LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS
In Acts 4:32–5:11, we see the early church at both its best and one also at one of its lowest moments. The believers in Jerusalem were united in heart, sharing generously so that no one among them went without. Many sold land or houses and gave the proceeds to the apostles, including a man named Joseph (called Barnabas), who was highly respected for his generosity. Into this beautiful picture of unity step Ananias and his wife Sapphira. They also sold a piece of property, but secretly agreed to keep back part of the money for themselves while claiming, publicly, that they had given it all. When Peter confronted Ananias, he made it clear that the couple hadn’t simply misled the church, they had lied to the Holy Spirit. Ananias fell dead on the spot. Hours later, unaware of what had happened, Sapphira repeated the same lie and met the same fate. A wave of holy fear swept through the young church.
It’s worth noting what the actual sin was. Ananias and Sapphira were never required to give all the proceeds. They were free to keep as much as they wanted. Their downfall was deception, not generosity level. This moment sits at a critical point in church history. A young, rapidly growing body of believers needed to understand, from the very beginning, that God cannot be fooled and that honesty with Him matters deeply. For preschoolers, the takeaway is God always knows the truth, so we should always tell Him the truth. We should tell others the truth, too.
PLAY ROOM 8:45–9:00
Children will be dropped off in the playroom between 8:45–9:00 a.m. Allow them to play freely as they arrive. Transition them to the classroom at 9:00 a.m.
OPENING ACTIVITY 9:00–9:15 | Treasure Coin Dig
Items Needed:
- Kinetic sand + bin
- Plastic gold coins or play money
Hide plastic coins in the kinetic sand. Let children dig with their hands or small scoops to find the “treasure.” As they find each coin, encourage them to put every coin they find into a shared basket, no keeping secret coins in their pockets, setting up the idea of giving everything, not just some.
BIBLE STORY 9:15–9:25
Question 1: Where is this found in the Bible? Acts
Question 2: Is this in the Old Testament or New Testament? New Testament
Boys and girls, a long time ago, right after Jesus went back up to heaven, His friends started the very first church.
Lots and lots of people believed in Jesus. The Bible says they were all one heart and one soul. That means they loved each other so much, they acted like one big family.
Some people in the church had a lot, and some people didn’t have very much. So the people who had houses or fields sold them.
Then they brought ALL the money to the apostles. The apostles gave the money to anyone who needed food or a place to stay. No one in the whole church went hungry,
There was a man named Joseph. The apostles even gave him a new name, Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.” Can you say “Barnabas”? [Wait for response] Joseph sold his field and brought ALL the money to the apostles.
But two people in the church did something different. Their names were Ananias and Sapphira.
Ananias and Sapphira sold a field too, just like Joseph did. But they made a secret plan. [Whisper] They decided to keep some of the money for themselves, but tell everyone they gave it ALL.
Ananias brought part of the money to Peter, but he said it was everything. Peter knew the truth, because God had shown him. Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill your heart to lie? You didn’t just lie to us, you lied to God!”
Should we ever lie to God? [Wait for kids to answer “no”] That’s right, no!
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died right there.
About three hours later, Sapphira came in. She didn’t know what had happened to her husband. Peter asked her the same question about the money, and she told the very same lie. She died, too.
Everyone in that first church learned something very serious that day. They learned God always knows the truth, even secrets. Let’s whisper together, “God knows the truth.” [Whisper it together] Now let’s say it LOUD! [Say it loud together]
Object Lesson: The Hidden Coin [Hold up a small clear jar and a handful of play coins] Watch me put coins in the jar, just like the people in the first church brought ALL their money to the apostles. [Drop coins in one at a time, counting out loud] Can you count with me? [Count together]
Now watch. [Secretly slip one coin behind your back before dropping the “rest” in] I’m going to tell you I put ALL my coins in the jar. [Hold up the jar] But wait… [Reveal the hidden coin from behind your back] I actually kept one hidden! Even though you didn’t see it at first, did the coin disappear? [Wait for kids to answer “no”] That’s right, it was still there the whole time. God can always see the things we try to hide, just like He saw Ananias and Sapphira’s secret. God always knows the truth.
Theological Questions:
- Why did the people in the first church share everything they had? [Because they loved each other like family and no one wanted anyone to go without]
- Does God know when we tell a lie, even a secret one? [Yes]
Life Application Questions:
- Can you think of a way you could share something of yours with a friend, just like the first church shared?
