“The only thing more foolish than counseling a demon is casting out a psychological problem”: Five decades of insight, Part III. Models of Deliverance Ministry (Ron Klaus)
We move on from the introduction by Ron Klaus on spiritual warfare with the follow-up post focusing on the “Etiology of Evil,” offering now the third and final section which presents his synthesis on “Models of Deliverance Ministry,”
Dr. Klaus will begin with a review of these various models currently operating in the Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Charismatic contexts. The second section presents five further “varieties” of deliverance ministry, focusing in on the “Process of Discernment and Deliverance” by Jon Thomson, a Reformed pastor of Sanctus Church in the Greater Toronto Area. The final section provides lessons learned from the Klaus’ experiences in ministry with their advice moving forward.
As such, we thank Dr. Klaus for his generosity, work and experiential insight into this complex dimension of the Christian faith that is little dealt with as it requires nothing short of Spirit-enabled discernment.
(And that is exactly why we should probably mention that we’ve entitled it,
“The only thing more foolish than counseling a demon is casting out a psychological problem”
as this became, as it were, a saying during his work building a multi-ethnic congregation in inner-city Philadelphia with his wife Carolyn during the rise of the HIV epidemic.
To this, we’ve added the phrase, “Five decades of insight,” which is to say, what he presents below is not theoretical or theoretically theological; but, in short, historical and real. And if we embrace the real through the Gospel, through the Word made flesh, through Christ crucified and ascended, we believe that the Eternal God will work in our midst to bring about actual, not theoretical, healing and deliverance.)
I. Models of Deliverance Ministry
The Roman Catholic Church
“The Catholic Church authorizes the use of exorcism for those who are believed to be the victims of demonic possession. In Roman Catholicism, exorcism is sacramental but not a sacrament, unlike baptism or confession.”
This means that although it is sacramental in style, it is not one of the main sacraments of the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
"When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism."
Rituals and prayers pronounced over the allegedly demonized person are taken to free him or her from the demon’s power.
A fascinating development in the Roman Catholic Church is that requests for and actual exorcisms are growing rapidly.
“Father Vincent Lampert, the official exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, told me (the writer) recently that he’d received 1,700 phone or email requests for exorcisms in 2018, by far the most he’s ever gotten in one year. Father Gary Thomas …said that he gets at least a dozen requests a week. Several other priests report that without support from church staff and volunteers, their exorcism ministries would quickly swallow up their entire weekly schedules.”
Furthermore,
“In sermons, interviews, and occasionally in tweets, Pope Francis has declared that Satan—whom he has referred to as Beelzebub, the Seducer, and the Great Dragon—is a literal being devoted to deceiving and debasing humans. In an apostolic exhortation, he wrote,
‘We should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea,” but rather as a “personal being who assails us.”’”
Orthodox Churches
In most cases, they seem to follow similar practices as the Roman Catholic Church. However, an interesting exception is the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (where I have worked for the past two decades), in which the ceremony of exorcism or deliverance is very common. 74% of Christians in Ethiopia claim to have experienced or witnessed an exorcism. Deliverance includes singing praise and victory songs, reading from the Scripture, prayer, and confronting the spirit in the name of Jesus.
Dialogue with the spirit is another important part of the exorcism ceremony. It helps the counselor (exorcist) to know how the spirit has been operating in the life of the demoniac. The signs and events mentioned by the spirit are affirmed by the victim after deliverance. I have talked, however, to someone from that Church who has witnessed these things and is, nevertheless, skeptical about the long-term efficacy of these practices.
Traditional Protestantism
Most denominations believe in demonization and have varying ways of dealing with it. They usually focus on prayer and possibly a demand that the demonic spirit leave. But there is often no confrontation or visible evidence of anything actually taking place. [For this one would have to look below the surface into, say, the commentaries of John Calvin combined with the minutes of the consistory (that is to say, pastor) or Journals of George Whitfield (evangelist) or the experiences of Hudson Taylor (missionary), etc., etc as these realities are there but require a certain degree of active seeking.]
