For many believers, evangelism is seen simply as sharing the gospel message with others. But in the New Testament, evangelism was never meant to stand alone, it was always accompanied by power and authority over the unseen realm.
The late Derek Prince, one of the most respected Bible teachers of the last century, emphasized that Jesus never sent His followers into the world without first equipping them to confront spiritual darkness. His words still resonate today as both a challenge and an encouragement for the church.
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Prince declared, “In the New Testament no one was ever sent out to evangelize without first being commissioned to deal with evil spirits. There isn’t an example in the New Testament. It is unscriptural to do that.”
Looking at Matthew 10, he pointed out how Jesus first gave authority to the twelve disciples: “He gave them power over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” The disciples weren’t just told to preach a message. They were sent to demonstrate the kingdom by healing the sick, cleansing lepers, raising the dead, and casting out demons.
/**/This commissioning was not limited to the 12. In Luke 10, 70 others were sent out with the same power and returned declaring, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” Prince noted, “What impressed them most? They had authority over demons.”
He then turned to the Great Commission itself: “These signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons.” Prince stressed that this mandate was not just for the early church but for all generations. “He made no provision for that process to change. He envisaged the same thing going on from the time He left to the time He came back. That’s His program.”
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Prince warned that much of the modern church has neglected this foundation: “The tragedy is the church has departed from it. They have not improved upon it. They can’t. They’ve simply made a disaster out of it.” Still, his reminder was rooted in hope, pointing believers back to God’s original design for His people.
As an example, Prince highlighted Philip, the only man in the New Testament specifically called an evangelist. “Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them… And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many.” Prince observed, “The first thing in his ministry as an evangelist was driving out evil spirits.”
His conclusion was firm: “Both the pattern and the commission of Jesus leave no room for the servants of God today to go out in evangelism without first being equipped to deal with evil spirits.”
The encouragement in this teaching is that the same authority given by Jesus has not been withdrawn. Evangelism is not only about words but also about the power of the kingdom breaking through into people’s lives.
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When believers proclaim Christ and walk in His authority, they can expect to see transformation, freedom and the tangible work of the Holy Spirit.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
