24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
This closing explosion of worship to God is one of the most inspiring found in Scripture. The things that Jude says about God here are true, have always been true, and will be true forever. In contrast, abusive leaders come and go, and they will keep on coming until the day the Christ rules from His earthly throne.
As survivors of abusive ministries pick up the broken pieces of their lives and attempt to move ahead in their faith, Jude paints a picture for us of the blazing, eternal, overwhelming power of the God who loves us, will heal us, and is enraged at the abuse inflicted on His children by abusive “Christian” leaders.
To begin to breathe the fresh air of spiritual freedom again, after having lived in the dungeon of an abusive church, we must re-learn these great truths concerning God’s personal, eternal, changeless commitment to His children.
He will keep you from stumbling 24a
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling
The teachers and leaders who abused promised to lead their followers in a successful expression of faith, into a life of community, honesty, spiritual growth and safety. Instead, they led them into turmoil, anguish, and various experiences of personal and relational failure. Brothers and sisters, God doesn’t do that! Whatever providential mystery or personal bad choice led to us being in an abusive ministry, healing begins when we look to a loving, perfect, all-powerful God to protect and guide us, not a human leader making divine promises that he can’t keep.
He will present you blameless with great joy 24b
and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy
After leaving an abusive church, the last place a believer either wants to be, or feels qualified to be, is in the presence of the glory of God. When I left an abusive church, blamelessness and joy were NOT included in the feelings that I was experiencing! As a victim and a perpetrator of sin, I felt I had been robbed of both of these qualities. The ministries of false teachers do not prepare people to be comfortable in the presence of God, although they promise spiritual blessings and confidence at the outset; such experiences are often more illusive, just beyond the grasp, but never in the hand of their followers. God, and not any human teacher or pastor, provides the forgiveness, acceptance, and genuine joy that we all crave.
He is, was, and always will be, your sovereign Savior 25
25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Through the glorious, beautiful ministry of the Son, Jesus Christ, God has provided the “human” proof of His love for you, and is therefore worthy of our sincere, unbounded praise. When the abusive pastor is met, he or she seems so much better than all others, so much more…charismatic…Christ-like…loving…passionate, etc. You can fill in your own blank. But we found that the qualities that we thought we had discovered were either counterfeited or eroding in our human leaders, and in time their failure and hypocrisy could no longer be hidden. My point is this: the things we thought we’d finally found in those leaders were always present for us in the Lord, “before all time and now and forever.” He was your loving Father before you entered the cult, while you were in the cult, and now that you’ve left (I hope!), He still is there, to heal and restore you to spiritual health and joy. I pray that you are learning to trust again, for He is so very much different than the leader(s) who hurt you. If you’d like a detailed description of how God feels about a leader who abuses God’s children, take the time to read the 34th of Ezekiel—you’ll find it very illuminating and encouraging!
Application: Trust God for the healing, restoration, and confidence that you have lost.
This concludes my little study on the book of Jude. Thanks so very much for reading, and for communicating with me! I’ve heard from some great folks. There are so many bruised, abused Christians out there, but also many who have escaped, and are being used by Him to minister to other victims and survivors. If you are still “in,” and not able to leave, keep praying, keep developing a close, personal relationship with God, and feel free to contact me for prayer and for someone to communicate with confidentially.
Blessings,
Ken
downtownpastor