Study Wise Spiritual Elders

You have the privilege of building your Christian foundation on elders who spent years if not decades wrestling with these mysteries. They studied Scripture deeply, endured trials that tested their faith, and emerged with tested wisdom about God's creation and His heart for humanity.

Stand on their shoulders. Let their hard-won insights become stepping stones for your journey. Why start from scratch?

Learning From Living Mentors

If you're blessed with friendships with wise Christians who embody Christ's heart, ask who shaped them. Learn their sources.

My friend Marcus was the first spiritual mentor who fielded the direct questions I couldn't answer by reading alone. He and his wife Arielle have been profound helps: Marcus on choosing Christ beyond cultural Christianity; Arielle on relationships and discernment. They model prophetic conviction with love. And give me good sources of Truth to dig into.

When you find elders who resonate, go deep. Study how they think, who they study, how they read Scripture, and how they navigate modern tensions.

Some Elders Whose Wisdom Transcends Labels and Time

Here are a few examples of wise elders that have shaped me:

• Francis Schaeffer. I love the many docuseries he has created. His worldview critique lands even harder today and has strengthened my critique of secular humanism—whether "conscious capitalism," socialism, or communism—false gospels that borrow Christian morality while rejecting Christ.

• C.S. Lewis remains a gold standard for clear, compelling Christian thought that crosses denominational lines. His vision of moral realism and transformed desire still cuts through modern confusion.

• G.K. Chesterton. His apologetics and social critique show why Christianity dignifies the common person and makes democracy workable—by humbling rulers before God and restraining idolatry of power and wealth. He celebrates Christ‑likeness, challenges tyrants, and offers incisive critiques of alternative religions (including why Buddhism is not Christianity despite surface parallels).

• Frank Viola. His Christ-centered ecclesiology and writing on organic church life challenged my assumptions about institutionalism and helped me prioritize Christ’s headship over brand and structure.

• Dr. Michael Cocchini—his journey across religions and rigorous biblical reasoning are refreshing. From exploring multiple faiths to deep dives in Scripture, he offers clear apologetics that cut through modern confusion. His practical wisdom on discernment, spiritual warfare, and living counter-culturally has helped me navigate faith in a skeptical world.

• John Piper. His book "Don't Waste Your Life" inspires radical devotion to Christ over worldly pursuits. He offers wise views on AI—don't put it on a pedestal, but use it as a tool under God's sovereignty. Piper's teaching on Christian hedonism ("God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him") reframes joy as central to faith. His writings on God's sovereignty in suffering and passion for global missions have strengthened my resolve to live purposefully for eternity.

• Steven Garber. His book "The Fabric of Faithfulness" connected so many dots for me about how it's important to see it as a very difficult and urgent problem of connecting one's Christian faith to lived action, especially in this increasingly fallen world. He reminds me that one of the priorities of education should be to help young people bridge this gap between belief and practice.

• M. Scott Peck. His book "People of the Lie" offers profound insights into the nature of human evil and the hope for healing. As a psychiatrist and spiritual seeker, Peck bridges psychology and spirituality in ways that illuminate both the darkness we face and the light that can overcome it. His exploration of evil as a refusal to face one's own failures resonates deeply with Christian understanding of sin and redemption.

• Apostle Delmar Coward Jr. His ministry demonstrates radical faith that demands results and refuses religious limitation. His teaching on "recompense"—God's promise to compensate His people for everything the devil has stolen—challenges conventional Christianity. Through documented miracles, healings, and deliverances, he shows that supernatural manifestations should be the normal Christian experience, not rare exceptions. His uncompromising approach to spiritual warfare and divine authority offers practical wisdom for believers who refuse to accept defeat.

• Jordan Hall. His journey from secular tech entrepreneur to secular systems change philosopher to committed Christian offers a unique perspective on faith and the meta-crisis. Hall's integration of complex systems thinking with Christian theology provides frameworks for understanding how the church can operate in distributed, decentralized, and centralized modes. His emphasis on "participatory truth" over "propositional truth" and his vision of taking "orders from God" rather than operating strategically challenges conventional approaches to both evangelism and cultural change. His work demonstrates that the deepest philosophical questions ultimately point toward Christ as Logos.

