Power Encounters

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, 

he made a public spectacle of them, 

triumphing over them by the cross. 

Colossians 2:15

“Christianity has all too often been presented as a religion of the textbook and the head,” (C. Peter Wagner). This type of approach appeals to our rational, Western mindset. But it has very little influence on much of the unreached world which is held captive by powerful demonic forces. 

For them, the display of God’s power to heal and free them from demonic possession is much more convincing. When Jesus came to earth, He won people to Himself through both approaches...the rational explanation of who He was and what He had come to do as well as through miracles and power struggles won over the demonic world. Westerners need to first believe in the spirit world and then learn how to overcome this world through the power of Jesus Christ.

In my last blog entry, Are Harry Potter and Twilight for real? , I spoke about the power of the demonic world. It holds much of the world captive to fear. But the power of Jesus Christ is so much greater! When Christ is revealed as more powerful than Satan and his demons, a show of power takes place. These power encounters are happening all over the world. They are one of the main ways that Christ built His Church in the past and how He continues to build it today. 

The Bible is full of these power encounters, where the power of God directly challenges and overcomes the power of Satan and his demons:

- Moses vs. Pharaoh and his priests Exodus 7:10

- Joshua vs. the city of Jericho Joshua 6:15

- Samson vs. the Philistines Judges 16:23

- David vs. Goliath 1 Samuel 17 

- Elijah vs. the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel 1 Kings 18:20

- Jesus vs. the demons possessing men at Gadarenes Matthew 8:28

- Jesus vs. demon possessing young boy Matthew 17:14

- Jesus vs. hold of death over Lazarus John 11:38

- Jesus vs. Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane Matthew 26:36

And ultimately...Jesus vs. Satan and death through His sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection! Matthew 27

These power encounters did not end with Biblical times. They continue today throughout the world wherever Christ is preached. There are numerous instances of this...I would like to share a few below:

- a missionary in Cuba tells how God stopped a storm to increase faith in Him (see storm)

- various stories of deliverance from Youth With a Mission missionaries (see stories)

In conclusion, Western Christians need to be aware of the spirit world and take it seriously. But we don't need to fear it. Our focus should never be on the occult or we may grow fascinated with it and be drawn into unholy focus on demons and Satan. But neither should we be blind to the hold it has on much of the world.