Because so many Jewish Christians stayed in Jerusalem after Pentecost, some Christians sold property and gave the money to the church so those in need could have enough. Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, sold some of their property and then decided to give part of the money to the church. They proceeded to lie and say that they had given it all. Peter confronted Ananias in front of the church and told him that by doing this, he had lied to God. Ananias fell over dead. Unaware of what had happened to her husband, Sapphira came before the church and lied again about the money. She also fell over dead. The whole church was afraid.

Bible verses used in this episode:

• Acts 4:32 through 5:11
• Colossians 3:9

Outline:

1. The believers’ attitudes towards material possessions (Acts 4:32-37)
2. Ananias and Sapphira caught in a lie (Acts 5:1-11)

Tips for teaching children:

• Help the class look up the word “lie” in a dictionary and a thesaurus. Write down and discuss your findings.
• Discuss situations where lying is a temptation.
• Older children might enjoy Dan Sterver’s telling of "The Grim Tale of Ananias and Sapphira"

Tips for teaching adults:

• Spend some time contrasting the character of Barnabas with that of Ananias and Sapphira.
• One of the things we learn from the story is that one of the characteristics of God’s people is generosity.  Who are some people you know who are generous?  What makes them generous? 
•  What would motivate you to be more generous?  Do something generous this week.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Ananias and Sapphira 

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org