The Need for Spiritual Discernment in Today's Church
By Hiram E Sutton
In answering the
question, "Where is discernment in today's church" one only
needs to look at Paul's commendation of the Berean believers. In
this commendation you will find the qualities possessed by the
Berean's woefully lacking in today's church.
A Lack of Noble-Mindedness
Unfortunately a large number in
today's church lack the noble mindedness of the Berean's. Many
not only do not receive the word of God with readiness of mind
and eagerness, nor do they know how to properly examine what is
told them by Christian teachers, pastors, priest, etc. Some sit
in the pew or Sunday school class and passively accept what is
told them without any scriptural examination at all. I have been
in churches and have listen to sermons where the most
unscriptural and outlandish statements have been made, i.e. a
denial of the deity of Christ, Jesus did not pay for our sins on
the Cross, Jesus is not the only way to God, spiritualizing
biblical verses to the point where their original contextual
setting bears no resemblance to what is being preached. The sad
part of all this is having the congregation give a hearty AMEN,
hand clapping and other gestures of encouragement / appreciation
rather than a gasp of disbelief in response to what has been
said.
In exercising this function we must
be careful not to become "an accuser of the brethren", and be
used by Satan to destroy the reputation of good folk, for our
goal should be, to be a 'good Berean'.
In this biblical mandate of
examination one can expect to be branded as one with impure
motives, an accuser, a Pharisee, having a critical spirit, etc,
despite the Biblical instruction to render a truthful
assessment. (Gal 4:16), despite false accusations, which comes
with the territory, the Bible is exceedingly clear in its
instruction to test the spirits (teachers) (1 John 4:1-2) and to
contend for the faith (Jude 1:3).
Its imperative that discernment is
exercised within the church, it must be external as well as
internal in terms of its focus. External, because there are
always groups such as Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, the culture,
etc going after those within the church.
The greatest danger lies in internal
attacks, where wolves disguised as sheep attack the flock . In
Acts 20:30 Luke records Paul's comment where he says, "...and
from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse
things to draw away the disciples after them...".
Is it pleasing to Christ for the
church to put to the test those who claim they are from God? The
answer is an absolute yes! Notice Jesus word of commendation to
the church of Ephesus in Rev 2:2,"I know your deeds and your
toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men,
and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and
they are not, and you found them to be false;". Without this
examination any local church is sure to be taken over by heresy
and or apostasy from false brethren.
Jesus has said, "and you shall love your the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind, and with all your strength' (Mark 12:30). This is the
great and foremost commandment. (Matt 22:38). Love entails
obedience to God (John 14:15), obedience results in fellowship
with the triune God (John 14:21, John 15:10).
Unfortunately many within the church today have no
tolerance in obeying God, or they treat obedience to God as a
buffet table picking and choosing what they will or will not
obey. Their obedience is perform as its convenient for them to
do so. They demonstrate a heart not fully committed to God thus
showing they do not love God "with all of their heart." This is
the case in disobedience to God in the matter of discernment.
Not only is there disobedience to God
for not practicing discernment but it also demonstrates a lack
of love for our fellow brethren by putting them at risk of
wolves. Love is what should govern our relationship to one
another and is reflective of the love Christ has for us (John
15:12). Christ would never put those whom he loves at risk or
expose them to danger, God forbid, and by the way neither should
we. Does the LORD delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the
LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed
is better than the fat of rams.”(emphasis mine) (1Sam
15:22)
1 Thess 5:21.
In view of this danger Christians need to test what they
hear and read, by comparing it with the Word of God, to
determine if it is divine in its origin. This is
difficult, but it is possible for a spiritual believer
(1 Cor. 2:14). Each Christian has the responsibility and
ability to do this, though some have more discernment
than others (cf. Acts 17:11; 1
John 4:1). What is discovered to be good (i.e.,
in harmony with what has been given by the Holy Spirit
in the Word) should be retained. 1 Thess 5:22. On the other hand counterfeit teaching and living should be rejected and avoided. Not only should pseudo prophecies be discarded but also, as Paul broadened his warning, every kind and form of evil should be avoided."
