Over the years, I have heard the rumor in Catholic circles that laypeople do not have the authority to give a command to evil spirits. In fact, as I began to write Unbound I was advised that it may be too late to write a book on deliverance because of this issue. I did not understand nor did I agree.
I wrote Unbound in part to address the pastoral reasons that might provoke this thinking, knowing that my work may not be received by many Catholics. Later I wrote Resisting the Devil so that I could make the case for deliverance ministry for Catholics and (in the book's appendix) directly refuted the rumor about laypeople lacking authority. Now, 15 years after the publication of Unbound, great clarity has been brought to this issue. The recent book, Deliverance Ministry, by the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services Doctrinal Commission, has clarified that there is no theological, doctrinal, or biblical reason why a believer cannot command an evil spirit to leave (pp. 75 & 85). The book brings together the wisdom on this topic from the first fifty years of the Charismatic Renewal and presents it to the whole church. In the forward, written by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Cardinal confirms that the book is theologically sound, having been vetted by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and by numerous theologians and practitioners from around the world.
That being said, there are still individual pastoral concerns that remain. The fact that laypeople can command demons to leave does not mean that all laypeople can practice deliverance as a ministry, any more than the fact that laypeople can teach means that all laypeople should teach. Not all have the needed gifts, skills, training, or maturity. Pastoral concerns are valid and should be dealt with through guidance and teaching. Unbound provides both guidelines that address the pastoral issues and a spiritually healthy context for deliverance ministry. The conflict over this issue among Catholics has helped me to understand both the importance of believers knowing their authority and the danger of undermining this authority.
Authority is fundamental to our identity
In my most recent book, Abba's Heart, I addressed how essential it is for believers to understand that we need to exercise the authority given to us as part of our identity as children of God. Jesus made this connection clear in the story of the prodigal's return.
In Abba's Heart, I wrote:
"The prodigal looks down at his right hand. There is his father's ring, on his finger. The time will come when he begins to use the authority that the ring represents. How he uses it will be indicative of his relationship with his father and his desire to represent him well in the house and in the world beyond. We have also been given royal authority to represent our Father." (p. 148)
Each of us has been given a ring. We carry God's authority as His representatives in every area that we have responsibility. Authority is given to us by God to carry out His will. We exercise authority in the name of Jesus, which means we act in the person and the character of Jesus. We carry His presence with us into our relationships. We also recognize that when it comes to spiritual opposition, God's power is released as we speak in the name that is above all names.
See: Acts 3:6, Philippians 2: 9 &10
The Father sends his children to serve
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." John 20: 21 (NRSV)
Jesus sent His disciples and our Father sends His children out with authority to serve. Exercising authority to rule is fundamental to our relationship with God. It was something entrusted to us from the beginning in Adam and Jesus reaffirmed it many times. (Luke 19:11). You have been given authority to serve in the name of Jesus and as you exercise it, He wants to give you greater responsibility. If we pull back from exercising authority we are pulling back from our core, God-given destiny.
Again, I wrote in Abba's Heart:
"Everyone who believes in Jesus has been given authority. John 1:12 (NIV) states, 'Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.' The word right here is accurately translated as authority. In other translations, the word often used is power. God gives His children the power and authority that they need to become something that they already are: the children of God." (pp. 152-153)
We need to exercise authority to become who we are and we need to function with authority to act like the children of God we have become. No one who is in Christ should be insecure, thinking that he is an incapable little child, helpless in his mission with nothing to offer those in need.
Jesus showed us the way
The night before Jesus died He showed us how to exercise authority:
"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." John 13:14
We have been given authority to serve the blind, the lame, the broken-hearted, to release the prisoner, to restore the weary, to feed the hungry, and to set free those who are bound. We can move into any situation within our sphere of influence, confident that we carry the authority and the presence of the One who sent us. If we do that, our sphere of influence will increase.
There are numerous people who have been trained in Unbound ministry but are hesitant to step out to serve, feeling inadequate and lacking enough training. We all can use more training. Is there someone in need? Then maybe you are the one who is sent. Can you listen with compassion and without judgment? Do you have a mustard seed-sized faith? Do you have a testimony of God's faithfulness? You will learn what you do not know as you serve. The Holy Spirit will provide for those who walk in humility and ask Him to be their guide.
We have been adopted and have become God's children, given the right, the power, and the authority to represent Him as His sons and daughters in this world.
For more reflections on Authority see Abba's Heart, Chapter 12, and Unbound Chapter 6.
POSTSCRIPT: see also Neal's letter on Authority and the Layperson
