Acts 5–6

The church is growing rapidly, the power of God is on full display, and the opposition is intensifying. Acts 5 and 6 show us what happens when both internal compromise and external persecution attempt to derail the move of God. Read both chapters fully before working through this lesson. Pay close attention to how God handles deception within the church, and how the church handles its growing pains with wisdom.

Verses 1-11: Ananias and Sapphira

Immediately after the beautiful picture of generosity in Acts 4, we meet Ananias and Sapphira — a husband and wife who sold a piece of property but secretly kept back part of the proceeds while pretending to give the full amount. This was not simply a financial decision. It was a lie — and Peter made clear who they were lying to.

Ananias fell dead immediately. Three hours later his wife Sapphira came in, unaware of what had happened. Peter gave her the opportunity to tell the truth. She repeated the lie. She fell dead at his feet. Great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard of it.

Verses 12-16: Signs and Wonders Increase

Despite — or perhaps because of — the holy fear that fell on the church, the apostles continued performing many signs and wonders. People brought the sick into the streets on beds and mats so that even Peter’s shadow might fall on them. Multitudes came from surrounding cities. Every one of them was healed.

Notice: the shadow of a Spirit-filled man carried healing virtue. This was not Peter’s power. It was the overflow of the Holy Ghost dwelling in him. The physical body of a truly Spirit-filled believer becomes a carrier of God’s presence.

Verses 17-42: Arrested, Released, Flogged, Rejoicing

The high priest and the Sadducees were filled with jealousy and threw the apostles into prison. That night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and told them to go stand in the temple and speak all the words of this life. At daybreak they were teaching in the temple again.

When the council discovered the prison was empty but the apostles were back in the temple preaching, they brought them before the Sanhedrin again. Peter’s declaration was unchanged: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Gamaliel, a respected Pharisee, counseled the council to leave them alone — if this was of men it would fail, but if it was of God they could not stop it.

They beat the apostles and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, then released them. And the apostles departed rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. They did not stop. Every day in the temple and from house to house they did not cease to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Verses 1-7: The First Church Conflict and Its Solution

The church was multiplying rapidly and a problem arose. The Hellenistic Jews — Greek-speaking Jews from outside Judea — complained that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food compared to the Hebrew-speaking widows. This was a real, practical, justice issue inside the church. It threatened unity.

The apostles’ response was wise and decisive. They did not ignore the complaint. They also did not let it pull them away from prayer and the ministry of the Word. They called the whole group together and established a principle that has governed church leadership ever since: identify the need, designate Spirit-filled people to meet it, and let the primary leaders stay focused on prayer and the Word.

The qualifications for this service role were not administrative skill or seniority. They were character: honest report, full of the Holy Ghost, and wisdom. Seven men were chosen. Among them were Stephen, full of faith and power, and Philip, who would soon take the Gospel to Samaria and beyond.

The result was remarkable. The Word of God increased. The number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. And a great company of the priests — the very religious establishment that had been trying to stop the church — were obedient to the faith. When the church handles its internal conflicts with the wisdom of the Spirit, the outside world takes notice.

Verses 8-15: Stephen Is Seized

Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and miracles among the people. Opposition arose from members of several synagogues — they disputed with Stephen and could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. Unable to defeat him in argument, they resorted to false accusation. They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes. They brought Stephen before the council with fabricated witnesses who claimed he had spoken blasphemous words against Moses and against God.

As Stephen stood before the council, all who sat in it looked steadfastly at him and saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. He was not afraid. He was not angry. He was filled with the Holy Ghost, and it showed on his face. His response — one of the greatest sermons in the New Testament — awaits us in Acts 7.