JUDE GOD S REWARDS PROGRAM SESSION 2 LEAD IT: COLLEGE AGE GOALS As students experience this session in Jude, they will... Explore the spiritual condition of Jude s readers and uncover the rewards of belonging to God. MATERIALS: Group Whiteboard and markers Colored pencils (one for each student) A blank piece of paper for Putting Into Practice MATERIALS: Each Student Jude Scripture sheets the student journal pages for Session 2 a Bible and pen (Students should bring their own Bibles or Bible app.) Investigate these rewards in Scripture and evaluate whether they are currently enjoying them fully in their own lives. INTRO Prayer After the group has gathered, pray for the time you re about to spend in God s Word that hearts will be open to what the Lord wants to show and teach your students. Review To help your group stay connected to the big themes in Jude (and to bring anyone who was missing last week up to speed), ask a few review questions. What are the five types of Bible books we talked about last time? History Poetry Prophecy Biography Letters What kind of book is Jude? a letter Who wrote Jude? Jude, the half-brother of Jesus Bonus Question: What s the name of the archangel Jude mentioned? Michael Open In the last session the group looked at the writer of the letter, Jude. Explain that now they re going to learn what they can about the recipients the first readers of Jude. In other words, they re gonna be reading someone else s mail! SOUL SURVIVAL LEAD IT: College Age SESSION 2 1
Say something like this: Jude knew exactly who he was writing his letter to. It s all about his audience. Have you ever written a text message for someone and accidentally sent it to someone else? Or have you intended to share something on social media privately in a direct message and instead shared it publicly? Let s take a few moments and share some stories. Then say something like: Jude knew he was writing to those who love and belong to Jesus. He had a very specific audience. We get to read his private message that he shared publicly. Distribute colored pencils to students and ask them to: 1. Select a color and symbol to mark Jude s readers. 2. Mark every reference to Jude s readers. This will include words like you and your. When most have finished (it s okay if some haven t), ask students to tell you all they can about Jude s audience. Encourage them to stick with the facts in Scripture and avoid drawing conclusions for now. List this info on the board, and ask your students to jot it on their journal pages. The board will look something like this: Jude s Readers -They ve been called (v. 1). -They are loved by God (v. 1). -They are kept by Jesus Christ (v. 1). -Jude wants mercy, peace and love to be theirs in abundance (v. 2). -They are dear friends of Jude (v. 3, 17, 20). -They share salvation and the Christian faith with Jude (v. 3). -Certain men have slipped in among them (v. 4). -They know the history of God delivering the people out of Egypt (v. 5). -They have love feasts (v. 12). -God is able to keep them from falling and present them before Him without fault and with joy (v. 24). TAKING IT INWARD To help students process what they ve learned ask a few questions: How would you describe the relationship between Jude and his readers? -Very close. -They share salvation, faith in Christ (v. 3). -They re dear friends (v. 3, 17, 20). How would you describe the relationship Jude s readers had with God? -They seem like committed believers. -They ve been called by God (v. 1). -They share salvation with Jude (v. 3). -They may be Jewish (or at least they know the Old Testament) since Jude refers to Old Testament events and Jewish writings. Are Jude s readers a church? A family? A group of friends? Jude s audience was probably a house church (Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 11 describe believers meeting in homes and sharing the feast of the Lord s Supper). You could point out two verses that imply a community of believers much like your group: 2 SOUL SURVIVAL LEAD IT: College Age SESSION 2
Jude 4 The fact that some have secretly slipped in among you implies that they were an established group that shared a commitment to the truth. Jude 12 The fact that they had love feasts implies that they met regularly to eat meals and celebrate the Lord s Supper. Okay. Let s face it. The phrase love feast is a little strange. The phrase is a reference to how Christ followers would gather specifically for a celebration and the meal would have included the observance of the Lord s Supper. Share the following background about the early church at the time of Jude s letter: Jesus death and resurrection had happened just 30-40 years earlier. Church buildings didn t exist. As people accepted the gospel, believers gathered in homes for worship and fellowship. When Christians gathered, they would have done several things: eaten a meal together ( love feasts ) and shared the Lord s Supper (Communion). shared a letter from one of the apostles or early church leaders. passed along stories of Jesus miracles and ministry while He lived on earth. Knowing this, have your students put themselves in the shoes of Jude s readers. Ask them to imagine that they re the group that first received his letter. Then take a few moments and discuss these questions: So, how did you get to know Jude and each other? What s the problem that caused your friend Jude to write to you? Did you know you had a problem before you got the letter? What action do you think Jude wants you to take? Why would you listen to Jude? What authority does he have? Now fast-forward to today. Jude s letter wasn t just written to first-century