Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
The Story of Ananias and Sapphira
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Discover the shocking story of Ananias and Sapphira—a powerful reminder that God values honesty and truth. In this short Bible story from Acts 4:32-37; 5:1-11, Peter confronts Ananias for lying to the Holy Spirit, teaching children that God sees our hearts and loves truth.
This fun, Bible alliteration lesson can be used as a stand alone lesson or with Lesson 9, "Don’t Lie," from our
God’s Top Ten
Bible lessons.
When a word that begins with "L" is spoken, children make the hand sign for “Don’t lie,” as indicated by our
Ten Commandments hand
motions. Emphasize and pause ever so slightly when saying the bolded words:
“After Jesus rose from the dead and returned to Heaven, God’s loyal people received the Holy Spirit—just as the
Lord Jesus promised. At that time, all the believers lovingly shared everything they had. No one
lacked anything, because those who owned land or houses sold them and
let the apostles have the money to give to those who needed help.
One man named Barnabas sold his land and
let the apostles have all the money. But another man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold some
land. But they decided to keep part of the money for themselves, and then
lied that they had given it all.
When Peter found out, he said, 'Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? The
land was yours—you didn’t have to give anything. You haven’t just lied
to people—you’ve lied to the Holy Spirit!'
Before Ananias could look around, he fell down dead. When everyone heard what happened they were afraid. Then some young men came in, carried
Ananias out, and laid him in a grave.
Later, Sapphira came in and lied about the land price too. Peter said,
'How could you test the Lord? Listen! The men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out
as well.'
Right then, Sapphira fell down dead. When the young men came back in and saw her lifeless body,
they lifted her up, carried her out, and laid her in the grave next to her husband.
Great fear then spread through the lives of everyone who saw and heard what happened because of
those lies!”
Discussion
1. Why do you think God gave us commandment number 9,
“Don’t lie”? (Because God’s ways are true and right. If we are going to
be like Jesus and follow him, then we must also tell the truth. Jesus said, I am
the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me” John
14:6.)
2.
Who did Peter say Ananias and Sapphira lied to? (To the Holy Spirit. Ananias
lied to the people, but this story tells us that when we lie, we are actually
lying against God.)
3.
Was it wrong that Ananias and Sapphira wanted to keep some of their money? (No,
they didn't have to give their money, but they lied about what they gave.)
4. Sin often leads to other sin. What other commandment
may have been broken that led to Ananias and Sapphira’s lying? (They coveted
being admired and praised for their “generosity.”)
Prayer
Dear Lord, help us always tell the truth. Help us obey all your commandments. Help us to follow you with our words and our actions. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Copyright 2025 S.A. Keith
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