Screen Notes

(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.)

For Kids:  No doubt you’ve been told by your parents that being honest is important in your family. It’s also important in God’s family, the church.  

• Who are we ultimately being honest to in the church? 
• How does dishonestly cause problems within the church? 
• In what way was Barnabas a good example of honesty in the church? 

For Discussion:

• Sermon Recap

1.  Some people look at examples in Acts as commands for a type of communal living.  
a. What in Acts 4:32–5:11 seems to support that view?  
b. What in the passage refutes that view? 
2. The early believers shared something much more important than their goods.  
a. What was it (Acts 4:32–33)?  
b. What does such sharing look like for the modern church? 
3. In what ways is Barnabas a good example for all Christians (Acts 4:36–37)?   
4. While remembering to distinguish between description and prescription in Acts, what should we learn from Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:1–11)?    5. In addition to the sin of lying to God, what underlying sinful behavior does Ananias display as a husband? 
5. How should we grasp the fact that God killed Ananias and Sapphira while also recognizing the biblical idea that God provides a refuge for sinners (Acts 5:1–11; Psalm 2:11–12)?

• Going Deeper:  
  1. One major critique of Christianity is the doctrine of the Trinity (God is triune—one God expressed in three persons—God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit). Affirmation of the Trinity is also foundational to the Christian faith, so it is important for Christians to be able to defend this doctrine with Scripture.  What affirmation of the Trinity do we see in Acts 5:3–4?  
• 
  
  2. We are going to look at other Scripture passages that affirm the doctrine of the Trinity. Leader, choose one of the following approaches for discussion:  
     • Have people partner in groups of 2-3 and assign to each group to read one of the sections of Scripture below. After a few minutes have them share their answers to the questions.  
     • Read the Scripture in each section aloud to the whole group and ask the questions.

• Answers to each sections questions are listed on a separate page at the end that can be excluded if you distribute this to BFG participants in advance of the group gathering.
   
  Section 1— Deuteronomy 6:4–5; 32:39 
  • From what part of the Bible do these questions come (OT or NT)? What do these passages teach us about God?  
  •  Section 2—Mark 12:29; 1 Corinthians 8:4; James 2:9 
    • From what part of the Bible do these questions come (OT or NT)? What do these passages teach us about God?
        
  • Section 3— Psalm 45:6–7; 110:1; Zechariah 12:10 
    • From what part of the Bible do these questions come (OT or NT)? What do these passages teach us about the Son?
        
  • Section 4— John 1:1,14; 8:58; 20:28; Philippians 2:10–11 
    • From what part of the Bible do these questions come (OT or NT)? What do these passages teach us about Jesus?
        
  • Section 5— Genesis 1:2; Psalm 139:7; Isaiah 63:10 
    • From what part of the Bible do these questions come (OT or NT)? What do these passages teach us about the Holy Spirit?
        
  • Section 6—Acts 5:3–4; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17 
    • From what part of the Bible do these questions come (OT or NT)? What do these passages teach us about the Holy Spirit?
        
  • Section 7—Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16–17; John 14:16–17; John 15:26 
    • What do these passages teach us about the uniqueness of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? 
        
  • Section 8—Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2 
    • What do these passages teach us about the unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
    • What we just looked at is a general (non-exhaustive) overview of Scripture concerning the nature of God as triune. Based on these passages alone, what can we safely conclude about the doctrine of the Trinity? 
        
• Application:  
  1. Why is it important for church members to understand the doctrine of the Trinity?  
  2. While God does not typically strike people dead for lying to the church the way he did Ananias and Saphira, we should all take the warning very seriously. Are you holding on to any lies that you should confess to someone in an appropriate manner? (Leader, use discretion on this question. Sexual sin should not be confessed in a mixed gender group. Nor should someone call out another person’s sin in front of the group.)   
  3.  What ways do you need to apply this lesson to your life this week?   

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