Introduction to Jude

In the opening verse of Jude, the author identified himself as, “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James“. We know this Jude is not one of the apostles from verse 17 where he wrote, “But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ“. This Jude affirmed himself to be the brother of James. This brother of Jude cannot be the apostle we know as James because his only brother was the apostle John, both of whom were identified in scripture as the sons of Zebedee and also as the “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). There is never a reference either in scripture or non-biblical historical writings of any son of Zebedee named Jude or Judas.

There was another James mentioned in scripture who was not an apostle who did have a brother named Judas. In Matthew 13:55 we see a listing of the brothers of Jesus Christ, “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?” The name “Judas” is identical to the name “Jude” as used in the title of this epistle.

James, the Lord’s brother was not an apostle, in fact he was not even a believer in Jesus as the Messiah at first as indicated in John 7:5 “For even His brothers did not believe in Him.” James, the brother of Jude later grew to be a prominent figure within the 1st century church as evidenced in Galatians 2:9-12 and Acts 15:13. James, the brother of John had been slain by Herod prior to these events as recorded in Acts 12:2 so we know the James spoken of with such prominence in Acts 15 and Galatians was James the brother of Jesus. Having grown in the faith to such distinction, the readers of Jude’s letter, who knew the Apostle James had been executed would associate this letter with James the brother of Jesus upon hearing the connection. Jude effectively identified himself to his readers when he wrote that he was the brother of James.

So being a brother to James who was the brother of Jesus, we know that the Jude who wrote the epistle which bears his name was in fact one of the brothers of Jesus, the sons of Mary and Joseph. There is a lot of speculation among the historians and commentators as to why Jude chose not to identify himself as the brother of Jesus.

It is important to keep in mind that the brothers of Jesus were not at first believers in Him as the Christ. Upon one occasion when Jesus was teaching to the multitudes, his family had come seeking to speak with him. This account is found in Matthew 12:46-50, Mark 3:31-35 and Luke 8:19-21. Upon hearing that His family sought to speak with Him, Jesus made replied, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He [Jesus], stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48-50). Jude and James were both aware that servants of Jesus Christ held a higher place of distinction with Him than his own biological family. Thus by identifying himself as a servant of Christ, Jude appealed more to that noble distinction than he did to his own kinship with Jesus. In his mind, it was preferable to be recognized as a servant of Jesus than it was as His fleshly brother. By doing this, he effectively showed humility and piety in that scripture plainly teaches that no Christian is to ever elevate himself in stature to be more than his brethren. To have claimed kinship with Jesus would have served no purpose other than to set himself up as somebody of importance when there is no greater station in life than that of a bond-servant of Jesus Christ.

Another reason not to identify oneself as the brother of Jesus was the danger to oneself and to their readership in the perilous times which surrounded the 1st century church. It was dangerous in the 1st century to be a Christian. And to identify oneself as a brother of Jesus Christ would not only put the author in great danger, but also those who might be found with a copy of a letter written by him. There is an account in the writings of Eusebius that detail two grandsons of Jude who were taken before emperor Domitian on suspicion of an insurrection by the Jews. Being of the lineage of king David, it was feared that Jude’s grandsons could be the leaders of just such a rebellion against the empire. It was not conducive to a long life in the paganistic 1st century Roman Empire to be identified as a blood relative to Jesus Christ.

James the apostle being formerly slain by Herod, left James, the brother of Jesus who had grown to be such a prominent figure in the church that no further introduction other than “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James” was necessary. James, the brother of Jesus was reputed among the Christians of the first century as a “pillar” in the church (Galatians 2:9). Jude’s readership knew exactly who he was without any further identification.

This leaves us with two books of our New Testament written by half brothers of our Lord. This is even more significant given the fact that none of our Lord’s brothers believed in Him at first. These men knew intimate details of the life of Jesus that nobody else could know. If Jesus were some kind of imposter, there is no way he could have fooled someone he grew up with. Jesus was said to be completely without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 9:28, 1 John 3:5). If at any time during the childhoods of the children of Joseph and Mary that Jesus would have in any way sinned, there is no way His siblings would have known this. One cannot spend that much time in the company of someone else and not have their character scrutinized to the degree that it must have been and come out of it sinless in reputation unless they were indeed sinless. The fact that any of Jesus’ brothers converted to Christianity is compelling evidence in favor of the authenticity of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and we have in our possession two epistles written by them.

