Unit 29 Lesson 1—Ananias and Sapphira

Background for Parents:

This month, we will be looking at the beginnings of the early . We will see how the church is God’s plan to bring praise and glory to , and how He uses the church as His tool for taking the “to , Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”.

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Introduction Activity: Paper Bag or Paper Plate Masks

Provide paper bags (or plates) and various art supplies for kids to each design their own mask. Suggest kids design masks that show a person, animal, or made-up creature. Encourage kids to be creative. After several minutes, call for kids to put on their masks and show them to the group.

Say• Have you ever wanted others to see you differently? Masks can disguise the way we really look. In the story we will hear today, two people wanted to look generous even though they were greedy. We will find out what happened.

Introduction Activity: Hide the Coin

Have the kids close their eyes or go in another room, while you hide a coin somewhere in the room. Allow the kids to come back inside the room and look for the coin. After the coin is found, let one of the kids

2 have a turn to hide the coin. Repeat as time allows, allowing each child a chance to hide the coin. Say• It was tricky to figure out where the coin was hidden. Today we will learn about a time two people tried to hide money from the church. They said they were giving all they earned even though they were only giving some.

Big Picture Question and Review This month, we’ll be looking at some stories about how the followers of Jesus became the early church, and what things they did as part of the church. So, the question we’re going to focus on is a very simple question:

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And here’s a hint: It’s NOT a building, even though some people refer to it like it’s a building!

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That means the church is people! People who love God and want to obey Him. There are local churches who gather together in specific communities where the members live, and there’s also the global church, which is every single believer across the world—and even throughout history! 5

Speaking of the church throughout history, we’ve been learning about the very early days of Jesus’ church. The came at , and He gave the disciples power to share the good news about Jesus with the world.

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More and more people heard the gospel and believed, and the early church grew.

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The followers of Jesus gave generously, worshiped God, took care of the poor, and taught others how to obey God.

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But the early church had some problems too. And we’ll hear about some of that in our story today.

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As you listen to the Bible story, listen for these things: • How did people in the early church help those in need? • What did Ananias and his wife Sapphira lie about? • Who did Peter tell them they were really lying to?

Bible Lesson Video (click on the picture below to view)

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Bible Story: (-5) (Either play the story video, or display the story picture from page 9, and read this story aloud). The early church was growing. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were telling people that Jesus had been raised from the dead. A large group of believers met together in Jerusalem. They shared everything they had. If someone had more than he needed, he gladly gave it away, so everyone had what he needed.

One man, , sold a field and gave the money to the apostles. The apostles used the money to help people in need. Everyone who had land or houses did the same. Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, sold some land and pretended to give all the money to the apostles, but they kept some of it for themselves.

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When Ananias brought the money to the apostles, Peter asked him, “Why are you lying to the Holy Spirit? You could have been honest about what you did with the money, but instead you lied—not to us, but to God.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down, died, and was buried. Everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.

About three hours later, Sapphira came to the apostles. She did not know what had happened to her husband. Peter asked her, “Is this all the money you got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said. “That’s all of it.”

Peter said, “Why did you and your husband agree to test the Lord?” Then Sapphira fell dead too. Great fear came on everyone in the church and all

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Christ Connection: Ananias and Sapphira wanted to look generous, but they were greedy. The Holy Spirit changes our hearts to want to share with those in need because Jesus generously gave all He had so we can share in His riches and have forgiveness and eternal life.

Follow-up Discussion:

The Holy Spirit was at work in the early church. What were the believers doing that showed God had changed their hearts? Look at Acts 4:32. [Allow kids to read the verse and respond.] They shared everything they had. Isn’t that amazing? The Bible says that because the believers gave so generously, no one among them needed anything. People like Barnabas sold their land and gave the money to the apostles so they could use it to help others.

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Ananias and Sapphira sold some land too. And what did they lie about? [Allow kids to respond]. They kept some of the money for themselves, but they pretended that the money they gave to the apostles was all of it. Ananias and Sapphira lied about their gift to the church. No one told them they had to give all the money. Peter said Ananias could have just been honest about how much he gave.

Why do you think Ananias and Sapphira pretended to give all the money? Look at :3-4. [Allow kids to read the verses and respond.] Ananias and Sapphira wanted people to think they were generous. They cared about receiving praise from people more than they cared about doing what is right before God.

