ACTS 5:1 – 42
Bible Study Notes Rev. Betsy Perkins
The Perils and Power of Life in Christ
- Do you know someone who has suffered hardship or intimidation or worse because their Christian faith? What do you admire about that person?
- What costs or dangers have you faced as a result of your faith in Jesus Christ?
Joe Boyd, Bible Experiment – Acts of the Apostles (RightNowMedia), 28:00 – 32:00
Serious Consequences (5:1-18)
- How are the gift that Barnabas makes to the disciples (4:36-37) and Ananias and Sapphira’s gift similar? How are the two gifts different?
- What was the problem with Ananias and Sapphira’s gift?
- Why are lying and deception such a bad thing?
The real, deep-level problem about lying is that it misuses, or abuses, the highest faculty we possess: the gift of expressing in clear speech the reality of who we are, what we think, and how we feel… Lying is, ultimately, a way of declaring that we don’t like the world the way it is and we will pretend that it is somehow more the way we want it to be. At that level, it is a way of saying that we don’t trust God the Creator to look after his world and sort it out in his own time and way. N.T. Wright
- Can you think of other stories in the Bible of the “dangerous holiness” of God or God’s Temple? Are you aware of any modern day stories of God’s “dangerous holiness”?
If we watch with excited fascination as the early church does wonderful healings, stands up to the bullying authorities, makes converts right and left, and lives a life of astonishing property-sharing, we may have to face the fact that if you want to be a community which seems to be taking the place of the Temple of the living God you mustn’t be surprised if the living God takes you seriously, seriously enough to make it clear that there is no such thing as cheap grace. If you invoke the power of the Holy One, the One who will eventually right all wrongs and sort out all cheating and lying, he may just decide to do some of that work already, in advance. God is not mocked, as Paul puts it (Gal.6:7). Though we sincerely hope He will not normally act with such sudden and swift judgement, leaving no room for the possibility of repentance and restoration (and we note that this sort of thing never seems to happen again in the early church…), we either choose to live in the presence of the God who made the world and longs passionately for it to be set right, or we lapse back into some variety or other of easy-going paganism, even if it has a Christian veneer to it. Holiness, in other words, is not an optional extra. How God chooses to make that point is in the last analysis up to Him, since He is the only one who knows the human heart. But the earliest Christians were quite clear. To name the name of Jesus, and to invoke the Holy Spirit, is to claim to be the Temple of the living God, and that is bound to have consequences. N.T. Wright
- In what ways do Christians and churches today follow an “easy-going paganism”? How can we take God more seriously and grow in holiness?
- What is the result of this event for the community of faith? How do people respond?
- What is the response of the Jewish Temple authorities?
Persecution and Protection (5:19-42):
- Do the tactics of the authorities stop the disciples from their ministry?
- What is the accusation made against the disciples when they are brought into the court? How do the disciples respond?
- Who is Gamaliel? What is his suggestion to the Temple authorities? Is it a good one?
- How do the disciples respond to the harsh treatment they receive? Why?
- How can you develop a joyful spirit in the midst of trials?
We like the idea of being used by God, but often dislike the measures God takes to prepare us for service. We like the idea of doing God’s work, but dislike the reality of how much God’s work will cost us. Jesus told us to count the cost (Luke 14:25-33). We like the pleasure of knowing God, but dislike the pressure that comes from knowing God. Jesus compared the experience of following him to the task of carrying a cross. Gotten many slivers lately? If so, don’t lose hope. Nothing is ever wasted, and God will never leave you. Max Lucado
In light of this passage and our discussion, what one truth about God and about yourself stand out as something to “take to heart” this week?
Are there steps you will take, by God’s grace, to more fully apply it to your life?
Resources: NIV Zondervan Study Bible, 2015
N.T. Wright, Acts for Everyone, Part 1 2008
Max Lucado, Life Lessons from Acts: Christ’s Church in the World, 2018
Joe Boyd, Bible Experiment – The Acts of the Apostles (RightNowMedia), 2014
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