Pentecostalism
“Exorcism is particularly common in Pentecostalism...Pentecostals practice something akin to exorcism but which is typically called ‘deliverance.’ Pentecostals maintain that possessed persons can be delivered through prayer by other Christians or recognized spiritual leaders... [Their] specific deliverance practices can vary widely around the world.”
“Pentecostals believe that casting out demons, or exorcism, is part of the Gospel commission, the authority contained therein being available to all Christians (Mt 10:8; Mk 16:15-20; Lk 9:1). In general, the impact of the devil [also spoken of as Satan, which in Hebrew means, adversary] upon Christians and Non-Christians has been subsumed under two categories, possession and oppression.”
Their methods are usually confrontational in efforts to dismiss the demonic spirit from the afflicted person.
II. More Recent Models
Interest in deliverance revived again in the late 1960s with at least five different varieties. the advent of the charismatic renewal. An early example of the first variety was that of Pastor Don Basham through his best-selling book, “Deliver us from Evil” (1972). Their theology developed piecemeal as their experiences multiplied. Their approach was highly confrontational. Moreover, they saw spectacular demonic oppression everywhere. As time progressed, they dialed back their expectations and excesses.
A second and distinctly different variety emerged from Dispensationalists, centering around Dallas Theological Seminary and Moody Bible College and Institute. Theirs was a much more restrained version, centering more on counseling and prayer rather than confrontational encounters. They also developed a more systematic theology than the charismatics.
A third variety came about in the “third wave of the Holy Spirit” movement, centering around Fuller Theological Seminary and the Vineyard movement. Their movement was much more strongly related to their understanding of the kingdom of God. One of their distinctive teachings was about “territorial spirits,” that is ruling demons that hold entire cities or regions in bondage to unbelief and sin. Before the kingdom of God could penetrate these areas, discernment and prayer had to be offered to displace these powers. Their focus was much less on personal deliverance and much more on displacing these territorial spirits. In this “wave,” there was little, if any, speaking in tongues but a greater emphasis on other supernatural gifts such as healing.
A special case under this category comes from fiction writer Frank Peretti.
“The world he portrays in his Christian fiction is most like the early charismatics: demons lurk everywhere and the confrontations are spectacular. His imaginary world also grants a significant role to territorial demons.”
However, “Peretti has stated publicly that he is dismayed that some people have taken his fiction as a literal guide for their theology and their practice of the Christian life.”
A fourth variety is much more in line with the evangelical mood. Perhaps the most popular advocate is Neil Anderson. This is another return to a more evangelical view.
“His approach is distinctive for its pronounced general self‐help emphasis, but he has also distanced himself from flamboyant ‘power encounters’ and has emphasized truth and faith as aspects of self‐deliverance from demon inhabitants.”
However, some evangelical critics contend that he attributes too many experiences to demonic power rather than natural causes. He is also critiqued by Jon Thompson for not exhorting demons to be commanded to leave.
The Fifth Pathway: Jon Thompson’s Process of Discernment and Deliverance
Based on a great deal of experience in these matters (which he himself states was not personally sought out, but which simply occurred as his ministry developed), Jon Thompson has outlined a process through which a process of discernment and deliverance can be implemented. His ministry, therefore, represents a fifth recent approach to this ministry. It involves a careful pre-deliverance interview with careful discernment, then a deliverance process that climaxes with definite commands for all demonic powers to leave the candidate. He—and we—are quick to admit that this may not be the only way it can work. These are not prescriptions specifically found in the Bible. His testimony, nevertheless, is descriptive of a pathway that had a considerable degree of effectiveness in his ministry.
First Step: Allegiance:
The prospective candidate is interviewed to verify that his or her allegiance is definitely with God. That means that they have fully surrendered to God’s rule. They have fully renounced their claims to be able to write the rules by which they live. They are fully committed to obedience to Jesus and the Bible in all it teaches. We should not proceed further with a deliverance until this is settled. If people need help with this, we should offer it, not only in the course of this interview but also following any prayer or deliverance.
