This document discusses common misconceptions about bondage and the spiritual world. It asserts that true identity and meaning can only be found in Christ, as the effects of sin have marred humanity's quest for self-identity and purpose. Our deepest needs can only be met by God through Jesus, who restores our original spiritual life and transforms our inner being. As Christians, our new identity is defined by being in Christ rather than our actions.

1. B onda g e
B re a ke r

2. Common Misconceptions
About Bondage
UCCP-
Cosmopol a Church
it n

3. 1. Demons were
busy when Christ
was on earth , but
they ’ re not around
much today
What does Paul’s warning
in Ephesians 6:12-18
suggest?

4. Ephesians 6:10-20
v10Finally, be strong in the
Lord and in the strength of
his might. v11Put on the
whole armor of God, that
you may be able to stand
against the schemes of the
devil.

5. v12For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against
the authorities, against the
cosmic powers over this
present darkness, against
the spiritual forces of evil in
the heavenly places.

6. v13Therefore take up the whole
armor of God, that you may be
able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand
firm. v14Stand therefore, having
fastened on the belt of truth, and
having put on the breastplate of
righteousness, v15and, as shoes
for your feet, having put on the
readiness given by the gospel of
peace.

7. v16In all circumstances take
up the shield of faith, with
which you can extinguish all
the flaming darts of the evil
one; v17and take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word
of God,

8. v18praying at all times
in the Spirit, with all
prayer and supplication.
To that end keep alert
with all perseverance,
making supplication for
all the saints,

9. 2. What early
Christians called
‘ demonic activity is
only mental illness .
Why would many psychologists
never bring up the possibility of
demonic activity?

10. • Some problems
are psychological
and some are
spiritual .
Why can’t we draw a line like this
between our Psyche (our mind)
and our spirit?

11. 1Thess v23May the God who
gives us peace make you holy
in every way and keep your
whole being---spirit, soul,
and body---free from every
fault at the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.

12. 4. Christians can ’ t
be attacked by
demonic forces .
See again Ephesians 6:12-18

13. 5. The activity of
demons is only seen
in weird behavior or
gross sin
How does Satan benefit from this
misunderstanding of his activity?
What does Paul’s teaching in 2
Corinthians 11:14-15 suggest about
the state of demon influence?

14. 6. Freedom from
spiritual bondage is
the result of a power
encounter with
demonic forces
Which of misconceptions listed
above have you encountered? If you
have accepted any of them is true,
how has doing so affected your life?

15. Take time to read God’s truth.
What do the following verses
say about Satan and Christ?
John 8: 44
John 10:10
John 14:6

16. Heaven-God and Angels
Spirit World — Excluded from rational
discourse
Earth-Material World Running by
Natural Laws

18. What have you learned so
far about the reality of the
spiritual world?

19. Since you are in Christ, you
never again need to live in the
shadows, instead, from your
position in Christ, you are
responsible for choosing the
truth and resisting the devil.
You are responsible for
renouncing (turning your back
on) the ways you have
participated in his schemes.

20. We are able to choose the truth
and resist the devil because of
what we are in Christ. Fully
understanding God’s provision
for you in Christ is key to
understanding how He can be
your B o n d a g e
B re a ke r.

21. We know that God loved us so
much that He provided us a way
out of our sinful state so that we
can become close to Him and be
changed inside out

22. Because of Jesus’ Grace and
Mercy we know that:
♦ We were forgiven of our sins
♦ We were empowered to live a whole
new kind of life
♦ We began to love others and belong to
a Christian family

23. 2 Cor 10:4 The weapons we fight
with are not the weapons of the
world. On the contrary, they have
divine power to demolish
strongholds. 5We demolish arguments
and every pretension that sets itself up
against the knowledge of God, and we
take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ.

24. The Root of Human Problems is
Sin and Sin has marred our
quest for self-identity and
meaning

25. --As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one
who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have
turned away, they have together become worthless; there
is no one who does good, not even one." 13 "Their
throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips." 14 "Their mouths
are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift
to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17
and the way of peace they do not know." 18 "There is no
fear of God before their eyes."
3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law,
has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets
testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through
faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no
difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3: 10-18;
21-24

26. A. Who am I?
D on’t be fooled by m e. D on’t be fooled by the face
I wear. I wear a m ask. I wear a thousand m asks
— m asks that I am afraid to take off and none of
them are m e.
Pretend ing is an art that is second nature to m e, but
d on’t be fooled . I give the im pression that I am
secure, that all is sunny and unruffled within m e
as well as without; that confid ence is m y nam e
and coolness, m y gam e, that the water is calm and
I am in com m and ; and that I
need no one.

