Bethesda Shalom

2 Kings 5:1 There’s nothing like sitting before an open Bible, with an open heart, asking that the Lord might breathe upon the text and illuminate one’s understanding.  Ah, to have those rhema moments where the text of Scripture seems to leap from the page, where the Word of God is comprehended from His Spirit to our spirit, there’s nothing that compares like unto it.  Fasten your seatbelt, as we go for a ride through chapter 5 of the Book of Second Kings to learn lessons from the life of Naaman the Syrian.

Part 6 We have spent considerable time exploring the realm of deliverance ministry – a movement impacting the lives of millions of Christians worldwide.  In the last teaching part, we examined the teaching of Dr. Derek Prince and Frank Hammond as it relates to how demons “supposedly” enter a person.  In this sixth teaching part, we want to look at how they “supposedly” leave. We shall first undertake a brief survey of the New Testament to see how Jesus and the disciples cast out demons. Having done this, we shall then turn our attention to look at how leaders within the deliverance movement cast out demons.  You are going to see that the two stand poles apart and the biblical evidence supporting the “expelling” of demons (as they maintain), is non-existent.  You are going to have to make a choice, whether to stand on the side of man’s word or to stand on the side of God’s Word.  Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/6_Expelling_the_Demons.pdf

Revelation 22:7-15 Many have endeavoured through the ages to predict the date of Christ’s Second Coming.  In the 1830s, a Baptist minister from New York by the name of William Miller began publicly sharing his newfound belief, that Jesus Christ was going to return around the year 1843.  This belief began to gain momentum across denominations, and by 1840 it had become a nationwide campaign with between 50,000 and 100,000 followers.  This growing group was dubbed ‘The Millerites’.  When 1843 passed without Jesus coming, one of William Miller’s followers, a  preacher by the name of Samuel Snow, pinpointed an exact date for the Lord’s return — October 22, 1844.  Such was the expectation and hope placed in the October 22 1844 date that many of those devout Millerites cast in everything, giving away all their possessions.  If my dates are correct, today marks the beginning of a new year, January 1st, 2023, and what do you know? Jesus hasn’t come back yet!! When October 22 1844 came and went without the Lord coming

Part 5 As we have begun peeling back the veil of deliverance to see the teachings that lie beneath, there’s one thing that has been striking to discover, and that is the all-consuming nature of the movement.  According to the deliverance practitioners, there is no Christian outside the scope of needing deliverance.  Having looked at the list of the identifying characteristic hallmarks of supposed demonisation in the last teaching part, we turn our attention in this teaching to ask the question, “How do Demons Enter?”.  As we explore this question by comparing Scripture with what leading figures within the movement teach, namely Derek Prince and Frank Hammond, what you will discover will both shock and horrify you.     Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bethesdashalom/5_How_Demons_Enter.pdf

1 Timothy 2:1-6 A presentation of the Gospel! “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time”.

Part 4 If you were tasked with answering the question, “…how do I know if I have a demon”?  How would you respond?  In the case of the Gadarene Demoniac, you wouldn’t even need to be a Christian to spot something was seriously wrong with the man.  “Normal” people don’t live naked among the tombs, screaming and cutting themselves with stones.  “Normal” people don’t speak in the second person plural!  Admittedly, this is an extreme case, but I want to submit, those in the Bible possessed with demons are known to be, not only by themselves but by those coming into contact with them. Why do I take the time to point out the patently obvious? Those within the deliverance movement would have us understand that the vast majority of believers in Jesus have demons in them, but the problem is, they know it not!  If this is the case, the question that follows is, how is one to identify whether or not they have a demon from which they need deliverance?  It is this question that is the focus of this fourth teaching part. D

2 Samuel 11:1 There’s something inherent within the heart of man; an instinct that he carries with him from birth.  If tasked with the mission of travelling from A to B to C, if there’s a route that will take him straight from A to C, he's sure to find it out!  It’s the lazy postman syndrome, rather than go up the path and down the next, he cuts straight across the lawn, much to the annoyance of the resident whose garden it is!  Go to a rectangular field and look for the public right of way.  Seldom is it ever the two paths forming a right angle, it’s usually always the diagonal distance right through. Now in this particular instance, mathematically speaking, it is always profitable to cut the corner.  But what about the spiritual? What happens when God’s people begin cutting corners in matters of holiness?  Tragedy always follows in its wake. In this sermon, we look at the fall of King David and try to lessons for us today.

