Discernment of Spiritual Powers

The story is told of St. Francis of Assisi, that wandering Pentecostal evangelist of earlier years, as to how he saved Assisi.  The city was in civil war.  He sent Bernardo ahead of him to declare to the spirits over the city that Francis of Assisi was coming and to depart and to gather the leaders of rich and poor.  They then sat down and negotiated a contract that saved the city. Dealing with spirits is an essential part of taking a city.

George Otis coined and Peter Wagner^[24] has popularized a new term, "spiritual mapping", a discipline through engagement with the spiritual powers in a given city, of discerning their identity and geographic locations.  The thesis is that if we bind the strong man over a city we may take a city.^[25] Much of my own ministry has grown from involvement in discernment of spiritual issues in warfare for cities.^[26]

There may be one or several leaders in the city who have a combination of prophetic, deliverance and discernment  giftings, who will be able to effectively undertake this kind of work.  Such leaders should be developed and encouraged.

On the other hand there are dangers about the way this has been popularized.  I have met many  who have taken such themes, and being young in the faith, or without authority at this level of warfare, or not called or gifted into deliverance ministries, or who frankly have been  deluded, then identifying and praying against spirits or bondages that probably are not all that significant in the battle. 

In Jesus and Paul's life and manner, spiritual warfare revolved around proclamation and meeting needs, in a context of prayer and discernment.  Their spirituality was messy, dirty, dusty, defying programs and not at all based on claims to be high level spiritual intercessors, "generals of intercession", or any form of super-spirituality.^[27]  Indeed Paul condemns such.  For those with a heart for this kind of ministry it is wise that they go find the poor and needy in the city.  In doing so, they will find engagement with lower level spirits and God may then lead step by step into confrontation with the powers that control the structures of the cities.

Incarnation is the key to intercession and effective warfare, The lived out cross, the preached cross, is the central element of warfare.^[28 

For 25 years Jackie Pullinger has pioneered ministries among drug addicts in Hong Kong.  The power encounters at the level of the individual, then at the level of the gang leaders have opened doors to reach to the leaders of the city.   This is normative, messy, spiritual warfare.

Mother Teresa, can best be understood, not in terms of social work, nor of an ancient form of Catholicism, but in terms of her daily prophetic encounters with Kali, goddess of death and destruction, the God for whom Calcutta is named.  Every day beside the temple of this goddess she rescues the dying on the streets.

How do you take Bangkok, knowing that a powerful spirit has protected the Kingdom of Thailand, one that is deeply sensuous, and this sensuality has become the hallmark of the capital, Bangkok?  One woman has gone to rescue the prostitutes.  In the process, encounters with the powers behind the business, and those who control the business occur.  This lead her into coalition with a number of the leading women, wives of the political and city Leadership who desired to clean up this side of the city.  Step by step, from messy grass roots warfare, comes the identification and binding of the powers.

In all of this it is the presence of the church that is the sign to the powers of their defeat.  The public celebration by a united church in a city, has in many places seen these powers pushed back.

Cities as Centers of Cosmic Conflict
Biblical history is a history of a cosmic conflict between two cities - the city of God, and the city of man - of power struggles taking place in two centers of demonic powers - (the rich and the poor):
·        the principalities over the military elites who rule the worlds' city-states from the mega-cities ( there are few democracies)
·        and the powers that are manifest in the urban slums, where the victims of the oppression, violence, corruption and mismanagement of countries and cities find their final dwellings. 

Cities As Reflection of the Nature of God
With nothing else than Genesis chapters 1 to 4, we could predict the emergence of the mega-cities, as man in the communicating, relationship-seeking, productive, creative, structuring image of God seeks that kind of community that is at the very heart of the Godhead. 

The image of God in man at times and in many cities is increasingly being made manifest in the beauty of the city and its relationships, communication, artistry and productivity. 

Cities: Covenants between people and God
Jerusalem was a city built from a covenant with a bearded patriarch whose eyes  were fixed on a heavenly city.  Cities today often retain some of the effect of covenants made in former days.  

