Genesis 4:6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

This thought can help us understand how demons can be involved in situations or battles which we face that we have been brought up to believe are simply battles against our own flesh.

Belief in witchcraft is an inherent part of most African societies. Witchcraft is very loosely defined the ability of individuals to communicate with evil spirits and engage their power to gain personal advantage or to disadvantage others. The Biblical worldview includes clear references to the existence of evil spirits. Indeed the idea of a good and an evil unseen world inhabited by spirits (angels and demons) that battle for influence in our daily lives is a foundational concept throughout the Old and New Testament.

Following the Enlightenment in Europe, the established Church (Reformed and Catholic) sought to accommodate Scientific Materialism by downplaying the role of the unseen world as it is portrayed in the Bible. We can talk of the depersonification of evil or the mythical/symbolic reinterpretation. Belief in an unseen world was marginalised even within the Church with the ultimate result that God himself – who is a player in the unseen world becomes marginalised and reconstituted as a projection.

The assumption of those involved in missionary development activities such as medical or social programmes in Africa was that, Africa, like Europe would ‘grow out of’ a belief in evil spirits through education and progress.

However the fear of witchcraft in modern Africa has persisted and cases are mounting of the worst kinds of child abuse in connection with a fear of witchcraft. Pastors of mainly non-denominational or revivalist churches are incriminated in many cases of encouraging a fear of witchcraft and of profiting from the demand for exorcism rituals.

it is now high time to confront these beliefs with Biblical truth to establish a solid foundation of truth with which we can fight against ignorance, manipulation and abuse.

We invite comments on the following questions

• What beliefs need to be addressed?
• What practices need to be discussed
• What measures need to be taken

Looking forward to your comments.

David M. Taylor

Within Christian Church there are very widely differing viewpoints with regard to the existence of the unseen world or the reality of demons.

1. UNREAL: Evil spirits as described in the Bible are psychological disorders. Everything supernatural in the Bible is discounted as being symbolic.
2. IRRELEVANT: Devil and demons may be real but we can safely ignore them because Jesus defeated them on the cross.
3. TRUTH&LIGHT: Devil and demons are real and we have to engage them with truth. Believing truth makes you invincible against influence of witchcraft.
4. DELIVERANCE: Jesus practiced deliverance and commissioned his disciples to do the same. Demons resist deliverance initially but leave by prayer, fasting and the command of a person with adequate spiritual authority.
5. SYNCRETIC RITUALS: Non-biblical rites and rituals combined with Christian traditions. Use of physical force, cutting, beating, touching etc…

In many parts of the world, taking positions 1 and 2 and to certain extent position 3 have left a vacuum of Biblical truth which has encouraged the spread of position 5.

We strongly argue for the need for education and training of pastors and leaders in order to stop all types of abusive accusation or deliverance practices.

Looking forward to your comments.

David M. Taylor

2. Teaching was mainly in two groups  shared between Daniel and Albert, with Elisabeth taking a powerful session for everyone on  healing  for problems coming from the time in the womb. She also did much personal ministry, even over meal times!

3. The programme was very flexible as we sought the leading of the Holy Spirit as to what was best at that time to meet  the needs of teaching, ministry and training.

4. The person in charge of the excellent food in the college where the seminar took place told our friend, the organiser from Ruach Ministries, that she likes the atmosphere in the Ruach week- ends!

5. On Monday morning we had a long session with a Finnish team member and Tuesday we had long morning and evening sessions with 2 key Finns, one in a serious condition. She wrote in the evening of the next day when she visited her psychiatrist, that she had seen such a change in her that she immediately reduced her strong medication by almost half!

We are expecting God to work through the teaching and ministry. It is a time to accept Christ’s invitation to his disciples In Mark 6:31 to “come apart and rest awhile..” “for there were many coming and going.” Let us come willing for God to do something in our lives and not be put off if we have a lot of difficulties this week trying to stop us from coming!

