Uninvited Guests

Uninvited GuestsReader: Jon WatsonDate: 18th October 2022Passage: Jude 4-------------------They were not invited, they are noisy, messy and hang around all day and night. No, I'm not referring to new neighbours or party-goers, but seagulls who have taken up residence on our chimney pots!I don't know if Jude was bothered with seagulls but he was certainly warning about the danger of travelling uninvited preachers. There were many such men in the early days of the Christian church and they claimed to have special powers, healing powers, revelations directly from God. But James said they were "Shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license — which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master." (The Message) People like them are still around. There are still preachers, maybe in churches or maybe on television who claim special healing powers or 'charismatic gifts', but who do not teach the whole Gospel of the saving grace and purity of God. Don't invite them in! Wrong teaching always leads to wrong living.Too often Christians are tempted to take a lead from worldly people and end up living in a non-Christian way themselves, denying the way of 'Jesus Christ our one and only Master.'Let's heed the warning Jude gave to the people of his day. Beware these 'guests' who turn out to be 'shameless scoundrels'.PrayerDear Lord, please help me to avoid inviting into my heart the devil and his ways. Amen.