FIGHTING AGAINST GOD – ACTS 5
Icebreaker: Can you think of a time you did something to fit in or appear important?
Read Acts 4:33–5:11
1. What did Barnabas do? Why? (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
2. What did Ananias and Saphira do? Why? What was wrong with their gift? (Acts 5:3-4,9, Joshua 7:11-12, Malachi 1:14, 1 Timothy 6:10) How were they fighting against God?
3. What principles can we infer/deduce/extract from the comparison of Barnabas with Ananias and Sapphira?
4. What was the result of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira for the life of the new church? (Acts 5: 5,11) Do we have a proper fear/reverence of God? Why or why not?
Read Acts 5:12-18
5. What was the result of the growth of the church? (Acts 5:14-15)
6. How are the events of Acts 5:12-16 an answer to prayer in Acts 4:29-31? (Acts 5:29-32)
7. How did the high priest respond to growth and popularity of the church? Why? (Acts 5:17-18)
Read Acts 5:19–27 (NIV)
8. Why do you think the angel of the Lord helped the Apostles escape only to have them return to the temple to be arrested again?
Read Acts 5:28–33
9. In what way is teaching in the name of Jesus obeying God rather than human beings? (Acts 5:29 and Acts 1:8)
10. What did the high priest and the full assembly of the elders want to do to the apostles? (Acts 5:33)
Read Acts 5:34-42
11. What was Gamaliel’s argument that kept them from killing the apostles?
12. What were they hoping would happen when they let them go after flogging them and warning them again? (Act 5:38-39) How does their response demonstrate their faith? (Acts 5:41)
13. Can you think of a time when those in authority has found themselves “fighting against God”? (Past or present) (Acts 5:39)
Note from Pastor Dave’s sermon: The church has not failed even with centuries of opposition and persecution. If it was of human origin it would have failed. Don’t overlook that fact.
14. How is unbelief the same as “fighting against God”? (Luke 11:23) What is the result of unbelief? (John 3:18)
15. Was there a time in your life that you found yourself fighting against God? What turned things around for you?
16. How did the Apostles demonstrate that they were fighting for God? (Acts 5:41-42)
17. How are you fighting for God in your life? (Ephesians 6:10-18)