The active Word January 29, 2012
Honeybee Rhoads
The active Word
pastor bob coy
January 29, 2012
Ananias & Sapphira
A certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession...he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. Acts 5:1-2 (NKJV)
In the first formative days of the Church's existence, an amazing phenomenon began to take place. As men and women began to repent of their sin and receive Christ as their Savior, they began to form a unique bond. They saw themselves as part of a family, and willingly decided to share their resources with each other.
This was a beautiful expression of the sacrificial love that Jesus said His followers would have (John 13:35). Everything was trending upward; the church was growing in size and spirituality. And then, something happened - something that God dealt with in a powerful way.
A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira saw how people were selling their possessions and sharing their resources, and they decided to join in - but for all the wrong reasons. They weren't motivated by love but simply wanted the recognition of being great givers. So they pretended to give everything while hanging onto a portion of their proceeds.
Eventually, they were exposed and struck dead by God (Acts 5:3-10). But it's important to understand that the Lord didn't do this because they didn't give away all of their money. The greater sin on their part was hypocrisy. They were pretending to be something they weren't. They were pretending to have given away everything when they really hadn't.
God wasn't going to let this go unchecked, because He knew how subtle and damaging hypocrisy is. If left to fester, their hypocrisy would infect and cripple the Body of Christ before it could fully mature.
Nothing puts the brakes on the work of God like hypocrisy. It will bring spiritual progress to a screeching halt, as it did in the case of Ananias and Sapphira. Above all else, always be real with God and never pretend to be something you're not.
Think About It…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
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