Discernment -- seeing things as they are!
Healthy communities of faith need people gifted with discernment. And
what is this gift of discernment? According
to Walter Wink “discernment does not entail esoteric knowledge, but rather the
gift of seeing reality as it really is.”[1] Yes, faith communities need people who can
see reality as it really is, so that they can recognize the difference between
what is good and what is evil, what is relevant and what is irrelevant, what
leads to wholeness and healing and what doesn’t. As Wink also notes, such a gift of the Spirit
enables one to see the spiritual dimension that lies behind the material.
Although the idea of spiritual warfare is off-putting to
many Christians, especially those like me who find themselves left of
center. There is something to be said
about this imagery, especially as it is described and defined in the Ephesian
letter. Without discernment, without the
ability to see the spiritual behind the material, then it’s likely that we will
end up fighting spiritual battles with human weapons, even though the battle
requires spiritual weapons. In the words
of the author of Ephesians: “put on the whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:11), for
the battle is with spiritual forces.
Scripture is the Spirit’s sword, the offensive weapon of choice (Eph.
6:10-17).
In a community that is
open to the leading of the Spirit, there is great need for the gift of discernment to be present. This is doubly necessary in a community
comprised largely of converts (1 Cor. 10:20) who might be easily led astray by
charismatically inclined leaders.
History is replete with examples of false prophets and false messiahs,
with Jim Jones and David Koresh being good examples. It
is, therefore, important that the church be able to distinguish between what is
true and honorable and what is not. Paul
called on the church to consider carefully the words of the prophets, to
determine the source of these words (I Cor. 14:29). But it is not only the “prophetic” that
requires discernment. Every day the
church faces important issues that challenge its identity and purpose:
politics, culture, human self-centeredness.
Who will help the church remain true to its purpose and calling? Who will help them discern whether they are
hearing an authentic word from God or a word that emerges from within our own
self-centeredness or a word that has a more dark and sinister source? Other questions that might be raised by those
who are spiritually sensitive include:
Does this word comport well with what is known of God? What is the fruit of the one who brings the
message?
The church must have the tools to
test (dokimazō) the spirits (1 John
4:1-6). Those gifted for the ministry of
discernment must rely on God's spirit and work in the context of the
community. Criteria for this ministry
of discernment may include "common sense, shared community values, or a
set of doctrinal standards."[2] Throughout history the church has looked to
creeds, the “Rule of faith” (Regula fidei), and to Scripture for
guidance in discerning the voice of the Spirit.
At the center of the process of discernment is one’s fidelity to Jesus
as Lord. Paul declared that no one
speaking by the Spirit would deny the Lordship of Christ (1 Cor. 12:3). Those gifted and called to this ministry
will be of great assistance to the church, but their ministry must be
undertaken in love. This is not a
ministry to be engaged in lightly, for the Spirit moves as the wind and so
great attention must be given to the ways of the Spirit of God.
[1]Walter
Wink, Engaging the Powers: Discernment
and Resistance in a World of Domination, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press,
1992), 89.
[2]Cecil M.
Robeck, "Discerning the Spirit in the Life of the Church," in The Church in the Movement of the Spirit, William
R. Barr and Rena M. Yocom, eds., (Grand Rapids:
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1994), 34-35, 39-40.
* This is an excerpt from my book on Spiritual Gifts. I was thinking that we are living in an age, when we could use a bit of discernment! Let us pray that God would gift us with such people.
Comments
"We do not see things as they are; We see things as we are." - Talmud
Are you saying that we should pay attention to you and not to Walter Wink? Do you say this because you believe that you have "the gift of seeing reality as it really is."
Yes and yes.
By the way, my visual code word for this comment is "immerser"