Evangelism Instructions in Jude
| But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-- to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude1:20-25) |
Jesus had 4 brothers James, Joseph (Joses), Judas (Jude), and Simon. James became the head of the early church and Jude wrote this letter. He calls himself "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James." Neither he nor James calls themselves brothers of Jesus - their true joy is in service.
This letter is written to: those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ...
Jude wrote to Christians who shared their faith in spite of persecution and false teaching. We are believers today because Jude's first readers did what he asked them to do... So let's take a closer look at what he asked them to do:
- "Build yourself up in your most holy faith"
Grow deeper in your understanding of God's Word and in the core doctrines of our faith, always being aware that the letter kills but the Spirit gives life. (2Co3:6) - "Pray in the Holy Spirit"
The call to prayer is obvious - praying in the Spirit simply means letting the Spirit prompt us in prayer. So we don't pray with a "shopping list" but with a listening heart. - "Keep in God's love while you wait"
Waiting is hard - we need to consciously immerse ourselves in God's love. We don't need to be stoic or tough, we need to be in God's love. - "Be Merciful... snatch others from the fire... show mercy"
Jude gives good clear practical instructions to actively reach out to the world around us with grace, justice and mercy while ensuring that we don't get sucked into the temptations of a broken world.
Then he ends with a promise: We are not alone - There is a Saviour who will guide, carry, protect and present us to the Father with great joy!
