Jud 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Jud 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
We are to have COMPASSION.
Our compassion will make a difference in the eternal life of others. This is something we don't fully understand. Compassion.
[[[[Webster-
COMPASSION, n.
1. A suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration. Compassion is a mixed passion, compounded of love and sorrow; at least some portion of love generally attends the pain or regret, or is excited by it. Extreme distress of an enemy even changes enmity into at least temporary affection.
He being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity. Psa 78.
His father had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. Luke 15.
COMPASSION, v.t. To pity.]]]
Of SOME we are to have compassion- and that compassion will make a difference in deciding eternity for some. Seriously. We have to understand just how important we are to others. It's not just a pastor or preacher, a minister or priest who preaches to a congregation- big or small- who affects peoples lives in regards to their place in the eternal realm. The message of our Savior is given to all and for all to give. And the compassion we show towards others as they struggle in this evil world may make a difference to them- the difference between deciding to accept the love of Jesus into their hearts and lives and deciding not to.
Ultimately we are each responsible for our own decision in regards to salvation, but those who have compassion on others which makes a difference are actual laborers with Christ. Christ wanted His followers to share the good news with others.
Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Act 5:19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
Act 5:20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
Christ wants us to be laborers with Him.
1Co 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
1Co 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Compassion - making a difference. A difference how? Some will be saved by our compassion- saved because we have labored to bring Christ to them through our compassion. Our pity, our suffering with them, our sympathy, our commiseration, our love will truly save others. We don't want to believe that because then that makes us accountable for others. We'd much rather just be concerned with ourselves and our own salvation. We pat ourselves on the back and soothe ourselves by saying we have NO power to save therefore we are NOT responsible for anyone whatsoever. We cry out at the top of our lungs that ONLY Jesus can save, and then we turn our backs on others hoping and praying they'll find the love of Jesus but not doing anything whatsoever to help them. If EVERYONE was responsible only to themselves then why was it so important to our Savior for us to preach to others? Why was it so important for Him to send the apostles out, to train disciples to go out to others? Why did He give them powers?
Mat 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not
Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand
And as ye go- PREACH.
Go to others and HEAL them- COMPASSION.
And as ye go- PREACH.
Act 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Act 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
WITNESSES UNTO JESUS everywhere!
Jesus taught first and foremost- COMPASSION on others, this is truly loving others when you have compassion on them- deserving or not. When we reveal compassion first that is a revelation of our Savior. Some will be saved by compassion that we reveal…others...
Jud 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Others are saved by fear.
You've heard of the old fire and brimstone preaching, and there is merit for that.
The Greek word for fear here is --
[[[[Strong's-
G5401
φόβος
phobos
fob'-os
From a primary φέβομαι phebomai (to be put in fear); alarm or fright: - be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror.]]]
Alarm, fright, be afraid, exceeding fear, terror.
Some will be saved by fear! We will pull them out of the fire, we will hate the flesh nature surrounding them, the fleshy sin-filled nature they have clinging to them, covering their lives. And we will pull them from the fire- pull them from destruction using fear to make them understand that their path leads to eternal death. We need to have compassion and we need to preach the unvarnished truth of the two paths we can take, not trying to pretty up the gospel to suit anyone's desire to hear soothing things.
The truth must be the only thing that passes our lips - in compassion and fear- whatever it takes to reveal the love of our Savior and the desire He has that all would come to Him and be saved. We have a part to play in life and maybe it's not to become an evangelist, or a teacher, or do anything on a grand scale but we need to reveal the love of our Savior in our everyday lives.
By the grace of God!
Jud 1:24 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,
Jud 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!
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