Ananias and Sapphira - Acts 5:1-11
Understand It
- What did Ananias and Sapphira sell? (5:1)
- How did Ananias and Sapphira’s transaction compare with Barnabas’s? (5:1-2)
- What did Ananias and Sapphira do with the proceeds from the sale of their property? (5:1-2)
- How did Peter recognize when he was being lied to? (5:3-4)
- To whom did Ananias lie? (5:3-4)
- What was Ananias’s sin? (5:3-4)
- What was the consequence of Ananias’s sin? (5:5)
- After listening to Peter’s words, what happened to Ananias? (5:5)
- How did people respond to Ananias’s death? (5:5)
- What was done with Ananias’s body? (5:6)
- How long after Ananias’s death did Sapphira come before Peter? (5:7)
- How did Peter test Sapphira? (5:7-8)
- How did Sapphira respond to Peter? (5:8)
- What rhetorical question did Peter ask Sapphira? (5:9)
- What devastating announcement did Peter make to Sapphira? (5:9)
- How did Sapphira’s end compare with that of her husband? (5:10)
- How did the early church respond to these events? (5:11)
Apply It
- When can you set aside time this week to evaluate your motives for giving?
- What act of sacrificial giving can you do this week? How?
The Apostles Heal Many - Acts 5:12-16
Understand It
- What kind of work did the apostles do among the people? (5:12)
- Where did the believers meet? (5:12)
- Even though the Christians were highly thought of, why were some people afraid to join them? (5:13)
- Why did the people seek physical healing from the apostles? (5:13-15)
- Despite the fear which kept many people away, what happened to the Christian church during this time? (5:14)
- How did some people reveal both superstition and confidence in the apostles? (5:13-16)
- Why did some people feel that even Peter’s shadow might help them? (5:14-15)
- From where did the people who gathered around the apostles come? (5:16)
- Besides the sick, who else was brought to the apostles for healing? (5:16)
- What happened to all those who came to be made well? (5:16)
Apply It
- For whom can you pray today that God would heal his or her pain?
- What are some of the ways you can serve those who are sick in your church?
- What practical help can you provide this week for a church member who is ill?
The Apostles Persecuted - Acts 5:17-42
Understand It
- Why were the religious leaders opposed to the apostles? (5:17)
- What happened when the Christians were put in jail? (5:18-19)
- What did the angel tell the apostles to do? (5:20)
- When did the apostles start teaching? (5:21)
- What did the elders of Israel discover after they met together? (5:21-24)
- How were the apostles brought before the Sanhedrin? (5:25-27)
- How had the apostles disobeyed the council? (5:28)
- Why did the high priest avoid mentioning the name of Jesus? (5:28)
- What reason did the apostles give for their disobedience? (5:29)
- What made the Jewish elders furious? (5:29-32)
- Who intervened on behalf of Peter and the others? How? (5:34-39)
- How did Gamaliel intervene? (5:34-39)
- What advice did Gamaliel offer the council? (5:38-39)
- What effect did Gamaliel’s speech have? (5:40)
- How did the elders deal with the apostles? (5:40)
- What did the apostles do after they left the Sanhedrin? (5:41-42)
Apply It
- What do you want to remember the next time you are challenged or hurt for your faith in Christ?
- In what situations can you serve as a witness for Christ this week? How?
