Wednesday, January 31, 2007

“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen!” (Jude 24-25)

 

Lesson 8 – Jude

Vs 10-11 (NIV)

Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals-these are the very things that destroy them. 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.

 

     Jude clearly shows that those who are “talking big” don’t know a thing about the realm of the angels and of the Spirit of God. Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who’s blowing and going on about something that you know they don’t know squat about? I find that the louder and longer they go the less they know.J  These people are mocking and making statements about things they really don’t understand. On the serious side, are there times when I make uninformed statements?

     The next part of verse ten is simply Jude making the observation that they talk about others but can’t even control their own natural (animal) instincts. In fact, they sink lower than animals. So what can this verse say to us? Well, easily we can understand that we shouldn’t mock or make statements about things we have no knowledge of or haven’t researched. Second, we need to look at our lives are we doing things that even animals won’t do.

      But another aspect of this is… no person is born without a sense of the spiritual things but can lose that sense if they never use it. Example: if I once played the piano but didn’t play for 30 years (true story) when I sit back down to the piano it will be torture to the ears! If you played football or basketball in high school but didn’t pick up a ball again until you were seventy, there would be no way you could make excellent plays. If you learned basic French but didn’t use it for ten years, I would highly recommend you take a re-fresher before enjoying a trip in France and expecting to understand the language. In the same way, if we as children once knew God but for 20 years never followed him, do we really know Him? If we consistently refused to listen to God and make our instincts and opinions the sole dynamic of our conduct, in the end we will have a very hard time hearing the voice of the Lord, if we can hear it at all. It is a terrible thing for a person to get to a stage where they are deaf to God and blind to goodness; but that’s where the perpetrators were in this little book of Jude. Can you hear God’s voice today?

     In verse 11 Jude goes to some very well known Old Testament losers. Cain was a murderer of his own brother (Genesis 4: 1-5). Balaam’s story is twofold, first he is greedy with a capitol G. But later in his life he actually leads the nation of Israel into the worship of Baal with dreadful and repulsive moral consequences (Numbers 22-25, 31: 8, 16). Korah rebelled against the leaders of his nation, (Moses & Aaron) he wanted their job, and he perished because of it (Numbers 16: 1-35). So Jude is saying these folks who are teaching falsely, have an evil (murderous) intent, they are greedy, they lead others into sin and they defy the legitimate authority of the church, preferring their own way to the way of God. Have I ever been guilty of any of these actions, especially the last one?

Resources: from “Interpretation Commentary Jude by Pheme Perkins; “Beacon Bible Commentary – Jude” by Delbert Rose; and “The Letters of John and Jude” by William Barclay

 

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen!” (Jude 24-25)

 

Lesson 6 – Jude (NIV)

Vs 5-7 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home – these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

     Now to conclude 5-7… What Jude does in these verses is deliberately choose familiar examples of evil that has taken place on an incredible scale. 1) The unbelieving Israelites die wandering in the wilderness, 2) The unfaithful angels are bound in hellish darkness, and 3) The immoral cities were burned with fire.

You see sin really is a BIG deal, it represents a complete disruption in the order of the world. When we read a story about a particularly grim and senseless crime, brutal attacks on children or on the elderly it fills us with a sense of horror. To the people Jude was writing to, these examples would have evoked the same response.  Sin is ugly, it is evil, it is consuming, it hurts others and as well as us, whether it was in Jude’s day or ours. When we allow sin in our lives we will always reap the consequences of it, unfortunately, they can be life long and horrible. If we fail to confess and repent, they can be eternal.  Lord, open my eyes to sin, may I see it as You see it.

Vs 8 (NIV)

In the same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.

Vs 8 (The Message)

This is exactly the same program of these latest infiltrators: dirty sex, rule and rulers thrown out, glory dragged in the mud.

     Despite knowing about the past and the consequences those in the past had suffered, these people who were corrupting the church continue in their unbelief, rebellion and lusts. When Jude calls them dreamers, they may have been claiming to have received a “divine inspiration” for what they were doing. This is an evil ploy that many people, from 1st century to today, have used while calling themselves Christian. Jim Jones and that whole terrible story that ended in suicide and murder immediately comes to my mind. If you ever hear someone say they have “heard” from God or that God is “directing them to do so and so” LET RED FLAGS GO UP.

     We are to test the spirits (1 John 4: 1). People who are really following the Lord will live the life, walk the walk of the Spirit and will NEVER do anything contrary to scripture! No Exceptions!!! God does speak, He does guide, He does direct people, but their lives with show it long before they say it. Have I ever met someone who claimed to be on a “mission from God” or “hear God’s voice” and I knew it was a lie? What made me think that? Was it just an inner feeling (which can be misleading) or did they say/do something contrary to scripture? With my knowledge of scripture could I have proved them wrong? Now that question should be some real food for thought.

