Scripture: Acts 16:16-18. Paul expelled it in Jesus’s name, not by his own name.

We can do the same thing because God has graciously granted us authority in the name of his Son and because out of his love for people he wants to see them set free from demonic oppression.

The translations are mine, but if you would like to see many other translations, please go to biblegateway.com. I include the Greek text to bring out the nuances, but readers may ignore the left column, if they wish.

Let’s begin.

Comments:

“having”: “Demonized” is not the only verb to express a demonic attack (see Mark 3:22, 30; 7:25; 9:17; Luke 4:33; 7:33; 8:27; Acts 8:7; 16:16; 19:13). But I see no substantive difference between the two verbs and are used interchangeably in Luke 8:27, 36. What is more relevant is the soul of the person being attacked and how deep the attack goes because the person gives the demon access.

How Does New Testament Define Demonic Control?

“spirit of divination” comes from pneuma puthōna (pronounced p’neu-mah pih-thoh-na). We get our word python from it, and Satan—often portrayed as a snake or dragon in art or the NT—occupied the poor girl. This is a satanic infilling and prophetic gifting, which is a counterfeit to the real infilling and gift of prophecy inspired by the Holy Spirit. Please be aware that Satan through false prophets and messiahs can deceive the vast public (Matt. 24:24), even untrained believers who wander around from church to church or have no safe fellowship with mature believers.

I recommend that we do not over-read names like python, as if it can squeeze people or churches. It is true that Greek (and Hebrew) words have a cultural context, and in this case a python spirit offered demonic guidance. The girl who had it was related, spiritually to the temple in Delphi (I visited there as a tourist), where a girl sat on a tripod in the temple and uttered strange and cryptic words, which people followed. So but let’s not needlessly over-apply the literal word python to the snake today which squeezes people. The application for today is fortunetelling.

No to: Magic, Witchcraft, Sorcery, and Fortunetelling

Demons can do all sorts of things, but their capacity does not have to be derived from Greek word origins.

How do we avoid satanic deception?

“Mature” believer is defined as someone who knows Scripture thoroughly or sufficiently, has stayed and stays in fellowship for a long time, and has been tested and tried by other believers, knows how to pray (and actually prays), and has the fulness of the Spirit, and manifests some (or all) of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Cor. 12:7-11. But if a church teaches against those gifts, then the leaders may be mature in those other ways and can at least keep the immature believer from false prophets and messiahs.

Money was behind the satanic display, but please do not doubt that she was speaking from an evil spirit.

The Holy Spirit ≠ a pythonic spirit!

Paul and his crew really were offering the way of salvation, so the girl spoke a certain measure of truth. Satan will mix in enough truth to make the lie believable. Be careful!

I like Peterson’s summary:

Salvation in Luke’s understanding involved the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit through trusting in Israel’s Messiah, with the ultimate blessing of sharing in God’s eternal kingdom through resurrection. What the slave girl was saying was true at one level, but it was being proclaimed by someone who did not really know what she was talking about. On her lips, even the assertion that there was a “way of salvation” could so easily have been interpreted in a polytheistic and pagan fashion. (comment on vv. 16-17)

“many days”: sometimes people ask why Paul didn’t rebuke the spirit immediately or shortly after she tagged along. Did he love the praise? Foolish thought. Did he want the girl to testify to her followers that Paul really did offer salvation? Doubtful, because the source was wrong. Then why the delay before her deliverance? After getting the contextual pictures in my mind, it is now clear to me that she gave permission to the evil spirit to occupy her mind. However, when she followed Paul around for many days, she heard the gospel, and gradually the satanic grip was loosening. If she had not followed Paul around and heard the Word, it is not likely he could have rebuked it just like that. The spirit was entrenched. So he waiting until the timing was right. Keener offers a more-down-to-earth reason: “Paul may have delayed expelling the spirit because it would entail danger: most gentiles would view the spirit as benevolent, certainly toward Paul and Silas (16:17). People considered ingratitude toward benefactors appalling, so Paul and Silas could expect little sympathy. Yet the slave girl is now spiritually free—and Paul and Silas consequently will be imprisoned (Acts 16:23-24)” (p. 402).

Application for Ministry Today

I believe we can learn how to minister as the apostles did, because of the nine gifts of the Spirit are available to all believers (1 Cor. 12:4-11). Three gifts are discernings of spirits, the workings of miracles and gifts of healings, as the Spirit distributes them. All Bible-based leaders should pray for and welcome these gifts and the seven others in that passage, when people needs healings and deliverances.

Let me number my points in this section for clarity and order.

1.. It is imperative that the very gifted charismatics and Renewalists preach the gospel and teach the word. That is the best way to get the most and best results. People’s faith is built up, and then they can receive deliverance and healing more readily. The opposite is sadly true. When the charismatically gifted and Renewalists do not preach the gospel and teach the word (or they do very little of it), yes, some people will receive their deliverance and healing from God (and that’s good), but we will never know whether even more people would have received their answers. It is probable that indeed more people would have received, if the preachers and teachers had taught the word and preached the gospel.

2.. “greatly agitated”: it is the verb diaponeomai (pronounced dee-ah-poh-neh-oh-my). The stem pon– means to “work or work it out,” as in medicine, “to work something out.” So there is a sense in which Paul got “worked up” about it in his spirit, but not that he was out of control. I believe this agitation was divinely inspired by the Spirit.

3.. “said to the spirit”: Paul addressed the spirit, not the girl. However, sometimes ministry to the person is needed, in case the spirit gained access by a sin, like bitterness and unforgiveness. The gospel needs to set people free in their minds, before deliverance from an evil spirit can happen or soon after they are set free. In any case, when deliverance time comes, speak to the spirit, not the human.

3.. “I command”: you don’t need to pray a flowery prayer: “O thou God who art unreachable in thy heaven. If it be thy will, do help this girl, do thou something, pretty please.” No, command a demon, must like you would a stray dog. “Get out of here! Get!” You have authority over it, just as Jesus gave authority to the seventy-two (or seventy) (Luke 10:17-20).

4.. “in the name of Jesus”: when Jesus expelled a demon, he never said, “in my name, I command you!” He is the Lord of lords and rules over all principalities and powers. He stood in his own name. He just rebuked it and said, “come out!” (or words like that). When we pray the prayer of deliverance, we do so in his name, which stands for his exalted status. So it is like praying this expanded version of the phrase “in the name of Jesus Christ …!”: “I stand as an ambassador of the kingdom of Christ and in his exalted status and perfect character and his love and grace and his omnipotence and his authority over every created being or thing!” Instead of that long prayer, which is wonderful (if you think about it), we just say, “in the name of Jesus Christ …!”

For a fuller commentary, please click on the whole chapter:

Acts 16