One possible exception is when we might come across a person who seems out of control and is “manifesting.” That may mean they are screaming, moving erratically, or in other ways speaking or behaving strangely, outside of what would be considered normal behavior (again, all you need is one real-life case to open you to the dimensions of this reality). In such happenings, there needs to be special discernment, as will be described below; for it is clearly the case that that something “unusual” is taking place which needs attention and discerning action.
Second Step: Truth (Alternately Called Discernment):
On the first level, this has to do with the three major categories of the candidate’s problem. They are:
1. Mental Illness
These include well-known psychological states (depression, hysteria, schizophrenia, paranoia, bipolar disorder, borderline personality, etc.) for which various therapies (medication, diet, counseling, group therapy, etc.) are available. It is good for all counselors and helpers to have a basic understanding of how these conditions present themselves. If one is suspected, the person should be referred to a competent and trustworthy psychologist or psychiatrist for evaluation and possible treatment or counsel. However, this does not preclude follow-up with a discerning, pastoral leader. Such a person can press into the spiritual dimensions of the problem in ways that can bring healing. He or she can further keep track of what other therapists are doing and how effective it is (lest the opposite is occuring).
2. Multiple Personality (Dissociative Identity) Disorders
This is where a person, at times, appears to be someone different. Voice and temperament changes can occur. There is a distinct feeling that one is talking to another person. It is as if more than one personality is inhabiting a single mind. This is rare, but worthy of mention because it is easy to confuse this with demonization. A listener may think they are hearing the words of a demon. However, an important distinction is that these multiple personalities do not appear particularly malevolent. In themselves, they seem quite composed and “normal.” The abnormality is that they are distinct, not mixed, and are more than one. We have found that the process of trying to dismiss them is both counterproductive and hurtful.
Such conditions seem to emerge because of some deep trauma that shields the subject from the pain of the trauma, they unconsciously construct another personality and spend their energies living in it. Proper and skilled therapy should be sought for such cases. Our few encounters with such situations suggest that any extra personality needs to be engaged. This is so as to convince them that they are no longer needful in the individual’s coping process.
3. Alleged Ritual Satanic Abuse
Such stories have emerged among a surprising number of clients seeking counseling. The victim remembers times in childhood when they were subjected to sexual abuse, done in a ritualistic way. Added to it may be child sacrifices and other such bizarre occurrences. Victims usually suffer great trauma and remember the events vividly. However, when their history is more thoroughly investigated, in the large part, it doesn’t correspond with the true history of the person’s experience.
Again, in such cases, the person is not demonized, per se, but the memories not only seem vivid, but function in a way that dominates their lives (whether consciously or not). A counselor ought to be alert to the fact that these may be unsubstantiated memories and the story ought to be cross-checked. Even if there are no actual historical events, it usually does not do very much good to try to persuade the victim that the events did not occur. In some cases, a skilled counselor may need to resort to inner healing of the memories, even though they may not be able to be historically validated.
Discover where you have “given the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:25-32). Make a list of the “foothold(s)” [In Greek, simply a “place” [tópos) where he can more fluidly act in your life] then construct a personal inventory of such action. If you have a problem with any of the things on the list, confess them to God, make a turn-around, asking Him to help you eradicate those things from your life. Where the devil has gotten you to believe lies, you must respond by rejecting such lies and actively refilling them with the truth.
4. Game Playing
This refers to the fact that some people use psychological manipulation to meet some of their own unmet needs. This technique was popularized by Eric Berne. For example, a person may begin a relationship with another person with great attention, seeming kindness and generosity. They may proceed to press for exclusive intimacy. That can proceed to “swallowing the other person up.” It may not have been a genuine invitation to friendship, but rather a ploy to exert control over the other person to satisfy their deficient self-image.
There are many other such games that people use for psychological manipulation. Their common feature is that neither initiator of the game nor its victim are fully aware of what is going on under the surface. The relationships established usually end badly with the victim feeling angry and the perpetrator unsatisfied so that he or she presses the game further in another context.
