JMA Missions Mid-Month February 2026
The Great Commission in the New Testament
Jude
This Is Church, Not a Social Club!
Hey, everybody! I'm in Kenya right now, at the HQ church. BLLC graduation was yesterday, but more on that later! Today, we are talking about the Great Commission in Jude.
Last month, I mentioned the Gospel of John. At the end of that Gospel, Jesus gives the Great Commission this way: “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)
John’s emphasis is not geography, but continuity. The disciples are sent the same way Jesus was sent — walking in truth, love, obedience, and dependence on the Father. His concern is not expansion for the sake of expansion, but the focus is on authenticity. Are the people who claim to follow Jesus actually walking as He walked?
That brings us to Jude.
Jude represents a turning point. The mission has been succeeding on the one hand. Churches exist, leaders are being raised up, the faith has been preached. But now on the other hand, something has shifted. There is a threat to the integrity of the church, and it appears to be coming from the members!
Jude describes certain people who have "crept in unnoticed" (v.4). That phrase sticks out, especially when we contrast it with Acts 5:13, “None of the rest dared join them.”
What happened in Acts 5 was that somebody walked up in church, lied about money stuff, and dropped dead from it. So, naturally, everyone who heard was terrified!
Now 30 years later, we have the same thing happening. People started creeping in. They blend in, learn the language, gain "influence", then they start to redefine grace, and resist authority.
Jude v11 makes clear that this behavior places them on the same trajectory as Cain, Balaam, and Korah, with the same end. (Cain: they will kill you over the offering; Balaam: they sell their gift for money; Korah: "I should be in charge, not you")
Earlier in Scripture, God dealt with corruption through immediate, visible judgment. And He still does that! But He is not a one-trick pony, right? In Jude, God is calling the Church to recognize it, name it, and deal with it in a spiritually adult manner. It is maturity. Discipleship!
Jude’s version of the Great Commission sounds like this:
Grow up. (Where have I heard that before??)
Discern patterns.
Make hard decisions.
Protect the faith once for all delivered.
This is about the Church acting responsibly with what has been entrusted to it. Not with cruelty. Not with panic. But with discernment, mercy where possible, and seriousness where necessary.
Jude is clear: this is not a social club. This is not a hobby group (come on, somebody....). This is not a vibes-based community where anything goes as long as people feel included.
This is the Church, y’all!
The Great Commission in Jude is what happens after the gospel has been introduced and planted. Now, leaders are called to protect it, believers have to choose faithfulness over comfort, and when the Church gotta act like truth actually matters.
And that, friends, is still the mission.
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