While we are on the subject of the brothers of Jesus Christ, we should give attention to the doctrine of the ‘Perpetual virginity of Mary’. This doctrine is part of the teaching of Catholicism and Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, and Anglo-Catholics as expressed in their liturgies, in which they repeatedly refer to Mary as ‘ever virgin’.According to this teaching, Jesus was the only biological son of Mary.

This doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary is one element in the well-established theology known as Mariology. The virginity of Mary at the time of her conception of Jesus is a key topic in Roman Catholic Marian art, usually represented as the annunciation to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel that she would virginally conceive a child to be born the Son of God. Frescos depicting this scene have appeared in Roman Catholic Marian churches for centuries.Mary’s virginity even after her conception of Jesus is regularly represented in the art of both the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox as well as in early Western religious art.

Four New Testament passages contradict the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. Matthew 1:24-25 says of Joseph and Mary “… When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son…” Matthew 13:55–56 says of Jesus “… aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us?“, demonstrating by inspiration that Jesus had siblings. Mark 3:31-35 records an event that occurred while Jesus was preaching: “… And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.’” While affirming the right of disciples to be supported by the church if necessary, Paul affirmed that Jesus had brothers in 1 Corinthians 9:5-6, when he wrote, “Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?“

Based on the teachings of the inspired record and historical evidence, we reject the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary and we recognize Jude, the brother of James as being one of four brothers of our Lord and savior, all children of Mary and her husband, Joseph.

Being a son of Joseph, we can draw some conclusions about the kind of person Jude was. Joseph was a carpenter and we learn from Mark 6:3 that Jesus was referred to by those who knew Him as a carpenter as well. From this we can assume that all of the sons of Joseph would have been trained in this craft as part of their upbringing. No doubt they were all required to work with their father in his craft as they grew up. Joseph was described in scripture as a “just” man when his espoused wife was found to be with child and he chose not to make a public spectacle of her. Being called a “just” man meant that he was a pious man who lived in accordance with the law of Moses. Having been instructed by an angel that Mary had not been unfaithful to him, he made the decision to allow Mary to remain a virgin until after Jesus was born. Joseph was obviously a man of God and coupled with the fact that two of his natural sons grew up to be inspired writers of scripture, we can reasonably infer that the whole house of Joseph lived and worshipped as faithful children of God. Jude would have been as well versed in the writings of the old testament as anyone in the family. Jesus certainly demonstrated His familiarity with the old testament writings on the occasion when he talked with the doctors of the law in the temple. It is obvious that this family, though poor carpenters of the working class, were required by the head of the household to be familiar with scripture and the law of Moses. Jude had good parents and grew up to be a well known enough member of the Lord’s church that an epistle written by his hand is included in the inspired record.

Being of the working class, Jude probably never received any formal training such as a doctor of the law would have. Jude was simple of speech and phrased his thoughts in direct and frank terms, easy to understand and to the point. He demonstrates his love for his Christian brethren in his epistle when he refers to them as “beloved” three times in his epistle (3; 17; 20). And on the opposite side, he clearly communicates his disdain for ungodly men and pronounces the condemnation of God upon them in the harshest of terms possible for a man of God. There is no room for speculation as to the feelings of Jude towards those who would lead his “beloved” brethren away from Christ and down the road to destruction.

There is no shortage of disagreement over the date of Jude. The best evidence we have puts the date of authorship in the latter half of the first century. Looking at Jude 17-19, we see that the writer appeals to the words spoken by the apostles in a way that looks back on them as to a former age. In Jude 3 we see, concerning the faith, as being “once delivered” demonstrating that at the time of this writing, “the faith” had been completely delivered and recorded. Jude points to prophecies regarding heretics by the apostles and affirms that these predictions have indeed been fulfilled. The entire book takes on a general feeling of looking back to a former time, therefore it is entirely possible that this book could be one of the latest written works we have. It is entirely possible, given the evidence at hand that this book could have been written after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

While no conclusive evidence exists as to the exact date, it is of little importance in the grand scheme of things. Whenever the book was written, it has an application to any who would pervert the doctrine of Christ. Given the current state of religion today with all the division and denominationalism, Jude may very well be one of the most relevant books we have today. One cannot conduct a through and honest study of this epistle without taking a critical look at the myriad array of denominations among those professing Christ as savior and come away from such a study without any misgivings towards division in the body of Christ. Let those who would pervert the gospel of Christ and teach the doctrines and commandments of men instead, beware. Jude’s condemnation for such behavior leaves no room for speculation as to the fate facing those who would depart from the truth and teach doctrine in opposition to that which was once for all time delivered.

