Keys to Taking on the World

Time for Me to Vent!

Usually, it is my wife who bears the brunt of my criticisms of things in the news or that I see in society but today I’ll share some of my concerns with you.

#1 – What’s the deal with crosses on athletes faces but no self-control over what comes out of their mouths?

#2 – What’s the deal with Hollywood actors and actresses who want to come off as spiritual but don’t live their lives in obedience to the Word of God? Or think that Jesus is the only way to Heaven?

#3 – Where is the conviction in the lives of ‘good people’ all around me who I count even as friends, but they do not feel a need to surrender their lives to Christ.

#4 - Why do many Christians believe the teachers of the “prosperity Gospel” who teach that “Christians are supposed to be healthy and wealthy” and if you aren’t, you don’t have enough faith?

#5 - Let me have one more…the confusion of modern identities. Our culture is telling us that physical gender, and a ‘natural order’ to sexual relations—these are all imagined and untrue. Just because you are born a male doesn’t mean you’re a man or that you should be married to a woman. They believe that if you ‘feel’ that you are a woman or a man or 175 other identities than you must be.

Thanks for giving Cindy a break and letting me vent! Actually, I say all of these because these are issues that were present in the ancient Church as well. Even the conflict of physical gender and natural order are examples of Gnosticism (the natural is evil but what you find ‘within’ is what is really true).

We have been looking at some topics that I think are relevant to disciples of Christ. What is a Christian? How to Be a Gift to Others. And…today I want to give you some keys to equip ourselves against the modern philosophies of the world.

The Book of Jude Speaks to the Modern Us

The book of Jude speaks to Christians who were waiting for Jesus but were unclear how to live through a time of great change and challenge without new guidance. False teachers, who claimed to have new revelations from a higher source, infiltrated the church, causing division and conflict as they attempted to replace the original apostles’ message. These “others,” or opponents, felt they were no longer limited by the ethical side of the Jewish law and could live any way they wanted to without sinning. In essence, they preached that their new “spiritual” revelation replaced the message the original apostles had brought to the church.

Jude 17–21 NIV

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

In this letter, the author confronts this challenge to the true message of the apostles. The letter addresses the following questions:

· Whether the church should change with the times to take advantage of the most modern view of what it means to be a Christian or remain faithful to the original apostolic message.

· The true definition of faith and orthodoxy [the core beliefs] in a changing world.

· How the church could defend itself from a distorted message that threatened to corrupt it.[1]

I think it is clear that we are facing the same questions today, so let’s dive in to what Jude offers to help us live as disciples of Jesus in 2024.

Keys to Taking on the World

In verses 20-21 Jude gives 4 keys that I think are worth considering:

#1 – Building up yourselves in the faith

#2 – Praying in the Holy Spirit

#3 – Keeping yourselves in God’s love

#4 – and, waiting for the mercy of the Lord to bring eternal life

Build on a Foundation of Faith

While going through my college coursework, the professor asked me to create a log of all the activities that I do on a daily basis and then ask the question, “How important is this to your mission/vision?” I began to reevaluate what I did and what value it brought to my ministry. The Apostle Paul discussed evaluation…

1 Corinthians 3:10 NIV

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.

Of course, we know that we have been given everything that we need to live victoriously (just look at the Armor of God in Ephesians 6). The question is whether we are “putting on” these tools.

I have to admit that I haven’t been hitting the gym too much, so I have to steal another man’s story to make a point. Bob Reccord tells this story in his book, Forged by Fire:

I had put on weight and was out of shape, so a year ago I began working on my sagging waistline. Day after day, I worked hard on cardiovascular exercise and weight training, seeming to get nowhere. Straining. Sweating. Sucking wind. Questioning my sanity.

Finally, after several months, a quantum leap occurred. Weight began to drop off. Muscle began to get toned. And endurance increased. Medical friends tell me that during the constancy of working out, regardless of how I felt, a whole new freeway system of small blood vessels and capillaries was forming within my body. Then came the day when they decided it was time for a “grand opening.” Suddenly, more blood came flooding into the muscle tissue, and the resulting benefits seemed to be exponential.

Likewise, when we’re walking through the depths of trials, God is building up a secondary support system of endurance so that we might be even more prepared for the next time adversity comes our way. —Bob Reccord, Forged by Fire (Broadman & Holman, 2000)[2]

Like Jude and Paul tell us, we have to put into practice or “build up yourselves in faith” but we will receive tremendous benefits if we do.

Pray in the Holy Spirit

The 2nd thing that Jude mentions is praying in the Holy Spirit. In our Pentecostal circle we immediately jump to using the gift of tongues which we look at in 1 Corinthians 12 a couple of weeks ago. Praying in the Spirit certainly includes using that heavenly language, …

Romans 8:26–27 NIV

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

There have been times when I don’t know how to pray in a situation but I can pray in the Spirit and know that He is on point and interceding for us.

[Praying in the Spirit] doesn’t not exclude thoughtful and wise prayers that are filled with truths from the Bible.

1 Corinthians 14:14–15 NIV

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.

This is why it is so important to read, listen, and memorize truths in the Word of God that you can put in your back pocket to pull out when lies of the enemy try to destroy you or someone dear to you.