Information gathered from “Interpretation Commentary Jude by Pheme Perkins; “Beacon Bible Commentary – Jude” by Delbert Rose; and “The Letters of John and Jude” by William Barclay

 

 

 

Monday, January 29, 2007

“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen!” (Jude 24-25)

 

Lesson 5 – Jude (NIV)

Vs 5-7 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home – these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

 

     Jude issues a warning to the evil people who were perverting the belief and conduct of the church. He simply is reminding them of stories they are very familiar with. It seems to me that often what we hear preached or taught is not always a new Word from the Lord but it brings to our attention things we already know. How often do I sin (unknowingly) and then the Holy Spirit checks me? How often do I sin and know before hand it’s a sin?

     Now to really understand this portion of scripture we must understand (whether we agree with it or not) that the people who were corrupting the church did not regard themselves as enemies of Christ, they really thought they were “advanced thinkers” smarter than the average person. Jude chooses his examples to make clear that, even if a man has received the greatest teachings, they can still fall into disaster, no created being man or angel can get cocky!!!! We all must be on constant watch against twisted truth, our own arrogance and sin.

     The example in verse 5 comes from Numbers 13 & 14. The mighty hand of God delivered the Hebrews, brought them safely to the Promised Land. And at the borders the people sinned. The spies reported they couldn’t defeat the people of the Land, stirred the entire group up and disobeyed God. The consequence was (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb who did not disobey) all people over the age 20 would never enter the Promised Land but wander in the desert. And they did, wander and died there! Have there been any instances in the last few days where I was disobedient? What happened, how did I reconcile it or did I?

     The example in verse 6 is the dreadful story of fallen angels. The Jews had a very highly developed doctrine of angels. They believed in the fall of the angels and much is said about this in the Book of Enoch which is often behind the thought of Jude. In regard to this there were two lines of tradition. First, it was that the fall of the angels was due to pride and rebelliousness. That legend gathered especially round Lucifer, the light-bringer, the son of the morning. The idea was that there was civil war in heaven. The angels rose against God and were cast out; and Lucifer was the leader of the rebellion. You can find references to some of this in Isaiah 14: 12 and Luke 10:18. The second stream of tradition finds its scriptural echo in Genesis 6: 1-4. In this line of thought the angels, attracted by the beauty of mortal women, left heaven to seduce them and so sinned. All this may seem very strange to us but it was common tradition and common thought in Jude’s day. What we can really need to glean is… two things brought ruin to the angels – pride and lust!!! If pride and lust ruined the angels in spite of all their privileges, pride and lust can and will ruin us. If we ever get to thinking that we know better than the church’s teachings we are already on a very slippery path. This would be a great time to examine my own thoughts… Have there been times when I thought I knew more than Orthodox Church statements? Now, don’t misunderstand…we are thinking beings and it’s o.k. to question but when we begin to challenge beliefs from the Bible itself or clear interpretation we could be falling into arrogance or rebellion which leads to sin. Anytime it has to be MY WAY, I’m already in trouble. Do I often have to have my way or do I think my opinion is always right?

     The third example is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah found in Genesis 19: 1-11. The sin of Sodom is one of the most horrible stories in history. Two angelic visitors had come to Lot. At his pressing invitation they come into his house to be his guests. When they were there, the inhabitants of Sodom surrounded the house, demanding that Lot should bring out his visitors so “they should know them.” In Hebrew “to know” is the word for sexual intercourse. What the men of Sodom were bent on was homosexual intercourse with Lot’s two visitors – sodomy and rape! It is reasonable to suppose that those people to whom Jude attacks in this passage had also descended to sodomy/rape and that they were perverting the grace of God to cover even this! Jude insists that they and we should remember that sin and judgment go hand in hand, and they should repent. Is there anything in my heart or life that I am covering up, or trying to justify with grace?

Information from “Beacon Bible Commentary - Jude” by Delbert Rose and “The Letters of John and Jude” by William Barclay

 

 

Nancy Cantrell,

Associate Pastor

Harrisonville Church of the Nazarene

 

Thursday, January 25, 2007

“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen!” (Jude 24-25)

 

Lesson 4 – Jude

Verse 4 NIV – For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

     “Secretly slipped in” the Greek here is pareisduein. This word is used of an outlaw that slips back into the town that he was expelled from. It is used of a slow and subtle entry of ideas that undermine and break down laws. It indicates an intentional stealthiness.

