Group Guide

April 26th, 2026

This Week's City 7:

2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.

(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)

Ice-Breaker:

Were you ever spiritually assaulted by the Left Behind Series? Was there ever a time when you thought you missed the rapture?

Scripture

Jude
24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Discussion Questions:

We have spent weeks in Jude talking about the battlefield that faces us as believers. We’ve been warned to stay on guard against ungodly people "worming" their way into the church, people who claim to have authority but live immoral lives, and false teachers who try to shipwreck our faith. But Jude ends his letter with a Doxology, he ends by shifting our focus upward.
- When things get chaotic, is your first instinct to obsess over the battle and try to manage the outcome, or are you able to stop and anchor yourself in God’s authority?
- Why do we usually try to take control of the mess before we think to look upward?
Brandon reminded us that Salvation is Owned by Faith but Shown by Deeds. It’s easy to confuse proximity to Jesus (being at church, attending a group, knowing the lingo) with a relationship with Jesus (having the Holy Spirit produce actual fruit in your life).
- Looking back over your life, have there been seasons where you were just near Jesus, relying on proximity to the church rather than a real relationship with Jesus?
- Be honest, if your deeds over the last month were the only proof of life for your faith, would they show the fruit of someone who is committed to Christ or would they reveal a moral person who has mastered the religious routine?
- Where do you see the Holy Spirit actually changing your desires or actions right now?Where are you seeing fruit that wasn't there a year ago?

Jude uses the Greek word phylassō, a military term meaning "to guard" or "to protect." This implies that God is actively defending us from falling away, even when we are unaware of the threat. Because He is the one guarding us, we don't have to live in a do better, try harder mindset, wondering if we’ve done enough to stay saved.
- If God is the one doing the guarding, why do we still carry so much guilt or fear about “messing up"? Does that fear come from a lack of faith in His power, or a secret belief that we can earn God’s favor?
- If God is the one "able to keep you from falling," how should that change the way we handle failure or sin? Does it make you more likely to hide from Him, or run to Him
- How does resting in the fact that you have a "confirmed ticket" (based on His power, not your performance) actually give you more motivation to grow, rather than just making you complacent?

Jude closes his letter by ascribing four massive attributes to God: Glory, Majesty, Power, and Authority. These aren't just titles, they describe a God who is completely set apart from us! He held these before time began, He holds them now, and He will hold them forever. We often try to make God feel more manageable by bringing Him down to our level, focusing more on His nearness and less on His greatness. But Jude lifts our eyes to God’s full authority, power, and eternal rule over everything, past, present, and future.
- How does a right understanding of His set-apartness (His holiness and otherness) not push us away, but actually produce the ‘great joy’ and doxological worship that Jude ends with?
- David asked in the Psalms, "What is man that you are mindful of him?" When you consider that the God who possesses all power and all authority is the same God who is guarding you and singing over you, how should that reshape the way you respond to Him in worship?

Jude ends with a Cymbal Crash, an Amen that means "So be it" or "It is indeed true." He combines this with the reality that we are called to finish well. Hebrews 12 tells us to "take a new grip with your tired hands" and "mark out a straight path" so that those behind us don’t trip.
- We are told to "strip off every weight" that slows us down. Be honest: What is a specific weight (a distraction, a secret sin, or even a good thing that has become an idol) that is slowing down your faith right now? Is there something you can do this week to "take a new grip" on your faith instead of just coasting toward the finish?
- Hebrews says to ‘mark out a straight path’ so the weak don’t fall. What does that actually look like in a group like this? How do we move past polite ‘I’m fine’ answers and create a space where we can be honest and help each other take a ‘new grip’ on the faith when someone’s worn down?

Prayer Topics:

That we would anchor our hearts in God’s authority.
That the Holy Spirit would produce actual fruit in us.
That we would rest in God’s power to guard us.
That we would drop every weight and finish the race together.

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