We Interrupt the Regular Programming…
We interrupt our regular programming for an important message…
I will never forget sitting in a seminary classroom when suddenly 20 cell phones went off at once. Friends and family were calling to ask if we had seen the tragic events unfolding on September 11, 2001. If you were alive then, you likely remember that for nearly 93 consecutive hours, major networks suspended all regular shows and commercials. They provided around-the-clock coverage of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It was the first time since the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy that television completely halted "fun and entertainment" for an indefinite period.
In the second verse of his short book, Jude explains his original intention to write about our "common salvation." While it would have been an encouraging topic, he abruptly pivoted because he felt a more urgent matter required attention. I admire Jude for caring so much for his fellow believers that he issued a warning about the dangers of false teachers. Anyone who has visited a Bass Pro Shop has seen thousands of different fishing lures. These are all designed to deceive a fish into thinking they are real, while hiding the hook which will end its life. Similarly, Jude warns about people who will deceive us if we let them.
I appreciate how Jude writes to his "beloved" with a sincere desire to protect them. His care for our spiritual well-being is a wonderful gift. Just as Jude "interrupted his regular programming" to share something crucial, I believe we should take the time to listen. I invite you to join me this week in reading the rest of the short book of Jude (click here) to discover some crucial things we need to avoid.
Here is a pretty great list of things for us to avoid at all costs.
Cheap grace: licensing sin
Compromise: indulging in worldly lusts
Rebellion: defying divine authority
Selfishness: serving self only
Cynicism: hypocritically judging others
Manipulation: flattery for gain
Divisiveness: fostering disunity
Jude reminds us that the church's greatest threats come from within, not without. Echoing Charles Spurgeon, this is a call to contend earnestly—not with anger, but with a heart for the truth. There has never been a more crucial time for us to do the same.
Expectantly,
Shawn
