Discipling

Jude 17-19 But dear friends remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.  
 
RECALL that Jude is Jesus’ half-brother. He, as his brother James, came to faith in Jesus after the Lord rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. He could have claimed great authority in the church because of his earthly relationship with Jesus. But Jude knows his kingdom role. He writes here of the apostles as those Jesus appointed to begin teaching in Jesus’ name.  His reference to the apostles of our Lord Jesus indicates he does not consider himself one of those so chosen. Jude heard the apostles teach, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” He is a teacher of their teaching.
    How did the apostles know about false teachings? They, of course, heard it from Jesus. Mark 13:21-23 “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect – if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.” Consequently, Jude is a disciple of Christ through the apostles. And he faithfully taught to make new disciples. Because he has learned the truth, he can warn of the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. Jude knows the truth and warns of the lies.
    This is our model. Jude has heard. Now he is teaching. True, we all are not called to be teachers, but each of us has a commitment to God to be true to his Word. We disciple in Jesus’ name when we help others to pray, to forgive and to love. Discipling is pointing people to the Bible when they have questions about issues they face. Discipling is being unified with God’s people to strengthen his church against the lies.
 
Life Thought: Disciples learn and teach.