Because God Chose You

Remember every day, God chose you.

He chose to love you before you were in your mother’s womb.

God chose to lavish His grace on you, so you would be saved from your sins and not be separated from Him.

He chose you to “be all things to all people” so that you can tell them the good news–the gospel–so some could be saved (1 Corinthians 9:22).

God chose you to bend, break, and remold you into His image because of His love.

He tells you to cast your burdens on Him because He cares for you, and to take up His yoke, which is lighter (1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 11:28-30).

Why does God allow difficult things to happen? That is a common question.

        Possibly to remind you He is God.

Possibly to cause you to seek Him so He can grow you and reshape you more into His likeness.

More than anything, difficult and easy times provide an opportunity for us to learn a big lesson we and reinforce our deep connection-our personal relationship with God.

Abraham had just received God’s promise that Sarah, his eighty-year-old wife, would have a son in less than a year. He had a relationship with God then God told him, He had to see if the outcry in Sodom and Gomorrah was accurate. Abraham had a close enough relationship with God that he began to intercede for the people of those cities (Genesis 18).

Closeness to God makes us intercede for others,

not only supplicate for ourselves.

Paul had a close relationship with God. It came through many a blinding light on the road to Damascus and through many trials of beatings and persecutions. His closeness to God brought a dramatic change to the Roman world of the first century and to humanity since then.

Closeness to God creates the heart of God in us for lost people.

It gives us love, God’s love, for all people so that we “strive to become all things for all so that we might win some to Christ (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Joshua was a strong man of God. When God sent him and 9 other men into the Promised Land to spy it out and report back to the Israelites, he told the people it was a bountiful land and that Yahweh was almighty enough to give it to them. As they prepared to enter the Promised Land, Joshua challenged the people. He reminded them who God had been and would continue to be for them. Joshua called them to renew their commitment and service to the LORD.

Closeness to God leads people to commit and serve the Lord.

A genuine heart of God in a person for other people-to serve Him, to intercede for them, and to try to win them to Christ-cannot be manmade. Nothing we can do causes us to be good enough to be acceptable to God and for His service. Only God can make each person acceptable-holy. He provided this way through His Son’s death on the cross and resurrection.

Why can God’s people do these things?

Because God chose them.

God loves them.

God empowers them.

And they love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Do you have a heart for God? Have you heard Him calling to you to come to Him? Did you go? Did you give your heart to God, so you can be saved from your sins and have an eternal relationship with the God who created and loved you before you were ever formed? Today is the perfect day for you to stop running and answer His call to your heart. Today is the perfect day to turn around from striving to survive, succeed, make it one more day in this world. Each of us sins. Whether you are saved or not, God is calling you to turn back to Him today…now. What will you say to Him? He is there calling and waiting.

Lord, we do not understand this love of Yours. We do not understand how one man dying, even Your Son, can erase our sins and make us holy. But, Lord, we want to leap in faith to You and ask You to hold us, forgive us, and remold us into Your image for Your service. Please accept the sacrifice of my sin-broken heart and make me clean and new for You. Amen.

F.I.R.E.: It's a Relationship (redux)

Relationships and the state of the world’s salvation should be the concern of every person, especially of every Christian.

Over the last twenty to thirty years, Americans and maybe people of other countries, too, have become so involved in succeeding that relationships and a Christian witness have taken a backseat in each person’s life. As you walk in public, if you look, you can see people closed down and in pain. They have no one with whom to share their burdens because relationships in society are minimal in our day and age. Many of these people have  no one, including God, with whom to share their burdens because no one took the time to share the Gospel with them.

Relationships have broken down.

Evangelism took a back seat in Christian lives.

This should disturb every one.

Life should be about relationship. God created every person for relationship – with Himself and with other people. Jesus called Christians to be in relationship. Consider Matthew 22:36-39,

‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied, ‘Love the LORD your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it,  Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [NIV]

When did we Christians close our hearts and eyes to seeing other people?

