THE GADARENE

THE GADARENE

                Yesterday our Pastor preached on the Gadarene demoniac and it was one of the most powerful sermons I have had the privilege of hearing. This subject is of particular interest to me since my son Zach has written a whole CD’s worth of songs on the life of this man which Abishai and I will be bringing him into the studio to record.

                In this story, as the Pastor pointed out, we see the power and authority of Jesus Christ, both to send the devil fleeing and  to restore a tortured man to his senses and to find him clothed and in his right mind.

                But this story is set within the framework of another story that may give clues as to how the Gadarene demoniac may have fallen subject to Satan’s unchecked brutality in the first place. As Pastor pointed out, the town of Gadara was situated on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. It was named after the tribe of Gad and it was in fact the homeland of 3 tribes who when Joshua had brought Israel into the Promised Land, they decided to settle down just shy of land that God had promised to them.

                The three tribes were Gad, the half tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Reuben. They liked the lay of the land on the east side of the Jordon, it was close to the Promised Land, but it was, in fact, not in the Promised Land and over time they had drifted far from the Lord. We can see this from the very fact that they were raising pigs, something strictly forbidden by the Lord.

                In this story Pastor Akers drew a parallel to nominal Christianity where people become Christians just far enough to “Get saved” and to have their guilt assuaged, but they never enter fully into the promise of the Father. They want to do a little bit of church, but they don’t really want to enter into the promise of the Father which as Jesus told us was Pentecost. Acts 1:4, 5

                “And gathering them together, He (Jesus) commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “Which” He said, “You heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

                How many Christians are there today that have joined the church by the baptism of John, but have never entered into the promise of the Father as it was poured out on the day of Pentecost?

                People want to join the church for the perks. They want to belong, to feel good, to be entertained and spoon fed… to find their comfort zone, but they don’t want to be completely transformed. They don’t want to do what it takes to walk in the Spirit. They are happy to settle just outside of the promise of the Father.

                The truth is, there are more Christians on the proverbial east side of the Jordon than there are in the Promise of the Father and, like the Gadarenes they too are drifting from the fullness of Father’s blessing which is a Spirit filled, Spirit directed life that is lived by divine appointment. They have made an entire religion out of powerlessness, chock full of form and doctrine, but denying the power thereof.

                And because the church lacks, for the most part, the supernatural power that Jesus came to bring to us, our land is now being filled with demons and foreign gods and “pigs” of every sort and we have no power, such as Jesus had, to deal with it.

                In Luke 9:1, 2 it says: “And Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.”  

                And in Acts 2:38, 39 Peter said to the people: Repent and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. FOR THE PROMISE IS FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN AND FOR ALL WHO ARE FAR OFF, AS MANY AS THE LORD SHALL CALL TO HIMSELF. How can they make doctrines that say otherwise?

                Why is it that most of the church is parked on the east side of Jordon, getting close to the promise of the Father but not actually entering into it? In fact we have built our religions around the idea, that this land on the east of Jordon is all that the Father has promised and so they not only preach against the gifts and the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire, but nowadays they are even preaching against the holiness and sanctification and the transformation that comes with a Spirit filled life.

                It is interesting that the people of Gadara had learned to put up with the demoniac. They had no power to deal with him. Even their chains could not hold him down and so they left this tortured soul to live among the tombs, in the place of death where he often cut himself and thrashed about  in his miserable existence.

                When Jesus landed on the shore, this tortured and naked wild man looked out through demon-glazed eyes, desperate humanity struggling against the demons to come to Jesus, he rushed out even as the demons frenzied him and spoke through him saying: “What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg of you, do not torment me.” For He (Jesus) had been commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man for it had seized him many times and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would burst his fetters and be driven by the demon into the desert.”

                In thinking about this sermon afterwards and discussing it with Pastor, I found myself wondering if Gadara was not perhaps the “Far Country” to which the prodigal son had gone to sow his wild oats and had ended up feeding the pigs for a living when his luck ran out.

                The truth is many nominal churches today are headed for that far country as they seek unity with the Pope of Rome in his quest to form a global religion. They are headed into demon territory and they don’t even know it, because they have not received the promise of the Father that would guide them into all truth. Then cling to their little doctrines and traditions as if these can save them, even as they deny the power of God.

                At this point in his sermon, our Pastor called one of the little boys up from the congregation and had him stand beside him and the Pastor said. “The really scary part of this story is that “Legion” the man controlled by a legion of demons had at one time been somebody’s baby boy. He had grown up in a family, dated his High School sweetheart, maybe even gotten married, but at some point the demons took over and there was no one to deliver him. Verse 27 of Luke 8 tells us that being possessed with demons he had not put on any clothing for a long time and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.

