TOO BAD SOME DON'T BELIEVE IN MARK 16:15-18 . . . and that it is for the priesthood of all Believers in the Saving Blood of Jesus The Christ and in a Spirit-led life of walking WITH AND IN HIM:
17-18"These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well."
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14-16Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. Then he said, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.
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Mark 16:15-18 (Amplified Bible)
15And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole [a]human race]. .
16He who believes [who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] and is baptized will be saved [[b]from the penalty of eternal death]; but he who does not believe [who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] will be condemned.
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17And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages;
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18They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.
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Mark 16:15-18 (English Standard Version)
15And he said to them, (A) "Go into all the world and(B) proclaim the gospel to(C) the whole creation. 16(D) Whoever believes and is(E) baptized(F) will be saved, but(G) whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And(H) these signs will accompany those who believe:(I) in my name they will cast out demons;(J) they will speak in new tongues; 18(K) they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them;(L) they will lay their hands(M) on the sick, and they will recover."
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Cross references:
A.Mark 16:15 : Matt 28:19
B.Mark 16:15 : Col 1:23; Mark 13:10; Acts 1:8; Rom 10:18
C.Mark 16:15 : Rom 8:22
D.Mark 16:16 : John 3:18
E.Mark 16:16 : John 3:5
F.Mark 16:16 : Acts 16:31; Rom 10:9; 1 Pet 3:21
G.Mark 16:16 : Mark 16:11; Luke 24:11, 41; Acts 28:24; 1 Pet 2:7; 2 Thess 2:12
H.Mark 16:17 : Mark 11:23
I.Mark 16:17 : Acts 5:16; 8:7; 16:18; 19:12; Mark 9:38
J.Mark 16:17 : Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6; 1 Cor 12:10, 28, 30; 13:1; 14:2, 4
K.Mark 16:18 : Luke 10:19; Acts 28:3-5
L.Mark 16:18 : Mark 5:23
M.Mark 16:18 : Acts 5:15, 16; 8:7; 9:12, 17; 28:8; James 5:14, 15; John 14:12
I'll check those for study! Amen!
Thank you for those beautiful Scriptures!
"Not every one that saith to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of My Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to Me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in Thy name, and cast out devils in Thy name, and done many miracles in Thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity." Matthew 7:21-23
"And having called His twelve disciples together, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of diseases, and all manner of infirmities. And the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him." Matthew 10:1-4
Too bad some don't believe in John 6. But that's an aside.
The issue here is not whether someone who is not an ordained priest can cast out a demon, but whether they ought to, and whether they ought to be permitted to exercise that ministry in the name of the Church.
Exorcism is intrinsically a spiritually dangerous enterprise. It involves interacting with, and frequently directly addressing, entities who are far more intelligent than human beings, and also more malevolent than almost any human being you are likely to meet.
Someone who is deficient in faith, grace, wisdom, prudence, or knowledge can easily place themselves, the person being exorcised, or even third party bystanders in grave spiritual danger. The scene in the movie The Exorcist where the demon attempted to tempt Fr. Damien by mimicking the voice of his dead mother is not too far-fetched, from my reading.
Not to mention that demonic entities can sometimes place exorcists and others in significant physical peril as well.