Acts Chapter 5 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for September 28 - October 4, 2006
(Read Acts 5 Online)

Reflections on Acts 5 by Jim Brake, Head Coach

The story of Acts chapter 5 is a profound one in the history of the early church. It is also the background for one of my favorite CCM songs from the Resurrection Band, but I digress. In order to properly understand the events in chapter 5 we must have the proper context. In chapter 2:45 we see that after Pentecost some believers sold possessions and goods and then gave to those in need. This practice evidentially continued because at the end of chapter 4 we see similar actions. One man named Barnabas went so far as to sell a field and brought the money to the Apostles so they could give the proceeds to other believers in need.

Acts of charity were imperative in the early church. The Jewish nation had rejected Jesus the Messiah and therefore would not look favorably upon Jewish people who became followers of Jesus. Because the church, up until chapter 10, is exclusively Jewish those who chose to follow the apostles teaching would be persecuted and need to band together and share resources to survive.

This is the back story so to speak of what was surrounding the happenings when a husband and wife also sold some property. From Scripture we learn that Ananias and Sapphira sold some property, held back some of the profit, but portrayed it as the full price when they gave the money to the apostles. I don’t believe they had to give any money to the Apostles but from the context of chapter 4 they evidentially wanted whatever recognition Barnabas had received for what he had done without actually doing it. By misrepresenting what they had done in order to get human praise they became guilty of lying to God.

My impression, and it is only mine not from Scripture, is that Ananias had devised this plan and convinced his wife to go along with it. Unfortunately for Sapphira when she had the chance to tell the truth she didn’t and her fate was the same as her husband. This is a lesson for me as a husband, father, and leader. I should never allow other to become guilty with me because I am a leader. Leaders have a great responsibility to lead and others may benefit or suffer for our choices. I believe this lesson applies to all whether young or old. We all have people we influence and it is important that we do so wisely. We should always seek to please God and not ourselves and follow the example of Jesus who humbled himself to become sin for us and was willing to be separated from God the Father for our benefit Philippians 2:5-8.

The effect of the death of these two on the early church was that they were seized with great fear. Remember that the church was in its early development and the book of Acts is transitional. It was imperative that sin was dealt with quickly and dramatically so it was not repeated by others. I believe only the apostles were able to deal with sin this way and that is why we don’t see more people struck dead today for what might seem like a petty sin. The whole of Scripture teaches that God never changes but evidentially our impression of sin has. Most times we tend to look the other way when we know a fellow believer is living in sin. If we really want to see the power of God like was evident in the book of Acts I believe we must see sin for what it is and do everything we can to remove it from our lives and from the lives of other believers. Please church be the church and see sin for what it is. Sin is what separates us from God our Father and causes death both physically and spiritually.

Questions to Consider
- When have you been a leader? Have you ever worried about leading someone else wrong?
- Have you ever thought that you could deceive God for your own benefit?
- Have you ever looked the other way when you saw sin in yourself, your friends, or your family?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 5

2. The Deception of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11)
C. Healings by the Apostles and their Consequences (5:12-42)
1. Healings of the Apostles, Responses of the Crowds (5:12-16)
2. The Arrest and Escape (5:17-24)
3. The Apostles before the Sanhedrin (5:25-40)
a. The Sanhedrin’s Rebuke (5:25-28)
b. The Apostles’ Defense (5:29-32)
c. The Debate in the Sanhedrin (5:33-39)
d. The Release of the Apostles (5:40)
4. The Rejoicing of the Apostles (5:41-42)

Finish the Verse Questions for Acts 5

Finish the Verse: No // one else dared join them,
even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. [Acts 5:13-14]

Finish the Verse: Peter and // the other apostles
replied: "We must obey God rather than men!" [Acts 5:29]

Finish the Verse: The God of our // fathers
raised Jesus from the dead--whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. [Acts 5:30-32]

Finish the Verse: The apostles left // the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. [Acts 5:41]

Finish the Verse: Day // after day, in the
temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. [Acts 5:42]


Reference Questions for Acts 5

Q: According to Acts 5:05, who fell down and died?
A: He - Ananias

Q: According to Acts 5:06, the young men what?
A: Came FORWARD, WRAPPED up his body, and carried him out and buried him (him/Ananias)

Q: According to Acts 5:10, who fell down and died?
A: She - SAPPHIRA

Q: According to Acts 5:10, the young men what?
A: Came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband (her/SAPPHIRA)

