This post is the first in a series of studies about “Jude”.

Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts about each verse and how you will be acting on each thought. Also, if you haven’t yet signed up to receive the notifications of new studies, you can do that today. (The form is at the bottom of the page).

Jude – Day 1

Jude opens his short letter by identifying himself. But interestingly he does not give us his full identity! He is the brother of James who also has a letter in the Bible. They both identify themselves as a servants of Jesus. But these two were also half brothers of Jesus.

Jude 1

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

The Thought

Jude opens his short letter by identifying himself. But interestingly he doesn’t give us his full identity, the most important part of who he is! As he says, he is the brother of James who also has a letter in our New Testament scriptures, and who also identifies himself as a servant of Jesus. But these two brothers were also half brothers of Jesus.

Matthew tells us of Jesus visiting His hometown of Nazareth where He was not accepted.

Coming to His hometown, He began teaching the people in the their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get His wisdom, and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all His sisters with us? Where did this man get all these things?” Matthew 13:54-56

The next verse is one of the saddest in the Gospels: And they took offence at Him.

Even today some people in the family of Jesus find it easy to be offended by things that He said, or did, or by other people in the earthly family of Jesus. Sadly churches through the generations have often been places where some have taken offence and left the body of Christ as a result, or have gone to a different type of church, some have started a new church according to their own ideas.

Praise God that we live in a day when The Lord is reuniting His church and different denominations are working together to further His kingdom on the earth.

Action

Pray today for your own family, believers or not, and whether you agree with them or not.

Pray for your church family, that offence will be kept far away, and the Lord will keep you working together in His unity.