Moving in the Apostolic

122 Moving in the Apostolic

spirits. The result is a free flow of the Holy Spirit and spiritual life. The saints are then released to operate in the gifts of the Spirit, thus opening the way for strong prayer, praise, worship, prophecy, miracles, healings and deliverance. Apostles are anointed to break the powers of darkness and keep the Church free from the snares of the devil. And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver (Acts 19:18,19). This is the fourth example from the book of Acts of the apostolic anointing breaking the power of witchcraft. The New English Bible translation says, "They openly confessed that they had been using magical spells." This public burning of books was a total renunciation of Satan and his kingdom. Dr. C. Peter Wagner has said, "I wonder what new doors to evangelism might be opened in sophisticated, tolerant, politically-correct America if Christians started expressing their faith by encouraging those who possessed artifacts of magic or unclean books to burn them publicly." With the proliferation of psychics and new age teachings in America and around the world, the Church must embrace the apostolic and begin to operate in this dimension if we are to see the kinds of breakthrough experiences recorded in the book of Acts. Witchcraft must be confronted and dealt with. The Church cannot ignore witchcraft and hope it will go away. We must have an anointing to discern and confront this spirit whose assignment is to stop and hinder the Church. An apostolic Church will possess the power and authority to overcome this spirit and to advance in spite of its opposition. Note 1. Paula A. Price, God's Apostle Revived (Everlasting Life Publications: Plainfield, New Jersey, 1994).