Part 3 We have spent the last two teachings introducing the topic of deliverance ministry and the key architects who helped shape and fashion it in its formative years in the early 1960s and 70s.  Due to the anecdotal nature of the movement, it is impossible to speak with one united voice for all the leading figures within it.  However, what we are able to do is examine the teachings of two of the founding fathers of the movement, Dr. Derek Prince and Mr. Frank Hammond.  I think it would be fair to say, no two other people have done more to shape and influence the deliverance ministry movement than these two individuals.  Frank Hammond, for his legendary book “Pigs in the Parlor”, and Derek Prince, for his pioneering efforts in this field long before Frank Hammond ever got involved in the deliverance ministry. It may be that as you have heard the teachings thus far critiquing deliverance, you have asked yourself the question, how on earth can Christians get sucked in by this.  How as a Christian, can I be dem

1 Samuel 16:6-7 Imagine for a moment, if upon awaking out of sleep, you were caught up to the third heaven beholding things indescribable, and hearing words unspeakable, “...which it is not lawful for a man to utter”. Suddenly, you find yourself before a throne and glancing upward, you see one seated upon the throne, high and lifted up.  “...he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone” (Rev. 4:3).  Oh, what a scene most glorious!  A voice is heard coming from around the throne, “Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?” (Is. 40:13-14).  By this point you’re on your face, prostrate before the majesty of God, when suddenly a voice is heard; “Let him be His counsellor”.  Terror grips your soul and before you can even think,  another sounds aloud, “What shall he counsel?”, to which he gives answ

Part 2 – Derek Prince Derek was born into a military family in Bangalore, India in 1915.  At the age of 13, Derek won a scholarship to the prestigious Eton College, England where he studied Greek and Latin.  From Eton, he progressed to Cambridge University where he furthered his understanding of languages, graduating with first-class honours in Classical Tripos (a course studying Greek and Latin languages, culture, and history).  Academically, Derek Prince was a brilliant man, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned over time it’s this; brilliance in one area of expertise does not make you brilliant in every field of expertise.  No one can question the academic background of Dr. Derek Prince, but when it comes to his revelations and ideas on demonology, it is shocking!  So much of what Dr. Prince has to say about this topic is purely anecdotal, it is his experiences, his encounters.  When he does turn to the text of Scripture in an effort to support what he is saying, his exegesis at the best of times leaves li

James 4:14 James, writing under the inspiration of God, asks his audience a question —and by extension, to us also, “For what is your life?”  Everyman thinketh in his heart, though he may not say it, LONG…PLENTEOUS...OF GREAT LENGTH!!!!  But what saith James?  “It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away”.  Selah!!  Job puts it this way, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days...He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not” (Job 14:1-2). “Behold (saith David), thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah” (Ps. 39:5).  Tell me Christian, what are you living for, or can I put it this way, WHO are you living for?  Oh that each one us might say, “For me to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). 

Part 1 – An Introduction to Deliverance Ministry There exists today a growing movement that is making vast inroads into the lives of many who profess faith in Jesus. This movement goes by the name of “Deliverance Ministry” and is prevalent most, within Pentecostal and Charismatic circles. Proponents of this movement take for their modus operandi, isolated incidents recorded in the Gospels – like the woman with the spirit of infirmity, and the mute man possessed with a devil – to build a case for this being a normative experience in the life of every Christian. Those holding to this teaching believe that the majority of sin, sickness, and disease in the life of a believer is a result of them having demons. Want to get free from your toothache? Cast out the demon of toothache! Suffering from long-term depression? You need deliverance…get the demon of migraine cast out of you and you’ll be right as rain! Struggling with lust? I discern that you have a demon of lust and if you ever want to stand a fighting chance

Proverbs 12:15 You’ve all heard the saying, “Feelings come, and feelings go” — how true this maxim is!!  I thank God for the gift of feeling, our emotions are given to us by our Creator.  It was never God’s design to make robots.  I don’t know if you ever noticed, but robots don’t have feelings — they do what they’re programmed to do. You can drive a robot off a cliff and you’re never going here it complain!  Humans on the other hand are made to feel.  When we’re sad, we cry, when happy, we laugh!!  When in love, we don’t reach for the Oxford dictionary to search for a definition, every fiber of our being experiences it!! Now, whilst feelings can be a tremendous blessing to us, they can also be a great curse.  Many a man acted rashly in a moment of hot temper based on feeling, only to regret it on the morrow in the cool light of a new day.  We can think of all types of thoughts which in turn induce all manner of feelings, but we can be totally wrong in our thinking!!  Only a fool allows his life to be governe

