Aspects of Indigenous Spirituality related to the Spirit world, illustrated from the Philippines. A video including these ideas may be found at: https://vimeo.com/vivgrigg/indigenousspirituality

1. Dealing with Spirits
Spiritual Warfare and Folk Religions
No Laughing Matter
Not a TV story!
No place for glory – just messy!

2. Location of Topic in our
Spiritual Pilgrimage
In our first session on the spiritual journey, one of the elements is that we
are at war with the world (Rom 12:1,2; 1 John 2:15-17), the flesh (Rom
7) and the Devil (1 John 4:4).
 The world: in modern terminology would be equivalent to human
culture – the falleness of humanity reflected in collective structure,
values, authorities.
 The flesh: a Greek term that Paul uses as the basis for discussion of
our internal struggle with sin
 The Devil: an ancient enemy, classically understood to be a fallen
archangel of great power, under whom are other angels. The phrase
may mean the Devil himself or one of the lesser demons.
 Each of these battles is different, requiring different weapons and
strategies.

3. The Mandate
 Evil spirits exist (read Jesus, watch Hollywood, read
anthropology and folk religions)
 Satan was vanquished at the cross, but before the full
number come in to the Kingdom, the Lord delays, so a
cosmic warfare continues.
 He and his spirits wait to go to the place prepared for
them.
 They prefer to remain and hide and to dwell in people and
places.
 They can be cast out, and as we go preaching we are
commanded to do so.
 They can be sent to the place prepared for them

4. A Gospel Presentation
 How do you move from
being subject to the
Spirits to freedom and
power over the spirits?

5. Filipino Levels of Spiritual Power
Cultural
 A high God, inaccessible, capricious
 Mediating Powers
 Spirits that can be appeased
 Aswang
 Mediums, albularyos who can appease
and protect through particular powers
granted by spirits
 Human Beings living in fear
 Duwende (Dwarves), Elfs, Trolls who
trouble or help as they determine, but
need to be appeased
 Spirits in nature – trees, buildings,
rivers

6. Filipino Catholic Synthesis of Power
Cultural Catholic
 A high God, inaccessible,
capricious
 Mediating Powers
 Mary
 Saints
 A dead Christ
 Spirits that can be appeased
 Aswang
 Mediums, albularyos who
can appease and protect
through particular powers
granted by spirits
 Human Beings living in fear
 Dwarfs, Elfs, Trolls who
trouble or help as they
determine
Wattah Wattah festival for
St John the Baptist

7. Filipino Levels of Spiritual Power
Kingdom of God
 God is over all, external to
all,
 Christ is mediator between
man and God
 Archangels: Michael, Gabriel
 Orders of Angels
 Human Beings in Christ,
victorious
 Fallen Angels, Demons,
Spirits
 Satan is fallen archangel
 Aswang
 Duwende
 Human Beings without Christ
Cultural
 A high God, inaccessible,
capricious
 Mediating Powers
 Mary
 Saints, Christ
 Spirits that can be appeased
 Aswang
 Mediums, albularyos who
can appease and protect
through particular powers
granted by spirits
 Human Beings living in fear
 Dwarfs, Elfs, Trolls who
trouble or help as they
determine
Mary
Saints
were holy
but have
no power

8. A Gospel Presentation
 How do you move from being
subject to the Spirits to
freedom and power over the
spirits?
 Trust that in the cross Jesus blood
vanquished Satan
 1 John 4:4 Receive Christ’s spirit
who overcomes the world
 Repent of any dealings with the
Spirits
 Put away any charms, amulets,
bracelets, idols
 Renounce any dedication to the
Spirits
 Command any spirits to depart
from house, family, self

9. Transforming
Cultural
Beliefs
About God
Now apply this
to some beliefs on
next slide

10. Filipino Value
Systems - How do
you define spiritual
growth from within
these values?

11. How is Authority Transmitted
 Inherent in Conversion?
 Laying on of Hands?
 Divine Choice?
 Divine Encounter in Prayer and Fasting?

12. Simple Steps in Deliverance
 Discernment
 Teamwork – some have discernment, some have authority
 Authority – invite the Holy Spirit’s presence and power, ask him to show you
what to do, listen to the Spirit speaking through each one.
 Process
 There is no magical formula or process
 However these are usual steps
 Discern the nature of the spirit (may be from the person himself or others, or
through the manifestation)
 Ask the Lord’s presence
 Bind the spirit (so it will do no harm and be quiet)
 Ask the victim to renounce it and to repent of anything that has caused its
entrance
 Command the Spirit by name (its nature) to depart to the place prepared for it.
(Rev 20:2,10).
 Absolution: Confirming to the victim their forgiveness and their victory in Christ
 Training in Resistance: Using the Word. Resisting the Devil with commands
(James 4:7).
 Its messy

13. Power Encounters
 A missions anthropology theory developed by Alan Tippett at Fuller Seminary,
expanded by Kraft, Wagner and others.
 In the conversions of people groups there is often a point where the ruling deity or
spirit over the people is challenged by the apostle in a public confrontation. The
defeat of that Spirit, opens the door for the whole people to then turn to follow
Christ, the vanquishing power.
 The Biblical story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is a classic example.
 Acts 19 is an interesting chapter that shows various dynamics of power
encounters, yet does not end with a clear outcome.
 Similar dramatic turnings of whole peoples to Christ may occur at dramatic points
of cultural reconcillation (See John Dawson’s work), or pubic repentance – at
times sparked by an economic or natural catastrophe
 Read the articles on:
Tippett, A. (1971). People Movements in Southern Polynesia. Chicago, Moody Bible
Institute.
Dawson, J. (1996). The Massacre. Healing America's Wounds. Ventura, Regal Books.