I think this occurred because: 1) People have adopted a policy of tolerance for all beliefs and, therefore, do not want to "force" their beliefs on someone else; 2) People have become so involved in their lives and efforts at “succeeding” that they literally do not see people enough to have a real conversation with them; 3) People are afraid to tell of their Christian faith to others because they are afraid they will make a mistake or are afraid of being rejected by the person to whom they are talking.  Can I make a suggestion? You are not the one who may be rejected. Jesus Christ is the One who they would reject, if they rejected what you said. You would have been doing what Christ told His followers to do - go out and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

Another thought, if you do not tell others because you are promoting tolerance, remember Jesus has been tolerant for thousands of years. He loves all his creation, men and women of every race and tongue. You may be the one He chose to tell this person near you about Him. Remember, God has a plan for everyone to hear about Jesus Christ and when that occurs, the end will come.

Would you like to be the reason someone did not hear about Jesus and the Father’s love? We Christians have a secure hope of living with God forever in heaven, but we must stand before God and receive His judgment for our actions, too. You need to take the opportunity God gives you to tell others about Him. You must see other people. Act upon the time God gives you to speak His love to them.

What I find is that the number one reason Christians give for not sharing about Jesus is they are afraid. I addressed the fear of rejection earlier. The people to whom you talk will not be rejecting you, but Jesus. The best way to get over this fear is to take a course on how to witness. Take two courses. Then, put it into action. The more times you make the time to share with others, the easier it will become. Most important of all is this: you must truly care about the person. When God saves a person through Jesus, His Son, He puts His love in you. This love is God's Spirit. He has put His love - His Spirit - inside you and you must call upon this love, His Spirit to love other people. You must put aside your human limitations and prejudices and allow God to love this person through you. Once you do that, he or she will realize you care. That person will want to listen to and trust you.

This is relational evangelism - God's love for others shining through you.

God wants a relationship with that person very much.

He already loves him or her.

How do you do relationship evangelism? First, it is easier to love someone, and listen to and speak with a person if you have known him or her for a while. If you do not know the person, you can use the F.I.R.E. method of evangelism to gain an interest in and learn about a person. Your listening to a person tell you about him or herself will make you see he or she is a person who needs love and friendship, too. That person will learn to trust you because of it. During the time you listen to a person, you will recognize he or she has needs, too. This will unlock your heart for others.

What is F.I.R.E.? The short answer is Family, Interests, Religious experience, and Evangelism. The application is easy. It requires you to be human and truly take an interest in another person. Besides this, it requires you not talk as much as you listen. Get to know the person. 

v  Ask about his or her Family. 

o   Does he or she have kids or grandkids? 

o   Who lives at home with him or her? 

o   Where is he or she from? 

o   Find out about him or her. 

v  Ask about the person's Interests. 

o   Does he or she like to read, play an instrument, play computer games, camp? 

Are you now finding out you have a common interest with them? 

v  Ask about his or her Religious background. 

o   Does he or she go to a church? 

o   Which faith system does he or she follow? 

o   What are his or her thoughts on what happens after this life is over? 

Once you have taken time to get to know the person, which may take fifteen minutes, a few days, or months, you will have a heart for the person. He or she will realize you can be trusted and that you care about him or her. By this time, you recognize at least one area of need the person expressed about his or her life.

At this point, you can tell the person about yourself - your Family, Interests, and Religious experiences.

The E of FIRE -

v  As you tell the person about your Religious experience, tell him or her how God met/meets your needs  and can meet his or her needs.

v  Share how Jesus came to give abundant life because He loves him or her.

v  Share how God and Jesus showed that love and how it changed your life.

v  Eventually you will come to a place where you can ask the person if he or she would like to know Jesus in this way -  experience a life in which Jesus:

·         gives meaning to the person’s life.

·         forgives the person of all his or her wrongdoings.

·         is the Savior of his or her life. 

·         is there to take lead of his or her life to be his or her Savior, Provider, Protector, and King. Jesus wants the person to follow Him the rest of his or her life. 

v  Tell the person how your life has changed since you gave your life to Jesus. 

v  Ask if he or she wants to make that commitment to Jesus, to follow Him as his or her Lord and King. 

v  Lead the person in a prayer of confession and acceptance of Jesus Christ as his or her Savior.