Genesis 1:1-3 It is upon my heart to speak to you about the spiritual stirrings of God amidst unfavourable times of spiritual depression!!  Is this not an apt topic for the crisis hour in which we find ourselves?  As I look around, after the natural eye, I don’t find much encouragement outwardly to commend much hope to my soul. As a nation, spiritually, we’re not in a good place — darkness covers the face of the deep, and by all natural reasoning, it seems that the light has been extinguished, never to rise upon the land again!!  Yet, as one traces the moving of the Spirit in the history of the pages of God’s Word, one sees time and again, where darkness abounded, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep and God said, let there be light and there was light!!  It is my firm conviction, that God is at work, stirring the hearts of His people to pray because it is His desire to move again in revival power!

David Donovan brings a very powerful word on the primary need for godliness! May the Lord greatly minister to your heart. For more information about the ministry of New Foundations, please visit: https://newfoundations.org.uk/

Luke 22:31-34 On 3 September 1939, France declared war on Germany following the German invasion of Poland.  Between 10 May and 22 June 1940, in a six-week lightning campaign, Germany’s armed forces overran Holland, Belgium, and Luxemburg, humiliating the British and defeating the French.  During the fighting, the British, French, and Belgium forces had been pushed back to the French Port of Dunkirk.  Hundreds of thousands of allied troops were left stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk, surrounded by massive German armies consisting of many more troops and tanks — it seemed an almost foregone conclusion.  Knowing the peril of the moment, on May 24th, 1940, King George VI addressed the British nation, calling for a national day of prayer!  On that self-same day, for reasons still unknown, Hitler suddenly and unexpectedly commanded the advancing Panzer tanks to halt, giving the allied forces 3 invaluable days of reprieve.  On May 26th, 1940 the nation of Britain went to prayer committing their cause to Almighty Go

Luke 6:27-36 In his classic commentary on the Bible, Adam Clarke writes concerning mercy: “A merciful or compassionate man easily forgets injuries; pardons them without being solicited; and does not permit repeated returns of ingratitude to deter him from doing good, even to the unthankful and the unholy”.  Can I ask you?  Are you merciful?  Do you extend mercy towards those who wrong you?  I understand all about justice and principles, “...they’ve done this to me and so why should I show them kindness in return?”  Dear soul, allow mercy to have its work in you, and you’ll soon be extending the hand of grace!!  Hear the words of Jesus Christ, “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Lk. 6:36).

Acts 23:23-24 When we think of the life of the Apostle Paul, many of us if we’re not careful, can have a distorted view of how things really were for this man of God.  We look at the self-professed Apostles of today and by comparison, they live like superstars. From the very start, the Lord gave word to Ananias, “...Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake” (Acts 9:15-16).  How would you fancy a call like that?  Paul didn’t shrink away from this calling but embraced it!  This sermon is a call to embrace the cross of Jesus Christ.  There are no coincidences with God.  “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). 

Genesis 14:14                                                                                  One of the most ancient strategies of war is that of ambush.  As one looks a little closer at what is entailed in an ambush, two key ingredients will come up again and again — surprise and concealment!  One dictionary defines ambush as “an act of hiding, waiting for others to appear, and then suddenly attacking them”. One of the hardest things to respond to is an ambush, you simply don’t see it coming!!!  You’re caught left-field when your guard is down when you least suspect it, and inevitably, you’re fighting from the disadvantage of recovery.  We have a common foe who is not unaccustomed to this mode of war.  Satan is a dirty fighter and we must learn how to stand our ground on the day of his special assault.  Play the man, stand firm in the fight, and see what God will do!

James 1:5-8 There are many things in life that a man seeks after, much by a way of desire that his soul longs for.  Some seek after riches, while others seek fame; some seek after happiness, and others peace of mind; some seek after freedom and others find fulfilment in family.  May I ask you, what it is that you seek after? What is that prized possession that your heart goes a longing for? I think of a man by the name of King Solomon.  If ever a man had riches, it was he, if ever a man had a reputation, he was unequalled!  Yet, for all his many qualities, none were comparable to that one defining quality of wisdom that singularly set this king apart! Would you have the wisdom to know what to do in any given situation?  Would you have the understanding to discern between good and evil?  “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (Jms. 1:5)