Waterless Clouds, Fruitless Trees, & Wandering Stars

Thoughts on the book of Jude and the Modern Church

Jude 1:12 “They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit…”

Jude’s letter to the church is the shortest, but perhaps the most potent in the entire New Testament. In it, he contends for the faith once delivered to the saints and admonishes the church in regards to certain individuals that have crept into the church unnoticed. Incredibly, his warning is just as relevant today as it was over 1900 years ago.

Several years ago, I took my then small children to a Pixar movie called “A Bug’s Life.” It was a cute animated film about life in a community of ants. Solomon said that we should learn from the way of the ants and get wisdom (Proverbs 6:6). So, I thought, maybe I would learn something from this kid’s movie – and boy, did I ever.

The ants were busy working, harvesting and storing food in their colony when they were interrupted by a horde of grasshoppers that had come to steal the food from them. The grasshoppers had no intention of working, helping or being a part of the colony. They simply came to get what they could before they moved on to the next stop. The movie tagline was unforgettable to me; “They come, they eat, they leave.”

Jude was writing to the “colony” of believers – the church. He was warning them about a new danger in, and to, the church: the “grasshopper” Christian (note: I use the term “Christian” in the most liberal sense). Among many other metaphors, he called them “a spot on your love feast.” They come, they eat, they leave. Except it’s not that simple. They don’t help the colony. They damage the colony. They tear-up the colony. They injure the good ants that reside there. Unfortunately, when they leave the colony – and leave they will – they leave carcasses strewn in their wake.

One of the marks of the “grasshopper” Christian is that they “reject God’s authority” (verse 8). They listen, but they do not hear. Rather than believe and receive, they pretend and offend. As soon as they hear something they do not like, they reject the message and messenger. Either in ignorance or insolence, they are not afraid to speak against Pastors, church leaders, or other Christians.

Then as quickly as they came, they leave the colony -- with their full-bellies and empty-spirits -- loudly proclaiming to any and all who will listen, “I’m not being fed!”

Jude called the grasshopper-types “waterless clouds, fruit-less trees, and wandering stars.” They have the appearance of a Christian, but it is only an appearance. It is the back-lot at Universal Studios. It is a facade. These are persons who “cause divisions, not having the Spirit.” Jude warns the church to beware of them. They are destroyers, not builders. Beware, indeed – for their end is “the blackness of darkness forever” (verse 13).

In spite of the sneak attack and eventual exit of the grasshoppers, the colony continues on. It repairs the breaches to the body. It soothes and bandages the wounds. It picks up the pieces and rebuilds. It knows its mission and continues once again in fulfilling its God-given purpose.

The grasshoppers come and the grasshoppers go, but the colony – just like the one who established it – lives on.

God never intended us to be like the nomadic grasshoppers. Rather, we are called by God to be like the ants in the colony. Living, working and thriving for the good of the church, the glory of God, and the benefit of others. We are a part of God's divine design -- created for good works in Christ. We have been placed here to help God, help the church, help others and, in doing so, help ourselves.

The wisest man who ever lived said it; "Consider the ant."

Help Yourself

Have you read the Biblical self-help course?

Take a stroll through your local Borders or Barnes and Noble stores and you will find a section filled with "self-help" books. You can find books entitled; "Create your own destiny," "Think and Grow Rich," and, ironically, even "Self-Help." Online, I came across a humorous list of suggested self-help book titles, such as; "Chicken-less Soup for the Vegetarian Soul" and my personal favorite; "7,000 Habits of Highly Compulsive People." Anyway, it is obvious that there are a lot of people looking for help from somewhere -- anywhere.

As people, subject to the fallen world we inhabit, we all need help at times. Our heavenly Father enjoys helping us. In fact, He helps us more than we often realize. The Bible proclaims, in Psalms 46:1, that He is an “ever-present help” in our time of need. We rely on the fact that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us -- that He is always there meeting needs and answering prayer.

There is an old saying; “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” That saying is not from the Bible, but it has a biblical foundation in the right context. Reading apostle Paul’s letters to Timothy actually sheds some helpful insight on that saying. You see, Paul recognized the need to let Timothy – and all Christians – know that God expects us to mature in Him and grow spiritually. In fact, God expects us to help ourselves.

So, here is Paul’s God-inspired advice for his son -- and my namesake -- in the faith. This can be called a spiritual self-help course for Christians, (though some may take issue with that terminology), and its good for us to visit and re-visit as we desire to grow in Christ.

1) Train Yourself.
Paul said; “train yourself to be godly.” (1 Timothy 4:7) Living a godly life takes training. It takes work and effort. We are expected to train ourselves to become more and more like Jesus. We aren’t automatically like Jesus. We become more like Jesus intentionally – not accidentally. We have to train ourselves to go to church at every opportunity, to pray daily and to read the Bible consistently.

2) Devote Yourself.
“Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). Paul was encouraging the young minister, but the admonition is really applicable to all believers. We are to devote ourselves to the Word of God – to preaching and teaching that will enable us to grow in the faith. This is perhaps the best way for us to help ourselves, spiritually speaking.

3) Keep Yourself.
“Keep yourself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22). This is where the rubber meets the road. We need to understand that it is OUR responsibility to keep ourselves pure, to keep ourselves focused, to keep ourselves on-target and to keep ourselves in the faith. If we are to “keep on keeping on,” it is on us. It is called being faithful.

Too often, Christians think that it’s all on God and that they themselves have no part to play in their own Christian life. However, the above scriptures show that we do play an active part in our Christianity. Robert Schuler made a statement that I happen to agree with; “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” God has done his part. He gave us His grace, His word and His Spirit. It’s our turn now to do our part. It’s our turn now to help ourselves. We can help ourselves by training ourselves, devoting ourselves and keeping ourselves in the good purpose of God.

Does the Lord help those who help themselves?
When it comes to your Christianity...
Absolutely.