Acts of Jesus Study Guide: Acts 5

Overview

The disciples continue the work of Jesus with the authority of Jesus. Acts chapter 5 details the cost of dismissing divinity when it comes wrapped in humanity. Ananias and Sapphira thought their deception would win them points with their peers and didn’t stop to consider how a Holy and Righteous God would see their actions. The religious leaders attempt to imprison, intimidate, and contain God’s work only to find themselves working against God. The chapter concludes with the disciples praising God that they were counted as worthy to suffer for God’s kingdom just as Jesus had done.

~Read Acts 5~

Key Questions

What do you think the conversation was like between Ananias and Sapphira when they were coming up with their lie? What motivated them? How do lies like that happen today?

Peter notes that they have lied to the Holy Spirit when they believed they were just talking with Peter. How is that possible?

Does their punishment seem harsh to you? Consider Luke’s focus on the true temple (believers with the Holy Spirit or brick and mortar). How does this reflect stories in the Old Testament, and why was that connection important to make for the early church?

Why do you think it is hard to see divinity when it is wrapped in humanity? How does that play out in the Church today?

Peter and the early disciples flatly refused to follow orders that would lead them to disobey God. Peter boldly says in verse 30 that we should obey God rather than men. The Bible often tells us to live peaceably and with respect to earthly authority. When do you think it is right to reject authority?

The leaders were so enraged by Peter’s response that they literally wanted to kill them. How does the early church’s example challenge a conflict-avoidant Christianity? What are some ways that we slip into that today?

Applying Truth

Many people struggled to accept Jesus as God because the Word became flesh. People dismissed the early Church as the temple of God which housed His Spirit because they looked so ordinary. People still dismiss the work of God because it doesn’t look like what they expect. We run the danger of dismissing or denying the work of God when we mistake it for merely human. We are told to abstain from certain sins because the body is the temple of God. How do you view your body?

We are called to forgive and fight for our fellow believers because we are all part of the body of Christ. How do you think about those other believers who you don’t get along with?

We are told to respect and give all honor to our spiritual leaders because they are led by Jesus. How do you view those leading the church? To fully live out the call of Jesus on our lives we can’t dismiss the divinity wrapped in humanity.