What are the names of the characters we meet in this chapter?  What did they do (verse 1)?
How much of the proceeds did they give to the apostles?
Whose spirit did Peter say will filling Ananias’ heart?
Who did Ananias lie to?
Could Ananias have done whatever he chose with the money? What was his sin?
What happened to Ananias when he heard Peter say these things? What was the peoples’ reaction?
What did they do with his body?
How much later did his wife Sapphira come in? Did she know what had happened?
Were her actions the same as her husband’s?
What did Peter say to her?
What was the end of her story?
Who else was afraid?

Thought Questions

Does this story make you afraid of God? Does it make you question His judgment?
Why, in your opinion, did God do this?
What sin did Ananias and Sapphira actually commit? Were they allowed to do anything they wanted with their own money and property? Did they do what they said they were going to do? Who were they trying to lie to?
What do you think were their motives for doing what they did?
Think about the setting and surrounding events of this story. What had just happened recently, and what important task were the apostles trying to accomplish? What was God trying to accomplish?
Does greater power come with greater responsibility?
Compare this story to another similarly disturbing story, in Leviticus chapter 10. Read especially 9:6-7, 23-24, and 10:1-3. What elements are similar? What had just previously happened in this story (chapter 9:24) that could compare to what had just previously happened in the story of Ananias and Sapphira (see Acts 2:3-4)?
What do you think might have happened if God had not taken action at this situation?
What two groups of people did great fear come upon in verse 11? What are the two definitions of fear? Which kind of fear do you think it was, or do you think it might have depended on the person?
Why do you think these kind of things don’t happen today? Or do they?

My prayer is:
that God would help keep me from falling to the temptation of trying to lie to Him for my own greed, or to keep what I want for myself without giving generously to His cause;
to take the task of accomplishing God’s will on earth seriously and sacredly, knowing the holiness of God;
and, with holy fear, understanding that there are questions about God’s works that I may not fully be able to answer, but to follow Him anyway.

What did Peter and John do as soon as they were released?
What did they say to praise God in response to the news?
Whom did they quote? What questions were raised in the quotation in verses 25-26?
Who was “against Your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed?”
What was to be done to Him? Whose purpose was it?
What were the apostles asking God for now?
What two other things did the apostles want to be able to do in Jesus’ name?
What happened after they had prayed?
How are the believers described in verse 32?
What did they do with their possessions?
What did the apostles do with great power?
Why didn’t anyone lack anything?
Who was Barnabas? What did he do?

Thought Questions

What were the apostles quoting in verse 24? Why would they quote that? What is it about this commandment that tells of the power and glory of God?
Why do the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? What is your answer to that age-old question? What do you think the apostles’ answer was?
Did God the Father plan out Jesus’ death? Why was it God’s purpose and what He had determined (counseled) beforehand (verse 28)? Does that make God the murderer of His Son, or does it simply show that He knew how things must play out?
Have you ever prayed the prayer in verse 29? How about in verse 30?
Did God answer the apostles’ prayer? (See verse 31.) Do you think He would answer the same prayer for you? Why or why not?
Would you like to live the sharing lifestyle of the apostles? Were they Communists? What was the difference?
Is this lifestyle universally encouraged, or perhaps for a certain circumstance? How does it relate to the apostles’ work at that time? What circumstances might it be especially useful or necessary?

My prayer is:
That my response the the furious raging of the enemies of God would be to praise Him for His even greater strength and power;
that the Lord would “grant to Your servants that with all boldness [we, I] may speak Your word;”
And that I would be willing to share my possessions with others as You call.