Tag: "Trust and Obey for there is no other Way"

A Prayer for Strength to Defend the Faith – Your Daily Prayer. Jude 1:3-4 

Are you facing increased opposition when you share Christ accurately in your workplace, neighborhood, or church? We need to read the Book of Jude which challenges us to “contend for the faith.”

I’m seeing increased name-calling, anger, and resistance when people share Biblical truths (especially when they talk about morality, accurate views of God, discernment, or Christian responsibility).

And a good portion of the resistance comes from professing Christians misusing the “Judge not” argument.

God expects us to warn people of error even if they don’t listen (Ezekiel 33:1-20). He’s “nit-picky” about His Word (Matthew 5:18).

But just like the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah we can be hurt by the insults from the people we’re trying to help (Jeremiah 20:8-9).

So today, I want to give a shout out to those of you who are contending for the faith, teaching Christian responsibility, standing for God’s morals against a growing wave of compromise (Jude 1:3).

Never forget: “Great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:10-12).

Jude 3-4 The Message

Fight with All You Have in You

3-4 Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Into the Ring and Contending For the Faith

The “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Spurgeon, once said,

“Controversy is never a very happy element for the child of God: he would far rather be in communion with his Lord than be engaged in defending the faith, or in attacking error. But the soldier of Christ knows no choice in his Master’s commands. He may feel it to be better for him to lie upon the bed of rest than to stand covered with the sweat and dust of battle; but, as a soldier, he has learned to obey, and the rule of his obedience is not his personal comfort, but his Lord’s absolute command. The servant of God must endeavor to maintain all the truth which his Master has revealed to him, because, as a Christian soldier, this is part of his duty. But while he does so, he accords to others the liberty which he himself enjoys.”

In the epistle of Jude, he exhorts believers to be defenders of the faith, to hold fast to our message as Christians, the glorious gospel.

Jude 3-4 GOD’S WORD Translation

Warnings about False Teachers

3 Dear friends, I had intended to write to you about the salvation we share. But something has come up. It demands that I write to you and encourage you to continue your fight for the Christian faith that was entrusted to God’s holy people once for all time.

4 Some people have slipped in among you unnoticed. Not long ago they were condemned in writing for the following reason: They are people to whom God means nothing. They use God’s kindness [a] as an excuse for sexual freedom and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Engaging in Christian apologetics in today’s culture is desperately needed when defending the faith, even within the Church and especially in America because error abounds.

We must stand for truth and become defenders of the Christian faith that has stood the test of time for thousands of years, even when wolves come in to devour the flock (Matthew 7:15-17 God’s Word Translation).

False Prophets

15 “Beware of false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but in their hearts they are vicious wolves. 16 You will know them by what they produce.

“People don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do they? 17 In the same way every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit.

It isn’t about a single person being right; It is about learning how to rightly divide God’s Word, which is perfect because God is perfect.

God’s Word is absolute truth.

If we are God’s children, we will want to grow in that truth, boldly proclaim it, and protect it from error, even if it makes us uncomfortable or even experience pain and rejection at times.

The gospel is offensive.

The Word of God, the Words of God’s Truth will cut deep into hearts and souls and unhesitatingly points out things in us that we don’t want to see, but if we want to be conformed to the image of Christ, we must believe and follow truth.

We should never apologize for our zeal for God’s Word and His glorious gospel because without those precious gifts of hardcore truths from the Lord to us, we would never be able to revel in the benefits of the good news or to share it with others so that their fellowship with their Heavenly Father is finally restored.

As God’s children, we have been molded, transformed by God’s love and mercy.

We can live forgiven and free because of that.

We should long to share that zealous love with others by sharing truth found in the Bible, whether they have never heard the gospel, or they have strayed from its pure message and have begun following false teachers and their false gospel.

We should never feel ashamed to zealously share the hope of our message as believers, turning from our life in sin to turning to Christ alone who offers us new eternal life in Him that was purchased for us by His very own life blood.

In Christ, we are forgiven.

In Christ, we are God’s precious children.

This is the faith that was once and for all time handed down to the saints of old, and we must continue to zealously pass it down to each generation and protect it, zealously defend it from those who would want to badly twist its message.

Do you have a zealous desire to share truth with a loved one, with a neighbor or with a complete stranger who may be caught up in the crass deception of a false gospel or on your many social media platforms to reach others for the gospel?

It is the covenant summons from God upon all His Children, to ask the Holy Spirit to give you .01% boldness and ask Him for a greater desire for His Word.

It is so critically important in these times of violence and unrest, to become a diligent student of God’s Word so that when the opportunity presents itself, you are able to give a response for the hope that you have inside of you (1 Peter 3:15).

1 Peter 3:8-17 GOD’S WORD Translation

Dedicate Your Lives to Jesus

8 Finally, everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble. 9 Don’t pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you, or ridicule those who ridicule you. Instead, bless them, because you were called to inherit a blessing.

10 “People who want to live a full life and enjoy good days
must keep their tongues from saying evil things,
and their lips from speaking deceitful things.
11 They must turn away from evil and do good.
They must seek peace and pursue it.
12 The Lord’s eyes are on those who do what he approves.
His ears hear their prayer.
The Lord confronts those who do evil.”

13 Who will harm you if you are devoted to doing what is good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what God approves, you are blessed. Don’t be afraid of those who want to harm you. Don’t get upset. 15 But dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord. Always be ready to defend your confidence ⌞in God⌟ when anyone asks you to explain it. However, make your defense with gentleness and respect. 16  Keep your conscience clear. Then those who treat the good Christian life you live with contempt will feel ashamed that they have ridiculed you. 17 After all, if it is God’s will, it’s better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong.

Stand firm, march on in truth, fight the good fight, dear solider of the Lord!

In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, God of the Angel Armies, Commander of the Heavenly Host, I know Your Word warns us that in these Last Days to be careful not to be deceived nor to be deceptive ourselves, to rightly divide Your Word. False teachers, false prophets, and false gospels abound. Please equip me with discernment to be able to spot counterfeit messages that undermine the beauty of the finished work of the cross. I’m asking for strength and boldness to stand firm upon Your Holy written Word and be able to proclaim it and defend it against those who twist it. I am grateful to not only be called Your child but a solider in Your great army. I pray that You would send others in the faith that I can link arms with to be able to fight the good fight and run the race that You have set before me. The days are growing darker, but that just means the light of Your truth and goodness will just shine brighter and brighter. Help me to, inch by inch, to continue to be a carrier of that light wherever I go. In Jesus’ name.

Adeste Fidelis! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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