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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, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