Live in Such a Way that God’s Love Can Bless Them

This may be a shock to Texans, there are more ice cream dairies than just Blue Bell. One of them is Borden in Chicago. I came across a story of an heir of the Borden multimillion dollar business and I think it will help us understand Jude’s point.

When William Borden graduated from a Chicago high school in 1904, he was heir to the Borden Dairy estate, which made him a millionaire. For his graduation present, his parents gave him a trip around the world. As the young man traveled through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, he felt a growing burden for the world’s hurting people. Finally, Borden wrote home to say, “I’m going to give my life to prepare for the mission field.” At the same time, he wrote two words in the back of his Bible: “No reserves.”

During his college years at Yale University, Borden became a pillar in the Christian community. One entry in his personal journal that defined the source of his spiritual strength simply said, “Say no to self and yes to Jesus every time.”

During his first semester at Yale, Borden started a small prayer group that mushroomed into a movement that spread across the campus. By the end of his first year, 150 freshmen were meeting for weekly Bible study and prayer. By the time Bill Borden was a senior, one thousand of Yale’s thirteen hundred students were meeting in such groups.

Borden met with fellow Christians to make sure every student on campus heard the gospel. Often he ministered to the poor in the streets of New Haven. But his real passion was missions. Once he narrowed his missionary call to the Kansu people in China, Borden never wavered.

Upon graduation from Yale, Borden wrote two more words in the back of his Bible: “No retreats.” He turned down several high-paying job offers and enrolled in seminary. After graduating, he went to Egypt to learn Arabic so he could work with Muslims in China. While in Egypt, Borden came down with spinal meningitis. Within a month he was dead at age twenty-five.

Prior to his death, Borden wrote two more words in his Bible. Underneath the words “No reserves” and “No retreats,” he wrote, “No regrets.”[3]

What an incredible young man! Consider his commitments: “Say no to self and yes to Jesus everytime”, “no retreats”, “no reserves”, and, ultimately “no regrets”. I think Jude would have loved to have known William Borden.

Wait for Eternal Life

This leaves us with one final key from Jude, “wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” I cannot understate the importance of believing in the Return of Jesus Christ, or what we have called for many years – the Blessed Hope. Dr. Menzies wrote:

… It is an incentive to holy living. The awareness that our Lord may come without warning stirs believers from their lethargy, to rekindle the fire of first love. Self-purification is the responsibility of alert believers, for to us has been given the spiritual resources to live in a manner pleasing to our Lord (Matt 25:6–7; 2 Pet 3:11; 1 John 3:3). Watchfulness is the proper attitude of believers; we are to be keen, alert, looking continually for the coming of Christ (Matt 24:44; Mark 13:35–36; 1 Thess 5:8; 1 John 2:28).[4]

Cindy had me stop at an old cemetery in New York because she wanted to take some pictures of the crooked headstones coming out of the red, yellow, and orange carpet of leaves. We noticed that the orientation of the headstones because it didn’t seem to fit the piece of property but then I remembered to look at the compass on my watch. Sure enough, all of the headstones were facing east. That is because Christian cemeteries all face the east, the direction from which Jesus is prophesied to return.

In AD 1540, the Muslim leader, Suleiman the Magnificent, sealed the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem. It was the gate Jesus entered the city from the Mount of Olives. Ezekiel 43 prophesied the triumphal entry of Jesus on Palm Sunday. Ezekiel 44 prophesied it being permanently sealed. And, Ezekiel 46 prophesies that the prince will return through that eastern gate.

1 John 2:28 NIV

And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

A Resolute Generation

Our culture like Jude’s culture tempts us to be weak and divided by false doctrines, false teaching, and out and out apostacy (abandoning the faith). Dr. George Barna’s research shows that there is a crisis among 18–24-year-olds.

· One out of three 18- to 24-year-olds (33%) has some kind of diagnosable mental disorder

· One out of four (25%) has some kind of anxiety disorder

· One out of five (20%) has a major depressive episode each year

· One out of eight (12%) has serious suicidal thoughts

· Almost three of 10 (30%) suffer from alcohol or drug disorders

· Overall, 50% of college-aged individuals say they often experience feelings of anxiety or depression, fear, or suicidal thoughts

He suggests that the issues trace back to a rejection of the biblical worldview and their embracing of a faulty view of the world that undermines their mental health. Sadly, many have rejected truth and standards of morality. They have no hope of eternal life. They have no foundation of faith and no one to pray to.[5]

What we have found in Jesus Christ is the answer to the crisis in our culture today. There is no reason for us to feel hopeless – Jesus does ALL things well.

Do not listen to the lies of the world.

Beware of allowing worldliness to creep into your family.

Make a decision to be a disciple of Jesus and you will find peace and fulfillment!

[1]John Morris, “Jude, Letter of,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016). [2]Craig Brian Larson and Phyllis Ten Elshof, 1001 Illustrations That Connect (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2008), 156. [3]Craig Brian Larson and Phyllis Ten Elshof, 1001 Illustrations That Connect (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2008), 276–277. [4]William W. Menzies, Bible Doctrines: A Pentecostal Perspective, ed. Stanley M. Horton (Springfield, MO: Logion Press, 1993), 214–215. [5]https://www.arizonachristian.edu/2024/01/28/mental-health-crisis-among-young-adults-a-worldview-problem-says-crcs-barna/