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Jude devotes his short letter to warning Christians everywhere about those who live in opposition to God and his followers. They twist God's words, he says, seeking to deceive and destroy the unwary. But since God's Word and the gift of eternal life have infinite value and have been entrusted to us, he urges us to work at grasping his truth and faithfully defending it.

Jude 1:12-13,17-21

1. How are people whose interpretations veer from balanced biblical teaching like reefs? … like irresponsible shepherds? … like clouds that produce no rain? … like fruitless trees? … like ocean breakers? … like planets?
   
   
2. To what apostolic warnings (v. 17) might Jude have been referring? (See Acts 20:29-30; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-5.)
   
   
3. Why did Jude (v. 18) consider him and his readers already in "the last times"?
   
   
4. How (v. 19) do people who "follow their natural instincts" instead of relying on the Holy Spirit create divisions in the church?
   
   
5. What defenses against error (v. 20) does Jude mention? What is the doctrinal and ethical core that comprises our "most holy faith?"
   
   

Ask God for a balanced understanding of his Word that helps you confidently navigate complex situations based on your grasp of the basic principles he has revealed.

Jude 1:12-13,17-21

12 When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord's love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. 13 They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.

17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19 These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God's Spirit in them.

20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love.

Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integritymagazine.
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Prayer for the Week

Lord, help me to so saturate my outlook with your Word that I readily spot whatever counters its teaching.

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