Again, there is nothing overtly demonic in such situations. They require very skillful interventions best made by someone that is trusted. I am sorry to say that the hidden needs of the perpetrator are so deep and unconscious that such game players are often not easily cured and may go from one social circle to another in their unending quest for unreasonable, and maybe even ultimately, unfulfilling satisfaction.
5. Demonization
I mention the categories above because they first need to be explored before we seek deliverance from demonic oppression. Demonization is the final situation to be explored. It is a better description than demon possession. It can refer to a spectrum of harassment by demonic spirits. Four words that can describe that state are: have, vexed, tormented, and oppressed.
The Enemy can sometimes go as far as to possess someone (have him or her under their control) who is not living in covenant with God. But for someone living under the New Covenant, this is categorically not possible. However, he or she may certainly feel being attacked from the outside with even an inner foothold being gained (Eph 4:27). And that being said, there can even be a kind of demonization that may not actually be the fault of the one being oppressed.
If all the previous categories are explored, it is appropriate to turn attention to the possibility of some form of demonization. This is why the gift of discerning spirits is important. Although I will mention some common symptoms, in the end, we have to trust in revelation from God regarding the source of peoples’ problems. There is almost always something that seems distinctly bizarre or evil about the person experiences. Another indication is how they respond to heartfelt worship. Often they feel a strong reaction to it—either in support of it; or in strong revulsion against if the fear of dismissal of the demonic presence becomes apparent. These are common tell-tale signs.
To return to the very beginning, the Catholic Church looks for certain evidence of demonization as well.
“If neither the mental-health evaluation nor a subsequent physical exam turns up a standard explanation for the person’s affliction, the priest starts to take the case more seriously. At this point, he may begin looking for what the Church considers the classic signs of demonic possession: facility in a language the person has never learned; physical strength beyond his or her age or condition; access to secret knowledge; and a vehement aversion to God and sacred objects, including crucifixes and holy water.”
The next, quite helpful step that Thompson encourages is to try to determine where demonic power has gained an entry. He gives some possible entry points, many of which we have seen in our own encounters. Habitual sins, unforgiveness, etc. (Ephesians 4; see above).
• Sexual encounters
The Hebrew for “the two become one flesh” (וְהָי֖וּ לְבָשָׂ֥ר אֶחָֽד) in the Greek translation implies the process of two people literally being so joined to one another that their union cannot be distinguished as being distinct (κολληθήσεται τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ such that ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν, Mt 19:5). If a person has sexual relations with someone who carries a demonic spirit, that spirit may attach to the other partner in the process (I Cor 6:16-17).
• Participation with the occult
This could involve séances, using tarot cards, or ouija boards. Whether the intent is serious or just for amusement, this can open a door for demonic power to gain entrance.
“Most of the [Catnolic] exorcists said they believed that demonic possession was becoming more common [because of] a resurgence in magic, divination, witchcraft, and attempts to communicate with the dead as a primary cause... Engaging with the occult involves accessing parts of the spiritual realm that may be inhabited by demonic forces. ‘Those practices become the engine that allows the demon to come in,’ [Priest] Thomas said.”
• Under the “Strong Man”
Being in a place where there is strong demonic control or power. In our overseas experience, we have been in places where demonic power is real and powerful. When such places are cleansed of that power, sometimes there is a residual left in some of the people, even though they are wanting to follow Jesus. Our workers there have learned how to perform deliverances for such people.
• Generational Sin
Being part of a family, a sub-culture, or an ethnic group that has invited demonic forces into it is an operational influence. Certainly, such a person is not fully “responsible” for their ancestors’ choices, but if that has happened, bonds may have been created that need to be broken.
• Trauma or abuse
The trauma of rape or slavery or racial injustice or military experiences, for which the victim is not responsible is what is invovlved in this dimesion. The devil, however, does not, as it were. play fair and can hijack those traumas by using them as a point of entry. In this way, he can cause secondary trauma on top of the original one. Usually, healing requires identifying the original trauma and reliving it in the presence of Jesus.