Make a commitment to the person to help him or her grow in knowing what this commitment to Christ means and how they can grow to be more Christ-like.

Try this. It is a relational way to speak to someone about God and Jesus Christ - their love and sacrifice.

Try it more than once. Seek to speak to a person each week with an intention of talking with him or her about Christ. 

Intentionally go to a public place with no need to shop or return for a schedule, then you will be more open to seeing people in need or to whom God is leading you to speak. 

Be intentional. Go out once a week with the sole agenda being to seek a person who needs to hear a word from God, a person who needs to know God and you care about and love him or her. 

It is a relationship thing. What is stopping you?

Are You Listening? (redux)

           

             John, in his gospel, wrote many things. He wrote the whole book with the sole purpose being “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31 [NASB]) John showed throughout this book ways we, as hearers and readers, can know Jesus is the Son of God. He gave us his personal testimony. He told the testimony of the Gospel through Jesus’ signs and miracles, through the Spirit, and through the Word (God’s inspired Word). Yet, there is something we – Christians and ministers - must do. Paul stated in Romans 10:14-15a, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent” [NASB]? Unless we who know God personally tell others about Jesus, the salvation of the world, people will not come to know Jesus the Christ.

            In John 13:15, Jesus used the word “example.” He used this word only once when He taught His disciples. Before the Feast of the Passover, after being with the disciples for almost three years teaching them by word and action, He washed the disciples’ feet. Jesus took His tunic off and wrapped a towel around Himself as a servant would. He gave this example to His disciples; they were to be servants to each other. Jesus reinforced this "example" He showed and spoke to them. Later in chapter 13, He told the disciples in verses thirty-four and thirty-five, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35, [NASB]) Earlier Jesus said He was the fulfillment of the Law, but stated they must follow the Shema. The Shema is a Jewish Law combining Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love the LORD your God withyou’re your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27 [NASB]). The first Jesus called the greatest commandment. The latter is the second greatest commandment. At the end of His time on earth with His disciples, Jesus added another. In John 13:34-35, He taught them to love each other so that all people would know they were His disciples. These commands cover love of God, love of others (outside the faith), and love among disciples (Christians).

            How are people to know Jesus? They come to know Jesus by Christians coming to know them. John, in his Gospel, stated many times Jesus knew what people thought, what their past was, if they grumbled or complained, and if certain people needed a miracle or sign so they could believe. Jesus knew and knows all people. He spoke into their lives at the point of their need. Consider Mary and Martha. Jesus could have gone to their home in Bethany before Lazarus died, but He knew them and He wanted God to receive glory. Mary and Martha believed Jesus is God’s Son and believed there would be a resurrection on the last day. They did not know that Jesus had power over life and death. By waiting until Lazarus was truly dead (four days after his death), people believed Jesus had power over life and death, God received the glory, and the faith of Mary and Martha grew. You can look at other miracles in the book of John and see this occur often– Jesus’ power over that part of life would be revealed, God would receive glory, and the faith of people would increase or occur for the first time. Jesus knows people and what they need. He meets people at the point of their need - when they are at the end of their understanding and knowledge - so that God’s power is the explanation for any good/miracle that occurred. The question remains: how are people to know Jesus?

            More often than not, people come to know Jesus through His disciples speaking truth into their lives. Let me say it again, “People come to meet and know Jesus through Christians getting to know them.” By getting to know people,

·         We hear them tell us about themselves, their families, their interests, and their religious experiences.

•  We Christians – paid and unpaid - listen intently and hear where people express hurt.
• We hear and realize they are human, too.
• We believers hear with our ears and with the heart that Jesus regenerated in us through His love.
• We hear their physical and spiritual needs.

