Summary

We will either be a good example or a horrible warning to others with our lives. We learn from Acts 5:1-14 that holding back even one area of your life from God can cause destruction. Our God is serious about removing sin from where He dwells, and we should be too.

Discussion Questions

1. Todd taught us that confession is the communication of your sin and repentance is the act of turning from that sin. Do you regularly confess and repent of your sins within your community group? How can you grow at counseling one another biblically (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 18:15-17 and Galatians 6:1-2) in light of confession and repentance? How does Proverbs 28:13; James 5:16 speak to our responsibility to live authentically and forsake our folly.
2. In Acts 4:36-37 Barnabas is described as a man who is willing to serve and give everything, “for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24). Is your life marked by these things? Has your life been radically changed (“shaken”) since coming to know Jesus Christ as your Savior? If so, share one way in which God has transformed you in light of this gift.
3. We see an example of a horrible warning through Ananias and his wife beginning in Acts 5:1. They desire the praise of men and hold tight to their love of possessions and a way that seems right to them. As that always does, it ends in their death (Proverbs 14:12). How do you respond to people you know and love whose lives seem to be a horrible warning right now? How are you doing at boldly speaking up?
4. Is there anything in your life you are trying to get away with? Is there a place in your heart or a practice of your life that you are withholding from God? How are you doing at giving your whole life to God?
5. We are all one unwise decision away from destruction creeping into our lives. Based on the patterns in your life, what would your one decision be? Where are you prone to be enticed to follow the lies of the enemy? How can you place safeguards in your life to keep you from falling? Read Eph 6:10-18 and Hebrews 3:13 for ideas.