Friday, July 2nd
Read: Acts 5
(Highlight any time the Holy Spirit moves or is talked about)
We could really revolutionize the Church if we all brought forth our full offering to the Lord and uncovered the hidden darkness within us. You likely haven’t heard of anyone being struck dead for lying to God in your lifetime. That is not to say that there are no repercussions to this kind of behavior, however. God is just and can not act in opposition to his nature. There are always consequences when we aren’t cooperating with God.
KEPT DINERO AND DIED!
Chapter five of Acts begins with the fateful story of Ananias and Sapphira. This greedy couple had a chance to bring their full offering to the Lord, yet lied to Him instead—as if He wouldn’t know that they were lying. It was not that God demanded all their money. In verse 4 Peter explains that the issue was not how much they were giving to God but that they lied about how much they were giving to God. The Holy Spirit struck Ananias dead for lying to Him. Sapphira, his wife, was asked to come in afterwards and lied and died in the same way. Imagine how God could have used them if they had just told the truth. When their secret darkness came to light it was exposed for what it was and God had to deal with it justly.
We can learn from people like Ananias and Sapphira. We can learn from similar situations that we see in our community today. Perhaps you know someone who has suffered greatly as a consequence of personal sin. Or maybe you know someone who has caused great pain in the lives of family members because of the darkness and secrecy in their own life. It is our opportunity to learn from these stories so that we can be aware and guard against the schemes of the enemy, who wants to steal from, kill and destroy us and the wonder-working power of God in us. Verse 11 in this chapter says that “This incident struck terror into the whole church, and into the hearts of all who heard of it.” We too should have a reverent fear for Lord and his power. His power is revolutionary and turns things upside down.
The apostles continued on after this incident by spreading the Word of the Lord, healing people and casting out demons. The Sadducees didn’t like this at all. The apostles represented Jesus. Jesus was that dude the same guy that these people killed but somehow seemed to come back to life. Because of this, the Sadducees had the apostles thrown into jail.
After God rescued the apostles from jail, the Counsel wanted to kill them. A Pharisee of knowledge and power, Gamaliel, stood up and declared: “Do not kill them—if they are not from God they will soon be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.” v. 38-39 These words were divinely spoken and saved the apostles lives.
Instead of killing the apostles, the Pharisees beat them severely and warned them never to preach the Good News of Christ again. Do you think that stopped the apostles? Not at all! They left praising the Lord for being flogged. They left and went straight to the markets yelling: “JESUS IS THE MESSSIAH!” These apostles were different than Ananias and Sapphira because they brought themselves fully to God, even amidst persecution. Their actions weren’t selfish or aimed at self-glorification and the results of their obedience were life, not death. Glory was given to God instead of the enemy.
Process:
1. Some of us might think God’s actions were a bit harsh in this passage. He killed them for lying? Yes. This has to do with an attribute of God’s called Long-Suffering. He is a long-suffering God. It means that He doesn’t judge us immediately when we do something wrong. This is grace and mercy that we receive. We should be judged immediately when we do wrong, but God gives us some time so that we can be convicted and repent if we choose. It is not unfair that Ananias and Sapphira were killed so quickly. The time they had to seek repentance and forgiveness may have been shorter than usual, but it was still grace.
2. Holding back from the Lord is not the issue. Ananias and Sapphira lied to God. Are you trying to pass off something false in your life? God knows it all already. Don’t try to lie to Him. Is there secret, hidden darkness in your life that needs to be exposed by the light?
3. Have you ever been in a situation where someone’s words were revolutionary?
4. Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? Have you made yourself open to this possibility?