Spiritual Warfare and Church Growth

Spiritual Warfare and Church Growth
Through prayer Christians have been given all power over satan. Satan was conquered on the cross by the blood of Jesus Christ, but we (God's children) are given the authority to cast him out in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Some people say that the devil was working hard in Jesus' time but not today. Yet, these days I bind and cast out demons more than any other time in my life.

When Jesus Christ preached "repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand"; He also cast out demons. He told us to do the same. One of His final commandments was for us, His children, to cast out demons.

Mark 16:17-19, And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

The devil is the enemy of the Kingdom of God. He is out to kill, steal and destroy. We must cleanse ourselves of all demonic influence in our lives. We must bind these evil spirits in Jesus Christ's Name, and we are to loose the Holy Spirit in His Name.

The minister that doesn't cast out demons before he ministers will be hindered in the work of the ministry. I always bind hindering spirits in my office before I go to the pulpit.

Without the power of God, the demon spirits will not leave, but through prayer the demon spirit will be cast out.

There are some 8million demon spirits in Japan. You must know how to bind evil spirits in Japan or you will not be able to have Church Growth. That is why the average church in Japan only has around 50 members.

Our church sent a woman to Japan to start a church. Women pastors in Japan are considered an abomination. This Korean woman had learned how to bind and cast out demons at the Yoido Full Gospel Church. She now has a church with 500 members in Japan in 3 years, and she has 20 new members per month.

I learned a tremendous lesson years ago about the power of prayer. I was depressed, but I thought that I was just tired. I began to wish that I was not a minister. I thought how hard my work was, as right after my sermon on Sunday, I had to immediately prepare another message for the next Sunday. Prayer was very strained and difficult.

I came home late one night, and there my wife was in bed snoring. I couldn't sleep, and I thought" how ugly she looks". I went into the other room, and I was complaining to God about my situation.

I was so desperate for help; I prayed very hard, and I pled the blood of Jesus Christ. All of a sudden, a whirlwind sound came, and I was instantly set free from the demonic spirit that had been oppressing me for so long.

I said to myself," I am so glad that I am a minister". What a contrast; what joy I felt. I was praising God. I went into my room, and I looked at my wife. How lovely she looked, I thought "how fortunate I am to have such a pretty wife".

I really experienced the difference in binding and casting out the demons that were oppressing me. Now before I go home; I cleanse myself of any demonic spirits.

I receive great help from the Lord by binding and casting out demons and loosing the power of the Holy Spirit in my life and ministry.

If I don't pray, the demon stays and sucks away my Spiritual power. When I pray the demonic influence leaves. So you must bind and cast out demons every day in your personal life and ministry to have Church Growth.

I have over 600 elders and some 80,000 deacons and deaconesses, and I always bind any divisive spirit that could come into our committee meetings.

We have wonderful unity because we bind any hindering spirits from our church. I have this large church because I pray and cast the demons away in the Name of Jesus Christ.

I pray because God answers prayer. If you do not pray, then He will not answer. Those works which I did not pray over; He did not answer and do His mighty work. Only in the works that I prayed for were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer is like bombing an area with the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, many wars are won by air power; it is the same with Church Growth.

Church Growth is easy when we pray "Lord looking", faith-filled prayers which are centered on the heart of the Lord for His people and His work. That is when the glorious power of God comes into play and brings great victory in your life and ministry.



by David Yonggi Cho