"Binding and Loosing" repeat Thurs 13March

Sunday March 9 was an awesome day! The worship was amazing...the presence of the Lord was tangible to the point that some who have not previously been "able" to sense God's presence testified that they experienced Him in a new way. Praise God!

I spoke on the familiar topic of Binding and Loosing but in a manner that many in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles have not looked into previously. At first, many in our congregation looked at me as if I had lost my Pentecostal heritage until they began to understand that I was not trying to limit the use of this teaching (tool) that Jesus gave us but that I believe that we are not using it to the fullness that He intends.

The one thing that I asked ICCJ attendees to consider is to no longer pray using the phrase: "I Bind You satan." That was tough for many to swallow because this phrase is so commonly spoken. On any given Sunday, I'm sure that it is pronounced in thousands of Churches around the world. But we do not see in the Bible that the Apostles ever used this term. Why? Because the use of Binding and Loosing is not limited to Spiritual Warfare and even when used in Spiritual Warfare it needs to be applied differently. Please don't get me wrong... I'm not trying to stop anyone from conducting Spiritual Warfare, I'm only asking that we apply the correct terminology in the correct place and use the right weapons for the right assignments.

In Matthew 16:19 (NIV), Jesus told Peter that "...whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Jesus did not introduce a new term here and did not need to explain it to the Disciples at that point because they were already familiar with the term. Indeed all who were familiar with the Jewish traditions were familiar with the term. The literal meaning of "binding" is "forbidding" and the meaning of "loosing" is "permitting." Rabbi's customarily bind and loose teachings and this is the first purpose for which Jesus gave this tool to Peter. You can see how Peter Bound and Loosed ideas which became Church policy in Acts 15... Peter spoke up against placing the burden of circumcision on the Gentile Christians, James agreed and the argument was resolved. Another purpose for Peter was to give him an understanding of the anointing on his life to open access (permit) to the Kingdom of Heaven. Of the original 12 Disciples, Peter was particularly used by God to win large numbers of people to the Lord.

Binding and Loosing is taught again to all the Disciples in Matthew 18:18 by Jesus in the context of dealing with a believer who is unrepentant and does not submit to the proper process of rectifying the situation. Jesus said in verse 17 that "if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." Binding and Loosing was used then to either open or to close access to the Family of Believers. Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 5 that we must expel immoral brethren who refuse to come to repentance. This is tempered with the idea that we do this with the attitude and hope that they will come back to God and to the Church in repentance. In Matthew 18:18, Jesus spoke to all who were with him and did not limit the teaching of Binding and Loosing to Peter. It is for everyone.

One of the scriptures that many people marry with these that we have discussed thus far is the infamous "binding the strongman" scripture found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. In Matthew and Mark, the terminology includes the word "bind" but not the account in Luke 11:22 (NIV). "But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils." The same teaching in Luke does not include the word "bind" because it is a metaphorical teaching of Jesus in which the main point is that Jesus is stronger then the devil and He has the power to overcome or to bind up the strong man in your life.

One young lady came up to me on Sunday and asked, "what do we do about demons then?" The answer is surprisingly simple... don't bind them, cast them out. Jesus and His followers did it all the time even before He taught on binding and loosing and we in the Church still do it worldwide everyday in 2008. It may seem like a different teaching and a different method, but it is more the use of a different word...the right word. One of the reasons I will never again (because I have) say "I bind you satan" is because in Matthew 16:19, Jesus said "whatever" you bind or loose, not "whoever" you bind or loose on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven. In our use of this teaching, we must remember that we do not bind or loose people (even the devil), but we bind and loose things.

The proper additional scripture to marry with Binding and Loosing is not about the strong man but it is found in John 20:23 (NIV) "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." Jesus spoke this after He breathed on them, giving them the initial impartation of the Holy Spirit. The reason that this is the appropriate scripture to put together with Binding and Loosing is that the concept works the same way and was given in the form of a commission to the Disciples. These were not metaphorical teachings. There are many examples of how forgiving sins and not forgiving sins works. We in Evangelical Churches do not practice confession and do not interpret this scripture to mean that we have the power to forgive or to not forgive sins. Only God forgives sins through the work of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross. One example is when the Prophet Nathan came to King David to confront him about his sin of adultery and murder as found in 2 Samuel 12. When David had not yet confessed to being "that man", his sins were not forgiven and he was still bound. But when he confessed by saying "I am that man", Nathan proclaimed that he was loosed or forgiven of his sins.

Today, though we do not forgive people of their sins against God, we have the important job of informing people of thier condition whether in confrontation towards an unrepentant attitude or with mercy towards an repentant attitude. Many suffer from shame or guilt after they have been forgiven and we need to loose them into knowledge that once they have applied the merciful blood of Jesus, receiving forgiveness from Him, they are free and are no longer bound.

But finally, what I believe is the greatest use of Binding and Loosing is that daily, with every thought, we must Bind (forbid) every thought that does not build us up in faith, in the knowledge of God and we must Loose (permit) only those thoughts that increase and build up our relationship with Jesus! We must learn to Bind and Loose as a daily and integral part of our walk with Christ. Binding and Loosing is a teaching which is most importantly used in your own life so that you can take control of your own thoughts so that they will come into alignment with the truth of God's Word... Forbidding and Permitting... Binding thoughts not of God and Loosing the accurate and powerful Word of God into our lives so that we can grow into the people that God wants us to be... to be people increasingly more and more like Jesus.

I will give this teaching again this Thursday, March 13. For those of you in Jakarta, please feel free to invite anyone who you believe would benefit from this teaching which will enlarge our understanding of God's Word and increase the power that Jesus has given us through His Word!