A Lesson on Leadership from a Little Book

Jude 4
    
    Last week we spoke about how important verse 3 was to fundamental doctrines, but this week I want you to see the importance of verse 4. In Verse 4, Jude doesn’t warn, advise, or alert. He states a fact that “certain persons have crept in unnoticed.” He marks their intentions. He states they were indeed “ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” It is evident that throughout scripture, whether it was Jesus, apostles, or just your “average” christian, false teachers were condemned and named (Matt. 23:13-36; Acts 5:27-32; Acts 18:24-28). Today we live in a society that holds pluralistic values. To say that one religion is better than another is completely taboo. That concept is foreign to scripture. Christianity is the only way to God the Father. “I am the way the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). This does not mean we “hate” any other religion/s, and we certainly don’t hate people (Matt. 22:34-40). However, christianity is exceptional and Christians must teach against false doctrine, and protect the churches purity (1 Cor. 5). This takes godly leadership. One of the reasons God established elderships in every church (Acts 14:21-23), was to protect her from false teachings. Read for yourself Titus 1:5-11. We see that elders were to hold “fast the faithful word,” must be able to teach, and “refute those who contradict” with sound doctrine. If there are not sound elders in every church, it is easy for false teachers to creep in and upset “whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.” Jude recognized the fact that false teachers should not be allowed to creep in, and so should we. I love you all!

In His service,
Steven Hugley