The intended audience of this epistle according to Jude 1 is to all Christians. Jude did not target a specific group in his introduction such as Jews or any one congregation or individual. It was a common practice for the epistles to be copied and distributed among all the churches. Such would have been the case here and obviously was in view of the fact that it was preserved and included in the inspired record of scripture we have today. The purpose for this epistle is very simple. It is stated early in the letter with urgency that there were those who having apostatized from the faith, were leading others down the road to destruction with them. Jude is a letter of warning, with application to all Christians of all ages, against apostasy and following after its destructive effects.

Any study of Jude should include a parallel study of 2 Peter 2. Peter prophecies of a group of apostates who will come in secretly and lure many away from the truth and who will suffer eternal condemnation. Jude identifies a group of apostates who did that very thing and used many of the same examples that Peter did in illustrating these people and the characteristics which would help in identifying them. One cannot help but be impressed by the similarity and draw a conclusion that Jude was identifying and condemning those who Peter forewarned his readership of.

There are a number of false doctrines in existence today. When one looks out over the array of denominations, many having their own so called interpretation of the truth, it is hard to accept the notion that they can all be correct. Anybody with any kind of serious approach whatsoever to their soul’s eternal wellbeing must at some point in their life behold all the religious diversity and reflect on the state of their own soul. There are various slants on Biblical truth, but one the most prevalent which helps gives rise to all the rest is the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. When one believes one is saved by faith alone, then the necessity of attention to correctness in other matters is of secondary importance. Advocates of this doctrine, believing that salvation is obtained by faith alone, feel the freedom to exercise their own wants and wishes into their religious service. Such supposed freedom has opened the door to all kinds of religious diversity. Those claiming Christ feel they can window shop for a “church” that suits their personal taste with no ill consequences because they feel their salvation is secure in their faith alone.

The book of James, in particular chapter 2, presents some serious hurdles for this doctrine. One cannot accept James chapter 2 at face value and hold in any way to the doctrine of Salvation by faith alone. This doctrine is here mentioned because Jude is all about those who would apostatize from God’s truth and James was one book written to combat the beliefs of a group of apostate Christians who, wrongly believing that one is saved by the merits of God’s grace alone, had crept into the church bringing this unholy doctrine with them. They used this perversion to justify all kinds of illicit sexual behavior and to even promote it.

Another doctrine which has arisen through the centuries is the doctrine of ‘Once Saved, Always Saved’. This doctrine teaches that once one is saved, there is nothing they can do which will cause them to so sin so as to lose their salvation. Proponents of this doctrine have some serious hurdles to overcome with the book of Jude which is all about apostatizing Christians. Jude contains words of condemnation for those who do pervert the truth of God’s word and likewise for those who would follow their unholy teachings. If the possibility of apostasy did not exist, then Jude, as well as 2 Peter chapter 2, would be an altogether unnecessary inclusion in God’s word. Like James chapter 2, there is no way one could take the book of Jude at face value and continue to believe in the specific doctrine it is intended to condemn.

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THE TWENTY THIRD PSALM

Did you ever consider what a beautiful thought God has revealed to us through the twenty third Psalm?   Perhaps you are like many other people and have not taken the time to consider the greatness of the message found in the words to this Psalm if David. Let’s take a careful look at the contents of this Psalm, please note the text is from the N.K.J.V. Bible.

Psalms 23:1-6; The LORD the Shepherd of His People A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” NKJV

COMMENTS ON VERSE 1:

“The Lord is my shepherd;” David acknowledges that Jehovah is his leader (i.e. shepherd) and that implies that he is ready to follow him wherever he leads.

“I shall not want”  David knows that whatever he needs God will provide. Many times we are not satisfied with what we need, we are dissatisfied, but if one could really understand as did David — nothing is important but having a right relationship with God and if that relationship is right all other things are easy to accept and deal with in life.

COMMENTS ON VERSE 2:

“He Makes me to lie down in green pastures” This statement surely implies that David considers himself blessed for the peacefulness of mind he enjoys.

“He leads me beside the still waters” This statement implies peacefulness and quietness of mind {i.e. spirit}. That peacefulness and quietness of mind is to be understood whenever one puts their life into the hands of Jehovah cf., Romans 8:28, “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, (even) to them that are called according to (his) purpose.” ASV

Note also 2 Timothy 1:12, “For which cause I suffer also these things: yet I am not ashamed; for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day.” ASV

COMMENTS ON VERSE 3:

“he restores my soul” This phrase indicates that David felt renewed constantly as a result of his relationship with Jehovah.