• Oral Roberts. A pioneer of expectancy theology who brought healing ministry to millions through television and tent revivals. His teaching that "you must expect a miracle if you want it to happen" revolutionized how believers approach divine intervention. Roberts demonstrated that we can live on "the Main Street of the Bible" where miracles are normal, not exceptional. His emphasis on radical expectancy—like the mother who brought new shoes to his service for her club-footed son before the healing happened—shows faith in action. His founding of Oral Roberts University with the mandate to educate the "whole person" (spirit, mind, and body) continues to impact generations. Roberts proved that expecting God's supernatural intervention isn't presumption—it's positioning yourself to receive what God wants to give.

• Smith Wigglesworth. Known as the "Apostle of Faith," this British plumber turned evangelist operated in extraordinary supernatural power. His simple yet profound faith resulted in documented resurrections from the dead, countless healings, and prophetic words that continue to unfold. Wigglesworth's declaration that "God said it, I believe it, that settles it" exemplifies unwavering trust in God's Word. His teaching that "faith is an act" challenged believers to move beyond mental assent into demonstrative action. Despite limited formal education, his spiritual insights on faith, healing, and the Holy Spirit remain foundational for those pursuing miraculous ministry. His prophecy about a coming revival that would eclipse even the Pentecostal movement continues to inspire believers worldwide.

• Vicki Jamison-Peterson. A housewife who yielded to God's call and pioneered healing through prophetic song. Her unique ministry demonstrated that music bypasses the mind and carries healing anointing directly to the heart. By singing specific words of knowledge and healing declarations in higher frequencies, she saw extraordinary results—20,000 salvations in New England over three years. When she fully surrendered to God's call, a visible glory cloud filled a Dallas hotel ballroom, leaving 500 people overcome by God's presence. Her ministry reveals an overlooked dimension of healing power: that Spirit-led melodies can carry heaven's frequency for miraculous transformation. She proved that healing ministry isn't limited to traditional methods—sometimes God's power flows most powerfully through song.

• Lester Sumrall. His life demonstrates extraordinary ministry flowing from ordinary people who learn to hear and obey God's voice. From his miraculous healing as a teenager to founding a global hunger relief organization, every major step was marked by supernatural guidance and faithful obedience. Sumrall's teaching on hearing God's voice—"What is faith? It is hearing the voice of God. God spoke and Abraham heard"—provides practical wisdom for discerning divine direction. His seven prophetic revelations about America's future, given in the 1950s, continue to unfold with remarkable accuracy. Through his ministry spanning 110 countries and 130+ books, he showed that when individuals truly learn to hear and obey God's voice, there are no limits to what divine partnership can accomplish.

• Derek Prince. His systematic Bible teaching transforms complex theological truths into practical wisdom for daily living. As a Cambridge-educated philosopher who encountered Christ during World War II, Prince brings intellectual rigor to spiritual understanding. His teachings on spiritual warfare, deliverance, and the foundations of Christian faith have equipped millions of believers worldwide. His emphasis on the authority of Scripture and the power of proclamation—particularly his teaching on blessing and cursing—provides practical tools for spiritual victory. Through over 100 books translated into 100+ languages, Prince demonstrated that deep biblical scholarship can be accessible to every believer. His legacy continues through Derek Prince Ministries, making his transformative Bible studies available to new generations seeking solid scriptural foundation.

• David Green. Founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby who demonstrates that business can be ministry when surrendered to God. His book "Leadership Not by the Book" reveals how listening to the Holy Spirit above conventional business wisdom led to extraordinary success—from a $600 loan to an $8 billion company. Green's commitment to giving away 50% of profits, closing stores on Sundays, and paying employees well above minimum wage shows that honoring God in business leads to blessing. His journey through near-bankruptcy taught him humility and total dependence on God. Most importantly, his emphasis on stewardship over ownership—recognizing God owns everything—provides a radical model for how Christians can use business as a platform for kingdom impact. His story demonstrates the Joseph Pattern: decades of faithful preparation in obscurity before sudden elevation for divine purposes.

