Jump Start # 319

Acts 5:3-4 “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

  Acts 5 is the first black page for the early church. Up to this point everything is awesome. The church is growing, the gospel is being preached and things are hitting on all cylinders. Then we come to chapter 5 and it seems that every stops. There are several interesting things we find here:

• The first Christians to die were killed by God
• The Holy Spirit is God
• God hates lying

  To get the background, as chapter four ends, many of the wealthy Christians were selling property and giving the money to the apostles to help the needy Christians. They were not compelled to do this, love drove them. They were one in faith and in body. One of the people who did this was Barnabas.

  As chapter five opens, Ananias and his wife, Sapphira are caught up in this generous spirit as well. They have a piece of property. They chose to sell it. They brought some of the proceeds and gave it to the apostles. Everything seems good. Another generous couple. We soon find out that they deceived the apostles and the church and tried to deceive God. They pretended to have given 100% of the sell of the property to the apostles. They didn’t. They kept some of the money. Again, that’s not wrong. What is wrong is their telling the apostles that they sold it and gave all of it to them. Peter knew. He questioned the husband. He was struck dead immediately. Peter then quizzed his wife. She was unaware of what happened to her husband. She stuck with the same story as her husband. She too, was killed immediately.

  This couple was trying to act better than what they were. Their walk and their talk didn’t match. They wanted the honor and credit which was the wrong motive to begin with. Greed and selfishness made their gift bitter and unpleasant.

  Sometimes we just get stuck on ourselves. We want to be the center of attention. We seek glory and honor. We want our names on plaques. We want our names on signs. We want others to see what we have done. We tend to think that the church couldn’t get along without us. God showed this couple otherwise. There is no room for glory seeking, dishonesty and pride in his kingdom. The church is about Jesus and that’s it. It’s not about us—ever. We preachers have the most problem with this. So often it seems that our worship builds up to the sermon and after the sermon it’s a gradual let down. Folks leave praising the preacher. We do well to get beyond all of this, and make God the focal point as it ought to be.

  Pride has a way of making our heads swell and that affects our vision. We start seeing things crooked. You shouldn’t have to tell anyone about what you do—just do it. God knows. Jesus said that a cup of cold water given for a disciple would not be forgotten by God. He knows. We start bragging, we start losing our perspective and focus.

  In a way ole’ Ananias and Sapphira got  what they were wanting. Had they quietly given their gift and been honest about it, their names would have been lost in the pages of history. They would have been lumped in with the others from chapter 4. This is how God would want it. Instead they sought attention. And they got it. They got eleven verses of God’s word devoted to them. Everyone who reads the Bible knows their story. The shame of what they did is etched into eternity, and above all they traded the glory of Heaven for a moment of honor.

  Bragging does that to a person. Having to stretch stories, embellish the fact, fudge the truth all to make us look bigger and better and more incredible that what we are, but while doing those things, it turns God’s stomach. The answer to all of this is to give God the glory. Give God the glory for what talents He has blessed us with, including the ability to preach. Give God the glory that we can do what we do. Give God the glory!

  It’s interesting to see Peter leading the cause for what is right. It was Peter and a few of the other apostles who fussed about which one of them were the greatest in the kingdom. The Lord rebuked them and showed them the spirit to have when He brought a child before them.  Peter knew. He had been there. Ananias never understood that lesson.

  I hope we’re doing better at this!

  Roger