believers; it was written to all who have been called, loved and kept by God (Jude 1). Ask your students to compare themselves with Jude s original readers. Ask: How is the book of Jude pertinent to us today? What are some things we share in common with Jude s first readers? Jude s readers knew the Old Testament well. How well do we know the events of the Old Testament? If we had a problem, would we be able to apply our Old Testament knowledge to the things we face today? How would you describe the relationship Jude s readers had with God? CROSS CHECKING: Called to What? In verse 1, Jude made three big statements about his readers spirituality. Draw your students attention to the info on the board, that you wrote earlier. Ask them what phrases describe the readers relationship with God. Circle these as the students call them out. SOUL SURVIVAL LEAD IT: College Age SESSION 2 3
Jude s Readers: -They ve been called (v. 1) -They are loved by God (v. 1) They are kept by Jesus Christ (v. 1). Point out that if these things are true of Jude s readers, they re also true of us, but only if we re believers in Jesus. The thing is, many Christians don t know what it means to be called, loved and kept by God and they re missing out on three big anchors that can hold them when things get tough. That s why for the next few minutes, the group will have a chance to let God teach them about one of these three anchors being called. If they d like, students can study the other two on their own (see INNERgized Web Help in the instructions of your Prep It book). Tell you group that you are going to give them an opportunity for some time to seek God with intensity. Share: Jeremiah 29:13 says, You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Let s take a little time and find out what God means when He says we are Called. Allow students to find a place where they can get alone with God for a few minutes. This could be a corner of the room, or a hallway. The key is for each to find a spot with minimal distractions. They should take their journal pages, Bibles and pens. The exercise is printed here for your reference. Exercise: Ever wonder if God really cares about you? Maybe you know He loves you, but you d never consider yourself one of His special people. Or do you think of yourself as someone who s not very important to God? Then you need to know what it means to be called! Read the passages below from your Bible. In the right column of the chart below, write anything you re called to be or do and write any instructions God gives. Finally, write anything you get from being called. Be as detailed as possible! Scripture What Am I Called To? Romans 1:5 7 -called from among all the Gentiles (unbelieving people) to the obedience that comes from faith (v. 5) -called to belong to Jesus (v. 6) -called to be a saint (v. 7) Ephesians 1:17 18 -called to hope, to the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (v. 18) 1 Thessalonians 2:11 12 -called into God s kingdom and glory (v. 12) -to live a life worthy of God, who called me to all this (v. 12) 2 Timothy 1:8 9 -shouldn t be ashamed of God s message, the gospel; should be willing to join in suffering for it (v. 8) -saved and called to a holy life, not because of anything I did, but by God s grace (v. 9) 1 Peter 2:9 10 -called out of darkness into His wonderful light (v. 9) -called to be His chosen person, someone who belongs to God, royal and holy (v. 9) -should declare His praises! (v. 9) 4 SOUL SURVIVAL LEAD IT: College Age SESSION 2
After a few minutes call your group back together invite them to share about their experiences in Scripture. Now take a deep breath. What is it you have been called to? When Jude used the word called, he used a Greek word that meant to invite someone to a privileged event like a big wedding or an exclusive, upscale party. (Picture yourself getting an engraved invitation to dinner at the White House or the party after the Academy Awards.) When guests were invited to this kind of event, they were expected to act appropriately (wear nice clothes, use polite behavior, etc.). In return, they got to enjoy all kinds of lavish benefits from the host the most amazing food, the greatest entertainment the best of everything! Now that you know what it means to be called, look again at what you wrote in the chart. 1. Circle any behavior that s expected if you accept God s invitation or calling. 2. Draw a box around any rewards you can expect when you attend God s party. Then discuss these questions: Based on the verses you just read, and the meaning of the Greek word for called, what does it mean to you to be called? What do you think people are referring to when thy use that phraseology, as in, I ve been called by God? Do Christians use that word properly? Are just a few people called or are many people called? How does the fact that you are called encourage you in your walk with God? Of all the things these verses say we are called to and called from, which things are most meaningful to you? PUTTING INTO PRACTICE Close your session by asking your students to write two Jude takeaways from this session in the space on their journal pages: 1. Something they want to remember about Jude s first readers. 2. A reminder to themselves of what it means to be called. After a few minutes, encourage your students to implement their takeaways into their upcoming week. Invite them to create an actionable step by completing this sentence: I feel so strongly about my takeaway(s) that this week I am going to. Challenge them to be specific and hold each other accountable to their plan of action. SOUL SURVIVAL LEAD IT: College Age SESSION 2 5