In the process of listening to them,

•  We Christians earn that person’s trust.
• We remember where Jesus met our need, physically and spiritually.
• We remember where Jesus came to us, met us, healed us, and forgave us, and where we gave our lives to Him.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:26. The birds of the air wear beautiful plumage, have their food needs met, and are sheltered in God’s beautiful trees and bushes. The birds did nothing; God provided for their needs. God will provide more so for the needs of His created people. Jesus stated that in Matthew 6. God provides for spiritual needs as well as temporal needs. Jesus built relationships or strengthened them at the point of a person’s need. He wants to be the provider of everything each person needs. We must build relationships, too, and through building these new relationships and listening, the people give us the opportunity to speak about Jesus - show how He changed our lives, met our needs - physical and spiritual, and how He can be the fulfillment of their own needs now and for eternity.

            Consider the “I AM” statements in John’s gospel. Jesus said seven things that John recorded. Jesus said,

•   “I AM the Bread of Life.”
•  “I AM the Light of the world.”
•   “I AM the gate for the sheep.”
•   “I AM the good Shepherd.”
•   “I AM the resurrection and the Life.””
•  I AM the True Vine.”

Each of these has a temporal and spiritual element to it. Jesus came to be everything a person ever needs –bread, light, shelter, guidance, life and hope, and eternal sustenance/salvation. Jesus is the fulfillment of all our needs before we ever know we have the need for them.

• God provided manna in the wilderness for the Israelites to feed them for a day. Jesus became the Bread that would feed our spiritual need forever.
• God gave a pillar of fire before the troops of Israelites as they found their way to the Promised Land. Jesus is the Light to lead us to eternal life in God’s Kingdom.
• God provided a gate by which to keep out the wolves. Jesus is the gate that keeps the devil and his demons out when we have given our lives to Him.
• God provides shepherds for the sheep who protect them, such as David was for the actual sheep of his father and for God’s people Israel. Jesus is the Shepherd who will not run away, but will fight the wolves to keep us protected in His hands. He protects those who are His own.

·         No one before Jesus had ever beaten death and come back to life. Jesus died to be victorious over death so His children would receive resurrection from the grave at the end of the time. Death does not have any hold on those who call themselves His disciples. Jesus gives eternal life to His disciples.

            God provides sustenance and guidance now to His children. He also provides eternal life forever. God, through His indwelling Holy Spirit, provides the eternal guidance and remembrance of all He taught us through our lives and the ones who went before us. He gives us hope and guidance as the True Vine. We are His, adopted by Him, and grafted into His vine so nothing can separate us from Him. Jesus gives us what He stated in the seven I AM statements now and for eternity.

            We must get to know people as Jesus knows people. We must hear them express themselves, their life, and their beliefs. Only by listening will we gain their trust to speak into their lives. Only by listening will we be able to contextualize the message of Jesus’ salvation for that particular person at that specific moment in their lives. This is relationship. Our telling the Gospel to them after listening is contextualizing the Gospel for them. That is how FIRE helps us. FIRE is Family, Interests, Religious experiences, and Evangelism. FIRE makes us intentional in getting to know Jesus better each day, to have a growing relationship with Him. We must have a daily relationship with Jesus so we are learning more through His Word and through prayer with Him. Without this daily relationship, we may not know a passage of Scripture a person needs to hear as he or she speaks to us. FIRE lets us know a person’s thoughts on their needs so we can share with him or her how Jesus can fill his or her needs here and eternally. FIRE is how Jesus met us through others and it is how He will meet other people more often than not. (See “How to Tell the World: F.I.R.E.)

            The questions now to consider include the following.

•  How is your relationship with God? Are you close to Him or has it been a while since you read His Word or prayed to Him?
• How are your listening skills? Are you a keen listener and often hear a word from God? Are you a devoted listener of other people or do you hear some of what they say and then begin thinking about what you will say?

            We must be in an active vertical relationship with God. We must also know how to have a horizontal relationship with other people. Jesus did this well. He was very relational and showed by example how to be in a relationship with God and with one another. Jesus died on the cross because of these relationships - with the Father and with humanity.

Look at it this way. (See picture below.)

Each of us has to make a decision:

Are we willing to get to know people like Jesus knows each of us so we can tell them the great news of Jesus Christ?

1 Thessalonians 2:2, 13-16 A Devotion

2 “We [Paul and Timothy] had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you His gospel in spite of strong opposition.”

13 “We also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in your who believe.

