Single lesson
The First Believers Share Their Lives
Acts 2:42–47; Acts 4:32–37
This lesson helps children follow the order of the passage and notice both the believers’ actions and God’s work among them. They will see shared learning, prayer, generosity, awe, testimony about Jesus, and the care shown when needs were met.
Before you teach
Acts 2:42–47 describes the believers continuing steadily in teaching, fellowship, breaking bread and prayer. The passage also says awe came on every soul, many wonders and signs were done through the apostles, and the Lord added people day by day. Acts 4:32–37 returns to this shared life, including the apostles’ testimony, great grace on them all, and Barnabas’s example.
Students will be able to put the account in order and name at least three actions of the believers and two actions of God described in Acts 2:42–47 and Acts 4:32–37.
Welcome: Listen for shared life and God’s work
5 minIntroduce a few key words from the passage: teaching, fellowship, prayer, awe, praise and need. Tell the children to listen for what the believers kept doing together, and also for what God and the apostles are said to do in these verses. Read the passage aloud slowly once through.
Acts 2:42, Acts 2:43, Acts 2:45, Acts 2:47, Acts 4:33
Read and explain: Put the account in order
8 minRead Acts 2:42–47 again and sequence it clearly. First, the believers continued in teaching, fellowship, breaking bread and prayer. Next, awe came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Then the believers stayed together, shared possessions, ate with gladness, praised God, and the Lord added people day by day.
Acts 2:42, Acts 2:43, Acts 2:44, Acts 2:45, Acts 2:46, Acts 2:47
Discuss: What choices and outcomes do we see?
6 minNow read Acts 4:32–37. The believers are described as of one heart and soul, with all things in common. Owners sold lands or houses so distribution could be made according to need. The apostles gave testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. Barnabas is one named example.
Acts 4:32, Acts 4:33, Acts 4:34, Acts 4:35, Acts 4:36, Acts 4:37
Make and respond: Build the sequence cards
7 minChildren make simple cards with words or drawings for key parts of the passage: teaching, prayer, awe, wonders and signs, sharing possessions, meals with gladness, praise, the apostles’ testimony, great grace, and Barnabas bringing money. In pairs, they place the cards in order and explain which verse supports each card.
Acts 2:42, Acts 2:43, Acts 2:46, Acts 2:47, Acts 4:33, Acts 4:37
Closing: What does this teach about God and people?
4 minReview both parts of the passage. The people shared, prayed, ate together and cared for those in need. God’s work is also named: the Lord added to the assembly day by day, and great grace was on them all. Finish by asking each child to say one true sentence from the passage about God or people.
Acts 2:45, Acts 2:47, Acts 4:32, Acts 4:33, Acts 4:34
Questions to explore
What four things did the believers continue in at the start of the passage, and what happened next?
Start with the list in Acts 2:42, then add the next detail from Acts 2:43 about awe and the wonders and signs done through the apostles.
Acts 2:42, Acts 2:43
How did the believers respond when someone had need?
Use the wording from Acts 2:45 and Acts 4:34–35 to describe selling possessions and making distribution according to need.
Acts 2:45, Acts 4:34, Acts 4:35
What does Acts 4:33 say the apostles were doing, and what else was on all the believers?
Read the whole verse carefully so you include both the testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and the statement that great grace was on them all.
Acts 4:33
Make, think or respond
Shared Life Sequence Cards
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or textas
- scissors
- Bible
Try it together
- Read Acts 2:42–47 and Acts 4:32–37 together.
- Ask children to make 6 to 8 small cards with a picture or short label for key parts of the passage, including awe, wonders and signs, praise, testimony, and Barnabas bringing money.
- Mix the cards up and have children work in pairs to place them in a sensible order from the passage.
- Invite each pair to explain one card and tell which verse supports it.
The cards help children follow the sequence of the account and notice both the believers’ shared life and God’s work named in the passage.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, provide spoken prompts for the cards and reduce the set to five ideas: teaching and prayer, awe, sharing, glad meals and praise, and Barnabas giving.
- For older or more confident children, ask them to sort the cards into two groups after sequencing: actions of the believers and actions or gifts of God named in the passage.
An optional closing prayer
You may pray: “God, thank you for this passage about believers learning, praying and sharing together. Please help us understand what you did among them, including adding people and giving grace. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Acts 2
42 They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer.
43 Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
44 All who believed were together, and had all things in common.
45 They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need.
46 Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 4
32 The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Not one of them claimed that anything of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
33 With great power, the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Great grace was on them all.
34 For neither was there among them any who lacked, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each, according as anyone had need.
36 Joses, who by the apostles was also called Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race,
37 having a field, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.