Discernment Ministry: The Good, the Bad, and the Evil (Edited by ChatGPT)

  

When Jesus addressed the Seven Churches, the pattern was clear: identify the strength, identify the weakness, and show the way forward. In those assemblies there was good and holy, and there was bad and evil. Yet the purpose of the Lord’s message was to build them, not to destroy them.

 

So let us begin with what is good in globally known discernment ministries. What is good is this: when they see sin, they stand up to confront it. Honoring men of God would surely be more rewarding than rebuking them, yet when they see the people of God coupling with idol-worshiping women, they respond with zeal, anger, and rage. Their dedication to the cause is commendable — at least among the faithful ones I observe.

 

Many so-called people of God claim they are too important to be addressed or corrected. This only proves they are small people. What God honors is humility before Him. If someone points out your sin by Scripture, respond by Scripture. Who will correct you if not your brother or sister in faith? Even when they are wrong, Word against word is the battle of heaven. Even when the devil says “jump” using Scripture, you respond with Scripture. If you believe you are beyond rebuke and evaluation by the Bible, your days are numbered.

 

Even if you bear good fruit, even if God is working through you and you are justified by fruit — meaning Jesus is being reproduced in the lives of many — Scripture still says God will make you more fruitful by pruning unnecessary branches. Even healthy assemblies require redirection. The church must grow from glory to glory into the image of God and the image of Jesus. Even Paul had to grow — who do you think you are? If faithful assemblies need correction by the Word of God from time to time, how much correction does the present disgraceful condition of the church require?

As it is written, if a holy person sins, we must rebuke them; otherwise their blood is on our hands. Hopefully they listen and repent. If not, when the negotiator finishes his work, judgment follows — with the SWAT team. Before God acts, He always sends people to rebuke His people. In this sense, discernment ministries are necessary and useful. Given the moral collapse and sin that now define much of what is called faith, there are far too few faithful voices on this side of the assembly of God.

 

Yet there is also bad — and ugly — within discernment ministries. The ugliest flaw is the obsession with mistakes and the amplification of error. By the law, we are sinners, and the law always identifies us as such. Is it difficult to find error? Error is our nature; sin is our nature. You will never finish if your focus is error alone. Except for Jesus, no one can claim to be without sin — that is precisely why the law is rendered powerless.

 

But there is grace. Grace does not hide sin; it grows us out of sin into the image of Jesus. The law says perfection or hell. Grace says growth. When you adopt a rigid doctrinal system and believe you fully “know,” you become a law unto yourself. But law does not build — it destroys. Doctrinal fundamentalism without grace destroys rather than builds.

 

If you are truly growing in the knowledge of God, you will see error not only in others but also in your own past. Your mind is renewed continually as darkness is removed by the light of God. Since you are not perfect, it is illogical to demand perfection from others. People can make mistakes and hold wrong theology without being outside of God. Consider John the Baptist, who doubted Jesus — a serious failure — yet was he not led by the Holy Spirit? Consider King David, whose major sins were many — yet was he not God’s chosen king?

 

What is truly evil is judging people solely by their errors. Judgment based only on mistakes is incomplete and false. If I teach mathematics for two hours and make several mistakes along the way, am I my mistakes? I am building knowledge while needing correction. I am not my errors. Jesus did not focus only on error; He identified strengths and weaknesses and showed the way forward.

 

The same applies to discernment ministries themselves. They have problems — but they are not their problems. They serve God and the assembly, yet they too need correction. Truth is truth, and a lie is a lie; anything else is from the devil. However, those mass-produced by theological schools and seminaries often lack the grace-based growth that comes through walking with God. They know systems but lack transformation.

 

Rather than fixating on error, we should focus on growth versus drifting. When a believer is growing, mistakes will exist, but they will be outgrown over time. Errors should be addressed with love and care, without condemning the person. We must reject sin without rejecting the person. Otherwise we become agents of condemnation rather than grace. That said, there are drifters — people who may have dominantly sound theology, yet whose trajectory is moving away from God. Toward such drift, we must be firm and uncompromising.

 

Another serious failure is the inability to see the big picture while magnifying individual errors. When I sit in church and someone teaches, I do not listen only for errors. If I did, I would learn nothing — for who is without error? I focus on what is sound, learn from it, and allow room for growth. To dismiss an entire message because of one major error is unjust judgment. This legal mindset comes from being mass-produced by seminaries, where anything different is labeled evil. We must learn from God — moving from error to truth, darkness to light, and sin to holiness. As we grow through mistakes, we must allow others to grow as well. We all need growth.

 

One of the most dangerous and even evil doctrines in some discernment ministries is the claim that theological error automatically proves a person has a wrong spirit. This is false at multiple levels and entirely unbiblical.

 

Consider the Corinthian church, filled with doctrinal and behavioral problems. Did Paul say they had an evil spirit? No — he said they were fleshly and immature. Growth occurs in stages: knowledge grows, behavior grows, gifts operate before wisdom matures. Errors do not define the spirit a person has received.

 

There are foundational doctrines of the faith, and there are secondary matters. When did denominational theology become the measuring rod of spirits? If someone denies the divinity of Jesus or rejects the authority of Scripture, judgment is clear. But many theological disputes arise from human education, not from foundational truth. Competing systems exist — how then can we judge spirits based on non-essential doctrines? We must operate within the grace God has given, without exceeding our measure.

 

Place yourself in the time of Jesus as a Pharisee. How would you judge Him by the book? Would He appear holy or sinful? Only those who knew God by the Spirit recognized Jesus as being from God, even when He defied expectations. In this age, we must seek Jesus in people’s lives, not merely knowledge. Fruit is the measure. Jesus said we know people by their fruit, not by their expertise. If fruit of the Spirit is growing, knowledge will follow. If knowledge exists without growth, caution is required. Even fruit can be misjudged if we focus on defects rather than the whole tree.

 

A rose can grow through cracked concrete. We can complain that it is imperfect, or we can move it to fertile soil so it may flourish. Many believers grow up in concrete — prosperity gospel, word of faith, dominance theology, cultural wars, ethnic religion, political religion, and more. When Jesus begins to emerge from these dead systems, nurture Him. Do not fixate on damaged petals. Seek Jesus, not errors.

In general, look at the person. Do you see Jesus in them? You may be wrong; they may be wrong. You may be heretical; they may be heretical. God will resolve it through growth. If both belong to God, both will grow toward Him. Do not trust your knowledge above the Word of God. The Bible is infallible — you are not. Therefore, your interpretation is not the ultimate standard of truth. Use knowledge with humility and restraint. You are not Jesus; you are learning and growing.

 

If you encounter someone shaped by Jesus yet entangled in serious error, recognize that what reflects Christ did not come from the devil. Fight the heresy without condemning the person. Growth is messy. Wheat and weeds often grow together for a time. Many believers, mixed with prosperity gospel, word of faith, dominance theology, and cultural wars — Western, Black, and others — end up cheering for the devil unknowingly. Still, they are not their mistakes.

 

Brothers and sisters in discernment ministries, let us judge primarily by the fruit of the Spirit, not by our theological systems — except where the foundations of the faith are at stake. Will you listen? I doubt it, yet I have better odds of being heard because I see both sides of you. Still, I may be wrong — prove me wrong by the Word of God. Knowledge leads to pride, but love builds.