Contending for the faith against great evil. Part 1

 

Jude

“Contending For the Faith”

(in the face of great evil)

Part 1

 

               We are entering into a study of the one-chapter book of Jude. It’s only 25 verses, but those verses are packed with truths that are relevant to our day and time. One commentor said Jude is the most overlooked book of the Bible. Every disciple of Christ should familiarize himself/herself with Jude’s message considering the state of Christianity in our day. By that I mean the visible church has been inundated by thousands of false teachers and false prophets and false apostles and false pastors who are evil men and women, teaching things contrary to the word of God. Many of them if not most, claim to be apostles and prophets, when in fact they are servants of the devil.  Second Corinthians 11: 13-15. The Word Faith cult as well as The New Apostolic Reformation cult are deceiving millions by scratching their ears.

 The Creeps

Taking my cue from Jude 4, I am labeling these deceivers  the “creeps.” ⁴ For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation (Jude 1:4 ESV) They are creepy people who do and say creepy things. 

They have made themselves filthy rich off the backs of their dupes and have the nerve to boast of their riches in front of live audiences who support them, Kenneth Copeland and Jesse Duplantis being the most popular of these wicked people. Second Timothy chapter 3 describes them.

2 Timothy 3:2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (2 Tim. 3:2 ESV) 

²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

 ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

 ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (Rom. 1:29-31 ESV)

These verses describe to a t the hearts of these damnable heretics. Jesse Duplantis has said in front of cameras and live audiences, including the church he pastors, that he has chandeliers in his house that cost more than most people’s houses. And yet he has a vast following of supporters. This is the epitome of arrogance.

They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

 ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful.

 Satan’s Stealth Servants

Notice that Jude says these creeps have “crept in unnoticed.” The Greek word behind our English word unnoticed is [Fri] παρεισδύω and it means to slip in (stealthily), join a group unnoticed, worm one's way in. But how could people like this possibly slip into the church stealthily or unnoticed? How could they worm their way into the church? Here’s how. They do it secretly. They move in unnoticed. They profess but do not possess. In their hearts they are rotten and dead. Their stench reaches unto the heavens. Their lies are coupled with some truths, giving them the appearance of sincere servants of Christ.

This is precisely what the apostle Peter warned us of saying, 2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

 ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.

 ³ And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.  (2 Pet. 2:1-3 ESV)

 Note this, the pronoun “you” in these verses is plural and refers to the body of Christ, those who are in Christ, the church. Peter is warning the church that these people are in their midst. At this very moment these deceivers are having their way with a billion lost souls and are deceiving even the very elect (Mt. 24:24).

The Devil’s Networks

There are a number of television networks that purport to carry Christian content, when in actuality they parade an almost endless stream of false teachers and false prophets across the world’s tv screens and internet sites.

For instance, much of the world’s population can catch the likes of Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Creflo Dollar and Kenneth Copeland 24/7/365. And being that the world’s populace who claim to be Christian is Biblically illiterate, is it any wonder that they buy what these charlatans are selling? Paul commanded his readers in Colossae to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” But the visible church has long ignored that command. Biblically illiterate pastors and parishioners bear the blame for the state of the visible church.

               These people preach a different gospel and a different Jesus, and they do so in ways that cause their followers to believe that they are what they appear to be. And we know what that means, don’t we not? They are accursed. Gal. 1:6-9. Paul did not pray for them or ask his readers to pray for them, he said matter-of-factly, let them be accursed. The end of those who preach a different gospel is to be accursed and separated from God for eternity. These people, again as Paul says, are “enemies of the cross” ¹⁷ Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

 ¹⁸ For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

 ¹⁹ Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

(Phil. 3:17-19 ESV)

 Context

               Let’s begin our study in Jude with the essential matter of context.

               What are the three rules for Biblical interpretation? Context, context, context.

Any disciple of Christ should recognize the importance of context when he or she is endeavoring to understand a verse or passage of Scripture, and Jude is certainly no exception. We know all too well what happens when a preacher or teacher takes the word of God out of context. Contemporary cults and heresies have been birthed by men and women who have willfully ignored context to make the Bible say what they want it to say in accordance with their dark agendas, usually making themselves filthy rich. I will give you an example of a verse that is constantly taken out of context by those in the Word Faith Movement or cult.

Are you familiar with the Word Faith Movement? The father of this heretical movement was Kenneth Hagin who mentored Kenneth Copeland; the apple didn't fall far from the tree. The proponents of this heresy teach that they can create things that do not exist by speaking them into existence. They themselves can't do it but when they ask for money, they kinda sorta speak their wealth into existence. And when the become even wealthier they hold themselves up as examples to emulate. What about the New Apostolic Reformation Movement? We will get into both of those movements later. Here is the verse the Word Faith cult uses as one of the core doctrines of their heresy.

Rom. 4:17: ¹⁷ as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations" (speaking of Abraham, of course) -- in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. (Rom. 4:17 ESV)

               As difficult as it may be to comprehend for the disciple of Christ, the deceivers in the Word Faith cult twist this verse to make it about their being able to call things into existence that do not exist rather than God. The likes of Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Joel Osteen, and Joyce Meyer make this one of their central focuses when they hold their conferences or crusades. Joel Osteen, for example, says almost every Sunday in one way or another that “your words prophesy your future.” There is no need for God to do anything since man has the ability to do what God can do. “Name it and claim it. Blab it and grab it.” You create your reality by speaking it into existence. I will not and cannot stand by while these wicked people lead millions to hell along with themselves.

               Ephesians 5:11

 ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. We are commanded to expose the works of darkness. Why? Because the average churchgoer is sickenly Biblically ignorant and vulnerable to the lies of these people.

These men and women have a following that numbers in the millions. Through their tv broadcasts and the internet, they have polluted the entire planet with their on-air pollution. Something must be done (and many are fighting this battle and fighting it well) and I intend to do my part.