Q: According to Acts 5:12, the apostles what?
A: The apostles PERFORMED many miraculous signs and wonders among the people

Q: According to Acts 5:12, all the believers what?
A: Used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade

Q: According to Acts 5:14, who believed in the Lord?
A: More and more men and women

Q: According to Acts 5:16, who were healed?
A: Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed

Q: According to Acts 5:19, during the night what?
A: An angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out (them/the apostles)

Q: According to Acts 5:30, the God of our fathers what?
A: Raised Jesus from the dead -- whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree

Q: According to Acts 5:35, men of Israel what?
A: Consider carefully what you INTEND to do to these men (these men/Peter &
the other apostles)

Acts Chapter 4 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for September 21 - September 27, 2006
(Read Acts 4 Online)

Reflections on Acts 4 by Sean Dean, Master of Church History and Youth Pastor of Fircrest Church in Tacoma, WA

Acts chapter 4 is a great chapter with a lot of interesting items in the development of the plot that is the story of the early church. A basic outline of the chapter shows us the first of many arrests for social disruption (or at least perceived social disruption), an interrogation with a mandate, a terrific refusal to that mandate followed by one of the best prayer meetings you'll ever see - that concludes with an earthquake, then the example of how life was lived in the early church. There is also the positive example of Barnabas that is part of a larger description of positives and negatives that extends into chapter 5 with Ananias and Sapphira being the negative to Barnabas' positive - but you'll talk about that next week. With all of that content, picking one thing to discuss is a bit rough. We could discuss opposition to our faith by authorities, something we all have, do and/or will face in our world today. We could discuss the nature of prayer and the way God responds to it. But what I want to discuss is the idea of unity.

Unity is rough! Lots of people talk about it, few people succeed at it. The reason why is that we all have opinions and we all think we're right most of the time. When we disagree, we tend to throw unity out the window rather than work through our difference - because we all think we're right, which automatically makes THEM wrong. Unity requires that we suck up our pride and give other people the benefit of the doubt - that doesn't mean that we're necessarily wrong or that we take the attitude that we're always wrong, but it does mean that before we decide that we hate them for their opinion we hear them out. Unity means destroying (in a rational and common sense way) those things that come between us, not each other.

When we look at the picture of the church provided in Acts 4 we see a group of people that have decided to not let things come between them. Society at this time told them that money, status, education, religious devotion, gender were all things that were appropriate to use as separators - to deem oneself better than somebody else. The early church didn't use those dividers - well at first they did, but gradually and with some work they were stripped off (check out chapters 10 & 11 for one such process). The point is that the rich helped the poor, the well educated helped that not so well educated. Now when unity comes about, something else happens, your stuff no longer is only your stuff. Well, legally and practically it's still yours, but because of unity it also belongs to those with whom you are united with. Generosity is a fruit of unity. Security is a fruit of unity. Love is a fruit (and a cause) of unity.

The real question is, how does unity happen? First, unity was a result of the grace of God among them. So for us to live in unity we need to live in unity with God - that means living an upright life in relationship with Jesus Christ. Second, they chose to live in unity. Unity doesn't just happen, it's purposeful - each of us decides on our own to live in unity. That's why Barnabas and Ananias & Sapphira are so important - Barnabas chose to live in unity, while A & S chose to lie to the group and not live in unity. Our choices within our relationships make a difference on whether we're going to live in unity or not. For instance, a while back I wanted to buy a fairly expensive camera. We had the money to buy the camera, but it wouldn't have been the best use of our money so my wife told me that we couldn't get the camera. Now, I could have gone out and bought the camera anyway or I could decide to wait until my wife and I could agree on the camera - I chose to not buy the camera. Doing the first would have destroyed the unity of our marriage - at least for a while. Doing the second maintained the unity of our marriage and in fact made it stronger because my wife knew that I had sacrificed something for her/us. Later on when we had a little more money my wife and I agreed and I did get the camera, which has made owning it that much easier. In the same way unity within the church/youth group/quiz team/any other group you can think of is a result of each member making choices based upon what's best for each member of the group. That is why it's so significant that members of the early church were selling off land and giving the money to the church - it was their way of thinking of the group before themselves.

My challenge to you for the next week and the rest of your life is to think of others before yourself and learn to live in unity with others.

