More about Discernment

The only authority any pastor or elder or bishop or any church leaders has is the Word of God. When you step beyond the Word of God, you’ve overstepped the bounds of your authority. God reveals Himself primarily through the pages of Scripture; that is why I believe the Bible as my absolute authority. 1 Peter 4:11 instructs me to handle biblical truth: "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God." If the Bible is true, then it is also authoritative. As divinely revealed truth, it carries the full weight of God's own authority. A church must understand that Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15) and that He mediates His rule in the church through godly elders (1 Thess. 5:13-14; Heb. 13:7, 17). It is very important for a Christian to be identified with a local church, to come under the authority of the elders, for accountability, and, to come into the ministry for the sake of serving Jesus Christ in that local church. When there is no accountability, there is no testing of your faith when you can float and a Christian should never be alone that ALL Christians should fellowship as a family under the shepard of a local church's pastor. This is a TWO-WAY street between the Church leaders and the members. Accountibility goes BOTH WAYS. We should all take a long hard look at what things we consider to be important. Christians' conclusions are either ignorance or loyalty to a specific denomination, cause or person. Over the years, I decided to choose local churches that have strong "internal spiritual control" regardless of what denominations (no appearance of abuse). It is ALL of our responsibilities as Christians to discern and we don't want to be gullible. We either be gullible or discerner. We are to be watching for RED FLAGS. In Hebrews explains that new babes fails to understand the true nature of the Christian life. I had my personal battle relating those who takes advantage of widows and poor and single mothers within the Christian community. They are called "Stumble Causers" because it is grievous for those to cause others to stumble. To avoid causing others to stumble is itself strong incentive to walk by the Spirit. "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Rom 8:9). The Greek word for "dwells" is okv (oike), which means "I inhabit." "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Galatians 5:25. The Holy Spirit dwells in me with all the power and gifts of God, necessary to enable me to walk the noble, spiritual, Son-like life with God.