14 “For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which as in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men 16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way, they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.”

Paul told the people of Thessalonica several things. He and Timothy as servants of Christ, suffered persecution. Yet that did not thwart his efforts to tell more people about Jesus Christ, including the Thessalonians.

Paul thanked God for the strength of conviction the Thessalonians had in the Gospel of God they brought to them. Their conviction was not to the words of man – him and Timothy – but to the words of God, which have the power to teach, rebuke, correct, and train in righteousness. [2 Timothy 3:16-17]

Because the Thessalonians listened to and were convicted and convinced by the word of God, not man, they were able to stand up to persecution. Paul said he knew the Thessalonians suffered from their own countrymen. This is the other point of this passage. Even people who are like you and from your same country and city may persecute you. Consider what is happening now in the Middle East. One branch of Islam is killing another branch. This type of thing happened in Burundi and Rwanda with the ethnic genocide.

The final point Paul made in this passage is that God is the one who will judge the Thessalonian Christians’ persecutors. “The wrath of God came upon them at last,” Paul said.

From this, what can we take away and apply to ourselves.

1. ·         First, are you willing to endure persecution for taking the Gospel to hostile people, or at the very least to unwilling listeners?
2. ·         Second, ensure you speak the words of God, not of yourself, so that the listeners are convicted of the Gospel and have a firm foundation for when they go tell other people about Jesus.
3. ·         Third, realize that many times the opposition and persecution you experience while speaking the Gospel of God comes from people closest to you – family, neighbors, and countrymen. These are the people who knew you before your salvation and try to keep you in the old mold. They do not understand the new you and may persecute you for making such a strong stand on the opposite end of the spectrum.
4. ·         Finally, Paul noted the persecutors would experience the wrath of God. Remember it is better to receive the persecution by humans than the wrath of God.

When you receive the Word of God and are convinced and convicted by it to turn to God and receive the salvation He offers, He does not give you just a little bit of salvation, but all of it. You are not just partly Christian, but 100% Christian. When God calls you His child and sends you out to testify about Him and the grace He offers through Jesus Christ, He wants you to testify effectively and loudly – with boldness. Be bold and not fear. Don’t just tell a little bit because you don’t want to offend and then be persecuted. Go without fear because you are God’s child. It is better to receive God’s praise and His protection than be accepted by the people to whom you witness.

Today, what are you going to do – speak boldly so the Word of God is heard or speak comfortable words so you are not shunned and persecuted? You have God’s power and promises in you. Stand up for what you believe.

The Miracle of Faith - book

The book, Miracle of Faith, now available for purchase from Amazon.com. Beginning later in the week, Barnes and Noble and Crossbooks.com will also be selling the book. Currently only soft and hard cover books are being sold. In a couple of weeks, the ebooks will be available for purchase. For those people who do not live in North America, CrossBooks (the publisher) distributes their books worldwide through Ingram Book Distribution. They will print the books in the UK. For ease of purchase, the ISBN number for the soft cover book is 978-1-4627-3158-9.

This book is a compilation of 53 Bible studies written over 18 months. Originally these Bible studies were posted on a blog site. Over the 18 months of the blog site, almost 30 countries had people read the blogs. Currently there are now 35 countries represented as regular readers of the Bible studies. Since the start of the book making process, another 32 Bible studies have been posted to the blog site.
Copied below are the Preface from the book and a review of it, as well.

Preface:

WHEN I BEGAN ON THIS leg of my journey with God , He was preparing my family and me to become missionaries. Part of the preparation was making us feel comfortable with moving to another

continent and another hemisphere. When hearing about the cultural differences from that in which I was accustomed, nervousness ensued, as would be the case for most people embarking on similar adventures. During this part of preparing, God brought a Bible verse to my attention during one of my quiet times. This verse comes from John 14:2 . This verse records Jesus telling His disciples about His imminent departure from earth. He said, “In My Father ’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you” [NASB]. For me, at that time, it showed me that anywhere on earth to which God calls me to work is just one of the rooms or dwelling places in His house. God had already gone before us to prepare a place for us, a home in a

neighborhood that would be friendly with a church family who are loving and accepting and with a people who have the same heart as us because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ . This was so reassuring. It is also the reason for my blog title, Thoughts from Another Home.

