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The gift of Discernment - An "Early Warning System" for the Church

When the tsunami struck on December 26, 2004, the Indian Ocean had no early warning system to speak of—at least nothing like the Pacific Ocean's array of tide gauges, seismometers, deep ocean sensors, high-tech buoys, and communication systems. One year after the Indian Ocean tsunami killed an estimated 300,000 people, progress has been made on setting up basic early warning systems in the region. A full-blown regional system, however, may be years away, despite predictions that another huge wave could strike at any time. Such preparation probably saved thousands of lives recently in Japan and other parts of the world. When the recent earthquake struck, systems were in place to prepare people for the imminent tsunami. In fact popular search engine like Google even update “Tsunami Warning” in their web page. With a click of the mouse one could access life-saving information. The result of this early warning system was that people took shelter and much human devastation was avoided.

A network of ocean buoys designed for tsunami warnings called the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis, or DART was deployed. In each of the DART, a recorder on the seafloor monitors the pressure of water passing overhead; a buoy tethered on the surface can instantly transmit warnings when a tsunami arrives.

What are the “early warning” systems in the context of the New Testament era especially for the church? Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to equip His church with power and spiritual gifts (Greek -- charismata) so that His disciples could continue to carry out His ministry objectives. While there are certain gifts of a spectacular nature that are often given greater attention, the New Testament mentions at least 21 that are provided to the church. These gifts are listed in Ephesians 4:11, Romans 12:3-7, and 1 Corinthians 12:1-12,28, and are generally assigned to one of three categories, as listed below:

- Ministry (office) gifts: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher.

- Motivational (practical) gifts: Service, Exhortation, Giving, Leadership, Mercy, Helps and Administration.

- Charismatic (spiritual) gifts: Wisdom, Knowledge, Discernment, Prophecy, Tongues, Interpretation, Faith, Healing and Miracles.

It should always be remembered that the purpose of all the gifts are to edify the church, and their distribution within the body is completely dependent upon the discretion of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11). The scriptures imply that it's appropriate to seek specific gifts; however, one's motive must be for the building up of the church, not for self-gratification. "...since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel" (1 Corinthians 14:12).

In the context of the “early warning” system, the gift of discernment fits into this criteria. The gift of discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10) is a supernatural ability to distinguish between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error, between holiness and evil. 1 Timothy 4:1 says that in latter days, deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons will come, so the important role of the gift of discernment is to identify those spirits and doctrines. A.W. Tozer says "Among the gifts of the Spirit scarcely one is of greater practical usefulness than the gift of discernment. This gift should be highly valued and frankly sought as being almost indispensable in these critical times. This gift will enable us to distinguish the chaff from the wheat and to divide the manifestations of the flesh from the operations of the Spirit."

A discerning spirit tests the spirits with this rule of scripture:

- Observing what a person does. In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus explains that false prophets are known by their fruit; by their conduct and actions.

- Observing whether or not a person exalts Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as Lord and Saviour (I Corinthians 12:3).

- By listening to what a person says (1 John 4:1-3). Does their confession line up with the truth of God's Word?

Paul illustrated the use of this gift in Acts 16:16-18, as Peter had exercised it in Acts 5:3. When it was not being exercised in the Corinthian church, grave distortion of the truth occurred. God still empowers His people to unmask false prophets and carnal hypocrites. He gives them insight to expose imitations and deceptions that most Christians would take as genuine. The gift of discernment, however, can easily deteriorate into a critical, proud, and self-righteous spirit. It can be judgmental instead of corrective when it is imitated in the flesh. But rightly used it is a great protection to God’s people - an “early warning” system for the church.