Contend For The Faith

Jude. "Our spiritual communities are as susceptible to disease as our physical bodies. But it is easier to detect whatever is wrong in our stomachs and lungs than in our worship and witness.... As much as we need physicians for our bodies, we have even greater need for diagnosticians and healers of the spirit. Jude's letter to an early community of Christians is just such diagnosis..." [from Eugene Peterson's "The Message", introduction to Jude].
Alarmed by the presence of false teachers in the church, Jude is compelled to unmask them and their deadly ways, and to exhort believers to stand firm for the way of truth. Contending for the faith is not just a good idea; It's imperative when the work of God is undermined by false philosophies and destructive heresies. Jude's whistle-blowing prevented disaster in the early church. False teachers were exposed.
A modern day whistle blower is John MacArthur. In one of his most recent books, "The Truth War", John expounds on this little book of Jude, and in doing so, exposes some of the false teachings and false philosophies infiltrating the church today. If you want to go deeper in your study of this little, yet all important book of Jude, I encourage you to read MacArthur's "The Truth War." He makes application of it today, exposing movements like the "Emerging Church" that are greatly affecting the Body of Christ. In these perilous last days, may we always 'contend earnestly for the faith.'