God began a new path for my journey with Him while in this new dwelling place. In 2011, He told me to start a blog site. I had no idea what He wanted me to put on it, but after 18 months, I definitely know some of the things He wanted to put on there. This book is a collection of some of the articles I have posted on my blog site over the last 18 months. As I wrote and posted them, people would call or send me emails, telling me just how much the articles helped them, how much they learned, and

the ease with which they could understand the articles. Many people began to ask me to put them in a book. I put them off for quite a while, but after more requests, I decided to get information regarding the process of publishing and to determine if these writings were worthy of publishing. My initial conversation with the publishing representative said he had prayed about it the night before and on the way to work that morning. After talking with me, he felt the book should be published, so we discussed the process with CrossBooks. From that point in time, I did research for about a week along with much praying and seeking of God’s will. Some of the articles in this book come from this seeking. The long and short of it is that this book was published.

 

My prayer is that you would learn from them just as I did when God taught them to me, draw inspiration from them, and be encouraged to step out on this bold journey with God. He is always calling you to follow Him. Are you willing to follow Him?

 

Review:

"Making the decision to become a disciple of Christ can be difficult, especially if you are not sure what exactly it entails. And if you have already professed your faith in Christ, you may still want to grow in your faith without knowing how to achieve this greater understanding. Though these are different starting points, the needs of these two positions are similar.

Gail Davis' Miracle of Faith offers Bible studies for everyone. You can grow closer to God so you can be one with the Father, as Jesus and the Father are one. Miracle of Faith seeks to help you become more like Him. Davis explores various topics of faith and hope, advocating loving God and loving others. She also considers miracles, righteousness, ways to be certain in Christ, and to know the voice of God.
Each lesson uses profound questions to help you consider the depth of your faith in Jesus Christ. These lessons may be used at your own pace and are suitable for both daily and more protracted study.
Whether you have been on the Christian journey three days, three years, or thirty years, God can speak to you through His Word. Let Miracle of Faith help you find the way to hear and understand God."

Please tell all your friends who are growing Christians as well as those who are seeking for the Lord. No marketing is being done. Word of mouth is the means of getting the news out. God used His teachings to me, to reach others through the blog site. The blog site has developed into a book published by demand of the blog readers. My obedience was to study with Him and make the Bible studies available to others through the blog and book. Now, we must let people know God is real, loves everyone and wants a daily relationship with us. This book is a way to show them the reality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the One true God - when used in conjunction with the Bible. Use this book as a resource for your witnessing. Use it for your personal growth. Use it to teach others about Jesus and how to grow more Christlike.

May the name of the Lord be declared from all the corners of the world until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord.

Grace and Peace,
Gail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While You Are Waiting

Jude -

1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:

2 May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

3 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.

4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.

6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,

7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.

9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.

11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves ; clouds without water, carried along by winds ; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;

13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,

15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."

16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.

17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,

18 that they were saying to you, "In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts."

19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting;

23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,

25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

This letter was written by the brother of Jesus and James. Here Jude referred to himself as the bondservant of Jesus Christ. Two things to recognize with this statement are that He recognized Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, for which the Jews awaited. The other thing, Jude did was call himself a bondservant of Jesus. What is a bondservant in the 1^st century? A bondservant is one who gives him or herself to be in the service of another for his will and purposes. Jude said his brother, Jesus, is the Christ and that he believed this so much that he would do whatever the Lord told him. In this instance, Jude wrote a letter to a church to encourage them and to remind them. 

Jude wrote this letter near the time of 2 Peter. We know this because many things Jude says in his letter are stated in 2 Peter. Jude was written during the time of the Roman persecution of Christians. That sets it near  65AD. Nero had begun this round of persecution. He blamed the Christians for many things, for example the burning of Rome and the civil unrest.

