You may know the Salvation Army best for the red kettles that raise money for its work every Christmas. In its early days, though, the Salvation Army was better known for its brass bands.
The bands were first used at outdoor meetings to protect the preachers from hecklers. They also drew crowds, especially once William Booth began setting Christian words to popular dance-hall tunes.
The preaching was so effective that bar owners lost customers as drinkers were converted. Brothel owners grew hostile because the Army campaigned against child prostitution. They began attacking the young musicians and preachers with stones, eggs, mud, and lawsuits.
Judges often sided with the bar owners and brothel operators, arresting Salvation Army members instead of the mobs.
Freedom From Demonic Influence
Two businessmen in Philippi had a profitable scheme. Their slave girl was possessed by a demon and told fortunes. They charged people for her predictions, profiting from the demonic power working through her.
You may know the saying, “The man is the message.” Someone may have a completely accurate message, but if their character is lacking, they will ruin it.
Jesus never allowed demons to reveal who he was, even when they spoke the truth, because they polluted the message. The demons were using this girl the same way they had tried to interfere with Jesus’ ministry.
“While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.'”
— Acts 16:17
Paul knew he could not let the demon keep using this slave girl to speak about his ministry. He did what others have done throughout the years: he freed her from the oppressive power of a demon.
“But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.”
— Acts 16:18
In today’s YouTube video, I share a time when I needed help from a wise, spiritual pastor. A woman in our congregation was under demonic influence, and the pastor helped set her free.
Like Paul, he told the demon to leave in Jesus’ name. He said it was no longer welcome in her life. As she visited with this pastor, she showed signs of demonic influence, but when he commanded it to leave, she became free and at peace.
Not Free From Greed
The girl’s owners were like the bar and brothel owners in the early days of the Salvation Army. They would rather see a young woman bound by a demon than rejoice in her freedom. So they opposed the preachers and used the legal system to end their influence.
“They seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.”
— Acts 16:19
Paul and Silas were treated much the way Salvation Army members were in the 1800s. A mob attacked them with the approval of the courts. They were severely beaten and then thrown into prison.
Tomorrow’s article will explore the powerful deliverance God gave Paul and Silas, and the salvation of the jailer who guarded them. For today, consider this: a slave girl was set free from demonic oppression, while her owners remained slaves to the money they craved.
That girl in Philippi has many counterparts today. In 2022, the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery reported 49.6 million people living in modern slavery: 27.6 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage. That is roughly one in every 150 people worldwide.
Why do traffickers fight so hard against freeing the people they hold? Because forced labour generates an estimated $236 billion in illegal profits every year. Like the owners in Philippi, they would rather keep their profits than see anyone go free.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discuss Acts 16:16–24 on YouTube today.
