JUDE

"... I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once and for all entrusted to the saints.  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 out God into license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."  ( Jude 1:3,4  NIV)   * The book of Jude has no "3:16"

Jude, brother of James, and half-brother of Jesus, wrote this short but powerful book of the Bible.  His message:  warning against apostasy -0 the turning away from God's truth by embracing false teachings.  This warning was appropriate when Jude wrote it ;and,  it is even more appropriate today! We need to be wary of the "feel good" preacher.  If he tells us that everything we do is acceptable,  we need to quickly find a different source of leadership. God wants us to be happy, but not at the price of righteousness. He doesn't want us to go around with long faces and heavy hearts.  But, substituting worldliness and/or possessions for righteousness is NOT the answer.
 (" ...the love of money is the root of all evil."  I Timothy 6:10)





God does bless many Believers with prosperity.  But, we need to take care not to allow possessions to become the focus of our lives.  I love pretty things.  I love color.  I love arranging flowers, painting , embroidery, pottery... well, you get the picture.. But, first I must seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness; then, these things will be added into my life.  (Matthew 6:33).
Here is the prophet Ezekiel's vision of what will happen to those who listen to false teachers:  "They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing.  Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the Lord's wrath.  They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it,  for it has made them stumble into sin.  They were proud of their beautiful jewelry and used it to make their detestable idols and vile images.  Therefore I will turn these into an unclean thing for them.:  (Ezekiel 7:19,20)



So, beware of godless men who pose as men of God.  Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing, who,  like Satan,  come to steal, kill, and destroy.  Rather, remain steadfast in Truth.

"Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?'  Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.'"  (John 15:5,6)

II PETER 3:16

" He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other scriptures, to their own destruction."  (NIV)







When Peter wrote this letter to the Believers, he wrote it to warn them of false teachers who were distorting the writings of Paul.  Peter pointed out that Paul wrote with wisdom inspired by the Holy Spirit. Peter pointed out to his fellow-Believers that while Paul's writings are not always EASY to understand, they were God-inspired truth. The false teachers against whom Peter  wrote were purposely misquoting Paul's teachings, attempting to use scriptures to make themselves seem impressive.  They were purposely creating confusion. Worse yet, false teachers are often subtly deceitful.  This letter from Peter gives us clues to help detect false teaching. Believers today must remain vigilant against falling into false doctrine.

One of my favorite scriptures is I Corinthians 1:33, which states, :For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace."  Okay... if God is NOT the author of confusion, then who IS?    (Hint:  Don't you think confusion goes hand-in-hand with evil?  Have you ever noticed that movie scenes of hell are always chaotic?   Hmmm...)






So, here is the gist of Peters' letter:  Avoid false teachings.  How? By knowing the truth.  We really must read and study on our own;  not depend upon someone else to tell us what the scriptures say.  Many believers want the peace and grace of God, but are not willing to exert the effort to get to know Him better.  To enjoy God's abundance, we need knowledge.  First-hand knowledge, obtainable only through Bible study and prayer.  We must remain diligent in seeking God.



And, what did Jesus have to say about teaching and truth?  "To the Jews who had believed him,  Jesus said,
'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"  (John 8:31,32)





                                      
  

  AND,
 ..." I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  (John 14:6)