A BEAUTIFUL TRINITARIAN INSTRUCTION
Jude gave this beautiful trinitarian instruction to believers, in contrast, to his warning against those who were creating divisions in the church. Notice his instruction begins with “But you, dear friends.” He was talking to those who have the Spirit. Not those troublemakers who did not have the Spirit, evidenced by their behavior.
So how should believers respond in a time when false teachers and troublemakers are pretending to be believers? Jude taught them to focus on God. He gave four ways for them to keep their focus on the Lord:
1) Build yourselves up in your holy faith. Notice the plural. We need one another to do this. Gather together and edify one another, building one another up in the true faith of Christ Jesus
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2) Pray in the Holy Spirit. Abide in the Spirit, so that your prayers are anointed by Him. Invite the Spirit to saturate your prayers.
3) Keep yourselves in the love of God. Don’t focus on the trouble makers, hating them. Instead, focus on God. Focus on His great love, abiding in His love.
4) Expecting the mercy of Jesus. Notice the participle “expecting.” This is to be a constant state for the believer. Always looking and hoping for the mercy of Jesus, who has shown us mercy and will continue to do so.
Those who focus on the Lord, will not be swayed nor slowed down by false teachers and troublemakers. For their faith, prayers, love and mercy are focused on and drawn from the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER: Dear Father, fill us afresh with Your love. Spirit anoint our prayers. Lord Jesus, keep us always expecting Your mercy. In Jesus’ name, amen.