Hey Jude - Day Four

"These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever."  Jude, verses 12-13

The first part of Jude, as you can tell, is way dark and distressing.  It's a warning to the church to be on the look out for the "wolf in sheep's clothing."  In fact, false teachers had infiltrated the church.  Jude was zealous in his communication with the church to be careful.  You can hear the pleading in his voice, the burden in his writing as he warns his brothers and sisters of his concern.

A commentary on Jude says this: "Through his blistering condemnation of the false teachers in his letter shines Jude's love and pastoral concern for his fellow Christians' faith and salvation. He was concerned that they be preserved from falling prey to the licentious teachings in their midst, and that those who had fallen for it be delivered from it. He called on his fellow Christians to contend for the faith entrusted to them. He built them up for the battle they were to wage against the false teachers by holding before them the love of God who would keep them in Jesus Christ for their eternal salvation."

How should we handle those in the church who seek to tear apart the church, the very body they claim to be apart of?  This kind of tempestuousness is not only found in the church building; but it's found in friendships, workplace environments, and family relationships.  It seems there is always someone ready to tear you apart, eager to bring you down from the mountain.

While it's true that sometimes this person is not a believer, I'm amazed at how often they are!  So how do we combat these joy-robbers, soul-stealers, peace-pirates?  Remember at the beginning of this book, Jude urges the reader to defend his faith.  And as simple as this sounds (so often the simple truth is the wisest), it is through the basics of Christianity that we defend ourselves.  We pray.  We read our Bibles.  We worship.  We love.  We make sure our hearts can withstand this attack.  

But then . . . we move on.  The Bible is clear that we are to remove this kind of person from our fellowship - in other words, quit socializing with them.  Don't give this person a pathway into your heart.  Someone who knows the truth of salvation is perverting God's grace when they seek to destroy other Christians.  We all know the kind of Christian I'm talking about - the gossiper.  The liar.  The pot-stirrer.  

The Message puts verse 12 like this:  "These people are warts on your love feasts as you worship and eat together."  he he he Warts on your love feasts.  I love it!  I can picture that, can't you?  Take a look around your life.  Is there someone who is picking you apart, trying to bring you down, stealing your joy?  It's your job to stop it!  The Body of Christ is meant to build, not to destroy.  Romans 14:19 says, "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another." (NKJV)

Be on guard for warts.  And make sure you aren't a wart for someone else!