Beyond the Weekend

June 6 | Protecting Your Faith

June 6, 2016

Jude 1

Pastor Aaron Buer addresses the spiritually dangerous situation Jude wrote of to early Christians. False teachers within the church perverted the message of forgiveness through Christ’s death to mean, “Go ahead and do whatever you want!” They bent God’s grace by promoting all forms of godlessness and immorality, causing Christians to stumble into sinful practices.

Jude implored Jesus followers to protect and take a stand for God’s Truth.

Our culture isn’t so different from Jude’s. Today, false teaching bombards and misdirects us through political correctness, pop culture, and humanism, which dilute and confuse the Bible’s message. Situational ethics, relativism, and universal forgiveness of sins push against the absolute truth of Scripture.

Jude pleads for us to protect ourselves and others from false teaching.

“But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love…” (Jude 1.20-21). Jude says to keep building our faith, which can seem monotonous and unglamorous.

Pastor Buer compares building our faith to the focus and tenacity it took to construct buildings in ancient times. It took 133 years to build the Sagrada Familia Basillica in Barcelona. Likewise, doing repetitive things to build our faith takes resolve but shelters us in God’s protection.

Summer is upon us—a time we tend to put our spiritual growth on hold. Today as you meet with God, commit your summer to him. Plan ways you will protect your time alone with God (Chair), time in community (Circle), and church service attendance (Row) to “keep yourselves in God’s love.”

You Might Also Like