Hello Friends!
We live and serve in a culture that determines what is true by
asking, "How do you feel about
it?" As a result, the church is under attack for its stand on Biblical
truth…
The
Book of Jude
Sadly,
many believers and even pastors today are ready to lay aside doctrinal
differences in order to build an ecumenical Tower of Babel. Wait!
Truth matters to God – and it must matter to us also! As the Scriptures declare
– Jesus Christ is the Truth…
The
book of Acts is known as the “Acts of the Apostles” – The book of Jude
could be considered the “Acts of the
Apostates” as it is the only
New Testament Epistle written with the expressed
purpose of exposing false teachers, their false doctrines and heresies that
were leading believers away from the
Biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jude's
words of warning should challenge us as Christians – especially in today’s
post-modern culture/church environment. He wrote:
Beloved, while I was making every effort to
write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you
appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all
handed down to the saints – Jude 3
We
must defend the Christian faith that has been passed down to us through the
millennia via the Word of God! Jude encouraged his readers to “contend earnestly for the faith” and
warned about immoral teachers and dangerous doctrines which were endangering
the faith of the true believers.
The
late Christian leader John Stott also wrote:
"Jesus was no syncretist, teaching that
contradictory opinions were in reality complementary insights into the same
truth. No, He held that truth and falsehood excluded one another, and that
those who propagate lies in God's name are false prophets, of whom His
followers must beware."
These
words should awaken us to the importance of spiritual discernment and of the
need to know and embrace the core doctrines of our faith. That's what the
book of Jude is all about!
Outline of Jude:
- Desires of Jude (verses 1-2)
- Declaration of War Against Apostates (verses 3-4)
- Damnable Outcome of Apostates (verses 5-7)
- Denunciation of Apostates (verses 8-16)
- Defenses Against Apostates (verses 17-23)
- Doxology of Jude (verses 24-25)
In
closing:
My
prayer is that each of us will read these Scriptures with a fresh commitment to
stand for the Lord Jesus, to defend the faith and to protect the church from
false teaching & dangerous doctrines.
May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect
love, mercy and grace!
Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while
there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
Blessings!
Shane <><