“He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name sake” This phrase indicates that David is convinced that Jehovah is leading him correctly, for his own sake and for the glory of Himself.

COMMENT ON VERSE 4:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”  What great confidence and trust David possesses in Jehovah, indicated by the fact that he is not afraid or concerned even of death.

“for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me,” The grounds of David’s lack of fear resides in his knowledge of Jehovah’s power and ability {cf., indicated by the use of the words; rod and staff in the text} to preserve and protect him even though he die.

COMMENTS ON VERSE 5:

“You prepared a table for me in the presence of mine enemies; You anoint my head with oil.” This reference is an indication of the thankfulness that David has toward Jehovah in view of the fact that he has been anointed King of Israel. David is conscious of the fact that his office as king is a result of God’s kindness and confidence in him.

“my cup runneth over” This phrase indicates that David feels confident that his life and good fortune as provided by Jehovah is complete (i.e. as full as possible).

COMMENTS ON VERSE 6:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” David indicates that he looks forward to living a good life supervised by God’s care for all time he is permitted to reside in His Care.

“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” David has sufficient confidence in God’s care to look forward to a future home with God beyond the grave. As others of the Old Testament period hoped for — cf., Hebrews 11, shows that they shared David’s hope of a resurrection to be with Jehovah.

DO YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?

You can have that kind of confidence in God and your future if you will make a decision to be a Christian and live as a faithful disciple the rest of your life on the earth. Indeed, it may be difficult at times to hold fast to the faith {cf. Jude 3, “Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.” ASV} but the example of David and the example of the faithful ones listed in Hebrews 11 will encourage us that it can be done. Since this is so, let us endeavor with all our ability to apply our hearts to serving and glorifying God, as HE would have us do.

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Gambling Wrong?

Is gambling right or wrong?

Well, much of America (over 50 million) is obsessed with gambling, spending more than 50 billion annually.  In addition to this, there are lotteries, bingos, and church raffles which are also gambling.  And, many Americans never think about gambling from the standpoint of right or wrong and for many who do think it is wrong, they have changed the label to “gaming.”  So, gambling or gaming is big business.

Now, we could talk about the casino itself.  There is no doubt that the house is in it to make a lot of money and if you will take the time to look at pictures of Las Vegas and other gaming areas, you will see that they are big and elaborate, and this was all built on the losses from people gambling.  We could also talk about the fact that you are winning from those who have lost in the past, but I don’t think that will work.  All of these things, while important to study, do not give us a clear answer if gambling is right or wrong.

So, what is the truth, as found in the Bible, pertaining to gambling?  Well, to start, the word is not found anywhere in the Bible.  And, there are many arguments that, I believe, will not hold up to the Scriptures, such as: Everything belongs to God theory.  We know that everything belongs to God, but to say that it is a sin, from this standpoint, is not going to hold water.  Gambling is not work and therefore, it is sin.  Well, I know of gamblers who spend a great deal of time working and perfecting the way they gamble.  Sure it is not physical work, but neither are a lot of other jobs in the world.  Gambling is not a work for ones needs (2 Thess. 4:7-12), for family (1 Tim. 5:8), to help out another (Eph. 4:28) or to support the Lord’s work (1 Cor. 9), thus, it is sin.  Or, gambling is not a gift or inheritance (2 Cor. 8:9; Gen. 15:1-4) and it is not something that we sell or give away and therefore, it is sin.  Now, I understand this, but again, this theory will not work on proving if gambling is right or wrong, from a Biblical standpoint.

But, we can turn to the Bible to passages such as 1 Tim. 6:6-10 that speaks of the love of money, being the root or foundation of all kinds of evil.  But, what does it mean to love money?  Well, this is an interesting word, which root word “arguros”, means to love “silver” (Acts 3:6).  Another meaning is “covetousness.”  And, we also find the word “pleonexia” in Lk. 12:15 and Col. 3:5, which also means “covetousness” or “greedy desire to have more” or “fraudulent”  which both the Lord and Paul forbids.  Solomon states in Eccl. 5:10, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money . . .”  In addition to this, gambling encourages selfishness and materialism (Phil. 3:19).

