Chicago UBF > Gospel and Acts > Acts 5:1-16

(Upcoming) Testing the Spirit of the Lord / Acts 5:1-16

Question

Acts 5:1-16

Key Verse: 5:9a, “But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?””

  1. What situation is described (1–2), and what seems to have motivated this couple?

  2. When Ananias brings his offering, what does Peter first say, and how could he know this (3)? What else does Peter emphasize, and why (4)? What happens to Ananias, and how does it affect all who hear of it (5–6)?

  3. When Sapphira arrives, what does Peter seek to confirm (7–8)? What does he tell her (9a)? What does it mean to “agree together to test the Spirit of the Lord”? Why was this such a serious matter for the early church? What spiritual lessons can we learn here?

  4. What happens to Sapphira (9b–10), and what does it show about Peter? How does this incident affect the whole church and all who hear of it (11)?

  5. How is the early church described (12)? How do outsiders perceive them (13)? How is God’s work described (14)? How is Peter’s ministry described (15–16), and how does this complement what happened to Ananias and Sapphira?

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