Jude wrote to the believers of Jesus telling them to stand up for the faith they had in common with each other and all Christians. He reminded them there are ungodly people who are turning the grace of God into an opportunity for sins of the flesh. These people were appealing to the grace they have in God saying, “We are believers who are forgiven and want to have fun. We do what we want; we will be forgiven anyway.” These people were twisting the message of God’s grace to permit licentiousness, unbridled lust and bodily gratification. Nevertheless, Jude prompted his readers to remember what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. God destroyed them and saved Lot. God can still do this. Jude said God’s grace was not to be used frivolously to live a self-serving life. His grace, His undeserved love for us, was bought with a great price, His Son’s death on the cross. These people who talked of doing whatever they wanted and of allowing themselves to be seduced by the desires of the body cheapened the love of Christ. God’s grace, Jude said, was not there to give license to sinfulness, but to remind them of their unworthiness and God’s greatness. God would not allow this thought and the resultant actions to continue. Look to the past and see how He took those matters into His hands. Jude mentioned several times God entered and punished those who twisted His love for them and their freedom. He recalled for the people about Sodom and Gomorrah and others who followed their animal/carnal desires, including the people He destroyed after rescuing them from Egypt because they did not believe. He reminded them of the angels who wanted to be equal to God and who were banished to darkness. Jude jumped in to the issues at hand. He warned the people of these false teachers who were trying to twist the freedom of being a follower of Jesus into an opportunity to do what their fleshly nature wanted.

Jude was so concerned with the presence, walk, and talk of these false teachers that he continued explaining whom these false teachers have been and were in compared to God and His ways. He said they defiled the flesh and rejected authority. They went so far as to purposely daydream and have fleshly thoughts, sensual desires. He compared them to animals following their baser instincts and who were being destroyed. Their destruction was of their own making. They chose to follow the ways of the flesh, which was contrary to the truth of God, the pure grace of God given through His Son, Jesus. These false believers said they were already forgiven and so could do as they wanted. Jude proclaimed woe upon them, just as John proclaimed to the churches in the book of Revelation. He said they would have sadness, regret, and separation just like Cain after he killed his brother, Abel, out of jealousy because his offering was not from his best. Their woe will be like the prophet Balaam who took payment to counsel Israel’s enemies. He prided himself on knowing the word and will of God and he liked the fame. Korah and his relatives of the Levites rebelled against Moses and Aaron accusing them of setting themselves up to be the only priests of Yahweh. They, too, wanted to be priests of Yahweh. Korah’s sin was jealousy and putting him and his family higher in their hearts and minds than God meant for them to be. They were not humble. Each of these instances revealed how people showed their ignorance of God. They proclaimed themselves to know God and did not give their best for an offering, for proclaiming, and for leading. These people set themselves up in opposition to God and received their reward/punishment – banishment and death.

Jude told the Christian readers what these men and women were. They were false and rocks on which to ground people like hidden reefs in the sea. They brought moral damage when they gathered to feast for themselves, not for the Lord’s Supper (see 1 Corinthians 11:20-21). These people were like clouds that carried no life-giving water but were blown around; they falsely boasted of their gifts (see Proverbs 25:14). They were like autumn trees with no fruit; they were dormant, dead, and gave no fruit. There was nothing in their lives to show they were from God and so they were doubly dead – physically and eternally. These false teachers were like the wild waves of the sea of which Isaiah spoke in Isaiah 57:20. They could not be quiet, but tossed their waves of shame and disgrace like refuse and mud, nothing of which to be proud. Finally, Jude compared them to wandering stars which have no sun around which to orbit, but which continue forever in unending darkness, a foreboding netherworld gloom for eternity. These false believers brought moral danger and boasted of their superior knowledge, but did not bring life through rain nor show their spiritual fruit. Instead, they showed their shame and disgrace and were destined to live forever in the darkness with the prince of darkness, not with God.

Jude continued this letter by being very explicit regarding these false believers and teachers. Instead of reminding them of the past when God brought judgment or comparing them to false and dead things, Jude told them in verses 14-16 who these people were. These false teachers were the ungodly who will be judged by God. They were the grumblers and faultfinders who tried to find a way around God’s commandments. They wanted what they wanted and to follow their own desires. They sought approval and advantage regarding their way of life and precepts by being arrogant and flattering people. Jude warned the believers of Jesus against these people.

