Just How Important Is Your Work of Mercy?

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire …. — Jude 1:23

We are on a rescue mission. We are commanded by God to snatch people out of fire. He does not want them in the fire, and He has sent you to bring them out.

This is evangelism, and announcement of good news.

This is exhortation, an encouragment for the discouraged.

This is discipleship, teaching others and ourselves to lead a life of fulfillment.

This is prophecy, declaring truth in a world where lying is acceptable.

This is mercy. This is grace.

Read this admonition in context.

It is sandwiched in a directive about how we are to deal with people in kindness, mercy, and love. It encourages us to be holy and to let our prayers be Spirit filled, to grow, and to be expectant of the Lord’s return.

It reminds us that the Lord is able to keep us from falling. And in the midst of it all is this simple plea to rescue people who are being drawn deeper and deeper into the destructive fires of separation from God, bad decisions, and disastrous behaviors.

Snatch them.

It is not a passive activity. It is not something that we do casually or without passion. We snatch them because we can see their fate and we love them in Christ. We utilize whatever godly means are at our disposal and we employ all of our energy.

We do it with respect.

We do it with kindness.

We do it, knowing our limits and respecting their boundaries. Yet, we do it with urgency and commitment

If you saw a child in a burning car, analysis would be quick, and action would be primary. You would be calling for help even as you initiated efforts to do whatever it took to save that child. You might not even feel the burns on your own hands until later. There would be one primary objective on your mind: get the kid out alive!

Why not have such passion for spreading good news? Aren’t people dying? Are they not headed on a path of ruin? We have the means to bring them out entrusted to us — a message of grace and forgiveness, yet we sit by as spectators, observers, and critics.

Some try to proclaim Christ without living a Christian lifestyle or without love and compassion. Such folks will not have the energy, wisdom, or credibility to act when the time or snatching arrives.

Some say, “I will let my life be my witness.” Absolutely! Your life earns you the right to be heard. It gives you credibility. Your compassion moves you and smooths the path for your words, but without words, no one will ever know what your life is about.

People might envy your life and try to imitate you, but they won’t get it because it is not your behavior that makes you different, it is your relationship with Jesus Christ and His power within.

You have the pinch of whatever spice your grandmother always left out when telling her recipe for whatever it was that everyone liked but nobody could duplicate.

We say we believe this:

Jesus is the answer — nothing else. Christ in you is the hope of glory.

Do we?

You don’t have to be preachy or pushy, but at some point, you are going to have to tell if it is going to do anyone else any good. People need the secret ingredient.

Don’t assume that you are right about everything or that you have all the answers, but be willing to share the answers you have found with humility and grace. Listen more than you speak, but speak when it is your turn to do so.

This fire, that Jude references, may or may not be only about final judgment. It is not a doctrine of eternal hell. That is another topic. It is a metaphor for all of the bad news, trouble, hell-on-earth, devastation beyond time, danger, guilt, judgment, and heartache that burn away at the souls of people.

Yet, the scripture here is in the context of the Lord’s coming in judgment — especially upon those who lead people astray, who deceive, who oppress, and who try to lead people away from God.

The contrast is between those leading folks into the fire and those snatching them out of it.

The good news is the means and the end to rescue the perishing.

There is a fire engulfing the masses and you can snatch people from it if you will.

Will you?