This passage again shows the historical accuracy of Luke/Acts. The “spirit of divination” of a slave girl was used by her owners to make a lot of money. She announced that Paul and his co-workers served the “Most High God” and proclaimed salvation. Paul eventually became annoyed with this and cast out the spirit. Luke uses the term “python” for this spirit. We discuss the history of this in Greek and Latin mythology and how such a spirit was connected with divination and soothsaying. Luke was completely accurate.

We also looked back in Luke to accounts of Jesus giving authority over spirits to His disciples. The point of these deliverances was not merely therapeutic but demonstrated the authority of Jesus Christ and His apostles over Satan and his demons. In this context, we discuss contemporary exorcists who profit from casting demons out of Christian for therapeutic reasons. The deliverances in Luke/Acts demonstrated the truth of the gospel and the power of God, not a new plan to make life better for Christians with various problems. We share how those who interact with spirits often create manifestations which merely promote the seeming need for more direct interactions with spirits.

What we must realize is that those who believe are removed from the realm of the spirits and are now directly under Jesus Christ. We need to go to Him about spiritual problems rather than speaking to demons. We have a robust discussion about this and related matters.