Derek Prince - People Need to be Equipped In Deliverance Before They Go Out Evangelizing
This is an excerpt from: Basics of Deliverance: How to Identify The Enemy
Now the next thing I want to say, which I will illustrate very briefly is: In the New Testament no one was ever sent out to evangelize without first being commissioned to deal with evil spirits. There isn't an example in the New Testament. It is unscriptural to do that. Let's look at the first twelve disciples who were sent out. Matthew chapter 10 verse 1: When he had called his twelve disciples to him he gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
Notice the first thing He did was to give them authority to deal with evil spirits. And then it says, missing out the list of the names, in verse 5: These twelve Jesus sent out. And then it says, we're missing out the irrelevant parts, verse 6 and 7: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and as you go preach saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand, but don't merely preach do something. What? Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise he dead, cast out demons. It was included in their equipment and it was included in their commission. In Luke chapter 10 we read about a further seventy who were sent out. Luke chapter 10 verse 1: After these things, the Lord appointed seventy others also and sent them two by two before his face into every city and place where he himself was about to go.
Now we'll only turn on to verse 17 the report that the seventy brought back, and it says in verse 17: Then the seventy returned with joy saying: Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. What was what impressed them most? They had authority over demons. They were the seventy. And then we look at the final commission at the end of the gospels. First of all, in Mark 16 verse 15 and following. Mark 16:15. He said to them: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved he who believes not is condemned. Verse 17: And these signs will follow those who believe. What's the first sign? In my name they will cast out demons. He did not send them out without first making sure that they knew how to deal with demons.
And in Matthew 28, the other version of the great commission verses 19-20 He says: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. He told them to teach their disciples everything He taught them. And one of the main things He taught them was how to deal with evil spirits. When you make disciples, you teach them what I've taught you. When they make disciples, they're to teach those what they have been taught. And He said: I am with you to the end of the age. He made no provision for that process to change. He envisioned the same thing going on from the time He left to the time He came back. That's His program. The tragedy is the church has departed from it. They have not improved upon it, they can't. They've simply made a disaster out of it.
Now, there's only one person in the New Testament other than Jesus, who is called an evangelist. Only one. I've counted twenty-eight persons called apostles but only one person called an evangelist. Isn't that remarkable? We don't hesitate to dub the title of evangelist. Anybody who isn't a pastor has to be an evangelist. There are only two options, basically. Who was the evangelist, who can tell me? Philip. Now his ministry is described in Acts chapter 8. Acts chapter 8 verse 5: Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
Philip's message was very simple. It was a one word message. In Samaria he preached Christ on the road to Gaza he preached Jesus. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip because he had a well organized committee and a choir? No. hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For What was the first thing? unclean spirits crying with a loud voice came out of many who were demonized. And many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. Notice the first thing in his ministry, as an evangelist was driving out evil spirits. So I'm suggesting to you that both the pattern and the commission of Jesus leave no room for the servants of God today to go out in evangelism without first being equipped to deal with evil spirits. I don't believe you can find an example there.