(Note: For remote participants and BFG leaders, these questions are meant to be used in conjunction with the pastor’s sermon. Attempting to use these questions absent the sermon’s teaching could lead to unbiblical or unhelpful conclusions.)

I. Christ’s church will not be stopped . . .
1. by corruption—internal threat (vv. 12–16)  
2. by intimidation— external threat (vv. 17–26)
II. The reason Christ’s church will not be stopped is because it belongs to Christ (vv. 27–32).
III. How we react when someone tries to stop us—we rejoice (vv. 41–42).

For Kids:  This passage contains some amazing and true things God did at this time. Can you figure out why God did them?  

• Why did the religious leaders mistreat and threaten the church? 
• How did Peter and the church respond? 
• How does it make you feel knowing that God’s mission cannot be stopped by threats? 

For Discussion:
Sermon Recap

•  What are the two possible identities for “they” and “them” in Acts 5:12–13?  
  • Option #1 —Luke could have been saying the other Christians were afraid to join the apostles in doing signs and wonders.  
  • Option #2 —Luke could have been saying the non-Christians were afraid to join the believers in Solomon’s Portico.  
  • Either option provides for right, biblical applications. What are they?  
• What were the results of the apostles’ signs and wonders (Acts 5:14–16)?  
  • How do these results point back to Jesus?  
  • Why is it important for us to make the connection between what the apostles were doing and what Jesus did?  
• Acts 5:17 is the first of four uses in this passage of the Greek word “anistémi,” meaning “rise up,” or “stand up.”    
  • Compare and contrast all four uses (Acts 5:17, 34, 36, 37). What do you see?  
  • Acts 5:41 then provides the Greek conjunction, “oun,” meaning, “therefore,” highlighting the reaction of the apostles to all the “rising up.” How do the apostles differ from those who rose up in the passage?  
• Peter’s response in Acts 5:29 was that they “must obey God rather than men.” What did he mean by that statement and how does it inform a Christian’s responsibility to earthly authority?  

Going Deeper

• [Leader, have everyone turn to 1 Peter 4 and ask someone to read verses 12–19.] 
• Who is the author? (see 1 Pet. 1:1—the same Peter from Acts 5.) 
• What is Peter’s main point in this passage?  
  • Why is he making that point?  
  • Does Peter’s point apply to Christians today (see Matt. 5:11–12; 10:22; Luke 9:23; John 15:20)?  
• What did Peter mean by the phrase, “it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God” (1 Pet. 4:17)?  
  • [God judges his people, Christians, in that he weighs them, finds them innocent because of their association with Christ, and refines them in this life as an act of sanctification. That same judgment is weighed upon those who have rejected the gospel; they are found lacking in their sin and are cast away.  
  • “The fire of God’s holiness is so intense that even the righteous feel pain in its discipline. The impious (a godless person, a person without true reverence for God) and sinner will, by implication, find it to be a fire of eternal destruction.” —Wayne Grudem (The First Epistle of Peter: An Introduction and Commentary, 191)] 
• What conclusion does Peter draw from the reality of Christian suffering (1 Pet. 4:19)?  
• How did the apostles react in Acts 5:41–42 to suffering and dishonor? How ought their reaction inspire Christians today toward faithfulness?  

Application

• How do Acts 5:12–42 and 1 Peter 4:12–19 encourage you as a believer?  
• How ought non-believers respond to these passages?  
• What is the main thrust, ambition, or aim of your life right now? If you were to suffer for it, could you rejoice that your suffering is for Christ? If the answer is no, what might change it to a yes?  

Questions are welcome! Post them in the Sermon Discussion group of our WhatsApp chat community.