanded them to, so I don't believe in these protracted sessions that go on all night long wrestling to get the demons out." However, this is the voice of theory speaking. We do not know that demons always left immediately in the the experience of Jesus and the disciples. We simply don't have that much detail, except for a few cases. The Bible informs us that casting out demons was a regular activity of Jesus and the apostles wherever they went. We certainly don't have descriptions of what happened in every case.

The sad truth is, there are times when the demons don't leave screaming the first time you command them to go. I don't know if this is because of the number or special virulence of these particular demons (some only come out by prayer and fasting—which may not be instantaneous), or if it is something about the victim's will in the matter, or if it is sin or the weakness of faith in the party seeking to cast them out. However, if they do not leave, what are our options? We can't simply leave the victim in torments and say, "Oh well, I told the demons to leave. If they are still there, that's not my problem."

I also find no scriptural basis for saying that Christians are exempt from demons. There is far more to know about this realm than I have yet learned. I am not actively seeking experience in this subject, but we do encounter it from time to time. When we do, many of the neat theories that come to us in our private contemplations are tested, and often found wanting.

[paulespino]

Thanks Steve for your reply. I used to believe that a christian can never be demon possessed but you just changed that.

[paulespino]

Hi Guys,

If Christians can be demon possessed then it is OK to Bind Satan from time to time just like what the Pentecostal Church do. My sister always bind Satan in a daily basis.

For example she will say the ff: " In the Name of Jesus I bind you Spirit of Envy go to the abyss"

What do you guys think?

Thanks,
Paul