sapphira

Acts 5:1-16

Dr. Steven Roby

They thought they could pull one over on people, and they were right. But they just could not pull one past God. A daily devotional by Vince Miller.

Imagine and time when the church community had one heart and soul. There was complete unity, raid growth and spread of the good news of Jesus Christ. Great joy and peace filled the hearts of all those who received Him and gave their allegiance to Him. Into this community, amongst God’s presence of truth, love and power came opposing forces. Yet Jesus said, beware, but do not be afraid, for I have overcome it all. As you listen be blessed, empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name! 

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Today’s passage, Acts 5:3-11, contains one of the most disturbing and potentially confusing stories in the New Testament. In the midst of all the wonderful things taking place within the context of the newly formed church, there appears a sudden and unexpected tale of two disciples whose lives end tragically in death. But, surprisingly, these two didn’t die for their faith. They died because they lied to the Spirit of God. Or was it because they sold some land and then claimed to be giving all the proceeds to the church, all the while holding back some of it for themselves? The text accuses them of both. But what’s really going on here? And why did these two have to die for their sin? Obviously, they can’t be the only ones who ever lied to the Spirit of God. And they can’t be the only two who ever tried to deceive others in the church in an attempt to make themselves look good. So, why does Luke include this story and why did the Holy Spirit inspire him to do so? What we have in this story is the description of the Spirit of God interfacing with the sin nature of man. The new believers who made up the church were saved, but they still had their own sinful natures to deal with. The church wasn’t made up of perfect people who did everything right and lived in complete obedience to the Holy Spirit’s direction. But God was going to make it perfectly clear from the get-go that He considered behavior just as important as belief in the lives of His people.

Things had been going so well. The gospel was spreading and the church was growing. Thousands of new converts had been added and the Spirit of God was working mightily through the apostles. Yes, there had been a tense encounters with the high priest and the Jewish council, but they had come out of it relatively unscathed. But now, in Acts 4:32-5:2, we get a stark reminder that the early days of the church were not all rainbows and unicorns. In other words, the Spirit-filled and directed atmosphere in which the church was birthed, had another influence: The sin nature of man. While faith in Christ eliminates the penalty for sin, it does not eradicate its presence. Even those who know Christ as their Savior still wrestle with the indwelling presence of their old sin nature. The flesh, as Paul would later call it, is an ever-present reality for any and all believers. And that was true in those early days of the church. The story of Ananias and Sapphira provides us with a sobering reminder that the presence of the Spirit, the miraculous signs of God’s power, and the successful preaching of the gospel message do not remove the threat of sin from the midst of the body of Christ. As long as there are people involved, sin will be present. We can’t afford to let our guard down. We can’t become complacent or risk compromising our faith. Ananias and Sapphira provide us with a much-needed reminder that sin is, as God warned Cain, always crouching at the door.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira has troubled many Christians. Even though we know that all God does is good and just, His dealings with these two believers in Acts 5 appears, to many, a tad bit harsh. But how exactly should we view this text? In this episode, we wrestle with the issue of God's judgment, His view on sin, and what kind of effect dealing with sin has on the church.

Music: http://www.purple-planet.com

Acts 5:1(NLT)—“But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property.” Hmmm…

Just try to imagine for a second this otherwise unimaginable scenario, as related in this PODCAST:

A highly-respected individual walks into the cozy confines of Safe Haven, only to drop dead on the spot.

Some time later, his unsuspecting wife walks in, and she too keels over, stone-cold dead.

That is exactly what happened here in Acts 5, one of the most mysterious and misunderstood narratives in all of the Bible.

For starters: That word “But,” δέ—as in “But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property”—is ominous in the extreme.

In the technical grammar of the passage, δέ is an adversative particle, signaling something that could be translated: “On the other hand”; or, “Contrary to what you just read”; or, “By way of a startling, scandalous, and jaw-dropping contrast”…

Alerted by that pesky particle, I can tell you that we are about to hear a strange story, a sobering saga, a troubling tale that sounds totally out of character as far as God is concerned.

Or is it?

A head-turning happening that prompts us to ask three questions:

1. Why did this happen?

2. Could this happen today?

3. What does it all mean for us?

Since context is everything, let me begin by first giving you the backstory.

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God bless you richly as you listen.

Acts 4:32 - 5:11