Examine Everything Carefully

I think many of us can relate to Mary Ann Collins who writes about her shock at the lack of discernment in the church regarding things like the popular Twilight movie and a book called The Shack, here:

His Strength in My Weakness
by Mary Ann Collins
www.crossroad.to

She is right. So many Christians have el-zippo for discernment. So how can we learn to examine everything carefully and be spiritually discerning? Here’s a refresher course in the subject…

The conquering of the city of Troy is one of the famous stories of ancient history. Greek soldiers had laid siege to the city for over ten years, but were unable to conquer it. In exasperation Ulysses, a brilliant strategist, decided to have a large wooden horse built and left outside the city walls as a supposed gift to the unconquerable Trojans. The Greeks then sailed away in apparent defeat. The curious and proud Trojans brought the wooden horse inside their fortified walls. That night Greek soldiers hidden inside the horse crept out and opened the city gates to let their fellow soldiers into the city. The soldiers massacred the inhabitants, looted the city, and then burned it to the ground. Ever since, the Trojan horse has been a symbol of infiltration and deception....

Spiritual discernment is the skill of separating divine truth from error. First Thessalonians 5:21 says we are to "examine everything carefully." That speaks of testing something to reveal its genuineness. We as believers are to evaluate everything we come in contact with to distinguish what is true and false, good and bad, or right and wrong….

Read the rest here:

DISCERNMENT - Part 1
Spiritual Survival for a Church in Crisis
By John MacArthur

DISCERNMENT - Part 2
Spiritual Survival for a Church in Crisis