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Spiritual Warfare

 
Spiritual warfare is a Biblical teaching.  We do, indeed, wrestle not just with flesh and blood, but with spiritual powers.  Questions arise, however, as to just what form this "warfare" takes in the Christian's everyday life.  Specifically, some in the Christian world today teach and practice the "casting out of demons" as a method of deliverance from temptation and thus of overcoming sin in the life.  When a form of this came into the Adventist church in the mid 1970's, our church had not previously studied this and was not prepared to make recommendations or give guidance.  In response to this need, the Biblical Research Institute appointed a special committee to study the practices current at that time, which were usually called "Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance Ministry".  In 1983 they issued a paper giving the results of that study.   We include in our materials below  that paper for your on-line reading. 

"Spiritual Warfare" and "Deliverance Ministry" and Seventh-day Adventists

The 1983  SDA Biblical Research Institute Report addressing  issues regarding Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance Ministry. 

Title Page
Foreword and Introduction

Part 1: Historical Backgrounds

Part 2: Three Crucial Distinctions

Part 3: Problems in "Deliverance Ministry"

Part 4: Prayer for the Afflicted

Summary and Conclusion

View the entire document (120K) (This is a good choice for printing out the document.)



Engaging the spirits: An Adventist's Perspective on Fighting Spiritual Battles

Yvon Caza is a Seventh-day Adventist layman who studied the subject of fighting spiritual battles in response to questions raised by persons in his church.  He draws heavily from David Powlison's book Power Encounters, as well as from scripture and the writings of Ellen White for this paper.

Chapter 1: Freedom of Choice
Chapter 2: Satan as an Instrument of our Omnipotent and Sovereign God
Chapter 3: Evil Spirits and Believers
Chapter 4: Harassment or Possession or Illness
Chapter 5: Ministering to the Demon-Afflicted
Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusion
 

Recommended Reading on Spiritual Warfare

Overrun by Demons: The Church's New Preoccupation With the Demonic, by Thomas Ice and Robert Dean, Jr.  Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 97402.
 
Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare, by David Powlison. Baker Books, 1995. 

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