When I was a child, there were a group of old men who used to pray for our  city in York Place Hall in the center of our city.  They were the fruit of the revival lead by R.A. Torrey in our city in 1904. In my 14th year they died.  That year the Presbyterian churches of this city (founded by migrant Presbyterians to be a city of God) the youth of the churches emptied out.   Sensuous dancing was started in the churches.  By the end of the year the youth were down dancing into sexual relationships in the town hall, and were out of the church. 

That year the spiritual life of the city died.  The city never recovered. Even today I can count on one hand the spiritual churches in that city. God upheld covenants made with Torrey and with these men through their lifetimes.  Their prayers upheld the spirituality of the city.

Taking cities has to do with re-establishing the covenants of the cities , destroying the covenants made with devils and re-establishing covenants with God.   As for Torrey it begins with the preaching of the gospel which is the power of God.

Cities As Centers of Demonic Principalities
Jacques Ellul ^[29] in perhaps the most significant theology of the city grippingly portrays this theme from  the first city built by Cain in rebellion against God.  His descendants built Babylon.  Babylon, in the scriptures begins as the name of a city but takes on the meaning of a principality far larger than any city, becomes representative of the world urban system warring against God.  In a similar manner, Jerusalem comes to represent not just the geographical location of the city of God, but the universal city where God dwells.

Today in the same manner, we find Bangkok means the "city of the angels" and in regular daily ceremonies, every portion of land is dedicated to the spirits, for whom small houses are constructed.   Kalikata or Calcutta, is named after a goddess.  This city of death, is a servant of the goddess of death and destruction. 

Discernment of these spiritual powers helps in discernment of the battle. It is not the battle.  That occurs in the preaching of the word, the word of our testimony, the signs that follow, and the loving not of our lives to death. As Luther understood, "He who would true valor see, let him come hither...there's no discouragement can make him once relent his first avowed intent to be a pilgrim." 

Principalities as Philosophies and Religion
While the nature of principalities dwelling over territories may be inferred from the scriptures, Berkhof, Walter Wink,^[30] and others from a variety of  theological perspectives,  indicate that the primary biblical categories are not just geographical thrones and dominions but the warfare is against the philosophies and religions of the people.  Thus Hollywood  has been the name not alone for a place but for a demonic intrusion into the homes of billions(?) of licentiousness, adultery, immorality and laughter at many forms of restriction on human sexual practices that hold the family  together.  New York is known for the  financial philosophies and the structures they produce around the globe, Washington is known around the world for the misuse of power and oppression of poor nations.

Each city has a philosophical focus that seems to define it^[31], and define the warfare for that city.  Or perhaps several philosophies.  The powers are often "isms" that seem to have a territorial center.  This seems logical when considering the finite nature of demonic beings in contrast with the infinity that is our God.

How Are God's Nature and Demonic Powers Related to City Structures?
Beyond the proclamation of the Kingdom, the Kingdom impacts the very structures of the cities.  The scriptures consistently state that working for justice in society is both part of a righteous person's lifestyle and begins in intercession.

Colossians^[32] tells us that Christ is the integrator of the structures of the universe.  He holds cities together. Romans^[33] tells us to obey the instituted authorities for they have been appointed by God.

But what of the institutions not instituted by God, such as slavery of much of North Africa and many Asian cities, or the structures of prostitution or child labor in some cities?  This tension of "City of God, City of Satan" to use Robert Linthicum's term^[34] is one that requires constant discernment.  Structures are not neutral.  They may be neither good nor bad.  They may be ethically corrupted, or ethically good. Or they may have life birthed into them at points by the Holy Spirit, or death by demonic powers.

For example we may break down into components the educational structure of a city-state.  The policy (1) set by the governing parliamentary chamber (2), under the Leadership of a secretary of education (3), is then set into operating procedures (4) by bureaucrats (5), and implemented (6) by educators (7).  At any point demonic activity or the life of the Spirit of God can enter in to individuals and through individuals into the policy, philosophy, or administration. Aspects of this structure can be demonized. 

Cities may be ethically good (1) , bad (2) or neutral (mixed (3)) , governed by godly people (4) or God's principles or infiltrated  by demonic powers (5) operating through people and philosophies. The following gives a (very) rough idea of categorizing various cities.