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Why Discernment Is Not Optional in a Noisy Church Age | Weekly Watch
We are living in a moment of spiritual noise, theological confusion, and authority drift and the church is struggling to discern truth from error. In this episode of The Weekly Watch on Contending for the Word, Dave Jenkins explains why biblical discernment is not optional for Christians today. Discernment is not fear-driven; it is obedience to God. Scripture calls believers to test the spirits, examine teaching, and guard the gospel for the good of the church and the protection of vulnerable believers.
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Episode Notes
Big Idea
Discernment is not optional for the church today. It is a biblical command that protects the gospel, strengthens the church, and guards vulnerable believers in an age of spiritual noise.
What This Episode Covers
- The NAR is rebranding, not retreating—false teaching adapts and spreads even when labels change.
- Counterfeit spirituality and emotional authority—experience elevated over Scripture replaces biblical substance.
- Opinion vs. doctrine—clear doctrine is being flattened into “personal interpretation.”
- Why correction is framed as unloving—biblical correction is portrayed as divisive, even though Scripture calls it love with discernment.
- Encouragement to remain faithful—anchored in Christ, Scripture, the local church, and the means of grace.
Key Scriptures
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21
- Philippians 1:9–10
- Ephesians 4:15
- 2 Timothy 2:24–25
- Jude 3
- 1 Peter 3:15
- Ephesians 5:11
Call to Action
If this episode helped you, please subscribe and share it thoughtfully with friends, family, and church leaders. Discernment is not a niche concern—it is part of faithful Christian discipleship.
For more resources from Contending for the Word please visit our page at Servants of Grace or at our YouTube.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
