Discernment or Division? Understanding the Spiritual Gift of Discernment

The final message Jesus gave His disciples was simply this: do not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of my Father. “You heard from me; for John baptized them with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4, NIV).

 

This command was imperative that we not function without the Holy Spirit. If Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), then the same reason He told the disciples to wait is the same reason the church today should pause to make sure we are moving in step with the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has given spiritual gifts to believers for the edification and building up of the church. I Corinthians 12:4-11 tells us this:

There are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things in all people. Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in various tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who apportions them to each one as He determines.

For this article, I want to focus on the spiritual gift of discernment (or distinguishing) between spirits that the Holy Spirit sees fit to empower believers in the local churches for the health, wellness, edification, and building up of the church. This spiritual gift enables some believers to discern or distinguish spiritual matters between God, Satan, the world, and our flesh. As the passage above points out, the Holy Spirit gives these gifts to whomever He will. No believer will have all the gifts. They are provided at the discretion of the Spirit. For those who have been given the gift of discernment of spirits, it is often not understood or appreciated in the local church. And the worst-case scenario, the believers operating in this gift may be labeled as divisive for pointing out legitimate scriptural concerns. Much like the watchman on the wall sounds an alarm, the gift of discerning has been specifically given to protect and benefit the church. The gift of discerning between spirits is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 4:10. Hebrews 5:15, teaches, “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” This indicates that all believers should be able to grow in basic discernment as they mature and grow in their spiritual senses. This is not the same as the spiritual gift of discerning between spirits given by the Holy Spirit.

When I consider this passage about discerning between good and evil, I think of two stark contrasting moments in the life of Peter. In Luke 9:18-20 (NIV) Jesus asks the disciples, “who do the crowds say I am?” The answers were varied. “Some say you are Elijah, some John the Baptist, and some say the prophets of old.” But Jesus makes it personal, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter firmly states, “You are God’s Messiah.” Only the Spirit of God could have revealed this to him. However, a few moments later, Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God but merely human concerns” (Matthew 16:23). This rebuke is an excellent example of the discerning of spirits. Jesus was not saying that Peter was Satan—but rather, the Spirit that Peter was operating in was of demonic origins. Evil spirits can influence and manipulate believers unaware of the realities of spiritual warfare. Jesus pointed this out to Peter in no uncertain terms. What seemed harsh on the surface was merciful compassion, allowing Peter to become self-aware and to see that an evil spirit was influencing him. This story was an example of discerning spirits in action, and this was good.

 

In some churches, people operating in the gift of discerning spirits (distinguishing between God, Satan, the world, and our flesh) may be seen as divisive. The Holy Spirit gave this gift to protect the church from deceit, manipulation, false teachers, and other dangers. The believers given this gift are truly the watchmen on the walls—discerning and testing spirits against the word of God However, discerning is not judgment. Discernment is having a Berean moment empowered by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the church. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit has most likely given this gift to more than one person in a particular body of believers. This gift of the Spirit may be confirmed with other believers to see if God has raised a similar alarm among other believers with the same gift of discernment. There may be consensus of those with this gift; if not, the situation is at least on the radar of multiple congregants with the gift of discernment to intercede for further wisdom and insight on the matter.

 

 

What is One to Do when Discernment is Rejected as Divisiveness?

 

Jesus explained the importance of waiting on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit through the gifts given to the body of believers to build up the church. Scripture also tells us that Jesus gave five ministry roles to the church (Ephesians 4:11-13):

 

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip his people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

 

The functions of these roles in the church are vital. As consumerism continues to invade American culture, it has also crept into the church. Church has often become a pastor-led spectator sport. It has neglected the other offices that Jesus gave the church to function as God designed. Many pastors struggle under the weight of ministry due to a lack of volunteers. This can lead to severe burnout and cause many to leave the ministry altogether. Other pastors have trouble delegating and equipping others to do the work. This leaves a deficit in the function of the other essential roles of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teachers. Together, when empowered by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the offices of the church bring a plurality of leadership to govern the church body.

 

What should a person do when the concerns of Holy Spirit-gifted watchmen (and women) of the church fall on deaf ears or are summarily dismissed? There are scriptural instructions in Matthew 18 which walk us through how to handle disagreements or conflicts in the church. It is crucial to follow these Biblical guidelines.

 

First, go to the person directly. When discerning a problem or situation that needs to be addressed, the first line of defense would most likely be the pastor. If the pastor is unwilling to hear the concerns and dismisses the gift of the Holy Spirit given to you, then scripture advises you to bring someone else with you who can establish the facts. Other believers in the body may have discerned the same concern. This is often where accusations of causing division come into play. The Bible says that they should take it to the church if they still refuse to listen. At this point, many with the gift of discernment are accused of being gossips, causing strife, and being disloyal. However, the believer is simply heeding the conviction of the Holy Spirit and discerning a matter that needs to be addressed among the church leadership for the safety and wellbeing of the church. If it is an isolated concern and no other congregants with the gift of discernment confirm the issue, it may be an instance of someone needing to mature and grow in their gift. Still, it would be wise to pause when several church members are discerning the same danger to the church.

 

We must understand how the Holy Spirit empowers the body of believers with gifts to build up the church. It would be unwise to intentionally or unintentionally dismantle the safeguards that God himself put in place for the health and well-being of His church, especially if there are multiple church members with the gift of discernment that are sounding an alarm. The most tragic thing by far would be to miss the Spirit’s desire to protect and alert the church. Then rejecting the warning of the Holy Spirit, to attribute His work to Satan by accusing people of division and breaking the unity of the church.

 

About the Author: 

 Dawn Irons, Ph.D., LPC-S received her doctoral degree in Christian Counseling and Psychology at B. H. Carroll Theological Institute in Irving, Texas. She received a masters degree in counseling from Dallas Baptist University, and a bachelors degree in social work from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton Texas. Dawn and her husband Brad have served as a pastoral ministry couple over the last 30 years.