Father Thomas from the Catholic Church is quoted as saying that “as many as 80 percent of the people who come to him seeking an exorcism are sexual-abuse survivors.”
Before the deliverance commands are exercised, it is important that when the sources of entry are identified there be a process of “cleaning up the garbage.” This may involve confession and renunciation of habitual sin, receiving healing and comfort for traumatic occurrences, renunciation of occult involvement, or repudiating ancestry-related entrance.
Interestingly, the Roman Catholic Church also uses a careful process of discernment before using exorcism:
Catholic priests use a process called discernment to determine whether they’re dealing with a genuine case of possession. In a crucial step, the person requesting an exorcism must undergo a psychiatric evaluation by a mental health professional. The vast majority of cases end there, as many of the individuals claiming possession are found to be suffering from psychiatric issues such as schizophrenia or a dissociative disorder or to have recently gone off psychotropic medication.
Third Step: Power
This involves commanding the demonic power to leave. This needs to be done firmly. There may be resistance. The demonic power may speak back and refuse. But the person doing the deliverance needs to be persistent and remind him that he does not have the power to resist a command given by a follower of Jesus in the name of Jesus.
In our experience, this has sometimes taken a long time. But there needs to be continued insistence. Sometimes we have found that the person spits up or vomits (hence the need to be ready for that). Our practice is to continue the process until the person feels completely clear.
We have found that obtaining the demon’s name is important. Jesus is recorded as doing that only on one occasion. We have found, however, (along with Antony) that this step may helpful in many cases. For one thing, there may be more than one evil spirit afflicting the person. If there is more than one, we have often demanded that they tell us who is the chief and to begin with that one. We have also found it helpful to demand that he reveal how he entered. That will later prayerfully allow us to close that door forever.
Once the garbage has been cleaned up and the holes sealed, the demons have to be commanded to leave in the name of Jesus. This is best done in a group setting where people with all the needed gifts of the Spirit are present.
Catholic exorcisms follow a definite procedure.
“The ritual begins with the exorcist, who is typically assisted by several people, sprinkling holy water on the possessed person. The exorcist makes the sign of the cross and kneels to recite the Litany of the Saints, followed by several readings of scripture. He then addresses the demon or demons, establishing the ground rules they must abide by: to reveal themselves when called, give their names when asked to identify themselves, and leave when dismissed. Because the exorcist is working with the full authority of God and Jesus Christ, Catholic doctrine stipulates, the demons have no choice but to obey.
At the rite’s climax, sometimes an hour or more into the ritual, the exorcist calls on the devil directly:
‘I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every Satanic power of the enemy, every specter from hell, and all your fell companions.’
Sessions typically end with a closing prayer and a plan to continue. For those few people the Church believes are truly possessed, a half-dozen or more exorcisms may be carried out before the priest is confident that the demons have been fully expelled.”
Fourth Step: Commitment to a Lifestyle of Learning or Continuing to Follow Jesus
Once a person feels freed, it is important strongly to encourage them to pay careful attention to following Jesus, especially in the few days and weeks that follow. The person is usually emotionally vulnerable immediately after a deliverance. The Enemy may seek a re-entrance (Matthew 12:43-45). We have often provided a safe, godly-home environment for the night and even day following and had follow-up prayer, either by phone or in person for several days afterward.
Following Jesus means learning and embedding new habits such as feeding on the Bible, learning to pray, learning new ways of relating to people, learning to live in dysfunctional environments, and learning new habits in many other areas. This is done best in a community of people already doing these things. This provides an environment of support and loving accountability.
III. Our Own Experiences and Some More Practical Advice
My first encounter with a demonized person came at the end of a prayer meeting where a first-time guest began to manifest after the meeting had ended. He began shouting and was out of control of his body. Some of us carried him into the home’s kitchen and propped him up on one of the benches around the table. No one knew quite what to do.
Finally, I faced him and sternly commanded, “In the name of Jesus I command you to come out of him.” He seemed to go limp, his head resting on the table. Wondering if he was unconscious, we finally “awakened” him. He seemed dazed but now seemed normal and in control of himself.
