DISTINGUISHING THE TOP FROM THE BOTTOM. [Survival Strategy] Jude 17-23 We are living in the days of the last time now. Since Jesus Christ came to earth, history is in its last stage. Right now, the time between Christ’s first coming and His second coming, is called the age of grace—the age when God’s mercy and grace are flowing out to the world through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.build up yourselves. There are four ways that a believer builds himself up.
1. The believer builds upon the foundation of holy faith.2. The believer builds by praying in the Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit. 3. The believer builds himself up by keeping himself in the love of God.4. The believer builds himself up by looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, by looking for that glorious day of His return.Believers are to be compassionate and reclaim those who are doubting.2. Believers are to be compassionate and reclaim those who are lost in the false teaching.3. Believers must guard themselves when reaching out to help others. Believers must hate the world and its false teaching and worldly life-style, hate them so much that they even hate the garments that are polluted by the flesh. Believers must guard and protect themselves from all defilement of the world and its false teaching.The spiritual survival and prosperity of us who love Christ, especially in times of growing apostasy, requires the utmost perseverance and care. We must be defensive—remembering what Scripture teaches about the presence of false teachers. And we must also be proactive—diligently practicing the disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and obedience as we eagerly anticipate Christ’s return.