The Body of Christ Fellowship Church
Date: May 30, 2010
Speaker:
Pastor Willie J. Henderson, Jr.
Contending for the Faith
Focus:
Scriptures:
| Jude 1:3-4 | Jude 1:8, 10-13 | Matthew 10:34 |
Points:
We must earnestly contend for the faith.
God has made us (Christians) stewards of His Word.
If we stand up for God, we will be persecuted.
Earthy, sensual, and devilish things are in many churches.
There is a righteous division; not being friends with the world.
If the Word of God doesn't come into unity with the child in us, we grow up to be a monster.
Summary:
Contending for the faith means fighting for the truth. Of course this is not a literal fight and it's not one fueled by wrath, for the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God. To contend in this instance means to confront error with matured arguments based on the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we (Christians) think the pastors or leaders of the church are the only ones who are to contend for the faith. Any one who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is made a steward of God's Word. A steward must be found faithful. Our stand for the gospel is important because the lost must hear the truth. Also, the devil has planted tares among wheat. Tares are those in the world who promote the devil's doctrine. They are not always easy to spot because they can look so much like wheat. Some are even hiding in the church. Wheat represents true Christians who are doers of the Word and not hearers only. To be a doer of the Word and a contender for the Faith, we must be willing to crucify (deny) ourselves (the part of us that acts contrary to God) and be willing to suffer the persecution that comes along with contending for the faith. Jesus, our perfect example, suffered the cross. He did this out of His love for us. Remember to be like Jesus; hate sin, not people.