• My friend Peter Han: his Tree of Life vs. Tree of Knowledge teaching reshaped how I trust God with money and work.

No single denomination contains all the elders worth learning from. Each has profound wisdom and serious failings. Don’t let labels limit your learning. Test teaching by Scripture and fruit, not affiliation. When you find elders who resonate, go deep.

For a practical lens on learning across traditions without idolizing any one stream, see Learn Across Denomination.

The Practice of Discerning Who To Learn From

Since I critique institutional Christianity for replacing Holy Spirit guidance with human authority, I must clarify: what distinguishes a legitimate spiritual elder from the institutional authorities I warn against?

What Makes Someone a Legitimate Spiritual Elder

Fruit, not position. Elders are validated by the fruit of their teaching and life, not by titles, ordination, or institutional standing. A plumber who moves in supernatural power and raises disciples (like Smith Wigglesworth) outranks a seminary professor whose students remain spiritually dead.

Alignment with Scripture. Their teaching, when tested, holds up against the whole counsel of God's Word. They welcome this testing rather than demanding unquestioned acceptance.

Demonstrated supernatural life. The generals of faith I learn from didn't just teach about miracles—they operated in them. If someone claims spiritual authority but lacks evidence of the Spirit's power in their ministry, be cautious.

Willingness to be wrong. True elders hold their interpretations with appropriate humility. They distinguish between "thus saith the Lord" and "here's my best understanding." Beware anyone who treats every opinion as revelation.

Lives that match their message. Character over charisma. Consistency over celebrity. Private holiness over public performance.

Points to Christ, not themselves. Legitimate elders make you hungry for Jesus, not dependent on them. They're thrilled when their disciples surpass them.

What Disqualifies Someone as an Authority

• Requiring loyalty to themselves or their institution over the Holy Spirit
• Claiming exclusive access to God that others lack
• Refusing accountability or correction
• Building personal kingdoms rather than Christ's kingdom
• Producing fear, control, or dependency rather than freedom and maturity
• Teaching that contradicts clear Scripture, regardless of their credentials

The Key Distinction

The difference between learning from elders and outsourcing discernment to institutions is simple: Elders help you hear the Holy Spirit more clearly. Institutions replace Him.

Iron sharpening iron means believers helping each other calibrate their hearing. It doesn't mean one person doing the hearing for everyone else. A true elder says, "Here's what I've learned—now go verify it with Scripture and the Spirit." An institution says, "Here's what we've decided—now comply."

Ultimately, It's a Faith Decision

Here's the honest truth: you can never fully verify someone's spiritual authority with certainty. You can apply every test above and still not be 100% sure. At some point, you have to pick.

This is faith in action. You gather evidence, apply discernment, pray for wisdom, and then commit. You choose which voices to learn from deeply, knowing you might be wrong, knowing you'll course-correct as you grow.

The alternative (endlessly analyzing without committing) produces paralysis and isolation. Better to humbly follow teachers who bear good fruit, remain accountable to Scripture and community, and stay correctable when you discover errors.

The Holy Spirit will guide you even through imperfect teachers if your heart is oriented toward Christ. Your job is to stay hungry, stay teachable, and stay anchored in the Word. See: How to Validate Holy Spirit Guidance for the Four Tests and practical safeguards for discerning genuine promptings.

Ask yourself as you encounter spiritual teachers:

1. Do they embody Christ's heart or just supposed theological correctness?
2. Does their wisdom produce love, truth, and peace in those who follow it?
3. Are they willing to critique their own arguments and tradition?
4. Do they point you toward direct relationship with the Holy Spirit or toward dependence on them?
5. Is their private life consistent with their public teaching?

Daily Practice: Test every insight—book, sermon, conversation—by Scripture and fruit. Do not dismiss by source or accept uncritically.

The goal isn't eclecticism; it's learning from the fullness of Christ's body with discernment.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. God has provided teachers. Find them, study them, and let their wisdom sharpen your walk with Jesus.

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." — Proverbs 27:17