Living On Mission with Jude and the Holy Spirit

Living On Mission with Jude and the Holy Spirit

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 people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

²⁰ But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying 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.

²² Be merciful to those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” (Jude 17-23)

There’s a lot going on in this portion of Jude! The Holy Spirit is a common theme that really stands out as we look for ways to live out this passage.

Verses 17-19 warn us about the dangers of living without the Spirit. I think we have all experienced the tension between living out our own “instinctive” desires and living according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our own desires are ungodly and cause division because they are directly opposed to the desires of God.  Here’s an example: We want our own way. All the time. God says, “My ways are higher than your ways.” We selfishly seek to obtain more – of everything.  The Kingdom way is, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor.”  (Luke 3:11)

 

Verses 20-21 teach us to persevere by building ourselves up and praying so that we can keep going until our final redemption. We are strengthened and transformed when we really know and experience the love of God. We have to connect with Him every day. We have to learn to live in His presence. This is where our power comes from.  This is where our life is.

 

Verses 22-23 show us the posture we are to take toward others. Only when we are fully immersed and aware of the love of God can we truly love others.  Only when we are full of the Spirit are we able to exhibit His characteristics toward others.  We can be merciful – if we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. We will passionately seek salvation of others – when we are full of the Holy Spirit. This is how we trade our own natural, ungodly desires for the desires of God.  

 

Let’s practice living on mission!

 

Pastor Angela