Hey everyone!

So sorry this is so late, but do try to take some time to prepare this lesson as I didn't give clear answers for some questions, especially for application and reflection. If you've any questions regarding the lesson do let me know! :)

Cindy

Acts 5: Trust

Main Point: Trusting God is seen in actions, not words. It is choosing to do what God says even when it doesn’t make sense to us or may even seem to make us worse off.

Background:

Trust. One of the shortest and yet most significant and powerful words in English. We use it freely all the time in our speech, sometimes not quite understanding the particular significance that particular word has. When someone says ‘ I trust you’ , what exactly does it mean? And more importantly, when we say we trust God...well...what exactly is trusting God to begin with? As we go through this lesson, ask yourself these questions. What does it mean to trust God? How do we trust God? Why do we trust God?

Hook: (10 min)

For this lesson’s hook, I think we can use the simple trust fall exercise to get them thinking about trust. Basically, they can pair up and take turns falling and catching each other. Keep the rules strict so they actually experience the freefall before being caught.

While doing the exercise, take note of the times when they seem hesitant or do not follow the rules exactly, eg. Taking a step back, getting the partner to stand closer etc.

The main learning point from this hook is to show that trust is an action with the right motives. Maybe some of us did the trust fall only because the leaders told us to, but didn’t really trust our friend. Even if we agree to trust someone, it is the actions we take in the end that really show our trust.

Lesson Proper:

Read Acts 5:1-11

1) What happened at the end of Chapter 4? (Recap)

Followers shared everything à no needy people. They even sold their property and land so the needs of the other Christians could be met. In chapter we just read, Ananias and Sapphira did just that.

2) What do you think Ananias and Sapphira were guilty of? Weren’t they doing a good deed by donating money to the church?

A &S sold their field and claimed to have handed over ALL their earnings to the Church. However, as seen in the passage, they did not. Instead, what they did shows 2 things:

a. they did not trust God enough to provide for their needs and wanted the money for security. But you know...the one thing you can’t do is lie to God. Coz God looks at your heart.

b. They deliberately tried to deceive people into thinking that they were being more selfless and generous than they actually were, i.e. being hypocrites, pretending to trust God. Look at Matt 6:5-8. Here we see the selfish nature of man in wanting to gain credit where he should not have it.

Note: to simplify things, I did not talk about why they had to die for something that doesn’t seem so serious. However, if your students ask, it may be good to explain things further to them.

Take a look at Luke 21:1-4

3) What do you think it is about the widow that makes her different from A&S?

4) How is this trusting God?

The widow that we read about in Luke actually does something very significant. When we read of her putting in the two coins-her all- we all think wow, that’s very generous giving away all her income to God. What we sometimes miss out, is just how much a step of trusting God this woman has taken. By putting in all her money, the woman was essentially saying in a way that ‘ God I am trusting you for everything in my life’. Women, back in those days had absolutely no means of supporting themselves financially, ie. it was thus very difficult for the widow to even EARN back the money she gave to God. We need only look at Ruth to see just how difficult widow’s lives were. So essentially what we have here is a woman who not only gives her all to God, putting not only her needs and wants after honouring God, but one who also puts her entire life in God’s hands, saying in an extraordinary statement of faith that ‘God, I trust you’.

So, to summarise, in order to trust someone, we need to choose to do what God says even when it doesn’t make sense to us or may even seem to make us worse off.

Read the rest of Acts 5.

5) How would you describe the disciple’s behaviour?

6) Why do you think they were willing to take such bold steps?

In this case, they trusted God and realised that what they were doing was important to Him. So, in order for us to show that we trust God, we also have to know what God wants us to do and strive towards.

7) What are these things that are important in this world?

The things that last (v 33-42). There are many things in this world that may be important to us, but what will happen to those things after we are gone? Many a time, they are just passed on to other people through our wills, sometimes they even get lost. Ultimately, we don’t get to keep them at all. In light of this, shouldn’t we be even more enthusiastic about securing ‘things’ that are eternal, ‘things’ that we can bring to heaven? Matt 6:19-20. While the bible has been vague about treasures specifically, you can be sure that by doing God’s important work of touching lives and reaching out to men, we are storing up ‘treasure’ for ourselves? Who knows, maybe the ‘treasure’ that we gain is actually the happiness at knowing that the people we love are saved. One thing we know for sure though, the greatest treasure we gain in continuing God’s great work is that the more we do God’s work, the stronger and closer our relationship with Him. And that in many ways is the greatest treasure.

8) Why do you think it is important to have the right mindset in doing things for God?

If we look at the disciples, the widow, and A&S. What is it that set the disciples and widow apart? Matt 19:30. Both A&S and the young man in this passage showed that they did not have the right mindset behind serving God. In the case of A&S, the consequences are played out more straightforwardly as death, but in the case of the young man we can see that because he did not start out with the right intentions, he did not carry through what he thought he had set down in his mind to do. Putting it another way, he started the race, but did not finish it. Many times when we are doing things for God, we may have to go through trials and suffering. It’s not fun and many a time even painful. It’s only by having the right mindset of doing it for God and realising that the things we do are important things that we should keep doing no matter what that we are able to keep going. Seemingly kind and good acts that are in fact sparked by selfish ambition will not last under the fire of persecution.

Application/Reflection

If we truly do our work just for God, then even under trials and suffering we will keep going for ‘the Joy of the Lord is your strength’.

In tough times we trust God to protect and provide. If we stop, is it because we don’t trust God?

What do you think about trusting God?