Matters of Faith

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Jude 1:3-4, 16-22 NKJV

³ Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁶ These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. ¹⁷ But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: ¹⁸ how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. ¹⁹ These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. ²² And on some have compassion, making a distinction; ²³ but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

There were people in the early church who were so disruptive that they caused the leaders to edit their intended sermons just to address them. An example of this is found in the epistle of Jude. Jude was the brother of James and the brother of Jesus. He told his readers that he wanted to write to them about the salvation they all shared, but he was compelled to write to them about some ungodly people who had crept or wormed their way into the church. Although they were in the church, they denied God and the Lord Jesus Christ, teaching that God’s Grace permitted them to live immorally.

Jude’s initial intent was to address the common salvation of all believers, but the negative influence was so severe that he had to address it to set the house in order. He was blunt and told the church that some ungodly people crept their way into the church, looking like sheep, but were in reality unthinking animals, doing whatever they were instinctively inclined to do. He said they defied authority, scoffed at angels, and were as bad as the followers of Cain who killed his brother Abel; as bad as Balaam who deceived people for money; and like Korah, who fought against Moses and died in the wilderness. He compares them to dangerous reefs where ships crash, and shameless shepherds who cared nothing about the sheep, only themselves. He says they are like dark clouds that bring no rain, dead trees that bear no fruit, and wondering stars that are  hopelessly and forever shrouded in darkness.

It may not have been what the people wanted to hear, but it had to be said. Jude was not being derogatory or using vindictive words because he was angry. Jude was telling his congregation how to identify the ungodly among them. But, he did not use spiteful or unkind words that could incite dehumanizing actions against those who had crept into the church. What I like about Jude is that he understands that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” He understands that the Lord desires that “no man perish, but that all have ever lasting life.” He tells his readers what they are to do with and for these creeps. They are to build each other up in their most holy faith, to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and wait on the mercy of Jesus Christ.  

“On some,” he says “have compassion, making a distinction,” which is to say, make a notable difference. He then says, “but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.” Imagine that, Jude tells them to brave their fear of the creeps and get down into the fire if necessary to rescue them. He tells them to “hate even the garment defiled by the flesh.” I interpretthat to mean they are to love the person but hate their evil deed.

Because they were unable to be blunt with love without help, Jude closes his epistle by encouraging  his readers with what I consider to be the most inspiring benediction in scripture. Jude says, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

What gets the house in order is that both the faithful and the creeps were directed to Jesus Christ, the architect of love. If we keep His ability to keep us from falling in mind and in our spirit, we will be able to encourage the faithful, and identify, minister to, and lead, even the creeps in the church  to salvation.  

Be Blessed!

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Acts 8:36-38 NKJV

Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may. ”And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

“Teamwork makes the dream work!” This familiar statement is often used to demonstrate the effectiveness of collaborative verses individual efforts. In like manner, the scripture is an encouragement for us from the heart of the Lord to be supportive of one another so that greater success can be achieved.

Sometimes we get distracted comparing what the Lord has given to us with what He has given to others. The scripture tells us to work together so that our camaraderie brings mutual success to our labor.

One can lift the other if a fall occurs; two can warm each other through the cold; two can overcome their enemy when confronted. Our gifts complement each other when we share them. Sometimes we are the eunuch. We are searching, questioning, and trying to understand. Sometimes we are Philip. We are sent, positioned, and called to help someone else find their way.

Collaboration allows two people to pull together to accomplish great things. Our victories are much greater when we work together. Another thing to consider is when the Lord is in the midst, a dynamic duo becomes an incomparable trio, and all things are possible. In every case, the turning point is the same: If you would believe. For the Eunuch, right there, on that roadside, in that moving chariot, the eunuch made his confession: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” No long checklist. No impossible requirement. Just one condition…, belief.

What’s holding you back? When belief rises, nothing can hinder what God has set in motion. When you get over your doubt, overcome your fear, stop making comparisons, release the weight of your past, you will realize the answer has not changed. “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”

Be Blessed!

Good morning.

Rev. Dr. J. Loren Russell’s What’s App account was hacked. Please delete and disregard anything from him requesting money.

Rev. Dr. J. Loren Russell

Reverend J. Loren Russell        

Proverbs 31:10-31 (CEV)

A truly good wife is the most precious treasure a man can find! Her husband depends on her, and she never lets him down.She is good to him every day of her life, and with her own hands she gladly makes clothes. ¹⁴ She is like a sailing ship that brings food from across the sea.
She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and for her servants.
She knows how to buy land and how to plant a vineyard, and she always works hard. She knows when to buy or sell, and she stays busy until late at night. She spins her own cloth, and she helps the poor and the needy.Her family has warm clothing, and so she doesn’t worry when it snows. She does her own sewing, and everything she wears is beautiful. Her husband is a well-known and respected leader in the city. She makes clothes to sell to the shop owners. She is strong and graceful, as well as cheerful about the future.Her words are sensible, and her advice is thoughtful.She takes good care of her family and is never lazy. Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says, “There are many good women, but you are the best!” Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the Lord deserves to be praised. Show her respect— praise her in public for what she has done. 

Does the birth of children define the characteristics of a virtuous mother? Proverbs 31 takes a different approach, saying that the essence of a virtuous mother begins with a woman (wife) who is regarded as a precious treasure by her husband. She is a woman that he cannot live without. 

She is described as a truly good woman; precious, dependable, talented, industrious, savvy, generous, compassionate, empathetic, strong, graceful, cheerful, sensible, insightful, honorable, beautiful, proud, respectful, loving, kind, sensual, thoughtful, caring, sharing, and God-fearing. The author describes a truly good or virtuous (KJV) woman as someone who handles her business and loves her family, especially those who call her “Mother.”  

Anna Jarvis fought to have this day set aside nationally to celebrate and honor the love, care, and sacrifices mothers made for their children and the service they give to their communities. What’s interesting is that while Jarvis never married or had children, she clearly recognized the value of motherhood. Without the aid of modern technology, email, or AI, a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians resulted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

If I could write for every grateful child who had a loving mother, biological or surrogate, the most profound thing I could say is that God has honored her for the love she gave to others. Personally, my mother was gone too soon, but she left an incredible reservoir of love and compassion that not only overflows in my heart, but overflows and is evidenced in the lives of my three siblings through the love they express to their own children. As the lone childless sibling, I get to see the influence of my mother’s love in the lives of my sibling’s children.  

It really doesn’t matter whether your mother had all or none of the qualities found in Proverbs 31. What matters is how you respect and honor her for the ones she has, and what she has done for you. (Notwithstanding, sometimes the best thing a mother can do is let her children go.) If nothing else, we all can and should respect and honor our mothers because she bought us into this world. For that reason alone, you now can make this world a much better place than it was when you were born into it. And, to do for your children and the community what she may not have had the ability to do.  

As a matter of faith, any woman, whether a mother or not, who has the essence of a virtuous mother, should be given her praises while she can hear them. Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says, “There are many good women, but you are the best!” (vv. 28-29). 

So today, follow Stevie Wonder’s advice and “just call to say ‘I love you!’ And I mean it from the bottom of my heart.” If you can’t call her, pay her a visit, say a prayer, or just spend some quiet time thanking her for being your mother. 

Happy Mother’s Day!