Text: Jude 1:1-4

As Christ-followers, we are called to proclaim Truth to the culture. The more firmly rooted we are in our gospel identity, the greater our stability and the more precise our message.

Yes, our culture has gone wild. Everyone is their own moral authority. Christian morals are being discarded (and mocked). But this is nothing new. In the book of Judges, the author notes, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" because there was no spiritual leadership in Israel. The result was chaos, evil practices, and idol worship.

If we are walking in the flesh, we will be angry and combative with sinners. If we are walking by the Spirit, we will be grieved over sin—the sins of the culture and our personal sins. Living as servants of Jesus Christ (Jude 1), our mission becomes Jesus' mission: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17).

If we are gospel-centered believers, entrusted with the genuinely Good News that “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ...and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19), then our end goal cannot be to “win” cultural wars, humiliate our opponents, or celebrate shallow partisan political victories. Our end goal is to see people reconciled to God through Jesus Christ!

Jude concludes his greeting by writing, "May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you." We need these graces if we are going to take Truth into a confused culture. God's mercy is His compassionate help. And we will also need a strong sense of wellness (peace) and supernatural love—specifically, a love for God and others. The only way to experience these graces and live out your gospel identity is through the Holy Spirit speaking through His Word.

Are you consistently sitting at the feet of Jesus through the Word and prayer? If not, only you can change your mind about your priorities and your time allocation. I pray you will actually take time and do the "hands" application exercise below. Write out on paper the benefits of both options (consistency with God and inconsistency with God). Whichever option you come to see as most beneficial or preferable is the option you truly want. If inconsistency is what you truly want, ask God to give you a greater view of His glory and greatness so that you might want to want to be consistent in fellowship with Him.