He told us that he saw colors for the first time in a long time. We were then able to help explain what happened and followed him up to make sure he got into fellowship with other followers who would help him in his newly-begun pilgrimage of faith. One of my colleagues who was there said to me “I’m sure glad you knew what to do.” I replied, “I had no more idea than you about what to do. But I remembered how Jesus did it and thought I might as well try his formula. Thank God, it worked.” This was the only such encounter for quite a long time.
Years later, however, we had more with one being the one taking place during one of our church services. At the time of worshipful singing, a young woman slowly came forward seemingly in great distress. When she reached a place near the front platform, she started screaming and contorting and I recognized this as something demonic. While the singing was going on, I approached one of our experienced sisters and asked her to take the young woman into a furnished room in our basement and minister to her there.
Very soon after this, another woman, seated at the very back of the meeting hall also started manifesting, although more gently. Her husband was greatly alarmed. I again found someone to take her downstairs and minister to her separately from the first woman, this time going with them. Fortunately, the worship continued all through this time. Once I felt convinced that the people working with the two afflicted women were doing well, I returned to the service. I made a brief explanation to the congregation and was still able to give the teaching of the morning even while the deliverances—both successful—were going on downstairs.
At the end of the service, a select group of us went to see what had happened. Both women had been delivered and were relaxed and in their right minds, as the Gospels say. We had to have a long conversation with the second woman and her husband because they had been ardent followers of Jesus and could not understand how what she experienced could have happened to her.
After talking to them I was convinced that they were both faithful followers. There seemed to be no sinful habits that had given the Enemy a foothold. Still new to this, I was able to reassure them and gave them the only possible explanation that I could think of. It was that although there did not seem to be a sin habit in her past, there was possibly a time, although innocent, she had been close to or vulnerable to some kind of demonic influence that had been hidden away in her.
But the power encounter going on with the other woman brought the secret demonic hold on her into the open. I assured them that what happened was a good thing. Something had gotten exposed and she was now in the process of being cleansed. They seemed assured. Though we were still feeling quite tentative as we went along it felt as though the Lord was giving us revelation as we went along.
After the incident I described above, we did not encounter any demonization incidents for quite a while. But later, a period began in which a steady stream of people started coming to us, one by one, having experienced unusual demonic oppression. They were not aware that others had come before them because we did our best to keep this ministry private. This was both as a courtesy to the candidates and also because we did not want to stir other people up to think that their problems were demonic.
We learned that there are many levels of demonic oppression that all need deliverance. Furthermore, oppression can affect followers of Jesus, in some cases because of sin patterns. Others, however, may not be able to identify such patterns such that they seem totally innocent as to how they had become vulnerable in the ways descried above.
In people not manifesting, or where manifestations could have possibly have a psychological origin, we always had a pre-deliverance interview. Its purpose was to enable the beginning of a discernment process, that would either give a preliminary indication about whether we were dealing with a demonic or psychological problem. We also sought to discern whether we might be dealing with a dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities), for this can certainly resemble demonic oppression yet must be handled completely differently than demonization.
In such an interview we tried to get a thorough spiritual history as well as a history of how the oppression began. We discussed the possibility of sinful habits that might have been a contributing factor. We asked about traumatic experiences as well as other moments of vulnerability, such as séances, feelings of being haunted or in a haunted building, other “strange” experiences, being under the influence of witch doctors, and being in religious environments that were strongly hostile to the Bible’s revelation, all of which we found had become entry points.
A time of worship was often helpful in “snuffing out” demonic influence. Almost always, a truly demonized person would not tolerate that even though the host might have participated in worship without incident before this.
In some encounters, there were obvious levels of satanic control that were easy to diagnose, some relatively quick to remedy through commands to leave, but some very difficult. That may be partly because we were learning. But even after we had more experience, we still sometimes had lengthy sessions.
