Concerning the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, the Faithlife Study Bible notes, “Peter’s rhetorical questions point out that Ananias was not obligated to sell his property or give the proceeds away. In addition, it was his choice to give all or part of the proceeds of the sale. Deception was not necessary to retain part of the money, so the only reason to lie was in order to claim greater honor and status within the Church.” [1] Verses 4 and 9 give clues to what was really going on under these actions. How does this help you understand the severity of the judgment that came upon Ananias and Sapphira? How does verse 11 help relate this episode to the overall story of Acts? What lessons does this carry for us today?
Acts 6:1–7 established a significant precedent that the Church still follows today. What is the precedent? Verses 2–4 makes it clear that the Church has a primary task, though secondary tasks are also important. What are those tasks, and how does verse 7 validate the twelve’s response to this situation?
What is the overall storyline of Stephen’s speech? How does his sermon help us know how the Old Testament relates to the New, and how does that inform our evangelism to Jews?
Acts 8:26–40 tells a marvelous story of conversion. Verse 28 tells us the eunuch is returning, presumably to Ethiopia. How does this story then serve to show the fulfillment of Acts 1:8? The Lord prompted Philip, and Philip obeyed. How does this story illustrate God’s role and ours in the growth of the kingdom, and how might that give us confidence to spread the gospel?
In Acts 9:4, a voice asks Saul, “Why are you persecuting me?” and in verse 5 declares, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Acts 8:1–3 and 9:1 tell us that Saul’s persecution is against the church in Jerusalem and against the disciples. So how do Jesus’ words teach us about the intimate connection between Christ and believers? Reflect on the doctrine of our union with Christ (see also Col 4:1–3; 1 Cor 12:27; and Eph 1:22–23). How does this inform our relationships with other Christians, especially persecuted Christians?
[1] John D. Barry et al.,Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Acts 5:4.
New Testament Reading Plan Week 5: Acts 5–9
Dig deeper in Acts 5–9 with these five prompts.
[1] John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Acts 5:4.