Questions to Consider
- What have you allowed to come between you and another Christian?
- When is it more important to be unified, than to feel like you personally are right?
- What is one thing you need to put aside to restore unity with another youth grouper?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 4

4. The Arrest of Peter and John (4:1-4)
5. Peter and John before the Sanhedrin (4:5-22)
a. Peter’s Defense (4:5-12)
b. The Debate in the Sanhedrin (4:13-17)
c. The Release of Peter and John (4:18-22)
6. The Thanksgiving of the Saints (4:23-31)
B. Community and Discipline (4:32–5:11)
1. The Sharing of All Possessions (4:32-37)

Finish the Verse Questions for Acts 4

Finish the Verse: But many // who heard the
message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand. [Acts 4:4]

Finish the Verse: If // we are being called to
account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. [Acts 4:9-10]

Finish the Verse: He is // "'the stone you
builders rejected, which has become the capstone.'” [Acts 4:11]

Finish the Verse: Salvation // is found in no one
else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." [Acts 4:12]

Finish the Verse: When they saw // the courage
of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. [Acts 4:13]

Finish the Verse: Then they // called them in
again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." [Acts 4:18-20]

Finish the Verse: 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. [Acts 4:32]

Finish the Verse: With // great power the apostles
continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. [Acts 4:33]

Finish the Verse: 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 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. [Acts 4:34-35]


Reference Questions for Acts 4

Q: According to Acts 4:02, who were teaching the people?
A: The apostles
R: Acts 4:2 (C/R 5:25)

Q: According to Acts 4:03, they seized whom?
A: Peter and John
R: Acts 4:3 (C/R 6:12, 16:19, cp. 19:29)

Q: According to Acts 4:04, who believed?
A: Many who heard the message
R: Acts 4:4 (C/R 5:14, 8:12, 8:13, 9:42, 11:21, 13:12, 13:48, 14:1, 17:12, 17:34,
18:8, cp. 18:27, 21:20)

Q: According to Acts 4:08, who was filled with the Holy Spirit?
A: Peter
R: Acts 4:8 (C/R 2:4, 4:31, 13:9, cp. 9:17)

Q: According to Acts 4:10, God raised whom from the dead?
A: Jesus Christ of Nazareth
R: Acts 4:10 (C/R 3:15, cp. 3:26, same as 2:24, 4:10, 10:40, 13:30, 13:34)

Q: According to Acts 4:11, he is what?
A: The stone you BUILDERS rejected, which has become the CAPSTONE
R: Acts 4:11 (C/R 10:22, 10:42, 13:25, 17:25, 17:27)

Q: According to Acts 4:21, all the people what?
A: Were praising God for what had happened
R: Acts 4:21 (C/R see 3:9)

Q: According to Acts 4:25, who was our father?
A: David
R: Acts 4:25 (C/R 7:2)

Q: According to Acts 4:32, all the believers what?
A: Were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
R: Acts 4:32 (C/R see 2:44)

Q: According to Acts 4:33, the apostles what?
A: The apostles continued (with great power) to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus
R: Acts 4:33 (C/R see 4:2)

Acts Chapter 3 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for September 14 - September 20, 2006
(Read Acts 3 Online)

Reflections on Acts 3 by Ron Fay, PhD. and Former Quizzer

What does it mean to be a mirror?

A mirror never is the center of attention. When someone looks at a mirror, all they want to see is what image is held in the mirror and not the mirror itself. People like mirrors simply for their function, not for being beautifully carved or having exquisite glass. A mirror can be as tall as a building or small enough to fit into a woman’s purse. A mirror is a mirror as long as it does its job: reflecting an image not its own.

In Acts 3, Peter and John walk to the temple and along the way perform an amazing miracle. Rather than taking the glory for themselves or standing around the gate Beautiful and admiring the work they had done in healing the lame man, instead Peter immediately proclaims the greatness of God and the salvation found only in Christ.

Peter and John did not seek praise, rather they gave it. Peter and John did not discuss themselves, rather they talked about their Lord. Peter and John were mirrors, reflecting the glory of God and the salvation that comes from Jesus. They could have been doors, and decided who gets to see God. They could have been windows, and only allowed people to see themselves. Instead, they chose to be mirrors and ignore themselves for the sake of God and their hearers.

The same choice stands before you and me ever day. Will you display only yourself, trying to get the world to like you? Or will you live a life honoring to God and transparent in your faith? Will you be a door or a window?

Perhaps, just perhaps, you will choose to be a mirror reflecting the light of the Son.

