This is a resource that we have just found, which Crossway has made available coming soon.
This is a great tool for students who want to dig deeper into the Word of God and who want to expand their study of who God is.
Blessings!
CRUX Jr. High
The book of Jude is one of importance. I am intrigued by Jude and his example of priority in the church, because he could have very well skipped over the problem of those in the church teaching a false doctrine, but he made it his prerogative to call them out.
Jude says in verse 3 of his book, “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”
This is a call to arms, if you will, how we need to set aside something we may want to say about Jesus and our faith, and actually step out and call out those who are hurting the church. Do we yell at them and beat them up for it? No, rather, we loving embrace the opportunity to share the true message of Jesus Christ and the gospel that is set before us. How easy could it be for us to belittle people of who they are? Sure there are moments we must stand firm and be very stern with people who creep into the church with a deliberate mentality of causing problems in the church.
These people in Jude’s time who crept into the church unnoticed were deliberately perverting the gospel of grace. They came in to cause division and discord among everyone, but Jude said, “No! Enough is enough!” We should take that example of Jude and stand for the faith of Jesus Christ. It’s our duty as believers of Jesus Christ to stand as one who is unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must not cower and hide in our little “Christian Corner”, we must rather, stand ready to defend the name of Christ!
Jude calls the believer to call out the demonic action taking place, the false teachers, but then he also calls the Christian to endure. So we are to do 2 things.
1. Defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ
2. Endure and persevere through hardship
How does one accomplish these two things? By knowing the Word of God, to know how to defend one must ought to know how to offend. And then by persevering through hard times and affliction, we must be in direct communion with God. That is the only way those two things will be accomplished.
Jude encourages in verses 20-21, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”
So now, let us take this encouragement and implement it into our own life, standing for Jesus, against anything anti-Jesus, and serving Him, waiting patiently for His return.
Amen!
Brad Ormonde Jr. teaches on the Fear of God as we continue in our Essentials series.
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Adam Eaton teaches on the subject of prayer from Ephesians 6:18-20.
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Do you know someone or a family that is very kind? I don’t mean just nice, I am talking, they give and take care of you. The type of person that when you go over to their house they always make sure that you have something to eat and to drink. Well, Gaius was this man for the church.
We come to another book written by the disciple John. This is one of the shortest books of the Bible. John wrote this to Gaius, who was someone very personal to John. We see that Gaius had a man in the church who was actually hindering the work of the Gospel, he was receiving the teachers that John sent and was not hospitable. (more…)