As an alternative and the only life-giving way to live, said Jude, remember the words spoken by the apostles of the Lord, those who walked with, saw, and heard directly from the Christ. Remember they said there would be mockers in the last time who followed their own lusts. These false disciples and teachers would cause divisions, be worldly-minded (fleshly-desired) and not connected to the Holy Spirit. But you, followers of Jesus, Jude said, be firmly rooted in Jesus, growing in Him and being strengthened in your faith as your were taught (see Colossians 2:7). Pray in the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us to the Father in deeper ways, with perseverance and petitioning for all believers to stand strong (see Romans 8:26 and Ephesians 6:18). Take effort to keep yourselves carefully in the love and goodwill of God as His children. While you do this, eagerly wait with expectant hope for the return of Christ and His mercy to take you to His Kingdom as promised for His followers (see Titus 2:13). Jude offered five things to do during this intermediate time while awaiting the return of Jesus instead of listening to and following the false believers. Remember the words of the apostles. Be firmly rooted and growing in Christ. Pray in the Holy Spirit interceding for the other believers. Carefully keep yourselves in the love and way of God. Eagerly wait with hope for Christ’s return.

Jude told them, while you are doing these things and waiting for Christ’s return, have mercy on those who doubt within themselves about the Father and the Son. Give them patience and gently show them you care with the love of God; help them see the Truth with clarity. Often these people will turn to God because of His love. For others, help preserve them by snatching them out of the fire of eternal death as God snatched the Israelites repeatedly, even though some did not turn to Him (see Amos 4:11). Be diligent and lovingly keep on speaking Truth to these who choose to keep walking from Jesus. Jesus desires that no one will be lost but that all will come to repentance (see 2 Peter 3:9). Even go so far as to help others, with trembling, hating even with what they clothed themselves in life (their life choices) knowing those life choices are against God. The lives of these people was complete rebellion against God. Jude told them, while you are doing the above for believers living in the world before the second coming of Christ, look also to those who do not accept Jesus as God’s Son, bearing the penalty for their sins. They were not only to love God and other believers, but were to love non-believers so much that they did not give up on telling them the Truth, even to the point of snatching them from hell’s fires in their fleshly clothes of their human choices.

This is an interesting letter. Jude could have kept his letter to warning the believers. Instead, He spent time reminding them of their past, God’s faithfulness, Jesus’ love, and Jesus’ commandments He left for each of His believers. Jesus’ three commandments to His followers are: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is the greatest and foremost commandment. The second is you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40 [NASB]); the third is “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this will all men know that you are My disciples” (John 13:34 [NASB]). By following Jesus’ commandments, not only would they be remembering the words of the apostles, continuing in their growth in Christ, praying in the Holy Spirit, and eagerly awaiting the hope Christ put within His believers, they would be a living testimony of Jesus. They would be praying for and working toward bringing all people to a saving faith in Jesus, the doubters as well as the blatant rebels. They would not be staying focused on the negative, anti-Christian things that were happening; they would be working toward becoming more Chistlike.

Jude closed his letter with His own statement of trust in Jesus. He said a prayer over these people of God. He prayed for them not to stumble and positively prayed for them to stand before God blameless and with great joy. He gave them over to the hands of God who is able to keep them in His safety. He praised God, the Father and Son, for His glory, power, and authority from before time and through eternity because God is more powerful than anything. This is the God in whom the believers can stand, be reassured, and hope - the Father and Savior of all humankind.

This is how we can stand in the face of false teachers, doubters, and blatant rebels of God. We know God is not only all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere-present, but His character is encompassed by His love that never ceases. He does not wish anyone to be separated from Him for eternity. His love made a way for that not to happen. Jesus became His sacrifice of to take the penalty and pay the price for our sins.

These questions remain: Will you accept His love and sacrifice? Will you reach out and keep on reaching out with His love so that all will have the opportunity to know and experience God’s love forever? He gives us the choice. What do you choose?