Session 5 | Discerning the Soul, the World, the Church

Josh Strelecki’s message, Discerning the Soul, the World, and the Church, expands the theme of biblical discernment beyond self-examination to judging rightly in light of God’s Word. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 3 and Matthew 10, he teaches that spiritual discernment begins with seeing as God sees—understanding the value of the soul, the vanity of the world, and the unity of the church. The believer must not judge by outward appearance or worldly measures of success, but by the truth of the gospel, which exposes sin, reveals the heart, and establishes a right view of life’s eternal worth. Strelecki challenges listeners to see every person first as a soul in need of redemption, to view the world as fallen and fleeting, and to live with the awareness that only what is done for Christ endures.

He then moves to how believers should discern within the church, recognizing differences in maturity and function without allowing them to become causes of division. Using Paul’s correction to the Corinthians, Strelecki urges humility, longsuffering, and love in ministry, emphasizing that true unity comes from truth working through charity. Mature discernment, he explains, results in patience with others, spiritual understanding, and Christlike forbearance. When the church learns to love and labor together under one Head, it displays to the world the wisdom and grace of God. Strelecki concludes that discerning the soul, the world, and the church requires continual growth in Christ—learning to see as He sees, judge as He judges, and love as He loves.