Jude: The Twisted Fate of Twisted Faith
IN NOVEMBER OF 1978, in a jungle clearing in Guyana, more than nine hundred people committed suicide by drinking cyanide-treated punch. Those too young to act on their own were given the punch by their parents. The Jonestown massacre sends a shudder through all Christians—and well it should—because Jim Jones, who prescribed this "White Night" of death, at one time claimed to be among us. It's enough to cause Christians to take a hard, critical look at the life and faith of their leaders—and themselves. The book of Jude shows us how.
Warming Up to God
How do you think that people get tricked into perverted versions of the Christian faith?
Read Jude. »
Discovering the Word
- What can you know of the circumstances of the people receiving this letter and of Jude's purpose in writing to them (vv. 3-4)?
- Find as many words and phrases as you can in this letter that describe those "certain men" who have "secretly slipped in among you."
- What harm could people like these do within a body of believers?
- Jude used a series of six metaphors in verses 12-13. How does each illustrate the danger of teachers who have perverted the gospel?
- In the face of this problem, Jude gives his readers two sets of instructions: "Remember" (v. 17) and "Build yourselves up" (v. 20). Notice the specific instructions under each of these. How would remembering, in the way Jude describes, help believers keep the essential ingredients of the Christian faith?
- How would building ourselves up in the ways Jude outlines (vv. 17-23) help us keep on living in a way that is true to our faith?
Applying the Word
- What errors in faith and life do you see as subtle dangers to today's Christians?
- How can you protect yourself, and other believers whose lives you touch, from falling into these errors?
Responding in Prayer
Pray that you and your church would be protected from false religion.
For Further Study
The Message of 2 Peter & Jude by R. C. Lucas & Christopher Green