Ananias and Sapphira both died. You see, God is serious about sin. He cares about His church and did not let the greed of two people hurt it. Everyone who heard about Ananias and Sapphira feared God. That doesn’t mean the kind of fear where you don’t like something and want

14 to get away from it. When the Bible talks about “fearing God”, it means to understand and have great respect for His power and holiness, and to realize it’s a dangerous thing to be God’s enemy. Those who fear God want to love Him and honor Him with our lives. So in our story, the church became stronger after seeing what happened to Ananias and Sapphira, because the people in the church had a great respect and awe of God and His power, and were encouraged to love and follow Him.

Key Passage: Show the verse poster. Read the verse aloud with/to kids.

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Older kids version:

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Younger kids version:

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The church is sometimes called “the body of .” Remember our Big Picture answer: the church is all everywhere, who gather together in their communities to worship and serve God. Many believers make up the church, but they work together like one body. All the parts of the body are important to do God’s work. Prayer

Father, thank You for all You do for us. Help us to fear You and draw near to You. Give us generous hearts that want to see Your mission accomplished in the world. Amen.

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Lesson Review Key Passage Review Write the words of the key passage on a dry erase board. Prompt kids to read the passage aloud. Divide into 2 teams. Then erase one word and challenge Team 1 to say the key passage, filling in the missing word. Erase another word and challenge Team 2 to say the key passage, filling in any missing words. Continue back and forth. When you have erased all the words, lead kids to say the key passage together from memory. . (If you do not have a dry erase board, simply write the words to the verse on separate index cards or pieces of paper and remove one word/card at a time).

Say• God wants Christians to live together in community, loving and supporting one another. This key passage, from Paul’s letter to believers in , helps us remember that truth. The church is made up of individual Christians, but we need one another in the same way a healthy body needs all the individual parts of a body.

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Story Questions

Show the Bible story picture (page 9). Ask the following questions and discuss the answers together: • What did those who believed in Jesus share with other believers? (everything they had) • Who sold a field and gave all the money to Jesus’ disciples? (Barnabas) • When Ananias and Sapphira sold their land, did they give all the money? (No, Acts 5:1-2) • Why did Ananias and Sapphira die? (They lied to God, Acts 5:3-4, 8-9) • Why does God want us to give money to the church? Help kids see that God doesn’t need our money. Remind them that all of creation belongs to Him. He created us and needs nothing from us. Help them see that God’s desire for us is to experience the joy that comes from generous giving. He allows us to be a part of His wonderful mission to save sinners, and He wants us to be cheerful in the way we

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participate, including by giving generously. • Do you think we should give even if we don’t want to? Encourage kids to answer this question honestly. Remind kids that sometimes the act of giving can help change our hearts to want to give. Help them see that refusal to give usually reveals sin in their hearts, even though not giving isn’t itself sinful.

Extended discussions for older kids: • What does it mean to fear God? Prompt kids to recall that when people heard about what happened to Ananias and Sapphira, they were filled with fear. Fearing God does not mean being afraid of Him; it means respecting Him and showing Him honor because of how great He is. (Option: Choose a volunteer to read Exodus. 20:20.) • Have you ever done a good thing for a bad reason? Do you think our motives matter to God? Why? Invite kids to share their experiences. Emphasize that why we do things is just as important as what we do.

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God is not honored when we do what is right just to impress others or earn their approval. God is pleased when we do what is right—as long as we are motivated by our love for Him. (Option: Choose a volunteer to read Galatians. 1:10.)

Activity: Decorate Offering Envelopes Encourage kids to decorate mailing envelopes to use as offering envelopes. (Or decorate any other kind of bag or box that could be used as a collection “bank”). Talk with kids about planning to give to missions or the general church fund over the next few weeks. If kids do not have money to give, encourage them to write on an index card a way they could serve the church with their time or talents.

Say• Ananias and Sapphira lied about their gift to the church. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to look generous, but they were greedy. We can give joyfully to God because everything we have is a gift from God. When the early believers shared everything they had, they showed 22 that they loved God and trusted Him to take care of their needs. Do you trust God like that? What might be keeping you from trusting Him in that way? The Holy Spirit changes our hearts to want to share with those in need because Jesus generously gave all He had so we can share in His riches and have forgiveness and eternal life.

Activity pages Older kids (3rd-5th grade) journal and activity sheets: Pages 24-25 Younger kids (1st-2nd grade) coloring and activity sheet: Pages 26-27 Preschool (age 4 to kindergarten) activity sheet: Page 28

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