What Real Deliverance Looks Like

I once saw a guy get hands laid on him and he fell forward, not backward.  If the people who were standing behind him weren't quick...actually, they weren't.  And dude fell flat on the carpeted floor.  A good sounding thud too...and though I know that people getting knocked out by the power of God is real, there's always a possibility of a production.  But ain't nobody gonna fake falling face first...that you can bet is real.  Everybody in the building must have been thinking the same thing as me, too; because there wasn't any shouting or dancing or any of that.  It was mostly silence...even as Believers who had seen "falling out" before...this one was distinctively different.

Many Christians won't admit outside of the comfort of our circle that we think "church-service deliverance" is fake (particularly the ones when people pass out)...but we do.  Some of us feel that way for a while until we experience it ourselves. This weekend saw that in Andrew Caldwell, the man whose celebration of freedom from homosexuality went viral.  Non-believers joked about the incident as expected; along with having several views on why the incident was a show.  What was interesting is what I've been hearing and reading from the Christian community.  Obviously, there's been some doubt about if it was really real.  Some because of carnal influence, but some because of good reason.

I think that level of skepticism does present a problem, though; not so much that the undecided group affected Caldwell from being delivered, but instant deliverance can often come with a period of reinforcing that freedom...which is sometimes a lifelong process and help from others.  People who are less likely to believe that a person can be delivered during one night of worship are less likely to help that person back up when they slip.  Instead, those types criticize the authenticity of the person and, even worse, the power of God working through man.  So for Caldwell, if he gets caught going into a gay club, instead of running to lovingly redirect him, some of those same people dancing with him at that conference will tell us about it him "back-sliding" on Facebook.  But I think even that type of treachery can in some way be traced back to Caldwell and his actions.

In Mark 10, we read of a story where Jesus restored a blind man's sight.  This event is immensely critical when looking at instant deliverance for a couple reasons....both of which speak about the faith of the once blind person.  First, him calling Jesus "Son of David (vv. 47-48)" proved that the gentleman acknowledged the royal bloodline from King David that was a confirming trait of the Messiah.  But more personally, when he was prompted to meet Christ, he threw off his garment.  In 1st century Palestine, people wore clothing to signify whether or not they had a disability...similar to the handicap license plates of today.  By removing his identifying clothes, the blind man was essentially stating that he was no longer blind and had no further use of the blind label.  Hence, his faith was so secure that he knew from the moment Jesus requested his presence that he was healed.

How does this relate to Caldwell?  Well, he did have on clothing that personified the contemporary African-American homosexual.  Additionally, after being "delivered", he still spoke and moved in the stereotypical ways of a black gay man.  So it did seem a little sketchy.  Was the internet duped yet again?

Without the Holy Spirit, none of us can say for sure.  We can choose to believe...or not...but we really don't know.  However, to not believe that Caldwell was delivered indicates something.  It could speak to the poor teaching we may have received; as we were delivered from all afflictions and sins the moment we accepted what Christ did on the Cross, and after (Isaiah 53:5).  It also could speak to the fact that we haven't received accurate teaching about deliverance.  But...maybe most importantly...it persuades us to question what a post-delivered person looks like depending on the sin; and then, we have to ask ourselves if we too look like a freed person.

Being free from drugs, sexual immorality, anger, and a host of other things does bring celebration.  And in our age it's somewhat unfortunate that these precious moments can be shared with people who have either no respect or have relative respect for The Lord God...because the perception of power is minimized.  I would advise against trying to figure it all out, and in spirit and in speech celebrate freedom with him.  What if it was fake, either our collective affirmation of deliverance can help Caldwell want it to be real or expose the lie...so it all works.  Because honestly, what's more crucial is that instead of speculating and commenting about whether dude was delivered from being gay or not; we should address our individual issues of doubting deliverance.

Peace