1. THEME: “Know Christ & Make Him Known” SERIES: A Contagious Family of Faith “Time for a Reality Check” Acts 4:32-37; 5:1-11

2. Matthew 6:1-2 “Be careful not to do your 'ACTS of righteousness', [your righteous PRETENDING], before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. And when you give to the needy do not announce it with trumpets, as the HYPOCRITES do in the synagogues and on the streets.”

3. hypocrite = “actor”

4. Acts 4:32-37  32 - All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.  33 - With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and much grace was upon them all.  34 - There were no needy persons among them. For, from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales,

5.  35 - and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.  36 - Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement),  37 - sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

6. Acts 5:1-11  1 - Now a man names Ananias, together with his wife, Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.  2 - With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.  3 - Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

7.  4 - Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."  5 - When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.  6 - Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

8.  7 - About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.  8 - Peter asked her, 'Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price."  9 - Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."  10 - At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.  11 - Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

9. verse 32 “All the believers were ONE in heart and mind!” verse 32 “All the believers were ONE in heart and mind!”

10. verse 34 “no needy persons among them.”

11. The Ministry of Giving in the Early Church: 1. Thousands of pilgrims came to Jerusalem at Pentecost and became Christians 2. Many believers have lost their jobs because of their faith

12. The Believers were Glad: 1. They knew that Jesus died for their sin 2. They understood that their gift lasts forever

13. 2 nd Corinthians 9:7 “God loves a cheerful giver.”

14. Barnabas = John "son of encouragement"

15. Job 1:7 “roams around the earth.”

16. Ephesians 6 “put on the full armor of God”

17. Romans 16:17 “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions...” Romans 16:17 “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions...”

18. kept back = “embezzlement”

19. 1 st Samuel 6:7 “Man looks at the outward, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

20. Ecclesiastes 12:14 “For God will bring every deed into judgment, INCLUDING EVERY HIDDEN THING.”

21. verse 3 “You have lied to the Holy Spirit of God and kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land.” verse 3 “You have lied to the Holy Spirit of God and kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land.”

22. Why Cover and Bury the Dead Body: 1. hot climate made bodies begin to decompose quickly 2. Deuteronomy 21: God commands it when people died because of His judgment

23. Verse 11 “great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.” Verse 11 “great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.”

24. 1.Being Real Builds Up Self

25. Isaiah 14:14 “I will MAKE myself LIKE the Most High.”

26. “Mere Christianity”, C. S. Lewis: "Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something different from what it was before... you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God... or else into one that is in a state of war with and hatred of God... to be this kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness.” “Mere Christianity”, C. S. Lewis: "Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something different from what it was before... you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God... or else into one that is in a state of war with and hatred of God... to be this kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness.”

27. 2. Being Real Builds Up Others

28. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “If a Christian is in the fellowship of honest confession with a brother, he will never be alone again anywhere.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “If a Christian is in the fellowship of honest confession with a brother, he will never be alone again anywhere.”

29. Brennan Manning: “The single most cause of atheism in our world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips but walk out of the church doors and deny Him with their lifestyle. This is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

30. 3.Being Real Builds Up God’s Glory

31. John MacArthur: “None are so ugly in God's sight than are those who flaunt a spiritual beauty that they do not possess.”

32. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even lookup to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’ ” (Luke 18:10-13)

33. LIFE-CHANGE QUESTIONS: 1. Who is asked to conduct a “reality check” and why? 2. How do you try to pretend to be someone you’re not? 3. What does pretending do to you? 4. What are steps you can take beginning today to know that you are being real?