Kept for Christ: Contend for the Faith

This week’s post, based on my June 29 sermon, explores Jude 1:1–4 and the urgent call to defend the faith in a time of spiritual compromise. We often think the biggest threats to Christianity come from outside the Church—but Jude reminds us that deception often begins from within.

We are called, loved, and kept by God—not just to believe the Gospel, but to protect and live it. This reflection will help you recognize the urgency, stand firm in the truth, and follow Jesus with both courage and compassion.

🛡️ Plus, read a prayer response to help you ground your heart in the faith we’ve been entrusted with.

Read: Contend for the Faith

Transformed by Grace: Guarding the Truth

In a world flooded with spiritual noise, discerning truth from deception isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. Titus 1:10–16 reminds us that false teaching isn’t new, and the stakes are high. Whether it’s ancient myths or modern-day scams wrapped in religious language, only God’s grace and truth can cut through the fog. Let’s learn how to guard the truth with discernment, courage, and lives that reflect the gospel we proclaim.

Read Guarding the Truth.

Sunday Quote: The Teacher's Heart

"The teacher's heart must be so stayed on Christ that no threat of danger will lure him from the path of loyalty and no seduction of false teaching cause him to stray from the straight path of truth. He must be steadfast alike in life and in thought." ~ William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: the letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, p. 158

Gnostic Teaching

Today as I began to study for the first sermon in the new series I am preaching (Listen: What Christ Wants The Church to Know, Revelation 1-3) I read this:

“Thus, John has not diluted the communal and covenantal aspects of the Exodus typology found in the prophetic writings. No doubt he is keen to emphasize this more corporate aspect of God’s love to counter early gnostic teaching, which viewed the effects of God’s salvation in individualistic and interior ways.” (New International Biblical Commentary: Revelation, Robert Wall, p. 59)

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t much of what we teach today about salvation individualistic and deals with matters of the heart and experience? Just this morning as I drove back from the nursing home I heard Charles Stanley talk about accepting Jesus as “you personal Lord and Savior.”

I realize that there is a personal component to salvation and that salvation is about receiving a new heart, but I think in order to appeal to the individual we have emphasized the personal aspect and ignored the covenant and corporate responsibilities. Following Jesus isn’t just about my “relationship” with Jesus, but also how I relate to other Christians in the context of the Church. So I am wondering: have we allowed gnostic teaching into the Church?