Bondage Breaker

Common Misconceptions About Bondage

UCCP-Cosmopolitan Church

1. Demons were busy when Christ was on earth, but they’re not around much today

What does Paul’s warning in Ephesians 6:12-18 suggest?

Ephesians 6:10-20v10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. v11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

v12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

v13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. v14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, v15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

v16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; v17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

v18praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

2. What early Christians called ‘demonic activity is only mental illness.

Why would many psychologists never bring up the possibility of demonic activity?

3. Some problems are psychological and some are spiritual.

Why can’t we draw a line like this between our Psyche (our mind) and our spirit?

1Thess v23May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being---spirit, soul, and body---free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

4. Christians can’t be attacked by demonic forces.

See again Ephesians 6:12-18

5. The activity of demons is only seen in weird behavior or gross sin

How does Satan benefit from this misunderstanding of his activity?

What does Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 suggest about the state of demon influence?

6. Freedom from spiritual bondage is the result of a power encounter with demonic forces

Which of misconceptions listed above have you encountered? If you have accepted any of them is true, how has doing so affected your life?

John 8: 44

John 10:10

John 14:6

Take time to read God’s truth. What do the following verses say about Satan and Christ?

Heaven-God and Angels

Earth-Material World Running by Natural Laws

Spirit World — Excluded from rational

discourse

What have you learned so far about the reality of the spiritual world?

Since you are in Christ, you never again need to live in the shadows, instead, from your position in Christ, you are responsible for choosing the truth and resisting the devil. You are responsible for renouncing (turning your back on) the ways you have participated in his schemes.

Since you are in Christ, you never again need to live in the shadows, instead, from your position in Christ, you are responsible for choosing the truth and resisting the devil. You are responsible for renouncing (turning your back on) the ways you have participated in his schemes.

We are able to choose the truth and resist the devil because of what we are in Christ. Fully understanding God’s provision for you in Christ is key to understanding how He can be your Bondage Breaker.

We are able to choose the truth and resist the devil because of what we are in Christ. Fully understanding God’s provision for you in Christ is key to understanding how He can be your Bondage Breaker.

We know that God loved us so much that He provided us a way out of our sinful state so that we can become close to Him and be changed inside out

Because of Jesus’ Grace and Mercy we know that:

We were forgiven of our sins

We were empowered to live a whole new kind of life

We began to love others and belong to a Christian family

2 Cor 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

The Root of Human Problems is Sin and Sin has marred our quest for self-identity and meaning

--As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who

understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 13 "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3: 10-18; 21-24

A. Who am I?

Don’t be fooled by me. Don’t be fooled by the face I wear. I wear a mask. I wear a thousand masks—masks that I am afraid to take off and none of them are me.

Pretending is an art that is second nature to me, but don’t be fooled. I give the impression that I am secure, that all is sunny and unruffled within me as well as without; that confidence is my name and coolness, my game, that the water is calm and I am in command; and that I

need no one.

Who are you?But don’t believe me, please. My surface

may seem smooth, but my surface is my mask, my ever-varying and ever-concealing mask.

Beneath dwells the real me in confusion, in fear, in aloneness. But I hide that. I don’t want anybody to know it. I panic at the thought of weakness and fear being exposed. That is why I frantically create a mask to hide behind a nonchalant, sophisticated façade—to help me pretend, to shield me from the glance that knows.

Who are you?

But such a glance is precisely my salvation, my only salvation, and I know it. That is, if it’s followed by acceptance; if it is followed by love.

It’s the only thing that can liberate me from my own self-built prison wall, from the barriers I so painstakingly erected. It’s the only thing that will assure me of what I can’t assure myself—that I am really something…

Who are you?

Who am I, you may wonder. I am someone you know very well. I am every man you meet. I am every woman you meet. I am every child you meet. I am right in front of you. Please…love me.

