(Jude 20)
Furthermore, Jude has linked up with “building” the importance of praying. This, to be effectual, must be “praying in the Holy Ghost” (vs. 20). There is much said about prayer to-day, but we may well pause and inquire: “Is it prayer in the Holy Ghost?” Two things will mark such prayer. It will be prayer according to the mind of God as revealed in His Word, and it will have Christ and His interests for its object. The Holy Spirit can never lead in a way contrary to the Word of God, and ever has Christ before Him. The great mission of the Holy Spirit in the world is to exalt Christ. He has not come to make the world that cast out the Son of God a pleasant, decent, and happy world. He is here to take a people out of the world for Christ. The “building” will lead to “praying.” The greater the diligence with which we build ourselves up in our most holy faith the better we shall be able to pray in the Holy Ghost, and the greater will be the conscious need for praying in the Holy Ghost.