Joel F. Blakely - The 11:45 Call: An Expository Bible Study of the Book of Jude

The 11:45 Call

An Expository Bible Study of the Book of Jude

Joel F. Blakely and Brenda Klutz Blakely

Copyright 2012 by JRCM Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )

All scripture is from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

The cover design is by Brenda Klutz Blakely. It was executed by Westbow Press staff.

The cover background image is an original photograph, titled Daybreak, from the photo-art collection by Joel F. Blakely, an internationally recognized photo artist.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-5049-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-5048-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-5047-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012907930

WestBow Press rev. date: 07/05/2012

Contents

Resources

New King James Version

A Personal Study Bible for Holy Living

Copyright 1990 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers

New American Standard Bible

Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition

Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Th.D., Ph.D.

Copyright 1976, 1995 by Moody Press

The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible

New American Standard Bible

Copyright 1984 and 1990 by AMG Publishers

VINES

Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words

W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, William White, Jr.

A Personal Study Bible for Holy Living

Copyright 1996 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers

Pocket Bible Handbook

An Abbreviated Bible Commentary

Henry H. Halley

Copyright 1951, by Henry H. Halley

Christian Workers Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

James M. Gray

Copyright 1915, Fleming H. Revell Company

Training for the Ministry of Prayer Counseling

Basic and Advanced Manuals

John and Paula Sanford

Copyright 1997

Elijah House, Inc.

Where To Find It in the Bible

Ken Anderson

Copyright 1996 Ken Anderson

Publisher Thomas Nelson

Joel Blakely first taught this study to the mens Sunday morning Bible study class at Westwood Baptist Mission so they would be able to walk in unity and hold steadfast to the truth learned together. Class members helped him to sharpen his skills as a teacher by questioning and sharing knowledge and experience, encouraging and blessing Joel as their teacher.

We want to dedicate this book to the class members: Arthur, Charles, Peter, Joe Lewis, Randy, and others who were there for a time. Thank you to each of you for your help in developing this study, and thank you for your obedience in being there and actively participating in the class, sharing what God has given you so this study came into being

Thank you also to those who have shared testimony and Scripture, those who read the original manuscript for error, and those who have encouraged and prayed as we worked through the process of bringing this work to publication. The excellent staff of Westbow Press has given us good measure running over. God has truly used their talents, dedication and abilities to help The 11:45 Call to become.

It is our prayer that God will bless and prosper the work of these hands so lives may be changed and the work of the kingdom may be carried out according to Gods plan.

We, Joel and Brenda Blakely, as laymen in the church, diligently sought to follow God as He showed us verse by verse and word by word how to put The 11:45 Call together in an expository Bible study. Teachers and professors had given us a foundation of study in the Bible. But Gods Word is deep, and there is not enough time in a lifetime to have a full grasp of all it says.

When this task was undertaken, we recognized our limitations. However, we worked in the knowledge that God is bigger than either of us and capable of using what we bring to Him. Therefore, the development of the Bible studies God has led us to record has, by the necessity of our limitations, been completed with much prayer on our part and several requests for prayer support. God brought verses and text to us through sermons, calls from friends with a verse to share, our own devotion time, and random moments when God made His leading clear that what we were hearing was material to be recorded in this Bible study.

As this is being written, we all face a daily struggle to walk in the Light, confronted with evil that is at work all around us. It is not only ourselves but the whole of mankind that seems heavy pressed on every side. Our hearts break for those caught in or wandering into webs of deception and those who grope in the darkness waiting for the Light. We know we must bring this work forth so the readers will know of the hope that is within them.

Knowing that Jesus is the Light that we seek and holding a full appreciation for the value of Gods Word, the Bible, we developed this study in the hopes that it would serve as a warning to a lost and dying world. It is our special hope that it would bring each of us into accountability and understanding of our responsibility to hold fast to the Truth as we live and teach by words, testimony, and/or the way we live our lives.

We have been blessed by friends and professors who took the time to teach us straight from the word of God. We are privileged to have people in our lives who encouraged and challenged us as we developed a Christian worldview as a filter for all we see and hear. Thank you to those who have taught us to rightly handle the word of God and held us accountable to be found faithful.

Those who have walked with and alongside us have been truthful with us when we erred in our walk with the Lord and in our service to His kingdom, have been diligent to speak with us, offering encouragement and insight. These faithful friends have prayed with us in bold honesty as they saw particular areas of our lives that needed prayer. We knew we were covered with prayer and concern as we have shared testimony and Scripture and taught classes.

A quick glance around us reveals preachers who tickle (2 Timothy 4:3 NAS) the ears of church attendees with their man-made doctrines. Motivational speeches that lack scriptural foundations are being expounded from the pulpit. New Age philosophies have crept into the church and caught many unawares. These teachings are replacing Gods Word in preaching from the pulpit, Bible studies, and classrooms. The loss of focus is weakening (Mark 3:25) the body and creating confusion. Church leaders are building churches on doctrine that declare the word of God is in error. Even sexual immorality is being condoned from some church pulpits without respect for the clarity of Gods laws and instructions regarding our bodies (1 Corinthians 3:1617, 6:1220).