Pekka Tommola, Ruach International

“Thank you so much for your blessed seminar here in Finland! You should come again in spring!!!! … There is power in prayer and in the blood of Jesus Christ!!A testimony about M., who had bitterness against the  insurance company, because she got a paper from the doctor, that she is 100% unable to do work, because of backproblems, but the company did not give any money to her.”
From a letter  to Albert and Elisabeth

She  had bitterness against the  insurance company, because she got a paper from the doctor, that she is 100% unable to do work, because of backproblems, but the company did not give any money to her. She forgave the company in seminar 2. After that the spirit of fear left. (The chiropractor had said to her that maybe the day is coming that you never walk again!). It was like a curse. Now in the seminar she got free of the curse and of the pain in the back!!
She is really happy today.
A reported testimony about M.

I was surprised to realize how much we Christians have neglected Christ’s last commands on earth: to heal, to set free and to tell about His Kingdom. Most Christians can relate themselves to telling about the Kingdom, some also to healing – but very few to deliverance.

I was surprised to face how much I needed deliverance and healing myself.

The power of darkness around and in us is shocking and we need to realize its reality to deal with it. This seminar focuses on getting to know the tools to handle these issues in a very effective way. I warmly recommend it.

Hosted by the International Protestant Church of Zurich, February 4-6, 2011.
Building of the French Ref. Church, Schanzengasse 25, 8032 Zurich

During seminar teaching and ministry we shall experience how Jesus Christ still does this:

• heals wounds in broken hearts
• helps us to forgive those who hurt us
• sets us free from rejection
• helps us to handle our negative reactions such as bitterness or resentment
• helps us deal with the effects of our sins and hurts

Registration opens 7th December 2010.

More info

Seminar highlights:

• A “full house” with 60 keen to learn to help others as well as receiving more help themselves.
• Half from the previous week-end seminar, the others mainly from the June events.
• Revision of basic teaching on how to deal with sins, hurts and demons.
• New teaching  on finding the issues, what remedies and what we need to minister.
• Practice of the ministry steps in groups of 4- a minister, a counsellee, one to check the minister, one a secretary.
• Ministry en masse, also much individual ministry.
• Particularly at the close God wonderfully touched people and they received so much joy and laughter that, like drunken men, they could not remain standing! We could understand why Paul wrote, “Don’t be drunk with wine…. but be filled with the Spirit”.
• Many hurts were healed and  powerful deliverances took place in the seminar and outside/afterwards!
• A lady was set free from back pains she has had since slipping on ice 20 years ago; she joyfully demonstrated touching her toes again!
• A man, troubled with quick temper for most of his life, was set free from the spirit behind it in ten minutes after breakfast on the Sunday morning, bringing much joy and a change to his appearance.
• On her way home on Sunday night, after the powerful touch from God at the end of the seminar, a lady had healing of memories and deliverance!

If it is difficult to believe such reports you can remember incidents with Jesus where a person was delivered very quickly, even spectacularly. At the seminar in Kayaani in May, a lady’s deliverance from a burn out began when I prayed for her over the supper table! Her husband has joined her at subsequent seminars testifying to the lasting reality of what happened then.

Such things would happen more often if there were more Christians with a correct understanding and practice of inner healing and deliverance.

We also ministered outside the seminars to about 10 individuals, including the staff of the Christian Rehabilitation Centre.
In Helsinki the couple we stayed with for 2 nights greeted us with, “You have come at just the right time.” It was surely God’s timing as it was arranged on August 3rd as we booked our tickets!

Please continue to pray for us as we seek to have more opportunities for teaching this ministry in Switzerland and elsewhere.
Our book  “Ministering Below the Surface” which is on  <www.soundswrite.ch/cct> will soon be in German, translated by Daniel Baumgartner.  This will give him and our daughter Esther more opportunities for seminars in German. Their website is www.bethesda-heilungsdienst.ch

Some photos of both seminars are below.

With thanks and wishing you many blessings from the Lord

Albert and Elisabeth