Several years ago, a 33-year-old man named Larry Walters decided he wanted a top view of his own to neighborhood. This is a story straight out of an animated movie. He visited his local army-navy surplus store and bought forty-five used weather balloons. That same day he rigged himself into a lawn chair, to which several of his friends tied the now helium-filled balloons. He took along a six-pack of beer, a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, and a pellet gun, figuring he could shoot the balloons one at a time when he was ready to land. Walters assumed the balloons would take him just above the tree tops, maybe 100 feet or so in the air. He was categorically incorrect in his assumption. He soared more than 11,000 feet into the sky! He was now in the middle of the air traffic control pattern at Los Angeles International Airport. At this point he is petrified and refused to shoot any of the balloons, fearing the worst. He stayed airborne for more than two hours, forcing the airport to shut down its runways for much of the afternoon, causing a chain reaction of delays in flights across the country. Soon after he was safely grounded (and cited by the police), reporters asked him three questions: “Were you scared?” “Yes.”; “Would you do it again?” “No.”; “Why did you do it?”… “Because, you can’t just sit there.”
It’s sad that I have to report to you, that many churches today are a ‘sit there’ church culture. I don’t mean the business, of being busy, doing busy work, ‘in Jesus name’. I mean, they aren’t busy about the most valuable things we have: souls. We have been groomed in this twenty-first century church life, to come and sit, then go and live, then come and sit again next week. That is not the church of the New Testament. They weren’t even sitting much when they were together, much less the evangelistic fervor they had… wow. In case you’re wondering where I’m getting this, I wish to point you to the entire book of Acts as a reference.
Another text, much more focused is found neatly packaged for us in: Jude 3. Which reads— “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” The underline is by me, for emphasis. I feel the Lord led me to three distinct points. I’m sure you can find more as you study.
First, We must be personal about this. This is personal. Everything to do with Jesus ought to be personal, and be taken as such. Jude is the younger half brother of Jesus. Contrary to the populous belief of modern so-called church, a stand for Jesus does affects our families. In verse 1 Jude introduces this when he says— “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:)” It was personal to him. This is a straightforward command to straightforward personal combat. A call to fight for the truth that has been delivered to us by God personally. This man is inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these words, and to do so with the fervor he has within. This is why you see the writings of Paul, Peter, and John as differing in personality as they write, but not in content. It is inspired and therefore God’s Holy Word. But let’s not forget the writer is being used by God to pen these words. Jude would most definitely take it personal, if someone in the churches of the first century, spat on his brother’s Gospel. He doesn’t even mention this connection. Just the fact he is the brother of James (half-brother of Jesus also) and called (like you and I are). So it should be personal for all of us in this kingdom family! It’s personal in the fact that it also affects our fellowship with God. You will need to read the full chapter for context. Surely you see that sitting down on the job is just the same as “drawing back” from God as Hebrews 11.38 states. In fact, in that same chapter of Hebrews 11, verse 6 we are told it is “impossible to please him” without a faith in action— “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” In the words of Jude— “earnestly contend for the faith”. Not half-hearted, not while sitting in a comfy chair or pew, but “earnestly” “contend”. Those are action words.
Second, we must be clear on salvation. Jude said— “I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation”. There should be no deliberation about this. It is not religion, it is not a church, it is not a work or a good intention. It is not showing up and paying your dues. It’s not about being good either, good people go to hell also. It comes down only to Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. if that is true for you, and you see the evidence of His goodness, why in the world wouldn’t you earnestly contend for it? Remember Ephesians 2.8— “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” You have received the greatest gift of all time. In fact, time was made so that you could receive it at the right moment. Only God could do that for you! What kind of person receives such a precious promising gift and sits on it? We are not to store it away for a rainy day. We are not to hide it for when He returns (Matthew 25.25-27). We are to use it! Give it! Multiply it! Those are action words.
Third, we must be on a war-footing. Jude said— “it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you”. There is a forcible and palatable push for minimalism from liberal christian outlets. All you hear is: ‘all that really matters is salvation.’ This may come as a shock to you, but that is… Wrong! We must be on the same page not just about salvation, but also about our beliefs. Our beliefs determine our character, and therefore all actions! Look at Proverbs 23.7; 4.23; 25.28 for reference to this indisputable fact. The devil is indeed in the details. I’m not talking about all churches laying down their pet things to get along with other churches. I’m talking about how we ought not to do this. I can accept a lot of differences in one churches polity over another. That is no big deal with me. What this text’s point, and our New Testament point is, is a local visible body of assembled believers. It matters what we believe in our own body. Beyond the clarity of salvation there was an essential need for Jude to also “exhort”the believers. To exhort is: parakaleō, which means to call on, to entreat, and to urge. The word ‘para’ was used by Greeks to ‘call to ones side’. Jude says— I urge you to come along side of me on this. When he says— “it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should…”, he was giving a call to action. When he says— “earnestly contend”, he used the word ‘epagōnizesthai’, which means to struggle upon with skill. In that day Greeks would used this for wrestlers. It was not for a blown-up fist fight of fury. Instead it was used for skilled combat laced with strategy and preparation. This is used only like this in one occurrence of the entire New Testament, here. This is a big deal fellow disciple.
Jude is appealing to us twenty centuries later— ‘I urge you to come along side of me and skillfully combat this enemy, with me, together!’ Do you get it? We are in this together. I do not want our kids to be taken out, our marriages, our future. Satan works diligently each and every day for this to happen. We must contend for the faith. In so-doing we contend for those in the faith: our families, our churches, our future.
Are you not burdened about the condition we are in? Are you not concerned what kind of Church our kids will go to? What kind of christianity will we have when our grandkids come to faith and begin to grow in Christ? It has so drastically changed just in the last three years. God help us!
I think it is clear: We must re-surrender everything to Christ; We must make this personal; We must intercede for those with us and coming behind us.