We are at a critical juncture of our Church life. If we are to be effective for the Lord what is demanded of us? That we should be a Spirit-filled gospel Church. A Church will founder and decay if there is a want of spiritual life in the body. Let me suggest one or two pointers to a spiritually healthy Church from the letter of Jude.
Clearly the Churches to which Jude addressed his letter were facing difficulties from the society in which they found themselves, and from within their own ranks. There is no true Church on earth will be free from such difficulties from without and within. What does Jude say here to encourage the faithful gospel Church?

1. You are to contend for the faith (v3)
We have a great deposit of truth in the stream of the Reformed church in Scotland. We must contend for it. We must know the truth and hold to it against all odds, albeit graciously, lovingly, yet steadfastly. Think of how Paul encourages the believers in troubled Corinth: “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). And in the letter to the Hebrews: “we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end” (Hebrews 3:14). Here’s one vital principle then: be steadfast in faith in Christ and love for His cause.

2. You are to grow in Christian graces (20-21)
In verse 2 Jude expresses his desire that those to whom he writes should know in abundance mercy, peace and love. These are the essentials of real Christian experience. The gospel involves the sinner receiving mercy, experiencing the peace of God and exulting in the love of God. The Christian is to show such things in their own lives. They will be merciful, and seek to be at peace with one another, and exercise love – for the Lord, for His Word, and towards one another. Seeking mercy, peace and love is consistent with building ourselves up in the faith (20-21). Notice that this building up is not a passive thing, but an active engagement: “build yourselves up…” How will you build yourselves up in the faith? Well, (a) through the Word, study of the Word, meditation upon the Word. We are to be people of the Book, hiding His Word in our hearts, seriously submitting to its teaching. And of course you build yourself up (b) through prayer: “praying in the Holy Spirit.” There will be little progress in Christian life and consequently Church life without the cultivation of communion with the Lord. This is at the heart of a healthy Christian and healthy Church. Jude focuses on love: “keep yourselves in the love of God etc.” Again notice the active mode here: “keep yourselves…” How do you do that? Love to God is an exhortation: ‘Love God above all.’ Love to Christ is an imperative if there is real Christian life within you. That is at the very heart of it: I must love Christ and all that is His – His word, His day, and His people. Such love must not be lost, must not diminish, and must not grow cold. If you are hard pushed to find love for the Lord and the things of the Lord in your life, what do you do? Spend time with the Lord. Plead with the Lord for restoration of love. Repent and do the first works (as Jesus counselled the Church in Ephesus which had left its first love [Revelation 2:1-7]).

3. You are to seek the good of souls (22-23)
These verses indicate a concern in the first instance for fellow-believers. They are also relevant for our concern for the unconverted. It is a good sign when we have a care for fellow-believers, and when we have a burden for the salvation of sinners. That is a mark of a living evangelical Church. We always come back to this primary demand of Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We are to seek the good of souls. We are to pray for the spiritual good of poor lost souls. We are to be ambassadors for Christ. This is our task where the Lord has placed us.
This is all extremely challenging. But the Lord will provide the resources. For individuals in the cultivation of spiritual life; for the Church in its work and witness as it may face huge challenges. Where is our trust placed? How will things fare for us? I suppose the answer is: it depends on what we are in relation to Christ and His will. But we have great resources and great promises. As Jude ends his letter: “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.”