                How many homeless people living under bridges are likewise tormented? They were at one time somebody’s baby, somebody’s child. And Pastor presented this little boy to the crowd and asked, “ Whose responsibility is it to make sure that this child gets enough of the Word in him and enough of the Holy Spirit in him so that he will be defended against the onslaught of the devil in our day? “ It is our responsibility!” the pastor cried out with passion and power. It is we, the church that must equip our young people with the Word and power of God so that they will not become vulnerable to the works of the devil.

                Pastor then went on to talk about abortion and how it cheapens the value of life as America makes its blood sacrifices to the gods. We have invited the enemy into our nation until America has become the habitation of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird… and the messenger of God is now shouting across the sky, ”Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great… come out of her My people that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues.” Rev. 18:2, 4

                We, as Christians have spent too much time on the east side of Jordon. We are Christians in name, but many are refusing to be transformed into the image of Christ, to put away sin and to live by His Spirit. The idea of holiness has been all but abandoned by many… And yet, we have been predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son (Romans 8:29) but we are refusing to enter into the Holy Spirit’s training ground. We would rather just play church… keep the Holy Spirit on a leash… to use the Word of God as a sort of good luck charm, rather than to actually live by it.

                Humans were created to be indwelt by the Spirit of God and so if we refuse to be filled with God’s Spirit and controlled and transformed by His Spirit, another spirit will take his place and he will masquerade as Christ. He will play our religious games with us.

                But when Jesus really comes on the scene… When He is allowed to exercise His power on our behalf… when He is allowed to fill us and baptize you with the promise of the Father, (His own Holy Spirit)… when we begin to receive that which the early church received on the Day of Pentecost and to live by it and to minister by it as Jesus did, then the demons will have to flee and the Bride of Christ will be made ready.

                And we will know when this happens, because those nominal Christians who refuse to enter into the promise of the Father, will persecute those that are being transformed into the image of God’s Son.

                But we will have something that they do not have and that is Jesus’ power and authority over the demons that run their lives.

                “And these signs will accompany those who have believed; in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, if they pick up serpents or drink any poison it will not harm them and they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.

                Seriously church, if we don’t have the power of Christ in our lives, if we do not have the authority to do the works of Christ… if we have a form, but no power, then we indeed have much to fast and pray about, because Satan is not waiting for us to get equipped with the power of the Gospel. He is in fact, literally taking over our country, even as we make our blood sacrifices to him, and erect the arch of Baal to invite Him in and we offer our children to the hot arms of Moloch, and we allow witchcraft to become the fastest growing religion in America.

                Hatred against Christ and those who follow Him is quickly rising to the level of persecution, followed by extermination and we are still naked. We have not learned how to wear the full armor of God and we have not learned how to live by the power of the Holy Spirit. The church is sick and weak and over run by the sins of the world. It is indeed time to fast and to pray and to enter fully into the promise of the Father.

                Pastor Akers brought up several interesting observations about the Gadarenes.

1.       Archeologists had claimed for many years that the story of the Gadarene Demoniac was a fable, since no such city of Gadara existed. But one day while sailing along the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, one of the archeologists observed high steep cliffs along the shore and he was thinking about how a person could fall down such a cliff when it dawned on him that this might be the place where the pigs took their plunge into the sea. Acting on impulse, he took a team up and they started digging in the ground above the cliff and guess what? There they found the town of Gadara complete with a grave yard and even evidence that someone had lived in the tombs. They had been looking in the wrong place. God’s Word is true!

2.       The people of Gadara had adjusted to life with the wild man of the tombs, and they didn’t really show any fear until Jesus delivered the man and then they came running to the shore to drive Jesus away. So also will it be when nominal Christians begin to see the power of the Holy Spirit demonstrated by those who have received power. They too will rush to condemn and to drive us away, for our power will refute their lifeless doctrines.

3.       The demoniac man after being delivered wanted to travel with Jesus, but Jesus said “No.” In essence He told him, “Go back to your wife. Be a father to your children. Be a witness to your community of how God has set you free.

                Often we as Christians are immobilized because we can only think in terms of being a big evangelist, or a missionary to some foreign country. We keep waiting for the big thing to happen when in fact we may be called to bloom where we are planted… to make a difference in our homes and families, to bless our church with faithfulness and service. To speak encouraging words… to make sure that no one leaves our church service without being loved on and prayed for and ministered to in whatever way is needed. We are not called to be spectators, but functioning organs in the body of Christ.

                Most of all we need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit so that we can do the works of Christ in the world so that we can all go home. Think on these things.