Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
Ice-Breaker:
- When was the last time you fell down?
Scripture
Jude
20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
Discussion Questions:
- This week, we looked at how Jude was encouraging believers to stand strong, to not fall away by keeping ourselves safe in God's love. What does it mean to keep ourselves in God's love? Doesn't God love everyone? Isn't it God who keeps us in His love? Or do we have to do something in order to stay there? This is what we labeled the "tension of trust." So often, when it comes to deep biblical truths, it's a matter of both/and, not either/or. Theologian Thomas R. Schreiner said, Jude represented well the biblical tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. On the one hand, believers only avoid apostasy because of the grace of God. On the other hand, the grace of God does not cancel out the need for believers to exert all their energy to remain in God’s love." What do you think it looks like on a daily basis to keep yourself in His love? Would you say you exert all your energy to remain in His love?
- The first way Jude says we can keep ourselves in His love is by BUILDING our FAITH. The picture here is building on a foundation; in this case, the foundation of Jesus, Truth and the gospel. We are commanded to build our faith, actively, upon the foundation of Scripture. This means that in order to GROW in the faith we have to KNOW the faith! The church today is more susceptible to falling away than ever before because of one reason... biblical ignorance. The irony is, we have more access to scripture, translations and commentaries than ever before in human history. In order to grow in our faith, we MUST actively pursue the knowledge of God's Word. You will NEVER drift towards growth, health and faithfulness. It takes intentionality and effort. What are you doing to grow in your knowledge of Scripture? Are you feeding your spirit daily?
- The next thing we are to do in order to keep ourselves in God's love is by PRAYING with FERVOR. Verse 20 says we should "pray in the power of the Holy Spirit." Other translations say "pray in the Spirit." This is not speaking specifically of praying in tongues, but rather being stimulated by, guided by, and infused by the Holy Spirit. It's praying for that which is consistent with the Spirit's will - His desires, directives and decrees. Just like any relationship, building ours with the Father requires communication with Him. What does your prayer life look like? How often are you talking with God?
- The final way we keep ourselves in His love is by ANTICIPATING the FUTURE. Jude says we are to await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring us eternal life. This is speaking of looking forward to the day He returns. If you are truly living with the end in mind, it will change everything about our lives. Our priorities will be in order and we will be living for the right things. Most of us don't do this. How do I know? Just look at our choices. Look at the way we choose to spend our time, energy and money. Look at all the things we fill our lives with while neglecting the things of the Kingdom that matter most. We SAY we want to be faithful Christians, we SAY we want to lead our families to love the Lord, and then we DO the exact opposite by prioritizing everything else under the sun. We should, instead, live like we'll stand before the seat... that is the judgement seat of Jesus, where, though believers are saved and going to heaven, we will each give an account for how we stewarded all God entrusted to us. How would living with the end in mind change YOUR priorities and choices? What do you need to do to shift those priorities? What might you need to say "no" to?
- The final question on Sunday was this: Are you growing UP, or just growing OLD? Did you know you could be an old baby, spiritually speaking? Many Christians stay immature spiritually for their whole lives. Look at your life and your relationship with the Lord. What is your trajectory? Are you growing, slow and steady? Are you stagnant? Are you falling away? What needs to change?
Prayer Topics:
- That we would prioritize our spiritual growth.
- That we would faithfully study Scripture.
- That we would live with the end in mind.
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