The Importance of Discernment in Discipleship
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
Discipleship requires careful selection of mentors grounded in Scripture, as highlighted in some people’s experiences with misguiding figures. Recognizing the importance of discernment, both new and mature believers must avoid false teachings and seek genuine, faithful Christian guidance. Much of one’s spiritual growth flows with the quality of chosen disciplers and spiritual models.
Discipleship is essential, yet you must make sure that whoever disciples you is firmly grounded in the Word of God.
Dee Virtue wrote on Facebook about discipleship:
“When I was first saved, I was discipled by a so-called “spiritual director” who told me it was fine to keep using angel cards and crystals, and even encouraged me to practice Lectio Divina.”
“After that, I was discipled by an ex-New Ager who invited me into a prayer group of hyper-charismatic people who were very kind but were pointing me to follow Smith Wigglesworth, Todd White, and other false teachers.”
“By God’s mercy, I was eventually discipled by faithful Christians who pointed me to Bible study and helped me steer clear of deception.”
“We can never afford to take someone’s word at face value; we must compare everything with Scripture, because only God’s Word is sufficient and trustworthy.” –end Dee Virtue quote
When I was first saved I was not in a church yet and I followed Joel Osteen on TV for about 18 months. It is highly important that we are teachable disciples as well as humble disciplers. WHO we follow and emulate is key. This admonition applies to both young in the faith and old. The young, like I was when I followed Joel Osteen, don’t know any better, having had no time to develop discernment. The older in the faith, sad to say, sometimes let down their guard, become less vigilant, and allow themselves to be drawn away by false teachers.
This is one of the reasons we urge discernment in all things. Choosing a person is key to teach us in our discipling relationship.
As Dee Virtue had said, it is by God’s mercy that we are lifted out of any false teaching in which we are fatefully swimming. He dries us off, stand us on our feet, and we begin again with renewed vigilance and vigor, protecting the faith that is within us.
I saw that Beth Moore just concluded her time as a ‘teacher’ in Chicago at the Legacy Disciple conference. This is a conference aiming to empower believers to be disciples and to disciple others as the Great Commission commands.
It is simultaneously perplexing and heartbreaking to see a false teacher elevated and touted as a model of Christian citizenship and worthy of emulation. I feel awful for all the would-be disciples at such conferences ‘learning’ from Moore and all false teachers who claim to be disciplers.
Why?
A student is not above the teacher; but everyone, when he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40).
What does this mean?
Barnes Notes (Commentary) explains: “The learner is not above his teacher, does not know more, and must expect to fare no better. This seems to have been spoken to show them that they were not to expect that their disciples would go “beyond them” in attainments; that if they were blind, their followers would be also; and that therefore it was important for them to understand fully the doctrines of the gospel, and not to be blind leaders of the blind.”
Thus, it is critical that we choose suitable companions, friends, disciplers. We must do our own utmost to BE the person to whom others look- and they are looking.
Recently, I wrote a heartfelt anecdote about noticing a woman 14 years ago with whom I attended church and Sunday School. Her submissiveness, eagerness to learn, love for her husband, and faithfulness to Jesus, was evident and observable.
We cannot see the Holy Spirit. We can’t see faith. We can see the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work and the faith of the person. It is the outflow from their heart.
Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and slanderous statements. (Matthew 15:17-19).
That’s the bad fruit. Good fruit comes from the heart as grown by the Holy Spirit and those are the people you should identify and follow, emulate, and be discipled by. Your own fruit, and mine too, should be these things as well.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23).