Now, something else that the love of money does is it is wealth gained hastily (Prov. 13:11) and one who gains this way, has an evil eye (Prov. 28:22).  Furthermore, since the love of money is the foundation of all kinds of evil, notice the major side associate with gambling: Alcohol, Smoking, Prostitution, Theft, Lying, Appeals to the flesh, Wrecked homes and destroyed lives.  Plus the fact, that gambling is an addiction.  There is a group called Gambler’s anonymous.  Like alcoholic’s anonymous.  And so, just from these implication alone, Paul states in Eph. 5:11, “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

Now, some may argue, “So what if it is gambling, the money is for a good cause!”  Well, gambling is still the love of money, it is still covetousness and therefore, it is still wrong no matter what good may come from it.  Now, someone may say, since gambling is a risk, then you can’t drive because driving a car is a risk.  Or, what about the apostles who risked or gambled their lives to take the Gospel to the lost as God directed them.  Some of our brethren will even go so far as feel there is nothing wrong with gambling as long as it is not at a casino.  For instance, paying to enter a golf or fishing tournament in order to win a pot of money.  Or, gambling at the kitchen table with money being exchanged.  Some even look at investing and say, isn’t this gambling too?

You know, all this philosophy and justification will not work.  Sadly, it is an attempt to justify what they do that they know is wrong.  Now, as to investments, I will say that when we look at the one talent man (Matt. 25:24-27), the Lord mentioned to him why he did not at least, invest it.  Investing was not developed to take money from others, but was designed to help a company to grow and develop.  Thus, an invest will reap a return but based on the law of sowing and reaping.  However, gambling is a game of chance where the purpose is solely to bet on the outcome of the game or event in question.

Now, while gambling does involves risk, not all risk involve gambling.  Gambling is defined as: “To take a risk in the hope of gaining an advantage or a benefit.”  Well, when we look at the definition of covetousness, it states, “Extreme desire to acquire or possess that which belongs to another.”  It is not hard to see that gambling is really an act of covetousness.  And, this is what Jesus warned against in Lk. 12:15.

Gambling robs the poor of their money and lines the pockets of the rich.  So no, I do not believe one can gamble and be pleasing to God.

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Lukewarm Christianity

While writing to the church in Corinth Paul urged them to “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).  We today are to do likewise and to have the assurance that we are living acceptable lives before God.

Recently while surfing the net, I came across a website dedicated to teaching about the dangers of lukewarm Christianity.  It caught my interest so I stayed around and read some of their stuff.  The more I read the more I became intrigued with what this website had to say and I started making some comparisons to my own life based on what I was reading and I realized that I have opportunity for growth.  None of us ever reach the point in our Christian lives where we can set back and say, ‘I’m going to heaven, I got it made, there’s no need for me to grow, or to change or to better myself’.  We always need to be watchful for ways in which we can improve ourselves to the glory of God.  

As we go forward with our efforts in the kingdom Christ, we need to be careful that we do not become too complacent, too comfortable in our positions here on earth.  We do not want to allow ourselves to become like the Laodicean Church spoken of in Revelation who Jesus accused of being Lukewarm.  What is interesting is that the word lukewarm is found only one time in all the Bible.   This word is translated from the Greek word chliaros, which according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon means ‘to become warm, liquefy, melt), tepid, lukewarm:  It is used metaphorically, of the condition of a soul wretchedly fluctuating between a torpor (an apathy) and a fervor of love.  Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words defines this word as being ‘used metaphorically in Revelation 3:16, of the state of the Laodicean church, which afforded no refreshment to the Lord, such as is ministered naturally by either cold or hot water’. 

Turning to Revelation 3:14-18, we read, “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ — and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.” Then in verse 22, Jesus goes on to say, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”‘”

What is interesting here is that Jesus was speaking to the entire church at Laodicea.  He didn’t single any of them out for this rebuke, choosing rather to lay His charge on the whole congregation.  This was His only complaint to them and He based the whole thing on an observation of their works.  Jesus said, “I know your works, that you are neither hot nor cold“.   His condemnation was equally as direct, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth“.  That is some pretty direct language coming from Jesus.  I can only imagine how the Laodiceans felt when they read that for the first time.  How would we feel if the beloved apostle John handed us a letter from Jesus like that?  How would we feel if we got a letter from Jesus, addressed to the church of Christ in Granby, Missouri where He told us He knew our works and that because of them, He was going to vomit us out of His mouth?   I can only imagine how awful it would be to hear such a condemnation from our Lord and Savior so I can visualize how crushed the church at Laodicea must have been when someone stood up and read that letter to the congregation for the first time.