- What should we do if we make a mistake and want to tell the truth?
Prayer: Dear God, thank You that Your Word says, “Do not lie to each other” (Colossians 3:9). Help our hearts and mouths to always speak the truth and share generously, just like the first church did. Amen.
WORSHIP IN SONG 9:25–9:35
PRAYER 9:35–9:45 a.m.
Transition kids to the floor for prayer time. Pray for honest hearts that always tell the truth, even when it’s hard.
BIBLE VERSE GAME 9:45–9:55 | Where’s the Coin?
Items Needed:
- One small “coin”
Choose one child to be the “seeker.” The seeker sits in the front of the circle with their back turned and eyes covered. Place the coin on the floor behind them. Quietly point to another child to sneak up, take the coin, and hide it behind their back before sitting back down. Lead the whole group in chanting together, “Where, oh where, is our coin today?” Then the seeker turns around and gets three guesses to point to who is hiding it.
After each round, pause and connect it back to the lesson: “Even when the coin was hidden, it didn’t disappear, it was still there the whole time! Just like Ananias and Sapphira tried to hide part of their money, but God still knew the truth.” Play multiple rounds so different children get a turn as the seeker.
BIBLE CRAFT 9:55–10:10 | Liar Balloon Pop
Items Needed
- Balloons
- Permanent Marker
Start with one balloon. Ask children to name different ways we lie to others and write those words on different balloons. Slowly blow up the balloons explaining that a lie may seem small at first, but it grows in ways we never know.
Once all of the lie balloons are blown up, have children form a line and race to pop the balloons.
SNACK TIME & BIBLE STORY VIDEO 10:10–10:25
Pass out snacks and allow kids time to eat while they watch the Bible story video.
BONUS ACTIVITY | Honesty with Pepper and Sugar
Items Needed
- Pepper
- Sugar
- Clear Bowl
- Water
- Bar of Soap
First, sprinkle some black pepper in a clear bowl of water. Tell your child, the pepper is their friends. Next, show them the bar of soap. This represents lies. Hold the tip of the soap in the water next to the black pepper. (The pepper should move away from the soap to the edges of the bowl.) What happened? When we tell lies, people don’t trust us, they don’t want to be around us. Just like the pepper moved away from the soap.
Now, grab the sugar. This represents telling the truth to others. Using a spoon, slowly pour the sugar into the bowl. (The pepper should follow it.) This is what happens when we tell the truth! It’s the opposite reaction as the bar of soap. When we choose to be truthful, others trust us and they will want to be around us.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (Acts 4:32–5:11)
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
STORY IMAGE
Prompt for image generation:
“A realistic watercolor painting, square format, 1080×1080 pixels, depicting a simple scene of a first-century couple standing together in front of an apostle in an early Christian gathering, ancient Middle Eastern clothing, soft warm lighting, minimal background with only a few simple architectural elements suggesting Jerusalem, gentle and reverent mood, realistic human proportions and faces, muted earth-tone color palette, no text or writing in the image.”
PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET
Today’s Key Takeaway: God speaks the truth
What I learned today: Today we learned about Ananias and Sapphira, who lied about the money they gave to the church. We learned that God always knows the truth, even when we try to hide something. We learned that because God always tells us the truth, we should always tell the truth too.
Questions to ask me:
Theological Questions:
- Does God always know when we tell the truth or a lie? (Yes)
- Why can we always trust what God says? (Because God always speaks the truth)
- Who did Ananias and Sapphira really lie to, even though they thought they were only lying to people? (God/the Holy Spirit)
- What does the Bible verse Colossians 3:9 tell us to do? (Not lie to each other)
- Why does God want us to be honest? (Because He loves us and truth keeps us close to Him)
Life Application Questions: 6. What should we do if we make a mistake? (Tell the truth about it, say sorry) 7. Is it ever okay to hide the truth from someone to make ourselves look good? (No) 8. What can we say instead of a lie when we did something wrong? (I’m sorry, I made a mistake) 9. Who can we talk to if it feels hard to tell the truth? (A parent, teacher, or trusted grown-up) 10. How can we show God we love Him by the way we talk? (By always telling the truth)