Lookahead: But once again, I conveniently end this latest How-To Series as 2020 is winding down—at a time during which we honor and worship the One Who came down to earth in response to an unignorably ultimate call—the call to save humanity by becoming its ransom/then being executed—in the most horrifically brutal way that any human being has ever experienced. 

Jude 1:1,2  Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for  Jesus Christ:  Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

The Bible Hub Interlinear Greek Translation of Jude 1:1 is:  Jude of Jesus Christ Servant (Slave), Brother then of James. To those in God (the) Father having been loved and in Jesus Christ having been kept called.

That “called” word in the Interlinear is just tacked on at the end in the Greek.  It is an adjective—not a verb—and is probably a modifier for the plural pronoun “those.”  So it could read: To those called in God the Father, having been loved and having been kept in Jesus Christ. 

Some of the Bible Hub translations say “kept in (Greek ‘en’) Jesus Christ.”  But, as reflected in other translations, en can also mean by, or for.  All three interpretations work for me. 🙂  God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit keep me safe, according to their will.

The “loved” word was used in every single Bible Hub translation but one. And the Greek word is a derivative of agapē, the God kind of unconditional, unprejudiced, overwhelming love that He extends to every living human.  From Bible Hub: agapaó: to love; Original Word: ἀγαπάω’ Part of Speech: Verb’ Transliteration: agapaó; Phonetic Spelling: (ag-ap-ah’-o); Definition: to love; Usage: I love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem.

(Side note:  If we substitute these usage words in the verse to reflect the Father’s feelings for us, are we ready…to receive?)

The kept word—what Jesus does for each one of us—is great:  From Bible Hub—Tereo:  Perfect passive participle; to attend to carefully, take care of, to guard, metaph. to keep, one in the state in which he is to observe, to reserve: to undergo something

Strong’s:  τηρέω tēréō, tay-reh’-o; to guard (from loss or injury, properly, by keeping the eye upon…), i.e. to note (a prophecy; figuratively, to fulfil a command)…hold fast, keep(- er), (pre-, re-)serve, watch.

Thayer’s:  (a) properly, to guard: (b) metaphorically, to keep: to keep in i. e. cause one to persevere or stand firm in a thing; by guarding to cause one to escape in safety out of the power and assaults of satan; to keep: i. e. not to leave; not to throw out; to hold firmly etc., etc. (c) to observe: e.g, the command respecting sabbath-keeping; the works that God commands, etc. (d) to reserve: to be used some day for some purpose, etc.

“To be used some day for some purpose” actually sounds a little like being “called,” as the first qualification for Jude’s intended audience.

Over the years, I struggled with the “called” concept.  I was raised in a mainline denomination in which it was believed that God hand selected individuals to enter the clergy.  My uncle was a Xaverian Brother (he used to joke that a brother was like a male nun, but he got to wear a priest’s collar, and receive leniency if he got caught speeding on the interstate 🙂 ).  And my uncle shared that there was a distinct point in time at which he felt that God called him into the ministry.  In 1993 the LORD revolutionized my life.  The Holy Spirit met me in Israel in the Judean wilderness and here’s what I later said about the experience:  I felt like I had been put through a transporter and decomposed, rearranged, and reconstituted…on a molecular level. 🙂  From that time forward, I was waiting for God to call me.  From 1993 to 2001, I sought Him…many times…and gave Him a thousand suggestions about how He might use me in full-time ministry.  But it never happened.  Eventually I came to the conclusion that every believer is called–to minister truth and life to unbelievers.  But it’s not something that we need to go to school for ten years to do based on hearing an audible voice or seeing a marvelous vision.  When we fall in love with Jesus and begin to understand His heart for the lost—and when we yield to longings of His heart as part of daily living—we can’t help ourselves. 🙂

Case in point, Pastor Dimas Salaberrios (author, public speaker, and Christian talk-show co-host who also was a minister in a church in the Bronx River Projects in New York) and I will synopsize here:  characterized himself in a 2018 interview as running an empire and being a “street god in the drug world”…in such a dangerous lifestyle that 30 of his friends were no “longer with him” when Jesus saved him.  Pastor Dimas had moved from Queens, NY to Winston-Salem, NC to avoid arrest and prison.  In NC, he achieved such “success” that “there were different moments when every last person’s drugs was somehow connected to me…it was addictive to have that much power…to be loved and feared at the same time…but also it came with great paranoia knowing that someone else would want to take my throne as a street god and murder me…there was a point where the hit man came to take me out…I prayed silently…’God I’m in your hands…’”  The hit man pointed the gun at Pastor Dimas’ head…”he kept snappin’ it and trying to fix it…and snappin’ it and tryin’ to fix it…and snappin’ it…but by the power of God no bullets came out of that gun…”¹

Within six months Dimas was back in the old neighborhood shocking the heck out of his former business associates—with a totally new line of work—street evangelist instead of street god…liberating people from the power of darkness. “I went instantly into evangelism mode…because…in order to be a (drug) boss you have to really think highly of yourself…so I just knew once I told people I converted, the whole city was gonna convert….when I tell you God is real, it’s done…I started to fill up vans of people in just about every church I went to…I would knock on people’s doors…yo put on your clothes and y’all get dressed…y’all rollin’ with me…we’re goin’ to church…this is where we going….people kept getting converted, converted, converted.  I was (soon) leading 80 young men and we were meetin’  inside of this church.”²

No formal calling.  Compelled by the love of God, he just couldn’t help himself.  Bottom line, I believe that Jude was talking to all the believers in this Christian Community that he was addressing.  No one was considered to be not-suitable-for-calling or not holy enough—back then, and in any community of believers today! Matthew 28:18-20 aka The Great Commission!  I read it and promptly took ownership.

But once again, I conveniently end this latest How-To Series as 2020 is winding down—at a time during which we honor and worship the One Who came down to earth in response to an unignorably ultimate call—the call to save humanity by becoming its ransom/then being executed—in the most horrifically brutal way that any human being has ever experienced.  I’m sure that some would challenge that claim, based on today’s barbarically awful terrorist tactics, that have included crucifixion during which the poor victims join the ranks of multiple thousands over the centuries.  What made Jesus’ execution so brutal was the accompanying soul torture—torture of the mind and emotions—dramatically magnified because He was God and Creator of the execution squad—God Who had encapsulated Himself in vulnerable human flesh.  Not only that, but before He came down to us, He was fully aware of the horrible demands of His mission—and He said, “Yes” anyway.  Then for every second of His entire life on earth, He continued to say, “Yes.”  He took the call so seriously that “He put aside His Glory.” 

Philippians 2:6-8:

Who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross.

If we have any hesitation or reservations about the Call, Jesus lives today to see each specific Matthew 28 calling gloriously fulfilled in the life of anyone who will ask for help.  Thank you, LORD, for coming down to us…anyway! 

And most heartfelt Christmas greetings—accompanied with wishes for major blessings this coming (turn-around) year!!

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¹You tube:  /watch?v=U16DDnfyGI4

²Anita Lustrea’s website:  /faith-conversation/the-true-story-of-dimas-salaberrios/