One of things we need to take from this is that Jesus pronounced this condemnation to the church in Laodicea as a whole, not to individuals.  Therefore what they did individually as members in that congregation had an influence on Jesus’ overall view of them as a congregation of His people.   We can infer from this that Jesus’ overall perception of His congregation of people here will likewise be a result of our collective works.  The activities of each and every individual within the congregation contribute to Jesus’ opinion of the church overall. 

Another important thing we need to take from Jesus’ condemnation of the whole Laodicean church, based on their works, is that Jesus expected them to be engaged in works which were carried out on a congregational level and not just individual works of the membership.  Examples of these would be organized works which we already engage in to some degree which require or offer the opportunity for participation by everyone within the congregation such as youth group meetings, care group meetings, gospel meetings and singing at the nursing home to name a few.  There’s no doubt that a Lukewarm Christian falls under the condemnation of Jesus, but we need to understand that it was the whole church in Laodicea that was condemned by Jesus Christ because of their works. 

A third thing we can take from this stinging review of the Laodicean church by Jesus Christ is that He told them “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten”.  Jesus made sure they knew His critical review of their works was prompted by His love and concern for their well being.  Jesus does not want them to be vomited out of His mouth.  Jesus did not love them enough to come and down here and die for them just to leave them in a state where their eternal salvation was at risk.  He warned them, not out of malice, not out of hate, but out of the love and concern of a benevolent savior. 

The fourth thing we can take from Jesus’ review of the Laodicean church is that He gave them the remedy for their woes, “Therefore be zealous and repent”.  It is obvious that the Christians in Laodicea were not zealous.  Paul wrote to Titus concerning being zealous in Titus 2:13-14, “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”  The remedy for the Laodicean Christians was to be zealous.  They could escape condemnation if they would stop be being lukewarm and be zealous in their works. 

If Jesus were to write a letter to the church here, what would He say?  Would He find our works acceptable or would He find them lacking.  Would we receive a favorable review like the church in Philadelphia did, or would we be told that Jesus wanted to vomit us out of His mouth?  The task before us this hour is to perform a self evaluation and make a determination for ourselves based on what we know from scripture.  Jesus isn’t going to give us a personal review.  He already did that with the churches of Asia Minor and those reviews are recorded for us by inspiration.  All we have to do is examine Jesus’ review of the churches mentioned in Revelation and then make the determination for ourselves, based on comparisons with them and what we know from God’s word, to know what our review would be.   

There are individual works and congregational works which can be engaged in.  Individual works are things like attendance at the assemblies, personal evangelism, living the Christian life as an example to others, being able to give an answer to those who ask for the hope we have in Christ.  Visiting the sick and the aged, praying for them, helping them in various ways.  We’ll take a look at some of these individual works more closely before moving on to the congregational works.

1.  How is our attendance?
Do we as individual Christians show up for worship times and Bible studies?  How often do we set at God’s spiritual table and partake of the food which endureth unto everlasting life? (John 6:27).  Do we forsake the world and set aside time to assemble and learn of God, or do we forsake our assemblings and follow after the ways of the world?

Hebrews 10:25-26 says
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.“

I want to point something out in this verse which is vitally important and correctly translated.  It says by inspiration, the assembling of ourselves together.  Our worship periods, Bible study periods and congregational gatherings for the purpose of doing God’s work in the community are all assemblings.  The Hebrew writer tells us by inspiration of God not to forsake our assemblings.  Verse 26 begins with the word “For”.  This word introduces something in the next phrase which is connected to the thought in the former phrase.  The two verses are connected.  In this instance, the statement in verse 26 is a consequence that arises out if the condition in the previous statement is true. 

One could say, “Do not forsake the assembling of ourselves at dinner.  For if we eat not, we will starve.”  Hunger is the result of not showing up for dinner and starvation is the consequence that arises out of the result.   The consequence in verse 26 for forsaking the assembling is, “For if we sin wilfully”, (willfull sin as a result of forsaking the assemblings), “after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins” (The loss of our sacrifice for sin being the consequence for the result of forsaking the assemblings).  The sacrifice being spoken of here is the blood of Christ which was shed for our sins.  When we willfully and habitually forsake the congregational gatherings in favor of other concerns, we forfeit the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood.  This means His blood no longer covers us.  This means we no longer have the forgiveness of sin. 

One may ask, “wasn’t Jesus’ blood applied to our sins when we became Christians?”  The answer is yes.  Does that mean we cannot lose the effectiveness of that blood?  The answer is no.  If we could not lose the effectiveness of that blood then Hebrews 10:26 makes no sense.  That statement wouldn’t belong in scripture because there would be no condition under which we could lose the sacrifice for our sin.  There must therefore be a process by which our sins are forgiven on a continual basis. 