     Then Jude gives us two characteristics of these perpetrators. Most people try to hide their sin; they have some respect for common decency. But Jude uses a word here that actually means they do shameless things in public because they have ceased to care for decency at all. This is not even an arrogant, rebellion or proud flaunting of sin, it is a deadness to what is right – period! Is there anything in my life that I’ve been doing that in the beginning felt wrong but as I continued in it, no longer does it prick my conscience?

     It is believed that these infiltrators were Gnostics. That being the case they would have believed that since the grace of God was big enough to cover any sin, then sin big! Grace was being perverted into a justification for sin. If I look at my own life are there any sins I have justified? If so what needs to happen here?

     These folks denied Jesus. There are many ways a person can deny Christ. They can deny Him when being persecuted. They can deny him for the sake of convenience. They can deny him by their life and conduct. They can deny him by developing false ideas about him. There are many people who are trying to live their lives denying Christ. They want a Santa Clause god, or a nice grandpa god. Not a God who loves so much that He would leave heaven, become flesh, live a human existence, die a brutal death, conquer death itself and now become King. A God like that would deserve my full allegiance, worship, and my life…

     If these infiltrators were indeed Gnostics (and that was a very real threat in the church during this time period) then they would have believed Jesus was only spirit, never human flesh. They would have believed that Jesus was only one of many stages between the evil matter of this world and perfect spirit which is God. As I talk with people around me I have come to realize that maybe the Gnostics haven’t died out! I constantly talk with people who just can’t seem to grasp that Jesus really does know what they are going through because He really was human. And on many occasions I have discussions with folks who believe we’re all going to heaven, just by different roads. Now, I’m not God (thank goodness) but those things just don’t make sense when I look at Jesus.

    When I think about Jesus, and His sacrificial love that took Him to a whipping post then a cross; the sacrificial love that had him born in a barn and raised in the town of Nazareth (which was the arm pit of the nation at that time); the sacrificial love that had Him on a collision course with the religion and culture of his day, how can I help but fall on my face before Him. Jesus could have done it so different… but then He wouldn’t have been redeemer, He wouldn’t have known suffering, or hate, or any of the things we deal with. Now, that kind of love forces me to look at Jesus different… to look at Him as Savior, as fully divine, yet fully human, not as one way to God but as the only way to God, to a God who really loves me.

    When I put all these things together I begin to understand why Jude became so upset that these people were denying Jesus. The very one who had loved Jude enough to die for him, to transform his life and give him hope. The very one who loves me, died for me, transformed me and gives me hope. Who is Jesus to you?

 Information from “Beacon Bible Commentary - Jude” by Delbert Rose and “The Letters of John and Jude” by William Barclay

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Lesson 3 – Jude

Verse 3 NIV Dear friends although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

     Here we have the reason for the letter. Jude had been engaged on writing about the Christian faith, but there had come news that evil and misguided people had been spreading destructive teaching. So he lays aside his theology lesson on salvation and pens this letter. We get a little glimpse of the heart of any good pastor… When they think their flock is in trouble they rush to the defense. I am reminded of the verse in the twenty-third Psalm “your rod and your staff they comfort me.” A shepherd’s rod was used to knock predators in the head!!! How does it feel to know God is very protective of you?

     Jude was protective of this group of believers. He reminds them this faith was entrusted to them. This could also be translated delivered to us. The facts of the Christian faith are not something we have discovered for ourselves (even though we independent folks love to think that). J What we have, has been taught or handed down to us, is really in the truest sense of the word - tradition. Tradition is not something simply given in cold print, it is something passed from person to person through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is true, that many write what God gives them, usually because it is so special to them, thankfully we have these writings. But the chain of Christian tradition is a living chain whose links are men and women who have experienced the wonder of the facts. Personally, I often think of tradition in a negative sense but when I re-think of it in this relational way I can see how true and wonderful it is.

     “The faith” phrase in this passage (te pistei-Greek) must be understood as the sum of that which Christians believe: faith which is believed, not in the sense of faith by which we believe. The faith, or the Christian religion as a whole, is committed to not only sound doctrine but also by the life they live. We just finished an entire study on Christian beliefs and terms titled “Do you know what you believe and why?”  If you were not part of this study, I can re-send these lessons to you independently, just let me know.

    Another way to translate “to the saints,” can be God’s consecrated people. That is to say, the Christian faith is not the possession of any one person but of the community – the church. It comes down within the people of God, it is preserved within the body of faith, and it is understood by the church together. Pastor Steve often says, “Christianity is very personal but never private.” How do you feel about that statement?