(from Glad to be Me by Dov Pereta, Elkins)

04/12/23 30

B. False Equations in searching for Identity and Meaning

APPEARANCE

(WHOLE (WHOLE PERSON?)PERSON?)ADMIRATIO

N

04/12/23 31

False Equations in searching for Identity and Meaning

PERFORMANCE

(WHOLE (WHOLE PERSON?)PERSON?)ACCOMPLISHME

NTS

04/12/23 32

False Equations in searching for Identity and Meaning

STATUS(WHOLE (WHOLE

PERSON?)PERSON?)RECOGNITION

“Try as you might by our appearance, performance or social status to find self verification for a sense of being somebody, we always come short of satisfaction. Whatever pinnacle or self-identity we achieve soon crumbles under the pressure of hostile rejection or criticism, introspection or guilt, fear or anxiety. We cannot do anything to qualify for the by-product of being loved unconditionally and voluntarily.” (Maurice Wagner)

ORIGINAL CREATION (Gen. 1, 2)

Physical Life (Bios)•Alive. •Our soul/spirit is in union with our body

Spiritual Life (Zoa)•Our soul/spirit is in union with God

Soul (Mind/Emotions/Will)•Significant (Gen 1:28)Mankind has a divine purpose•Safe and Secure (Gen 1:29)All of mankind’s needs were provided for•Belonged (Gen 1:18)Mankind had a sense of identity and belonging to God and each other.

Physical Life (Bios)•Death entered the world (Rom. 5:12)

Spiritual Life•Dead to sin (Eph. 2:1)•Separated from God

Soul (Mind/Emotions/Will)•Rejected -- Need to belong•Guilt and Shame - Need of self-worth•Weak and Helpless (Gen 1:18)

-Need of Strength and self control•Meaningless pursuit of significance

EFFECTS OF THE FALL (Gen. 3:8-4:9)

The essence of Adam’s fall was his deliberate breaking of his intimate relationship with God. The effects of Adam’s rebellion is experienced worldwide and by all generations (Romans 6:23). The need for salvation, acceptance, forgiveness and love is widespread yet we search for it in the wrong places.

All sinful behavior is a wrong attempt at meeting basic needs. The essence of sin is man living independent of God who said that He will meet all our needs as we live our lives “In Christ”.

Spiritual Life (Zoa)•Alive in Christ

Soul (Mind/Emotions/Will)•No Condemnation: Therefore, no more guilt or shame (Rom. 8:1-4) •Strong in Christ: Therefore, no longer weak and helpless (Rom. 8:5-14) •Significant--A Child of God: Therefore, no longer rejected (Rom. 8:15-17)

EFFECTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Rom. 81-16)

Physical Life (Bios)•A future new body

D. “Know Thy Self”

One’s deepest self is in the Spirit level. It is only Jesus who can transform it and fashion it in accordance with his original design—to be a whole person.

E. Life Determines Identity

A person who acknowledges the power and authority of Christ in his life receives a new identity—He/she becomes a Christian. A Christian is not simply a person who gets a new nature. A Christian in terms of his deepest identity is a saint, a born child of God, a divine masterpiece, a child of light, a citizen of heaven.

Life Determines Identity…

Being a Christian is not just getting something, it is being someone. What you have isn’t the point. It is who you are. It is not what the Christian does that determines who he is, it is who he/she is that determines what he does.

Who are we? So from now on we regard no one from a

worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

- 2 Corinthians 5:16-19

Only God in Jesus Christ meets all human needs—body, soul and spirit.Jesus is the ultimate Restorer and Bondage Breaker

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

--1 Thessalonians 5:23

Prepared by Rev. Dennis Diamantefor D3 Discipleship Curriculum

5 September 2008 References:

Bondage Breaker, Neil Anderson. Freedom in Christ Ministries ©1989

Purpose Driven Ministries, Purpose Driven Philippines Update

Foundations For Christian Leadership Notes, ISOT-Asia Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. (c) 1994, 1995, 1996

SoftKey Multimedia Inc.