Acts 5:12-42 - Rocky Mountain Calvary



Acts 5:12-42

The Persecution of the Church

Scripture: Acts 5:12-42

Memory Verse: “We ought to obey God rather than man.” Acts 15:29b

Lesson Focus: We must speak about Jesus even in the bad times.

Activities and Crafts: Coloring Picture; Christians are Persecuted Sheet (for 3rd-5th            Graders.)

            Craft for 1st and 2nd graders: The Apostles Megaphone:

1. Give each child the megaphone to color

2. Tell them that the pictures on this megaphone show some of the things that happened in the book of Acts. But even though they were put into prison, they still told others about Jesus.

3. Tape the megaphone together so that they can tell others about Jesus.

Introduction: Show and Tell:

Ask the kids if they remember “show and tell?” What is something that they have brought to show and tell before? Have them stand in front of the class and “pretend” to show and tell about something that is important to them.

Lesson:

Review:

√ Who remembers what happened in the book of Acts last week?                   (Ananias and Sapphira both died)

Read Acts 5:11

√ Why do you think that the people were afraid?

√ Do you think that God wants us to have a spirit of fear?

√ Is there a good fear of God to have?

God has always wanted our hearts to be totally His. He is a jealous God, which means that He wants to have first place in our hearts. That requires a real honesty that we need to have with God and with our selves. Deuteronomy 5:8-10.

The first Church has just gone through an internal struggle. The devil probably thought this was a great way to stop the spread of the message of Jesus. But he was wrong!

Acts 5:12-13: The Condition of the Church!

√ What was the condition of the Church from these verses?

1. The apostles were doing many signs and wonders

2. They were united

3. They were respected

Acts 5:15-16: The Response!

√ How did the multitude respond to the message that they were hearing

1. Many believers were added (multitudes)

2. They brought those out that needed healing

3. People were coming from all around the region

√ How many were healed according to 5:16?

Acts 5:17-18: The Problem!

√ How did the High Priest, and the Saducees react to what was going on?

√ What did they do? (put them all in jail)

After Ananias and Sapphira the church continued to grow. But persecution is about to come to the first church. This will not be their first or last time they will be imprisoned for Jesus.

Acts 5:19-21: The Rescue!

√ Who came to their rescue? (an angel)

√ What did the angel do? (opened the prison doors and brought them out)

√ What did the Angel tell them to do? (Go, stand in the temple and speak         to the people all the words of this life.)

√ Did the Angel tell them to go and hide?

√ Did the Angel tell them to be careful?

√ Do you think that it would be a cool thing to be rescued by an angel?

We don’t know if God had the guards go to sleep, or if he made the apostles invisible and led them out while the guards where still there. We aren’t given the details. But what we do know is that God intervened and broke them out of prison with out one door being unlocked and with out one guard seeing them. What an encouragement to the Apostles to know that God could rescue them at any time. It was all up to God!

We know from church history that these guys weren’t always rescued:

1. Matthew was killed by the sword

2. Mark died in Alexandria after being dragged through the streets

3. Luke hanged

4. Peter hanged (upside down)

5. John banished to a remote island and beaten

6. James was beheaded

And we could go on and on….God did not always rescue them, but this time He did because He had a lot of work for them to do.

√ Did the Angel tell them to be careful with the words they used?

No! The Angel told them to go to the temple the most public place and to speak the words of life.

√ What are the Words of Life?

John 14:6, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to                 the Father except through me.”

John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.                The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

1 John 1:1-2; “That which was from the beginning, which we have    heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked    upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of    Life…the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear    witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the    Father an was manifested to us.”

√ What did the apostles do? (They entered the temple in the morning and                                    taught.)

It does not matter if people want to hear about Jesus or not. It does not matter if they do not like what we say. It does not matter if they like us. It does not matter if they are mean to us. What does matter is that we tell other about Jesus. This is what the church was left here to do! We have the words of eternal life!

Acts 5:21b-28; The Court

1. The High Priest calls the counsel together

2. They sent officers to the prison to have them brought to the counsel

3. They officers did not find them in the prison

√ What did the officers report? (That they found the prison locked up securely and guards outside before their doors, but when they opened them, no one was inside.)

√ What do you think the guards thought about this?

√ From verse 5:24, does the High Priest know what to do?

√ What message does someone bring in 5:25?

√ Who did they send to get the Apostles? (The Captain and his officers)

√ Did the Apostles put up a fight? (no violence)

√ What did the officers fear? (the people that they would be stoned)

√ What did the High Priest ask the Apostles?

1. We told you to not teach about Jesus.

2. You are filling Jerusalem with your doctrine.

3. You are trying to make us responsible for the blood of Jesus.

Acts 5:29-32; The Answer!

√ Who does Peter say they will obey? (God)

√ What does Peter tell them about Jesus?

1. The Jewish people murdered Jesus?

2. God has exalted Jesus to sit at His right hand in Heaven

3. Jesus is our Prince and Savior

4. In Jesus we have repentance and forgiveness of our sins

5. We (the apostles) are witnesses to all of this. (we saw Jesus with our own eyes)

6. The Holy Spirit is also a witness and is given to everyone who believes.

The Apostles answered back with honesty and the power of the Holy Spirit. They did not give in to these men, because they had power and were the great teachers. They stood up for God just like Daniel did in the Old Testament and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

√ Do you remember what these men did for God? Daniel 3:16-18

These apostles obeyed God. They had the power of the Holy Spirit because they were obedient to doing what God wanted them to do. They emptied themselves of any fears that they had and followed God with their whole heart.

Acts 5:33-40; The Response!

√ How did the Court respond to what Peter said in 5:33?

1. They were furious (cut to the quick or literally “sawn through”)

2. They wanted to kill them

√ Who is Gamaliel? (a Pharisee, who was a teacher of the law and respected)

√ What did he say?

1. Be careful how you respond to these men

2. He gives an example of another man

a. Theudas – rose up claiming to be someone

b. About 400 men joined his cause

c. He died

d. And everyone that followed him scattered and had no one to follow.

e. He thinks that the same thing will happen with these men that follow Jesus.

f. He tells them to leave them alone if this men are following just a man

g. But then he tells them if they are following God then there is nothing they can do to stop it and you do not want to fight against God

√ What do you think that the court thought of what Gamaliel said?

(they listened to him)

√ What did they do to the Apostles?

1. The beat them

2. Told them not to talk of Jesus.

3. They let them go.

Acts 5:41-42: The Response!

√ How did the Apostles respond?

1. They left rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for Jesus.

√ How do you respond when you receive punishment?

2. They did not cease teaching about Jesus (daily)

Conclusion:

What can we apply from this lesson?

1. We must tell others about Jesus

2. We must not fear what man can do or say to us

3. We must understand that God is in control and we can have joy in every circumstance.

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