What Is Demonization And Is It Real?

"Christianity Questions and Answers" podcast CQA 058

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Is demonization real? What is it? For that matter, what are demons? How do they influence people? Can they inhabit people’s bodies, minds, spirits? On today’s podcast, my guest, Bishop Garry Bryant answers these questions as well as the central question: What is demonization and is it real?

Bishop Garry Bryant

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Who is Garry?

Garry Bryant is a native Virginian and the son of a Pentecostal Holiness Minister. He has served as a Senior Pastor, as Conference Christian Education Director, and as Bishop of Redemption Ministries. His ministry goal is to raise-up the body of Christ in effective ministry to carry out the Great Commission.  Garry and his wife LaDawn have two children, Dreama and Garryt. They reside in Oklahoma City, OK, where Garry presently serves as Assistant Director for EVUSA with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church and as the National Field Director of ACTS2DAY Ministries.

Garry’s experiences and Biblcal knowledge qualify him to share authoritatively about demonization.

Garry and I recently traveled together to India. While there we sat down and chatted about this issue of demonization. I found his experiences and insights fascinating. I hope you will also.

Here are some Scripture passages related to the issue of demonization:

Matthew 8:29 “And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus, you Son of God? are you come here to torment us before the time?”

Matthew 10:1 “And when he had called to him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”

Matthew 12:22 “Then was brought to him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw.”

Mark 3:11 “And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, You are the Son of God.”

Mark 9:29 “And he said to them, ‘This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.’”

Mark 9:38 “And John answered him, saying, ‘Master, we saw one casting out devils in your name, and he follows not us: and we forbade him, because he follows not us.’”

Luke 8:2 “And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils”

Luke 11:14 “And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spoke; and the people wondered.”

1 Corinthians 10:20 “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils.”

James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour”

“They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.’ 8 For he was saying to him, ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?’ He replied, ‘My name is Legion, for we are many.’ 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, ‘Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.’ 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus[d] to depart from their region.” (Mark 5:1-17 ESV)

For more help understanding what the Bible says about demonization, the devil, demons and God’s Holy Spirit see these resources on my website:

• Why and when does the devil attack?

• Opposition often means you’re right on track

• 3 Steps to Get the Help You Need Today

• Podcast: Is it necessary to pray to be filled with the Spirit?

• Video vlog: Wilderness Gardens Mill, the Word and the Spirit

To learn more about this “Christianity Questions and Answers” podcast and how to submit your questions, click HERE.

To receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord click HERE.

To develop your relationship with God, get my free eBook “10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth” click HERE.

You can leave a comment below.

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What Is The Virgin Birth?

"Christianity Questions and Answers" podcast CQA 057

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Some mock the virgin birth while other people who call themselves Christians question or deny it. Others misunderstand and are confused. So what is the virgin birth? In this podcast my great friend Dr. Jayakumar Ramachandran gives us the Biblical answer to this question. He also explains why the virgin birth is so important to the Christian faith.

Dr. Jayakumar Ramachandran

Recently Jay was in my home and we sat down to talk over these issues.

To listen to this podcast just hit the play button above.

Here are some Scripture passages that explain the virgin birth:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14 ESV)

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: …” (Matthew 1:18-25 ESV)

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 ESV)

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:23 ESV)

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18 ESV)

“And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:35 ESV)

“To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.” (Luke 1:27 ESV)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1ESV)

Who is Jay?

Dr. Jay was born and raised in Chennai (Madras) India to a staunch Hindu father and a traditional Christian mother.

Jay was more influenced by his father’s beliefs, values, and practices of Hinduism because his father was more religious than his mother. This deprived Jay of any Christian atmosphere and nurturing during his childhood and teenage years. Consequently, Jay formed a pluralistic religious belief.

However, in 1976, through God-orchestrated events, Jay came to know the true and living God by reading the books of John and Romans. In 1989, Jay founded Bible Believing Churches & Missions (BBCM) and continued to plant churches in Bangalore, India and challenge other church leaders to do the same.

Jay has diligently pursued advanced education.  His degrees include:

• Doctorate degree in Ministry D. Min. (Miss) from Columbia Intel University, USA

• Masters degree in Sacred Theology (STM) from Dallas Theological Seminary, USA

• Masters degree (M.Th) in Bible Exposition from Asian Christian Academy

• Masters degree (M.A) from the University of Madras

For more help in understanding what the Bible says about Jesus, Mary and the importance of faith in Christ see these resources on my website:

• Four Powerful Proofs Jesus Lives

• 3 Motives for Rejecting Jesus

• A Christmas Present Wrapped in Rags

• Don’t Spit Me Out!

• Podcast: Was the Virgin Mary the Ark of the New Covenant?

• Podcast: Is it right to worship or pray to Mary?

• Podcast: Does salvation come only through faith in Christ? (Exclusivism)

To learn more about this “Christianity Questions and Answers” podcast and how to submit your questions, click HERE.

To receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord click HERE.

To develop your relationship with God, get my free eBook “10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth” click HERE.

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

Why Do We Need Foreign Missionaries?

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Some missionaries serve in their own country. Others like myself live in their home country and travel to other places. Others like the Apostle Paul have an almost completely itinerant ministry. And others like my guest on today’s podcast are foreign missionaries. Some may wonder why do we need foreign missionaries?

Steve Barrett, missionary to Japan.

My guest on this podcast is Steve Barrett who is serving Jesus with his wife in Japan. They are foreign missionaries. Steve grew up here in North San Diego County. He learned Japanese language in college and after marrying and moving to Japan.

Steve works with church planting and evangelism. You can hear more of his story on this podcast.

On this podcast you’ll also hear why we need foreign missionaries.

Japan is a great example of the need for foreign missionaries. According to the Disciple All Nations website, “In 29 of Japan’s 47 prefectures [like provinces or municipalities] at least 50% of the towns do not have a church. Two prefectures have no churches at all. Just one prefecture has a church in every town. Thus we conclude that not only have a large majority of those in Japan never heard the Good News about Jesus Christ, but they have little opportunity to hear the Good News, since there are so many towns that do not have a single Church.”

Here are some of verses related to this topic:

“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’”(Romans 10:13-15 ESV)

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (John 3:17-19 ESV, emphasis mine)

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 ESV)

“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12 ESV)

“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 NIV)

Here are other resources from this website on the need for missionaries and evangelism:

• Five Questions for Those Who Think Many Roads Lead to Heaven

• 4 Great Questions to Ignite Passion for Evangelism in a Lost World

• How to Jump off the Fence and Decide to Support Missions

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

• Five Questions for Those Who Think Many Roads Lead to Heaven

• Video – the Great Commission is for ALL Christians

• Podcast: Isn’t Christianity arrogant to claim to be the only way to heaven?

• Podcast: Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?

• Podcast: Can salvation be received without the Gospel? (Inclusivism)

To learn more about this “Christianity Questions and Answers” podcast and how to submit your questions, click HERE. 

To receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord click HERE.

To develop your relationship with God, get my free eBook “10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth” click HERE.

You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this episode helpful, we’d love for you to rate the podcast in iTunes. This will help get this podcast in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Also, please Click here to leave a review – thanks so much for your help!