    Another thing we glean from this verse is that the Christian faith is worth defending. Every Christian must be its defender! If the Christian tradition (teaching) comes down from generation to generation, we must hand it on uncorrupted. Sometimes this is difficult. The word Jude uses for contend is epagonizesthai, which contains the root word meaning agony or fight. The defense of the faith may well be costly, but that defense is a duty that falls on us all as the community of Christ. It is so much easier to go with the flow and not make waves but we must hold true to what God’s Word says. As new discoveries are made, as we understand language better we may grasp new things in the faith but the basics never change. Jesus Christ came into the world and lived and died and was resurrected to bring salvation to mankind. Now, that’s worth fightin’ for. Can you think of any episodes in the past month where the faith needed defense? What was your response? Could you have done it better?

 Information from “Beacon Bible Commentary - Jude” by Delbert Rose and “The Letters of John and Jude” by William Barclay

 

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Jude #2

“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen!” (Jude 24-25)

 

Lesson 2 - Jude

Jude 1-2 NIV

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, to those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: (2) Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

 

     In verse one we find clues as to who Jude was. First, he calls himself servant or in the Greek doulos which means slave. Jude regards himself as having only one object and one distinction in life – to be at the disposal of Jesus for service. Upon looking at our lives do we have only one object and distinction in life? Is it to be at the disposal of Jesus for service? Think about the last week in what ways did we do that?

     Second, Jude is content to be second place. He was not nearly so well known as James. Jude might well have been resentful of his well know brother, James, in whose shadow he had to live. But by the way the letter is titled we know he gladly takes second place. Is there any resentment towards family members in my heart? How do I feel about taking second place in anything and why?

     According to this verse we have been called. The word Jude uses here for to call is kalein as with most Greek words is has a variety of meaning and each fits the Christian. It is the word for summoning a person to office, to duty and to responsibility. When placed with the first part of the verse that means we are summoned to office, duty, responsibility to be at the disposal of Jesus for service. As Christians we are not just called for lip service but for life service. Kalein is, also, the word for summoning a person to a feast or festival, a happy occasion. Today, realize you and I are summoned to the joy of being the guest of God!!!! I can’t even begin to grasp how the creator of the universe desires to invite me to be his guest, yet He does. Praise the Lord! This word also means to be summoned to judgment. It is the word the people of Jude’s day used to call a person to court that he may give account of himself. We, in the end, will be summoned to appear before Christ to do the same.

   Loved by God, what an incredible statement. The call to us is the call to be loved and to love. God calls us to a task, but it is an honor to serve one who loves us so much. God calls us to a service of fellowship not of tyranny because of love. Then we are kept by Christ. We are never alone! Jesus is always with us, in good times and bad. NEVER ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Information from “The Letters of John and Jude” by William Barclay

 

 

Monday, January 15, 2007

Hello Everyone,

This is my first attempt at having a blog. I am so thankful to the Lord for giving our church Chad Kuhn who is a technology wiz and can help with spreading the Kingdom in this manner. Here are all of the lessons up to this point. When I send the weekly study to current subscribers I will also post it here. The blog will carry up to 5 studies. If at any point you prefer to be a subscriber or have questions, please contact me via the email address listed on our Web Site. May the Lord bless each of you.  Pastor Nancy

 

Lesson 1 - Jude

It’s time to begin a new study. I’d like to take on a small, almost neglected book in the New Testament called Jude. When I think of Jude, personally, the Beatle’s tune jumps in my brain first. That’s because with the exception of knowing Jude is in the Bible I’ve heard the song many more times than I’ve read the book. I hope as we study this letter together we’ll all learn something but more than that may the Holy Spirit speak to us. And may this living Word become as much a part of who we are as the lyrics from the radio “Hey, Jude, don't make it bad, take a sad song and make it better.”

 

Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for the technology that makes this study possible. Thank you for the men and women of the New Testament, who at risk of life and limb carried these letters, read them and preserved them. Now as we begin to study, open it to us. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

O.K. about this study.

I will research and present information but it will be up to you to question and comment. I will always let you know my sources and give credit where credit is due. I will also let you know what version of the Bible I’m using. Don’t let any thing in your mind/heart go unanswered; no question is too far out. If you have a question/comment that means somebody else probably is thinking the same. I will respond to the question/comment with everybody so we all benefit. Second, let’s start every session with the incredible doxology from this little book, say it out loud if you’re in a place where you can but please don’t ever skip it. Hopefully, by doing this, we’ll have it memorized by the time we are done. Then when times get tough or time is short we’ll always have these scriptures on our lips as a prayer or praise. Third, I hope to present some thought provoking questions, these are for your private use but please don’t skip them. J

 

“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen!” (Jude 24-25)

 

Now to Jude…

It is a small letter near the end of the New Testament, right before Revelation. When most people begin to read this letter they are confused right off the bat. The reason being it was written out of a background of thought; against the challenge of a specific situation; in Jewish pictures and with quotations we aren’t necessarily familiar with. So the first thing we have to do is get into the mind of the writer, his time and situation. This will give us insight into the early church and will ultimately bring relevance for us today.