Spiritual discernment is vital as we engage in spiritual warfare (Eph 6:10-12). It is imperative that one understand that Satan doesn't limit himself to just the affairs of church in the life of the believer but will attack the believer in any area he can gain a strong hold, to render them ineffective for the cause of Christ. Therefore its important that we are actively cautious, watchful and vigilant in light of the prowling of Satan as he seeks opportunities to attack.(1Pet 5:8). It is important that one be not ignorant of his schemes, Satan does and can disguise himself as an angel of light and his servants as servants of righteousness (2Cor 11:14-15). This is why it's paramount that one be not ignorant of their schemes and understands their schemes so as not to be misled. Therefore one must be fully prepared to engage in spiritual warfare by clothing themselves with the full armor our God. (Eph 6:11). This will enable you to to properly discern between good and evil and resist in the evil day that all those who are born again "will encounter", count on it.
Spiritual discernment become's paramount when looked at from the
Prophetic view
Jesus told us in Matt 24:4-5, "And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.
n Matt 24:4 the word misled (NKJV deceive) is the greek word" planao /plan·ah·o/" , its the idea of misleading people as to proper views which they should have...for example, ‘to twist people’s thoughts,’ ‘to cause what is false to seem like what is true,’ ‘to make a lie appear true,’ ‘to dig away the truth,’ or ‘to cover the eyes with lies.’[2]
In Mark 13:23, Christ gave us an imperative command to, "Take Heed" (greek blepo /blep·o) in other words discern and observe, turn the thoughts or direct the mind to a thing, to consider, contemplate, to look at, weigh carefully, examine[3]. Those whom we are to consider and examine will do the misleading these are said to be false Christ and false prophets (Mark 13:22-23). The number of them will be many (Luke 21:8, Matt 24:5) that will viciously attack the church. It is no wonder there is an increasing wave of anti Biblical teachings and false teachers that are invading the church. Lack of caution is no mark of a saint of God. God gave us Biblical based wits for self-protection. Christ has warned us in advanced, therefore to be forewarn is to be forearmed.
Not only will there be "many false Christ and false prophets", they will, "show signs and wonders" in an attempt to validate themselves and their message in order to lead people astray (Mark 13:22).
In addition Jesus said they, "will arise" Mark 13:22 greek egeiro /eg·i·ro, means to cause to stand up...[4]. It is also in the passive voice. The passive voice conveys the idea that the SUBJECT (in this case false Christs and false prophets) is being acted upon by an outside force or power that causes them to arise. “Satan” and his demons are the ones that cause false Christ and false prophets to "arise" . It is the whole empire of evil spirits that is now working in the sons of disobedience, to energize them to carry out their heinous bidding. (Eph 2:2; 2 Cor 11:13-15), in this case false Christ's and false Prophets; i.e. tares (Matt 13:24-30).
The Need for Accurate Biblical Knowledge
Naming Names
One who is faithful to the word of God will warn
those in the churches, not with faint hints, but a warning that
equips and informs the people of God of the danger ahead. This
is especially important to those who are young in the faith, for
they need clear instruction. Image seeing a person walking on a
railroad track and who is unaware that a train is approaching
him at a high rate of speed. One would not whisper to get his
attention of the impending danger. The situation demands that
you warn him by yelling loudly, wave your hands, point, etc. to
get his attention concerning the approaching train.
Paul said, in Acts 20:31,
“Therefore be on the alert,
remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did
not cease to admonish each one with tears.
As followers of Jesus we should show the same
love in perseverance as Paul in warning those of the impending
danger.
Can I / Should I name names? Well lets see what
the bible says, and lets leave it at that.
Here are a few OT examples:
Moses called the name of Balaam - (See
Numbers 22-25)
Nathan identified the man.
There was a man in a very high place who was a secret adulterer.
Surely this man who held the highest office in the land could
not be rebuked by a lowly unpopular prophet. Nathan went right
into the presence of David, revealed the sin in a parable form,
and then told the enraged David, "Thou art the man "
(2 Sam. 12:7).
Hanani named king Jehoshaphat.
In many ways Jehoshaphat was a good king, but he mistakenly
forgot to practice religious separation. He caused his son to
marry wicked king Ahab's daughter. (See 2 Chron 18:1,21:1-6) He
made an alliance with Ahab and went to the battle of
Ramoth-gilead with him (2 Chron. 18). Hanani "said to King
Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that
hate the Lord? " (2 Chron. 19:2).
In the New testament we have the
following:
Paul Names Peter - Gal 2:11ff
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