In such sessions we always had to have a backup team prepared and ready to take over if the “first team” became overly weary. One principle was never to do this alone if at all possible. We always had a “lead person” in the room, usually with several others, discerning and praying as well. Because the lead person’s confrontation was often severe and highly emotional, we did not invite women to be the lead person because of the possible emotional effects on them. (Nor did any woman ever actually express a desire for that role.) We always had some physically strong males present, in case the person needed to be restrained, which happened with some frequency. If a woman was being helped, we always had another woman in the room.
We also tried to have an off-site team, usually with several people in phone contact, also praying and discerning. One woman, usually on our off-site team, had very special gifts of discernment and direction. She often received information and words of direction from the Lord that exactly fit what was taking place in the room. She would give us specific questions to ask and tell us how to pray and how we should proceed. I cannot actually remember a time when any of her discernment or direction missed the mark.
On one occasion she was given the proper name of the demon and without revealing it to the candidate, the demon used that exact name to identify himself. In another instance, she told us that the person’s oppression began on a ski slope where he had just encountered a woman who had recently been sexually abused. Without hearing that story, he identified his beginning oppression in exactly that way.
We used a basement room in our church building with a thick rug and that was commodious but which would muffle any sounds that might cause alarm outside it. In the several instances where the person needed to be restrained, the rug made a comfortable place for the restraint. We deliberately kept these sessions as confidential as possible. What was remarkable, however, was the common patterns that we saw emerging (hence this writing), even though the present candidate had not had any prior knowledge of what such a deliverance was like.
We did deliverances early in the evening so that working people could be accommodated, on the deliverance team, either on-site or off-site. Since the experience could be emotionally traumatic, we always arranged for the candidate to be able to spend that night with a well-prepared couple and family. In some cases, this was especially necessary when the deliverance was very draining or when it needed to spill over into the next day. The latter was unusual but happened several times.
In over a dozen cases, all except one were successful. The people who were delivered did not have any further demonic encounters. Even in the one in which there was no visible expulsion, we were not aware of any further instances of oppression that he had.
If we were to refocus back to the NT, we could look to this well-known case of the Gardernesian demoniac, where Jesus demanded the afflicting demons to declare their name (Mark 5:9; Luke 8:30). We—and many others—have also found it very helpful to demand the demon's name. Our experience is that when an afflicting demon identifies himself, he is forced to “come out of hiding,” which allows more specific prayer to be used against him.
We also observed that when demons leave, the candidate often vomits or may spit up a large amount of saliva. There is nothing like that in the Bible. But it was a common experience for us. We, therefore, always had a container handy, so that if the candidate felt noxious, he or she could vomit.
I always wondered why these manifestations started so abruptly in our congregation, involving so many people as they did. I also wondered where this would end. A pastor-friend of a nearby church also experienced the same stream of people coming forward at roughly the same time we did. He finally realized that this ministry was affecting him negatively and told me that he realized he had to stop. That made me aware that this work is not only only difficult but even dangerous. I don’t believe I suffered any ill effects, although finally, the stream of people coming forward stopped as abruptly as it started without any drop-off. After our last encounter, everything stopped abruptly and we never had another case.
With all that has been expressed, we cannot claim that our experiences are typical or even that the ways we handled them are the only way to do so. We were simply learning and creating categories. Our experience, as such, may not be typical and they may not apply in other situations. Very recently (myself and Carolyn, now 80 years of age), became aware of John Thompson’s ministry. And we were struck by how similar it was to ours, even though our respective experiences have been decades apart. We share these things now after decades because gatherings of followers ought to be aware that such things are happening in our day. Perhaps some of what we learned may be helpful in building you up in the faith.
Conclusion
It seems clear that the direct work of demons is still common, even in our seemingly scientific culture. Satan has not, however, given up his ability so to afflict people. As such, we in the body of Christ need both a proper biblical understanding of how such oppression operates: Who and how it may oppress people; Where it may have come from; with care taken both in making a diagnosis and in performing a deliverance. Yet when that is done and we develop skill in delivering people from such oppression, it can truly free those under our care from debilitating spiritual oppression that can limit them for true spiritual healing.