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Discernment

. . . and to another the ability to distinguish between spirits (I Cor 12:2) But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil (Heb 5:14) Discernment involves wisdom and knowledge.  Yet discernment is not exactly wisdom and knowledge.  Discernment is the ability to distinguish God’s ways from the world’s ways, God’s people from the world’s people, God’s work from the world’s work, God’s teachings from the world’s teachings.  Discernment is the ability to see more than the ability to know.  A five-year-old child may…

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Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Prov 9:10) Many smart people have no wisdom.  Paul says that “in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom” (I Cor 1:21).  In the same sentence, the verse talks about the wisdom of God and the wisdom that does not know God.  In other words, wisdom seems to come in different varieties.  Scripture speaks of the “wisdom of men” or “the wisdom of this world.”  In modern circles, you may hear the term “conventional wisdom.”  When we speak of wisdom in any of these ways,…

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Knowledge

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge . . . (Hos 4:6) The church sometimes has difficulty rightly valuing knowledge.  Sometimes people equate head knowledge with spiritual maturity and thereby give to knowledge an importance and a role it does not have.  Knowledge by itself does not make anyone greater in the eyes of God.  God does not care how much you know if you don’t love.  Or if you don’t trust Him.  However, sometimes people devalue knowledge because “knowledge puffs up.”  They see that faith and love are greater than knowledge.  They see that knowledge by itself does…

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Mercy

“Rejoice with those who rejoice.  Weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15). God is a God of mercy, and we, as His disciples, are to love mercy.  God sees us in our weakness and need, has compassion on us, and meets our need.  This is what merciful people do.  People with the gift of mercy are the people you want around when you hurt.  They listen to you.  They hug you.  They hold your hand.  They weep with you.  They sympathize with your plight.  These people feel your hurt.  They want to help you, and they will do what they…

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Pastoral Leadership

“I am the Good Shepherd” (Jn 10:11) “Shepherd the flock of God . . .” (I Pet 5:2) Pastors are shepherds.  And shepherds lead sheep. Some people debate whether the New Testament speaks of pastoral gifting at all.  They argue that the word “pastor” refers only to an office and not to a spiritual gift.  Others disagree and say that the New Testament speaks of pastoral gifting.  Sometimes people argue their points as if the two positions are mutually exclusive.  They are not.  In Ephesians 4, the pastor-teacher seems to be an office that is a gift (Eph 4:8, 11-12),…

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