Acts Week Nine


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SENT: Week 9 – Missing the Movement Open in Prayer W elcom e/Introductions/Cast Vision Rem ind the Grow Group of the ground rules Share background for the story [Provide context by sharing what comes before the story.]

One consistent mark of the early church was their generosity. As the church formed, everyone gave as anyone had need. Peter told a beggar “silver and gold I do not have” because the church had dispersed their resources to the poor. Their money was loosely held because they wanted to be, first and foremost, generous with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Tell the story – this week’s passage is Acts 4:34 – Acts 5:13 [Have someone tell the story.] Rebuild the story [Group members tell the story together based on what they remember] Read the story out loud [Read the scripture passage to see if anything was added or omitted] Discuss these questions:

1. What do we learn about God from this passage? [Honesty is important to the Lord, there are consequences to sin, God is generous and lavish in His love for us, God desires that we be generous, God brought fear to their hearts, God was establishing the importance of genuine worship/offering, God knows our hearts, God wants us to meet each other’s needs, God longs for us to repent and follow Him, etc.]

2. What do we learn about Man/Us from this passage? [I withhold my resources from the Lord, I often don’t care about meeting the needs of others, my motivation for service can often be the “praise of other men,” I am selfish and self-consumed, my lack of generosity often comes from a lack of faith in God’s provision, my dishonesty and greed can threaten the unity of the church body, etc.]

3. What is God saying to you specifically through this passage as it pertains to your life, marriage, family, and work? 4. What is God leading you to do? Other Q uestions specific to this passage:

1. What is the difference between sharing what you have and giving out of excess? 3. Barnabas meant the “son of encouragement.” In the future, what phrase would you love for people to use when describing you? Assign next week’s passage – Acts 6 & Acts 7 [Ask someone to tell the story next week.] Close in Prayer

Sent: Week 9 – Leadership Coaching The purpose of this page is to help you sharpen your skills as a Grow Group Leader. Each week we will include concepts, challenges, and resources designed to assist you as you lead and shepherd your grow group and grow as a disciple yourself.

Leading [learn to facilitate your group more effectively] Be sure your Grow Group is clear about the guideline we call “No Rescuing.” When someone is sharing something deeply personal and/or painful, there can be a tendency to try to make them feel better about themselves or the situation. This can be as simple as reaching out to put a hand on their shoulder while they are talking, or may include interjecting statements that release them from responsibility for something (i.e. “Who can blame you for making that parenting mistake? After all, your dad was never around when you were young.”) Often, rescuing will cause people to stop sharing and results in their not going as deep as they might have gone. Resist the temptation to rescue people. As relationships in your group deepen, this may become more of a temptation. We tend to want to rescue those we love, but it is not always in their best interest!

Shepherding [know the sheep, feed the sheep, lead the sheep, protect the sheep] This year we will have the "Grace Christmas Tree.” All children on the tree have a mother at the Home of Grace. You can encourage your members to adopt a child off of the tree for $50. When they adopt a child, they will receive an ornament with the child’s name on it to put on their own tree as a reminder to pray for that child. This is just one of the many great ways you can encourage your members to be generous during this holiday season.

Developing [grow as a disciple yourself] 1 Corinthians 13 continues, “It (love) is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.” Phil Ryken, author of Loving the Way Jesus Loves, notes that irritability is a natural reaction to annoyances that we should take more seriously because Paul tells us that love is NOT irritable. Ryken asks, “When was the last time you asked the Lord to help you respond graciously to that special person who always annoys you?” When we love like Jesus does, we cannot hang on to a list of grievances that have been committed against us. Once forgiveness has been established and the relationship restored, the wrongdoing must be forgotten. Nothing will build more walls in a relationship than a laundry list of past failings. God does not continue to bring up our past. In fact, Psalm 103:12 says, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Next time you are tempted to dredge up a wrongdoing from the past and use it against someone, remember how completely God has forgiven you and give thanks that your past does not define you in God’s eyes.