Sapphira

In Acts 5 we encounter a familiar event in the early church: the lie of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. Please take some time to read verses 1-11 as we will be in this section of Scripture for several days.  It is important to note that at the end of chapter 4, we find a good example of a believer who sold his property and "brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet." This man was Barnabas.  Then we meet a couple who agrees together to sell their land. Outwardly this was a good thing; however, we discover their heart motivation was to deceive. They thought no one else would know their of their plan, we read that God knew and enlightened Peter to find out.  What was their sin? Lying, pride, greed, hypocrisy, the desire to be well-thought of in the congregation.... Their sin had the potential of hurting the entire church. Do YOU stop to consider how your sin could affect your church? It's a question I think we all must take time to consider.

Real Life ~ Real Answers

A Christian Hypocrite

Susan (who is saved, attends church faithfully and teaches SS) looks forward to her daughter’s basketball season starting. Her daughter has really improved in her ability to play the game since last year and Susan thinks her daughter will get a lot of playing time this year. The first game day arrives and as Susan anxiously waits for the game to start in the stands she cheers for her daughter during the warm-up time. Finally it’s time to start and as the starting line up is announced, her daughter is not one of the girls who is starting. Susan wonders why and by the time the first 5 minutes of the game has passed she becomes angry. She moves from her spot in the bleachers to sit closer to the coach and begins yelling for him to put her daughter in and goes on and on about how good of a player she is. The coach ignores Susan during game play, but during a time-out takes a minute to ask her kindly if she would not yell at him like that during the game. Susan becomes furious and begins to rant and rave over the fact that her daughter is not playing.

How well is Susan demonstrating what she believes?

What is she showing by her words and actions?

How should Susan respond? What would be a godly response in this situation?

Real Life ~ Real Answers

Reputation vs. Godliness

Tanya is extremely tough on her children. She expects them to behave perfectly when they are in public. She disciplines the children harshly when they embarrass her. She and her husband do not want other people, especially their church friends, to see them as inadequate parents. Tanya standing before others is pretty important to her. She wants to avoid giving people reasons to question her parenting abilities. Unfortunately when Tanya is home with the kids she does little to encourage them in spiritual things.

What is driving Tanya as she raises her children?

What does Tanya need to change to become a more godly mother to her children?

A Negative Example

In 3 John 9, we have a negative example of a man named Diotrephes. He was a man who put himself first in the church and rejected authority. As we study this man and his characteristics, they certainly do not glorify Christ! John calls this man out and we have a written record of his negative example. What can we learn from this man? What situations might believers be tempted to be first? As you study this section of Scripture, do you find yourself like Diotrephes in any way? We encourage you to ask these hard questions of yourself. Evaluate your life - are you a negative example like Diotrephes or are you a godly example like Gaius?

Pride, part 4

We welcomed Crystal to the program today and finished up the study of pride and it's manifestations. 26) Being jealous or envious, 27) Using others, 28) Being deceitful by covering up sins, 29) Using attention-getting tactics, 30) Not having close relationships. We pray that you have prayerfully asked the Lord to reveal to you any of these prideful manifestations that might be present in your life. Next time, the ladies will begin discussing the opposite of pride - humility.

Pride, part 3

Here are additional manifestations of pride that have been discussed in the last week and today: 7) perfectionism, 8) talking too much, 9) talking too much about yourself, 10) seeking independence or control, 11) being consumed with what others think, 12) being devastated by criticism, 13)being unteachable, 14) being sarcastic, 15) a lack of service, 16) a lack of compassion, 17) being defensive, 18) not admitting when you are wrong, 19) not asking for forgiveness, 20), a lack of biblical prayer, 21) resisting authority, 22) voicing opinions when not asked, 23) minimizing your own sin, 24) maximizing others' sin and 25) being impatient or irritable with others. Are there any on this list that are in your life? What have you done to change?

Pride, part 2

The ladies continued their discussion today on the topic of pride. As they discuss pride and humility over the next several weeks, they will be using the book From Pride to Humility by Stuart Scott as a guide in the discussion. They will be sharing some manifestations of pride. Here are some: 1) Complaining against God, 2) A lack of gratitude, 3) Anger 4) Seeing yourself better than others, 5) Having an inflated view of your importance, 6) Being focused on the lack of your gifts. Each day over the next several days, they will share more manifestations of pride and verses giving examples of each. We hope that as you listen you will prayerfully consider if any of these prideful manifestations are a part of your life. If you find they are, please remember that God desires for you to repent and turn away from your sin.

Pride

Over the next two weeks, Pam, Rebecca and Karen will be digging into verse 16, "pride in possessions." The ladies will be sharing a lot of verses. These verses are all listed on our online study notes, which can be found on the right side of our blog. Please use this study guide as you listen to help you follow along. Pride - a strong word to describe our desires and what we depend on. What we are proud about can be an idol. Am I a slave to my stuff? This is a good question to ponder as we begin thinking about if we have pride in our life. Please pray that God will reveal any area(s) in your life where you have pride in your possessions. Ask that God would help you to recognize these areas and then take the proper steps to repent and seek God's forgiveness.