14. A Shepherd in the Mist
It was Christmas in Calcutta. We were celebrating. I had given lights to this
bustee family. As Hindu neighbors came to see the lights, we would tell them
a little of the Christmas story.
I asked a 78-year-old man: “How do you know God? I mean really know God?” I
knew that there were many nominal Christians who have never really known
God, and I wanted to discover more about this man’s faith.
“Let me tell you a story,” he said. “Eighteen years ago, I was climbing a
mountain with my baby daughter in my arms. Some mist came, and in the
mist I became trapped, unable to move up or down.
“Suddenly in the mist a big man appeared, leaning on a staff. He helped me put
my foot on the next step and then the next until we arrived at the top of the
mountain where the rest of my family was watching. I reached into my pocket
to give him two rupees for his help, but when I looked up, suddenly . . . .he
was gone!”
“From that time,” he said, “I have known the Shepherd.”
God had reached into the slums and revealed himself. But nobody in the 18
years since had come to tell more about how to follow that Shepherd!

15. The Spirit and Justice for the Poor
In the last phrase of Luke 4:18, we find Jesus speaking of
bringing in an age of justice, the age of the kingdom—a time
when equality will reign, when the poor will be uplifted and
the rich brought low.
He had been cursed by a tribal enemy. As he died, he had a
conversation with Jesus, who told him to go back to the
living, for it was not his time yet. He must go and minister to
the poor.
He began to pray for the sick. Lame, deaf, and blind were
healed. Once, he raised a man from the dead. During a
rebellion, the leaders of both sides would come to him, for he
had become known as a holy man.
He encouraged the police not to fire, not to use real bullets. He
encouraged negotiations. He helped develop trade unions to
deal with the fundamental cause of the rebellion—the loss of
the people’s ecological environment through open-caste
copper mining.
The man or woman who knows the Spirit will often be the man
or woman whom God chooses to effect justice.

16. A STORY OF THE SPIRIT'S WORK
Two weeks ago, I went to call Dtoey, BuRuam, and Maidtrii to come join us for the
Monday meal and to sing "malaam" music with us. They and some other men
were sitting around drinking in BuRuam's house. They asked if we had whiskey
at my house. I said, "No, but we've got oysters, fish, sticky rice, papaya salad
and a kan and a glong (Isaan music instruments)." They refused to come on the
grounds that we didn't have any whiskey. After I left and went back to the house,
BuRuam later came and joined us. He shared a testimony of how after I had left
him, he couldn't drink anymore. He would try to, but whenever he would take a
sip, he would just cough it up. He felt God must have supernaturally inhibited him
from drinking anymore because he wanted him to come to this meeting. He said
he got goose bumps all over as he entered the meeting and knew something
was up here. I've never know him to be particularly open to the gospel (in fact,
they had just organized a big party out front of the community the night before for
the occasion of his son's entering the Buddhist monkhood for 3 months), but he
praised God effusively then. Last week, he was the first adult to show up to our
gathering.
 Dave von Stroh, Bangkok

17. References
 Wimber, John, Power Evangelism, San Franciso: Harper and Row, 1993
 Boa, K. (2001). Warfare with the Flesh and the World. Conformed to his Image. Grand
Rapids, Zondervan: 325-338.
 Grigg, V. (1993). "Intercessors and Cosmic Urban Spiritual Warfare." International
Journal of Frontier Missions 10:4(Oct 1993).
 Herbert, P. G. Spiritual Warfare and Worldview-chapter 11. Incarnational Ministry: pp
163-177 Chapter 11.
 ---- The Flaw of the Excluded Middle.
 Jocano, F. L. (1969). The Coming of the Gods. Outline of Philippine Mythology.
Philippines, Capitol Publishing House.
 Koch, K. (1967). Between Christ and Satan. 7501 Burghausen Blvd, Western
Germany, Evangelization Publishers.
 --- (1994a). Black and White Magic. Christian Counselling and Occultism. Grand
Rapids, Kregel.
 --- (1994b). Christian Counselling and Occultism. Grand Rapids, Kregel
 . Murphy, E. (1996). Six Sin Areas and the Possible Demonization of Christians. The
Handbook for Spiritual Warfare. Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson.
 Nee, W. (1972). Spiritual Authority. NY, Christian Fellowship Publishers.
 Wagner, C. P. (1992). Warfare Prayer. Ventura, Regal.