How to bring clarity out of confusion
Have you noticed how confusion can enter our lives and churches like a cloud on a blue sky day? It seems to appear out of nowhere. We don’t go looking for confusion. It finds us and usually has nefarious origins, especially when it snakes its way into the Body of Christ (1 Cor.14:33).
Discernment is God’s gift to the church to help us dispel confusion. In some cases discernment is a spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:10) certain members of the “body” exercise. It’s also a skill that can be developed (Heb. 5:14). Whether you have the gift of discernment or want to become more discerning, I trust the following scenes will stretch your discernment muscles. They certainly did mine.
“She kept crying out, saying, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God . . .’” (Acts 16:16-18).
I was facilitating a retreat with 50-60 church folk, but one person was oversharing. She was a well-dressed, middle aged woman seated in the center of the room. I couldn’t help noticing how others squirmed in their chairs whenever she spoke, and she spoke a lot. During a break, another woman approached me and said, “That lady doing all the sharing has only been in our church for two weeks!”
The long-winded woman dominated discussion, spoke like an expert on the church, and everything she shared was true! However when I asked her to temper her sharing, she blew me off. In the next session, she said something that sent a chill through the room. I don’t remember her exact words, but the high-pitched cackle that punctuated her statement haunts me to this day.
How would you discern this woman’s behavior?
What would you have done in my shoes?
“Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment” (1 Cor. 14:29).
At another retreat I attended, the presenter wanted to demonstrate how one person could get a word from the Lord for another person. To do so, he led us in the following exercise. He scribbled the name of a random person in the room on a piece of paper (without telling anyone who it was). He then asked us to pray quietly and record whatever phrases, pictures or impressions we received from the Lord. After a few minutes of reflection, people shared what they thought they heard the Lord say.
The impressions they shared mostly reflected Christian advice you’ve heard all your life, “Trust the Lord,” “My grace is sufficient in weakness,” and various scriptures. Their “words from the Lord” were largely general in nature. The speaker focused on one individual who received the most detailed message. It turned out that the one with the most detailed message from the Lord was the person whose name was written on the piece of paper!
What, if anything, bothers you about this story?
Would you say the exercise was a worthy one?
“Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:19).
The third scene I witnessed focuses on a conference speaker who had written several Christian books. By all accounts many people had found his books helpful. I too had gleaned some helpful counsel from his latest work, but the book also contained teaching which did not sit well with me.
I went to hear the author in person and found myself trying to discern how such helpful content could be tainted by doctrinal error. It was as if heresy was couched in helpfulness. It didn’t help that he claimed to be an apostle and got his message directly from God. Was he using imprecise theological language that supported his experience oriented approach to the faith? Or, had he gone off the rails?
What else would you want to know to discern if this speaker was hearing from God?
How would you determine if a message is truly helpful or not?
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character . . . and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).
The Bereans modeled discernment when they searched the scriptures to validate Paul’s gospel. (Even the Apostle Paul’s message had to be tested against Scripture!) We see the same scrutiny reflected in Jesus’ commendation of the church at Ephesus for exposing those who called themselves apostles and were not (Rev. 2:1-7).
The bible is always the place to start when it comes to discernment. It provides the basis for sound theology that protects us from error like the guard rails on a mountain road. Unfortunately, parties on both sides of an issue often use the bible to support their position. How do we know who’s right?
In addition to the scriptures themselves, here are some scriptural principles that can improve our discernment when things don’t seem so clear:
- How humble is the person presenting the message? Is he/she open to correction? Are they teachable? Or, do they set themselves up as an unassailable authority?
- Does the person sharing a message have a church home to whose leaders they submit? Or, do they claim to hear from God without being accountable to a local body of Christ?
- Does the individual balance his or her gifts with other gifts in the “body?” We know from 1 Cor. 12 that the gifts are designed to work together. Or, is their ministry largely reflective of a spiritual gift only he or she claims to possess?
- Do they exhibit the fellowship of the Spirit? Or, do they display a lack of love?
- If they are part of an organized ministry, has it gained 501C3 non-profit status? The IRS grants non-profit status and provides legal credibility to a ministry. Or, do they process their donations through some other means? (Follow the money.)
Discernment is one of the quieter gifts. Those who have it rarely speak up unless they discern it’s safe to do so. Be courageous to use the discernment God gives you. You may feel like you’re the only one who sees things as you do. But by sharing your insight, a fresh breeze of clarity can dispel the clouds of confusion and you’ll fulfill your role in the body of Christ.
