Home Group Notes – Acts 4:32-5:11

4:32-37 – The believers
•	Compare 4:32 to Acts 2:44. What similarities do you see? What is special about these people?
•	Where does this ‘oneness’ come from?
o	‘Believers’ is the key word. All this sharing, all this oneness comes from this; they believe. 
•	So why are believers united together? 
o	(Think from an individual perspective). Who is the ‘individual’ believer united to? (Ephesians 1, in Christ, 1 John 4:13)
o	(Think from a wider church perspective). Therefore if God is our Father and Christ is our brother, who else are we automatically united to?
•	“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same tuning fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become “unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” (A.W. Tozer)
•	Discuss whether you think Surrey Chapel has this kind of unity. We must remember that we should strive for unity (1 Corinth 1:10) but do we sometimes try do this by ‘doing united things’ rather than focussing on Christ which would automatically unite us? 
•	Read Ecclesiastes 5:10. As believers what should we know about money?
•	So if money doesn’t satisfy what does? Or who does? (Psalm 16:11, Ephesians 1:3, John 10:10)
•	How does knowing this help us when it comes to sharing our stuff, money, possessions? Does it become a little more natural, even something we rejoice in doing?
•	Looking at this sharing that they are doing. What do they share? How much do they share? When do they share?
•	Discuss what lessons we can learn from this.

5:1-11 – Ananias and Sapphira
•	Looking at 5:3 and 5:4, what are the main things Ananias and Sapphira do wrong?
o	Dishonest and fraudulent before the apostles. Dishonest before God.
•	Why is it so wrong to lie to fellow believers? What will it do to our unity? (“Falsehood ruins fellowship” John Stott)
•	Why is it so wrong to lie to God?
•	What lessons can we actually learn from Ananias and Sapphira? First look at some of the potential reasons why they did what they did….
o	Imagine the scene. You’ve sold some property in order to give it to the church. There’s a great big wad of cash in front of you. What do you do with it? What or who do you love more? Ananias and Sapphira clearly loved money more.
o	Again, imagine the scene. Some people bring a large amount of money to give to the church and say it has come from the sale of their house. In front of everyone, do they look good? Do they look the part? Would they get ‘religious approval’? (Luke 16:14-15) Ananias and Sapphira seemed to just want to ‘look the part’. 
•	In a sermon Pastor Tom once said “God won’t be taken for a fool”. How do you see this in Ananias and Sapphira?
•	How is the example of Barnabas different?
•	Summary – “Faith in Christ creates a bond of love to people (especially God’s people) and cuts the bond of love to things” (John Piper).