Build Yourself up

Build yourself up
Jude the half brother of Jesus writes,
“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.  
They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”  
These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. 
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  
Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”Jude 1:17-21.
Here Jude points out that in there will be scoffers who will go their own way. These are men who will divide believers. Men and women who do not possess the Spirit of God.
It is a common theme throughout the New Testament. All the writers of the New Testament warns against false teachers. Even Jesus did so.
Jude warns believers not to follow them but rather build themselves up in the faith. To pray and keep themselves in the love of God.
In other words if you claim to be a believer in Christ you need to pray and study the scriptures not just in church or in a bible study, but for yourself. To pray and ask God to show us the truths within the scriptures.
For it is in doing so that we will draw closer to God and keep ourselves from straying.
Please think about it.

F. A. I. T. H.

F.A.I.T.H.
The writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and certain of what we do not see.”  

                                            Hebrews 11:1

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 

because anyone who comes to him 

must believe that he exists

 and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

                                                               Hebrews 11:6

For some Christians the word FAITH means,

Forsaking 

All

I 

Take 

Him.

Faith is a very personal thing. You cannot force people to have faith in anyone or anything they must make that decision for themselves.
For a true follower of Christ, faith in Christ means we will follow him to our grave. No matter what the circumstances.
A true believer in Christ understands the words of the Apostle Paul who wrote,
“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” 2 Timothy 11-13.
Please think about it.

Have You?

Have You?
Jesus told this parable,
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores  and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.  
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house,  
for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:19-31.
There is an interesting quote I like from the Talmud a Jewish book that lines up perfectly with this parable. It states,
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?”  Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”The Talmud
God is exists whether you believe in him or not, and He will hold you accountable for your actions. The writer of Ecclesiastes telling us.
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13,14
The question is how will you fare when you stand before Him?
What the Talmud and Jesus are expressing is a simple universal truth. We as human being should be showing unconditional love and compassion for our fellow man. We should be helping those in need in whatever way we are able. After all if you were in need of help of any kind would you not want help?
Jesus said,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12 
This is a universal truth irrespective of what you believe.
Especially if you claim to be a follower of Christ, do you follow this truth?
Please think about it.

Use Caution, Show Love, Be Merciful

Use Caution, Show Love, Be Merciful
          Jude writes,
“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.  
They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”  
These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. 
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  
Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. 
Be merciful to those who doubt;  snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” Jude 1:17-23
Here again like the apostles, John, Peter and Paul, Jude calls believers in Christ that in the last days there will be scoffers who follow their own ungodly way. Men who will divide believers.
Jude calls on believers to “build yourself up in the most holy faith”.
I do not believe it is enough to simply believe in Jesus. To accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. While faith in Christ saves you. We need to do more. That more is to learn as much about Him as is possible. We need to study, study, study.
We need to do this so that we will know what is right in God’s sight, and what we as Christians should be doing.
At the same time as Jude points out we need to be there for Christians who doubt. Who are weak in the faith. We need to show love toward them. To open dialogue with them. Study the scriptures with them. Answer any questions they have honestly.
We also need to be presenting the salvation message of Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen. In doing so we will snatch people from the fire that is hell.
Please think about it.

He Shows

He Shows
C. S. Lewis states,
“He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others-not because He has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition.”  C. S. Lewis.
In order to find God one must be looking for God. You cannot nor will you find God if you have a closed mine.
It is very easy to say I can’t see, feel, or touch God therefore he does not exist. It is very much harder to put your trust into someone you cant, see, feel, or touch. Yet scientist do it all the time.
A scientist formulates a theory and quite often cannot prove it immediately. The classic example is Albert Einstein. He formulated theories that were not proven until long after his death yet he and others believed them to be right.
So it is with God. God asks us to have faith in Him. The writer of Hebrews stating,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.
A person of faith is the strongest follower they will trust in something through thick and thin. That I believe is why God asks for faith.
God however does not ask for blind faith he shows himself throughout nature. The Psalmist tells us,

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

 the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Day after day they pour forth speech; 

night after night they display knowledge. 

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” 

Psalm 19:1-3.

Look at the world around you everything from the largest galaxy to the smallest subatomic particle works in perfect harmony for life to exist as we know it. Something I do not believe came together by change.
There is a creator God who made all we see.
It is this same God that asks you to have faith in him. A faith that will be proven and rewarded when this life is over.
Please think about it.