May 29 - Those Who Divide You

Today's Reading:
Isaiah 54:1-57:14
Jude 1:1-25
Psalm 148:1-6 
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Focus Verses:
Jude 1:17-21
17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." 19 These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. 20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Insight:
The Apostle Peter warned his readers to be discerning about false teachers and heresy; Jude does the same. In fact, Peter may have been drawing upon Jude in his second letter (compare 2 Peter 2 with Jude 4–18).

Jude gives a number of markers for discerning heretical teachers and leaders. These include: a twisting of God's grace that leads to disregard for holy living (v. 4); a refusal to acknowledge Jesus as the only sovereign Lord (v. 4); a selfish pattern of putting themselves first (v. 12); boastful arrogance (v. 16); and being divisive and opposing the unity of the Spirit (v. 19).

Response and Action:
I need to recognize godly teaching and leadership. It is essential for the life and mission of my church family that our leaders follow the Lord Jesus Christ, the only one who is able to keep us from falling.

In order to live by the truth, I will build myself up in Christian faith. I will pray and look to the Holy Spirit for guidance and integrity. I will look to the Scriptures and the teachings of the Apostles for direction and doctrine. In my Christian community, I will oppose teaching and leadership that ignores Scripture or fails to follow in the way of Christ. In all circumstances, I must be merciful and redemptive toward others as I endeavor to be a voice for the pursuit of truth and sound doctrine.

O God, help me to know and live by the truth. Help me to be a student of the Scriptures. Help me to follow Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. By the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, give me the honesty and integrity to recognize your will and your ways. Deliver me from pride, selfishness, and unholiness. Grant me the faith and the perseverance of Christ Jesus, who is able to keep me from falling and present me without fault before your throne 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.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 2 Peter 1:19-21
19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Resources:
Basic Christian Leadership: Biblical Models of Church, Gospel And Ministry
by John Stott