Discussion Questions

– If God never changes, He is same yesterday, today, forever, then why does He treat the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira, a sin that every single Christian who ever lived falls into, including the apostles, with such finality in Acts 5?
– Explain the difference between sins plural (leaves of the tree) vs. sins singular (root of the tree). How is sin singular/plural related to having fear of the Lord?
– In Luke 12, Jesus spends the entire chapter talking about fear of the Lord and He provides 5 litmus tests that we can use to determine whether we are like the Pharisees, those who are utterly hypocritical at our core or we are born-again believers who occasionally fall into hypocrisy. These litmus tests involve: 1) relationships, 2) money, 3) future, 4) eagerness for Christ’s return and 5) faithful service. Explain these tests in more detail.
– What characterized the early church in Acts 4-5? How are false prosperity gospel preachers today making a serious mistake? How is the judgment of Ananias and Sapphira God’s way of protecting the church from the mistakes that the prosperity gospel preachers of today are making?
– What might have prompted Ananias and Sapphira to commit this deception? Is God punishing them for their lack of radical generosity? What specific sin(s) is God judging?
– What can we learn from God’s judgment against this couple?