Questions to Consider
- How can you be a "mirror" in your life, reflecting God?
- Why did Peter and John choose to heal the crippled man, when he had not asked them to?
- When have you NOT been a mirror in your life?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 2

II. Book Two: The Expansion of the Church in Jerusalem (3:1–6:7)
A. A Healing by Peter and Its Consequences (3:1–4:31)
1. The Healing of a Man Crippled from Birth (3:1-8)
2. The Response of the Crowd (3:9-10)
3. The Message of Peter (3:11-26)

Finish the Verse Questions for Acts 3

Finish the Verse: Then Peter said, // "Silver or gold
I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." [Acts 3:6]

Finish the Verse: The God of Abraham, // Isaac
and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. [Acts 3:13]

Finish the Verse: You disowned // the Holy
and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. [Acts 3:14-15]

Finish the Verse: But this // is how God
fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. [Acts 3:18]

Finish the Verse: Repent, // then, and turn to God,
so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. [Acts 3:19-21]

Acts Chapter 2 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for September 7 - September 13, 2006
(Read Acts 2 Online)

Reflections on Acts 2 by Mark Chesner, Coach

There are some people who look at the Bible and simply see a God who is always being the tough guy. Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, God curses them and casts them out of Eden. Cain kills Abel, God curses him and forces him to wander. The Hebrews worship idols and God forces them into exile in Babylon.

But what these people fail to notice is that God rarely curses anyone without also providing a way back. Consider this section from Acts 2:

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
Acts 2:1-8

Does it remind you of anything? How about this:

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Genesis 11:1-9

Do you see the parallels? In Genesis, God doles out the required punishment – scrambling of the languages. But in Acts, God shows that the punishment is not forever and rolls it back – the speaking in tongues.

This is the story of the New Testament, and the story of Acts as well. God’s punishments need not be forever. If we accept Him and His Son, then the natural curses that are a part of our lives can start to be rolled back. And we can look forward to a future without curses, a future of hope and joy.


Questions to Consider by Pastor Scott Craddock, Youth Pastor
Vss. 1-13

Sometimes when we read this story, we get so caught up in the incredible things that happened that we fail to see “why” it happened. What caused this amazing event? (Spirit enabled them – vs. 4)

What might we be able to do if we let the Spirit enable us.

Vss. 14-32

How do you see God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit working together throughout history?

Vss. 42-45

What were the things that the believers did together in this passage?

Why did God add to their number daily? Would God add to our number, if we did those very same things?

Is there one or two things in this passage that your family would commit to doing together?


Bible.Org Outline for Acts 2

C. Realization: The Day of Pentecost (2:1-41)
1. The Descent of the Spirit (2:1-13)
a. The Response of the Apostles: Speaking in Tongues (2:1-4)
b. The Reaction of the Crowd (2:5-13)
2. The Proclamation of Peter (2:14-39)
a. Introduction: Fulfillment of Prophecy (2:14-21)
b. Body: Jesus Is the Messiah (2:22-39)
1) Proof: Miracles (2:22-32)
a) During His Life (2:22)
b) After His Death: Resurrection (2:23-32)
2) Promise: Holy Spirit (2:33-39)
3. The Response of the Crowd (2:40-41)
D. Conclusion of Book One (2:42-47)


Finish the Verse Questions for Acts 2

Finish the Verse: When the day // of Pentecost came,
they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. [Acts 2:1-2]

Finish the Verse: They saw // what seemed
to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. [Acts 2:3-4]

Finish the Verse: 'In the last // days,
God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
[Acts 2:17-18]

Finish the Verse: "Men of Israel, // listen to
this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. [Acts 2:22]

Finish the Verse: This // man was handed over
to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. [Acts 2:23-24]

Finish the Verse: Seeing // what was ahead,
he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. [Acts 2:31-32]

Finish the Verse: Exalted // to the right hand
of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. [Acts 2:33]

Finish the Verse: Therefore let // all Israel be
assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." [Acts 2:36]

Finish the Verse: Peter replied, // "Repent and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." [Acts 2:38-39]

Finish the Verse: Those // who accepted his message
were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. [Acts 2:41]

Finish the Verse: They devoted // themselves to the
apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. [Acts 2:42]

Finish the Verse: Everyone // was filled with awe,
and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. [Acts 2:43]

Finish the Verse: All the believers were together //
and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. [Acts 2:44-45]

Finish the Verse: Every // day they continued to
meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. [Acts 2:46-47]