Mark Barnard serves with Blessing Point Ministries which facilitates healing in churches that have been wounded by painful crises. Mark is coauthor with Dr. Kenneth Quick of The Dance of the Gifts: How Ministry Leaders Can Discern God’s Will. Learn more at blessingpoint.org.
Excellent article , Mark.
-Irene
Thank you!
I saved this and just reread it. I’m trying to explain the principles of discernment to a group of women. Your article is going to be a great help. I plan on sharing it with my group.
Thanks, Mark.
Glad to hear it, Paula.
I needed this
This article resonated with me. I often catch myself distrusting the motives of some very vocal, opinionated Christians, and leave feeling like I am the only one unnerved by their obtrusive comments. I am committed to daily Bible study and pray for God’s direction as I do so. Your article is reassuring that I am not just being a cynic by questioning people who seem to cause more disruption than edification.
Their argument may be that the “upset feeling” is conviction, but I know the difference in conviction and a spiritual warning bell that I’m hearing falsehoods.
Thank you
Thank you for your comment. Every spiritual gift needs development and accountability to the other gifts, even the gift of discernment. A healthy self-doubt is helpful at times. But there are other times when people who don’t see what you see want to make you the problem. In such cases, stay in close contact with the Lord. He will give you the equilibrium you need to see straight.
Sometimes the Spirit might give you a “warning bell” just so you can see what He sees, or to pray over the situation, or to reflect on how the situation applies to oneself. Some with the gift of discernment also have the gift of prophesy (a strong sense of right and wrong). They can assume that because they see something they are immediately called to say something. Even that needs to be prayed over. Try to discern what God wants you to do with what He is showing you. God may be working in the other party and may not be done yet. Sharing what you see prematurely may actually get in the way of what the Lord is trying do do. Even those with the gift of discernment need the Lord’s leading before sharing their insights. But, should the time come to share what you sense, pray for the courage to fulfill your role. Every spiritual gift is vulnerable to the paralyzing effect of fear.
Amen
I once was told by my pastor after experiencing an uncomfortable meeting with a contractor we were getting ready to sign a contract with and shaking the contractors hand that I have the gift of discernment. I told the pastor I felt this man could not be trusted. I have felt this on a few occasions with others. The pastor & the board did not investigate the mans reputation. The end of the story….the contractor took the church for over $50,000 and filed bankruptcy. I’m not sure if this is discernment when shaking someone’s had you can tell if they are lying.
I’m sorry for how things turned out for the church! Ugh. Donna, I heard someone say that women, in general, are the more discerning gender! There is some truth to that. However, I would not be surprised if you had the gift of discernment. In your church’s case, what was missing seems to be the gift of wisdom. Had someone had that spiritual gift, they might have investigated the contractor before losing the church’s money!
I go to a non-denominational church that is six years old. The pastor is not seminary trained. We recently as a church took the spiritual gifts test and I came out high in discernment, which I already knew. The purpose of us all taking the inventory was so that our gifts could be used in the church. How is discernment supposed to be used in the church setting? I see so many unwise decisions and have asked about them, but I now have learned never to confront because they like their decisions and I am just not in sync. Basically it is a good gospel-preaching church. This gift of discernment is not wanted!!!! All other gifts are loved and embraced. It is lonely and horrible to have this gift. I hate complaining about one of the gifts – but…….
Unfortunately, your church has fallen into the trap of failing to honor the less obvious gift of discernment (I Cor. 12:22-24). It’s aggravating and heartbreaking to watch the drums of leadership drown out the flutes of discernment. Perhaps with time, the leaders will recognize your insight as valuable to them. Or, perhaps you’ll find yourself on the outside looking in as visionary leadership charges blindly ahead. It’s frustrating to feel unheard. Let me recommend a couple of things: 1) Read my latest blog post “The Spiritual Gift of Doubt.” (https://blessingpoint.org/2022/08/the-spiritual-gift-of-doubt/). You might find some encouragement in it. 2) Since your church just finished taking a test for spiritual gifts, consider getting a copy of the book The Dance of the Gifts by Mark Barnard and Ken Quick. It explains how the gifts were meant to work together in the local church. It might open a door for further discussion with your church’s leadership.
This article is exactly what I needed to assist with my training on discernment. I have personally witnessed some of the behaviors that are described in the above articles. I would love to be able to use these tools from the scriptures in my quest for spiritual discernment.
Discernment is a very significant trait to have, and I agree it starts with knowing God’s word. I pray for more discernment through God’s word, through knowledge, observation, and by watching – Watch and pray.