| | | | Introduction to Jude - A Legacy of Faith Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified[a] by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Jude 1-3
This past Sunday at Calvary Wilmington we began a four-part study of the book of Jude. Jude was one of four half-brothers of Jesus (Mark 6:3), who came to faith in Christ sometime after the resurrection, and he eventually became a teacher in the early church. His brother James was one of the leaders in the church in Jerusalem (Galatians 1:19; 2:9).
Jude is one of the shortest books in the bible, but what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up in quality, as it packs a powerful message to churches of all ages: Jude delivers a mandate to the church to defend, preserve, and pass on the sound doctrines of Jesus Christ and the disciples.
Often we see our own lives as limited to what we do while we're alive, but do we ever consider the legacy of faith that we'll leave to the next generation? Regardless of whether you have children or not, I believe we as Christians should be intentional about passing on a legacy of sound doctrine to the next generation. The early church fathers considered this, as evidenced by the writings of Paul, Peter, and here in the book of Jude.
See, culture has a way of bending the truth curve to fit with the current trends, rather than holding to the truth that's been passed down. Old truths are considered obsolete, no longer relevant to today's culture. We even find this true in some of the current trends in the community of faith: The movement to blend Christianity and Islam; The movement to include practicing homosexuals in the clergy, just to name a few.
Many would argue that these are needed changes in order to remain relevant in the 21st century. They say "Christianity must progress" – but is this progress? These new 21st century churches may well operate as houses of God, they may even be large and prosperous, but they will be devoid of truth and the power of God. Paul warned of this:
…having a form of godliness but denying its power. 2 Timothy 3:5
Jude is a warning against straying from sound doctrine, against joining the tide of social relevance; It is a call to action to the faithful. I hope you'll join us these next few weeks as we dissect this short, yet powerful letter. Pastor Clay | | | | | | | |
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