1 John 1:7
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.“

That word “cleanseth” is used on a tense which describes something that is happening on a continual and ongoing basis.  If we walk in the light, the blood of Christ cleanses us on a continual and ongoing basis.  According to the rules of language, this is a conditional phrase.  If we do not walk in the light, then the blood of Christ no longer cleanses us of sin on this continual and ongoing basis.  We can therefore draw the connection that since inspiration says we forfeit the effectiveness of Jesus sacrifice when we forsake the assembling of ourselves together and that Jesus’ sacrifice is available on an ongoing basis only to those walk in the light, then part of walking in the light is to attend the assembling of ourselves together. 

2. How is our personal Bible study? 
Bible study is how we equip ourselves for our personal evangelism.  How much time do we spend in God’s word away from our assemblies?  Do we lay our Bibles down when we leave this place only to pick them back up when we return?  Do we just take the word of whoever is teaching us at our assemblings or do we search the scriptures at home to see if what we were told was according to what thus saith the Lord?  2 Timothy 2:15 reads, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 

We are all to consider ourselves as workmen of God.  We want to make sure we are effective workmen.  Effective workmen know the will of their master.  They know what He expects and how to go about it.   A workman who goes out and works without knowing what He is supposed to be doing or saying will be ashamed.  Study to shew yourselves approved, a workman that does not need to be ashamed of himself.  Rightly dividing the word means correctly handling it. 

Our Bible studies in our assemblies are aimed at studying and learning God’s will for man.  And that’s a good thing, but is this is the only instruction we get?  Or do we spend private time in God’s word, studying, learning, seeking and trying to apply those things to our lives?  Do we seek God’s will in the assembly and seek the world outside the assembly?  These are questions we must ask ourselves and answer. 

In 1 Peter 3:15 we read, “…be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear“.  We need to work towards this goal.  We need to be able to give people answers when they ask.  The more we study the better we can equip ourselves to give the right answers when we get the opportunity. 

3.  How is our Prayer life?
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul gave this simple instruction, “Pray without ceasing.”  How much time do we spend in prayer?  Jesus said in Luke 21:36, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always…”  Do we pray to God when we want or need something, or do we spend real time in prayer, giving Him thanks and praying for others?  We are strengthened through prayer, we are encouraged through prayer, we receive God’s providential intervention as a result of our prayer.  We pray for each other, we pray for what we need, we pray for the sick.  How is our individual prayer life?

Do we pray spontaneously when the notion strikes us, or do we have regular appointments with God for prayer and do we keep those appointments? 

4.  How are our personal work habits? 
Do we visit the sick and the aged?  Do we visit the widows among us like we should?  Reading the words in Matthew 25:34-46, we see what Jesus has to say about personal work of this nature. 

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.“

These are all examples of works that we must engage in order to fulfill the will of God.  We all do not do the same things.  We each have an individual role we can play in order to help the body of Christ function as a living breathing, growing, caring, loving unit.  1 Corinthians 12:14-22, “For in fact the body is not one member but many.

15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.“

There is something for everybody to do in the kingdom of Christ.  Whether it be teaching, preaching, personal work or studying.  Which brings us to our next topic.  We have looked at individual things, now let’s look at our works on a congregational level.  These are works which have been organized so that our congregation as a group can work together for a common goal. 

Examples of these are Care group, Youth gatherings, Gospel meetings and visitations to rest homes where we sing and fellowship with the elderly.  These organized functions give everyone in the congregation an opportunity to participate in some way in the work of the kingdom.  Some of us may be only able to sign a card, or sing a song, or say hello to someone aged and sick.  But all these things make a difference.  All these things are important. 

We are planning on having some discussion at our next fellowship dinner where we are going to ask for input on more things we can do on a congregational level.  These organized events are put in place to give everyone in the congregation an opportunity to be involved.  It is important that we engage in these types of organized activities and it is important that all of us participate in them to the best of our ability.  Even if all we do is show up, it is an encouragement to the whole church.

What we need to do is to look at our individual participation in these activities and do what we can to support them.  Help out where we can.  Attend where we can.  Be involved in the assemblings whether they are worship, bible study or organized outreach efforts of the congregation. 