Another thing we must understand this is a letter to someone from Jude. When we write a letter to someone we are writing them to tell them something or to communicate something, usually a letter is only one side of the conversation. That’s what this book does and is.

 

What do we know of Jude… well there’s the scripture which we will discuss in the verse by verse study and there is tradition.

     Jude was one of Jesus’ brothers, and sometimes called Judas. Like his brother, Jude took a very dim view of Jesus’ claims and ministry at first, and did not believe in Jesus until after the resurrection. It’s always amazing to me that when people come face to face with the resurrected Christ they are changed! He then became a staunch member of the small, harassed group of believers, but never gained the prominence that James, his brother, did. In fact, he preferred to refer to himself modestly as “James’ brother.” He wrote the brief letter preserved in the New Testament in which he warned believers against the libertines who had infiltrated the church and were pretending that Christ’s grace released them from all authority or restraint. From, the letter, it is obvious that Jude was well versed in Old Testament scripture sand traditions. The historian Eusebius reported that Jude’s grandsons were hailed before the emperor Domitian on charges of sedition because they were Christians.  It is believed that Jude accompanied Simon the Zealot (one of the twelve) to Persia to proclaim the gospel; there he was martyred by being beat to death with a club then beheaded.

 

Resources: “Everyone in the Bible” by William Barker; Internet – Catholic Forum – St. Jude; “The Letters of John and Jude” by William Barclay; and “The Beacon Bible Commentary - Jude” by Delbert Rose

 

 

 

 

Nancy Cantrell,

Associate Pastor

Harrisonville Church of the Nazarene

 

Friday, January 12, 2007

Lesson #6

Welcome to all the new readers who have joined recently.
Lord, please open our hearts to what You have to say to us. Amen
I am very surprised that the last lesson didn’t spur a million questions. Here is a conclusion to that lesson and the next section.
Many blessings,
Nancy

“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen!” (Jude 24-25)

Lesson 6 – Jude (NIV)
Vs 5-7 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home – these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

Now to conclude 5-7… What Jude does in these verses is deliberately choose familiar examples of evil that has taken place on an incredible scale. 1) The unbelieving Israelites die wandering in the wilderness, 2) The unfaithful angels are bound in hellish darkness, and 3) The immoral cities were burned with fire.

You see sin really is a BIG deal, it represents a complete disruption in the order of the world. When we read a story about a particularly grim and senseless crime, brutal attacks on children or on the elderly it fills us with a sense of horror. To the people Jude was writing to, these examples would have evoked the same response. Sin is ugly, it is evil, it is consuming, it hurts others and as well as us, whether it was in Jude’s day or ours. When we allow sin in our lives we will always reap the consequences of it, unfortunately, they can be life long and horrible. If we fail to confess and repent, they can be eternal. Lord, open my eyes to sin, may I see it as You see it.

Vs 8 (NIV)
In the same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.
Vs 8 (The Message)
This is exactly the same program of these latest infiltrators: dirty sex, rule and rulers thrown out, glory dragged in the mud.

Despite knowing about the past and the consequences those in the past had suffered, these people who were corrupting the church continue in their unbelief, rebellion and lusts. When Jude calls them dreamers, they may have been claiming to have received a “divine inspiration” for what they were doing. This is an evil ploy that many people, from 1st century to today, have used while calling themselves Christian. Jim Jones and that whole terrible story that ended in suicide and murder immediately comes to my mind. If you ever hear someone say they have “heard” from God or that God is “directing them to do so and so” LET RED FLAGS GO UP.

We are to test the spirits (1 John 4: 1). People who are really following the Lord will live the life, walk the walk of the Spirit and will NEVER do anything contrary to scripture! No Exceptions!!! God does speak, He does guide, He does direct people, but their lives with show it long before they say it. Have I ever met someone who claimed to be on a “mission from God” or “hear God’s voice” and I knew it was a lie? What made me think that? Was it just an inner feeling (which can be misleading) or did they say/do something contrary to scripture? With my knowledge of scripture could I have proved them wrong? Now that question should be some real food for thought.