27. Who are you?
But d on’t believe m e, please. M y surface m ay seem
sm ooth, but m y surface is m y m ask, m y ever-
varying and ever-concealing m ask.
Beneath d wells the real m e in confusion, in fear, in
aloneness. But I hid e that. I d on’t want anybod y
to know it. I panic at the thought of weakness and
fear being exposed . That is why I frantically
create a m ask to hid e behind a nonchalant,
sophisticated façad e— to help m e pretend , to
shield m e from the glance that knows.

28. Who are you?
But such a glance is precisely m y salvation, m y only
salvation, and I know it. That is, if it’s followed
by acceptance; if it is followed by love.
It’s the only thing that can liberate m e from m y own
self-built prison wall, from the barriers I so
painstakingly erected . It’s the only thing that will
assure m e of what I can’t assure m yself— that I
am really som ething…

29. Who are you?
Who am I, you m ay wond er. I am som eone you
know very well. I am every m an you m eet. I am
every wom an you m eet. I am every child you
m eet. I am right in front of you. Please… love
m e.
(from Glad to be Me by Dov Pereta, Elkins)

30. B. False Equations in searching for
Identity and Meaning
APPEARANCE ADMIRATION
 (WHOLE
PERSON?)
04/21/12 30

31. False Equations in searching for
Identity and Meaning
PERFORMANCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
(WHOLE
PERSON?)
04/21/12 31

32. False Equations in searching for
Identity and Meaning
STATUS RECOGNITION
 (WHOLE
PERSON?)
04/21/12 32

33. “Try as you might by our appearance,
performance or social status to find
self verification for a sense of being
somebody, we always come short of
satisfaction. Whatever pinnacle or
self-identity we achieve soon crumbles
under the pressure of hostile rejection
or criticism, introspection or guilt, fear
or anxiety. We cannot do anything to
qualify for the by-product of being
loved unconditionally and voluntarily.”
(Maurice Wagner)

34. ORIGINAL CREATION (Gen. 1, 2)
Physical Life (Bios)
•Alive.
•Our soul/spirit is in
union with our body
Spiritual Life (Zoa)
•Our soul/spirit is in
union with God
Soul (Mind/Emotions/Will)
•Significant (Gen 1:28)
Mankind has a divine purpose
•Safe and Secure (Gen 1:29)
All of mankind’s needs were provided for
•Belonged (Gen 1:18)
Mankind had a sense of identity and
belonging to God and each other.

35. EFFECTS OF THE FALL (Gen. 3:8-4:9)
Physical Life (Bios)
•Death entered the
world (Rom. 5:12)
Spiritual Life
•Dead to sin (Eph. 2:1)
•Separated from God
Soul (Mind/Emotions/Will)
•Rejected -- Need to belong
•Guilt and Shame - Need of self-worth
•Weak and Helpless (Gen 1:18)
-Need of Strength and self control
•Meaningless pursuit of significance

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37. EFFECTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Rom. 81-16)
Physical Life (Bios)
•A future new body
Spiritual Life (Zoa)
•Alive in Christ
Soul (Mind/Emotions/Will)
•No Condemnation: Therefore, no more
guilt or shame (Rom. 8:1-4)
•Strong in Christ: Therefore, no longer weak
and helpless (Rom. 8:5-14)
•Significant--A Child of God: Therefore, no
longer rejected (Rom. 8:15-17)

38. D. “Know Thy Self”
One’s deepest self is in the Spirit
level. It is only Jesus who can
transform it and fashion it in
accordance with his original design
—to be a whole person.

39. E. Life Determines Identity
A person who acknowledges the power
and authority of Christ in his life
receives a new identity—He/she
becomes a Christian. A Christian is not
simply a person who gets a new nature.
A Christian in terms of his deepest
identity is a saint, a born child of God, a
divine masterpiece, a child of light, a
citizen of heaven.

40. Life Determines Identity…
Being a Christian is not just getting
something, it is being someone. What
you have isn’t the point. It is who you
are. It is not what the Christian does that
determines who he is, it is who he/she is
that determines what he does.

41. Who are we?
♦ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly
point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in
this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is
gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God,
who reconciled us to himself through Christ and
gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God
was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not
counting men’s sins against them. And he has
committed to us the message of reconciliation.
- 2 Corinthians 5:16-19

42. Only God in Jesus Christ meets all
human needs—body, soul and spirit.
Jesus is the ultimate Restorer and
Bondage Breaker
May God himself, the God of
peace, sanctify you through and
through. May your whole spirit,
soul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
--1 Thessalonians 5:23

43. Pr ed by Rev. Dennis Diamante
epar
forD3 Discipl
eship Cur icul
r um
5 Sept
ember2008
References:
♦ Bondage Breaker, NeilA son. F eedom in Chr M r © 9
nder r ist inisties 198
♦ Purpose Driven Ministries, Pur Dr en Phil
pose iv ippines Updae
t
♦ Foundations For Christian Leadership Notes, ISOTA - sia
♦ Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. (c)1994 1995, 1996Soft M t
, Key ulimediaInc.