Jude 20-23 But you, Beloved, building up yourselves on your most Holy Faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, Keep yourselves in the Love of God, looking for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
We all know there are people within the Church who do not have the Holy Spirit leading their lives. There are some who come in with evil desires under false pretenses and cause turmoil and destruction within a body of believers. Many are those who sit in the pews on Sunday and live in an ungodly lifestyle the rest of the week. How are we to treat and deal with these people?
Jude gives us the answer to that question in Verse 20 of his Book. But you, Beloved, building up yourselves on your most Holy Faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, Keep yourselves in the Love of God, looking for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
First of all, we must keep ourselves in the Love of God, allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, and consider the Mercy of Jesus. These people are sick; sin sick. They are possessed or oppressed by the devil. Every person is created in God’s own image, but the enemy comes in to kill, steal, and destroy, and can quickly lead folks down the wrong path, which leads to death and destruction.
Jude tells us that to some, we are to have compassion because in them, we can make a difference. However, to others, we cannot. Some people don’t understand the battle they are in themselves. They want to serve God but find themselves overcome by the temptation of the devil. The Apostle Paul wrote about himself in this regard in his Letter to the Romans. In Chapter 7, we read, For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
In this Passage, Paul describes the power of the devil over the believer. This is oppression of the enemy and causes us to do things we know are against God’s Will. Folks in this condition must be dealt with in compassion and love if they seek help and deliverance from their sin. Once they understand that it is not THEM doing these things but the enemy’s influence on their lives, they can be delivered and set free from this bondage of sin. To these people, we are to have compassion, not to enable them in their sin but to bring them to the Truth of the spiritual battle that is raging within them.
On the other hand, there are those who do not have the Spirit of God within them. These people are defiant and come into a fellowship with the sole purpose of mocking the Word of God, bringing division and destruction, or for personal gratification and/or gain. These people are to be dealt with directly and vigorously by the leaders of the congregation. Anyone seeking to destroy the Kingdom of God or defy His Word must be put out. Their heart is hardened against Christ and His Church, and they will bring division and destruction to the fellowship if allowed to remain.
Jude makes it clear that we are dealing with two types of people: Those who love God and want to overcome the sin in their lives and those who don’t. Jesus showed great Mercy and Compassion to all those who would listen to Him and desired to be healed and delivered. To those who did not, He turned their tables over and drove them out of the Temple with a whip! Jude said it like this, And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
In these Last Days, we must seek greater discernment and compassion while at the same time, the strength to overcome the enemy by driving out the wicked who seek to destroy.
The Lord is able to……..turn the tide
Thank God for His Word! Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