Brethren, the world is lost, without direction and without hope.  We have the answers.  We have the direction, we can offer them hope.  We can’t have something as precious as the hope we have and not do what we can to help share it.  I want to share with you one of the most encouraging scriptures in all the Bible for me.  For those who think they can’t do anything or can’t offer anything, please turn with me to Mark 14:3-9,

“And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He [Jesus] sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.

6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7 For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8 She has done what she could.“

There is another account of this in John 12 where we learn the woman’s name was Mary and the naysayer’s name was Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus.  Notice that Jesus defended her actions.  In Jesus’ defense of her pouring that flask of oil on Him, He said “Leave her alone.  She has done what she could“. 

She didn’t have much to offer Jesus, but she did what she could and that was good enough for Jesus.  Brethren have we done what we could?  If Jesus were to send us a letter right now, would He say “You have done what you could”?  If Satan were to stand before us and accuse us, would Jesus call Him off and say, “Leave them alone, they have done what they could”? 

Let’s examine ourselves individually and let’s examine ourselves congregationally.  If we can do more for Christ, let’s do it.  If we can attend more for Christ, let’s do it.  If we can love more for Christ, then let’s do it. If we can visit more for Christ, then let’s do it.  If we can do it, lets do it together.  Let’s encourage each other, let’s support each other, let’s help each other give help to others.  Let’s reach out, let’s shine the light on the path to heaven. 

The goal is Heaven. The cause is Christ. The work is His work. The responsibility is ours.

I have never heard anyone say, “I regret having done all that work for the Lord.”

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God Makes Provisions for Everyone!

In the transition from the family of Abraham to the nation of Israel, we learn a valuable lesson about God making provisions for everyone! Unfortunately, the Jews over time quickly misunderstood the reasons for the divine selection of Abraham’s descendants to become their own nation (cf. Deut. 9:13-29), and they falsely filled themselves with both pride and prejudice (Jonah is a great example of one whose attitude towards Gentiles was ungodly). It is true that God made a covenant with them like no other (cf. Ex. 19:5-8), but in this covenant that He made with Israel, He included provisions for Gentiles as well to demonstrate, among many things, that His concern was not just for one nation, but that He truly loves everyone! I do not believe that God focused on the nation of Israel while forgetting about the rest of the world, allowing them to wander around as best as they could and depending upon whatever knowledge they had received during the Patriarchal Age.

For example, in the very formation of the nation with the institution of the Passover, God already laid the foundation for the inclusion of everyone. Exodus 12:43-51 teaches that any circumcised Gentile (proselyte) could enjoy the full privileges of the Jewish religion. Here, we first learn of the distinction between a full proselyte (a Gentile who accepts the religion of the Jews, demonstrated with his circumcision) and a “foreigner” or a “sojourner” [ASV] (one who remains uncircumcised and thus, did not enjoy the full privileges of the Jewish people). Later, in the formation of the Law of Moses, God will remind them, “Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Ex. 22:21). Again, while so many believed that God was not interested in the other nations, the truth of the matter is that He wanted the nation of Israel to be a light to the rest of the world, just as God is very interested in non-Christians today, and expresses such through the light that Christians are supposed to shine forth to them. Our failure to radiate righteousness is not a reflection on God’s lack of love for those in the world, just as the failure of the Jews to radiate God’s righteousness through their own covenant was not a reflection on His lack of love for the Gentiles. God cared even for “the stranger,” and they were supposed to learn this valuable lesson from His people, the Jews (cf. Lev. 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut. 14:21). The very fact that God sent Jewish prophets to prophesy to all the nations and not just to Israel or Judah ought to teach us this necessary lesson (cf. Is. 13-27, 43:9-11; Jer. 46-51; Ezek. 25-32; Amos 1:3-2:3; Obadiah, Jonah, and such like). In addition, we have seen throughout the history of the Israelites the interaction that God had with Gentiles and the provisions he made with them, including Rahab (Joshua 2), Ruth, the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17), and Naaman (2 Kings 5). Even the prayer of Solomon at the grand dedication of the marvelous temple recognized the provisions that God gave to Gentiles who responded appropriately (cf. 1 Kings 8:41-43), which we see centuries later in a couple of Roman centurions, one of whom was named Cornelius (cf. Luke 7:1-5; Acts 10:1-2).

One of the great tragedies of years gone by is the false notion that God has one law for the non-Christian and another law for the Christian. Such is completely false. Through even the law of liberty (James 1:25), God has provided provisions for his people, the church, as well as demanding accountability and responsibility by those who are not in the church. In this fashion, he shows that he has made provisions for everyone! No one is without excuse! This has always been the case. To God be the glory!

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