Tag: great joy
Contending for the faith!
Scripture reading for December 22nd: Jude
“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for he faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Jude 3
Jude was the half-brother of Jesus Christ. His letter was written to the church as a wave of false teachers were enticing believers to live in worldly ways and enticing them to sexual immorality and idolatry. (Jude 4) He planned to write about their common salvation, but instead wrote a letter of encouragement and warning about the need to contend earnestly for the faith! We are in a spiritual conflict and the enemy of our souls is trying to steal our faith!
Jude points God’s people back to God’s past dealings with His redeemed people. God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. They all experienced God’s grace but not all believed and they were destroyed in the desert. (Jude 5) Lot and his children were delivered from Sodom, but God destroyed these towns because of sexual immorality and perversion (homosexual behavior). (Jude 7) These towns were destroyed by fire and serve as examples for us today of eternal fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Jude’s strong warnings were meant to help those in the church to resist these false teachers and stay on the path of righteousness. Jude gives some positive instruction to the church to help them. They are to remember the teaching of the Apostles who had warned about these scoffers of the last times who would seek to divide the church. (Jude 18-19)
The best way Jude suggested to build yourself up in your faith was to pray in the Holy Spirit. By doing this, a believer could keep himself in the love of God and wait patiently for Jesus Christ. While waiting, each believer should be merciful to those who are doubting or weak in their faith and show mercy to others by snatching them from the fires of hell. They must be careful to keep their faith and focus on Jesus.
“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen!” Jude 24-25
Prosperity and health!
Scripture reading for December 21st: 3rd John
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (3rd John 2) John opened his letter with a greeting to his personal friend, Gaius, and a short prayer for him.
“It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3rd John 3-4) If we are faithful and walk in the truth, everyone knows about it. Faithfulness brings great joy to God and to those in authority in the church. Those in authority have to give an account to the Lord for those they oversee. (Hebrews 13:17) When pastors talk to the Lord about those who are disobedient and unfaithful, it brings sorrow and painful intercession! Gaius had been walking in the truth and blessing visiting missionaries by providing for their needs. He demonstrated Christ’s love to those preaching the gospel and was commended!
“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” (3rd John 9-10)
Diotrephes was one of those brothers that was causing pain to the Apostle and others in the body of Christ. A bad reputation also becomes known. If the person will not change and repent, others in the church must be warned so that they are not caught up in these sins. John wanted to come personally and deal with the situation.
This short letter shows us how our personal attitudes affect others and are known in the body of Christ. Leaders must have a good reputation. When you love to be first like Diotrephes, selfishness indicates that you are not from God. (3rd John 11) If you are a loving servant, like Gaius and Demetrius (3rd John 12), you show by your love that Christ’s love and truth is in you! There’s no greater joy for a pastor than to have God’s people walking in truth and love!