Preparing for Combat
The lack of Christian Education to Disciple Disciples
Studying the little Epistle of Jude is like working a gold mine because of all the rich nuggets which are here just for the mining. Our problem is finding and understanding those nuggets. They range from Enoch before the flood of Noah, across Sodom and Gomorrah, to the fallen angels, and the end times. Multiple references come from scrolls and documents common to Jude’s day, that have only recently come to light with discoveries in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Getting up on a pedestal for a moment, I want to do some meddling. Too many churches have stepped away from Christian education. They might have begun with ‘discipling disciples’ the way the first chapter of Joshua details so we can…
· Be Disciples…
· Know what a Disciple must KNOW…
· Do Discipleship...
Instead, churches have reduced time, resources, and energy to the minimums. The first baby often tossed out with that bath water was too often Sunday School. Wednesday night classes soon followed. Many have low to no emphasis on small groups… And so on.
In Joshua 5, Israel has crossed the Jordan, and the people probably wonder ‘Why am I here?’ That is probably what too many people wonder in church on Sunday mornings.
Let’s work through some application.
Unable to do justice to this magnificent little book, I point you at Pastor Dave Jones of Bethel UK. Below is a link to his first of eight intense lessons on the book of Jude:
Working through these eight lessons, each more than an hour, is Christian Education.
A second resource is Chuck Missler’s eight lessons. Below is a link to his DVD, also eight lessons:
Jude: An Expositional Commentary | Koinonia House
Jack Hibbs speaks to the problem of Christian Education, detailing how his church trains up their young people in apologetics and robust faith. His video is here:
One of the best resources for diving deep is Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology. Below is the link on Amazon:
Jan and I took our small group through the first 150 pages which is the “Theology of God’s Word.”
Discipling Disciples takes time, energy, and resources. The reason too many churches are lukewarm and unable to face this present moment – spiced up by UFO / UAPs, aliens, war in the Middle East, Deception, etc. – is that our foundations are weak. Few congregations allocate the hard work required to Disciple Disciples… to truly exercise Christian Education.
Augustine said:
The Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.
The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed.
Without knowing God’s Word, how would we know? How do we do something more than just park our butts in church seats on Sunday mornings?
How can we BE, KNOW, DO? By the way, in Joshua 1, Israel was preparing for Combat. Our task to disciple disciples is nothing less than preparing for combat.
Jay Inman
On a beautiful Colorado Day