“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” Jude 1:20-21 ESV
Reflection: what can we do to fight against the evil trends in the world?
As Christians, we are called to be the light and salt in this world. But at times, watching the evil and darkness that seem to just be increasing all around us, the battle can seem hopeless. It can be tempting to just go into hiding, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And, some do, looking to be removed or raptured out of world, instead of entering into the battle. But yesterday, at church, we were so encouraged by a couple of new trends in this area. The first was simply a trend of using a physical Bible. For years now, the convenience of just carrying a mobile phone was on the way to almost eliminate the need for printed material, including Bibles. But, this is changing. As you might have also have discovered, it is not the same reading the Bible on a phone as it is using a printed version that you can make notes in and highlight. There is something about opening up a well-used Bible! The church has noticed less and less phones being used during service, with many now carrying a physical Bible to church. They have also seen a fourfold increase in sales of study bibles.
But the second trend was much more exciting to learn about. As our educational system has been declining over the past decades, filling kids with moral, ethical and political poison, high school kids across the Boise area have started to form Bible study groups. They meet during lunch and rooms are filling up with students, hungry for the truth. They showed a video from these gatherings, and it was absolutely beautiful to see how these young students were studying and worshiping God, our Lord Jesus Christ. It is as if they had seen through the lies of what is presented in the world, realizing that it is not truth. And, they seemed completely fearless. The pastor was confirming that this was a trend in high schools across the whole area, a revival among the young, so to speak. God is moving in young hearts. If you have kids or grandkids, share with them what is happening here. Encourage them to do the same in their school.
Jude reminded us about the end times, “But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.” Jude 1:17-19 ESV. This will happen, and to some extent, is already happening, even within our churches. Some churches have seen their attendance almost disappear as they have allowed evil to creep in. And instead of recognizing sin, and removing those who bring division and worldly trends from the church, some celebrate them and even promote them to key positions within the church. But, for those who focus only on the truth, on the gospel of Jesus Christ, many are seeing their attendance rapidly increase. Even in the most worldly and fallen cities.
So what can we do? If we follow Christ, Jude encourages to keep building ourselves up in the faith “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” Jude 1:20-21 ESV. The Lord might allow things in our lives to strengthen our faith, relying on Him alone. And, Jude mentions our responsibility for those we see around us that are struggling in their faith, “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” Jude 1:22-23 ESV.
Staying close to and following Jesus in faith, will also keep us from falling for the trends and lies of this world and keep us from stumbling. “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” Jude 1:24-25 ESV. Can you envision the day you will be presented before God?
As the world spins out of control, we must be the light of the world for those who still are in darkness. Like the high school kids, let’s start new trends in our families, among our friends and neighbors. Let’s be fearless lights shining truth into darkness, right where God has us. ““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 ESV