Christians beware!

There were no needy persons among them. From time to time, those who owned land or houses sold them. They brought the money from the sales. They put it down at the apostles’ feet. It was then given out to anyone who needed it. … (Acts of the Apostles chapter 4 written by Luke, a physician, around AD 70, New International readers Version)

“No needy persons among them.” Among whom? Among those (numbering several thousand) in Jerusalem in the months following the crucifixion, death and rising again of the Son of God, turned to Him, sought forgiveness and decided overtly to follow Jesus. These were ordinary people who received new life in Christ Jesus. That life began to change them. Amongst other things, they became compassionate and generous towards the needy. Christians beware! Are you being changed in those AD 30-style ways (and others) or is your Christianity a mere religion? A religious veneer cloaking an inner, stronger, self-seeking? A man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, also sold some land. He kept part of the money for himself. Sapphira knew he had kept it. He brought the rest of it and put it down at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill your heart? He made you lie to the Holy Spirit. You have kept some of the money you received for the land. Didn’t the land belong to you before it was sold? After it was sold, you could have used the money as you wished. What made you think of doing such a thing? You haven’t lied to just anyone. You’ve lied to God.” Peter was the main follower of Jesus who preached the first Christian sermon in the Jerusalem Temple 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead in AD 30. Oh, dear. What made Ananias do what he did? He lied about keeping part of the proceeds of his land for himself and his wife to use. Why do that? When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. All who heard what had happened were filled with fear. Some young men came and wrapped up his body. They carried him out and buried him.
Lying to the Lord God and Father and to His Son is deathly serious. It’s nothing by comparison with lying to church people.	‘The god loved by the vast majority of professing Christians is looked upon very much like an indulgent old man, who himself has no relish for folly, but leniently winks at the indiscretions of youth ... For one sin God banished our first parents from Eden; for one sin Moses was excluded from the promised land; for one sin Ananias and Sapphira were cut off from the land of the living.’ (A W Pink, writer, 1886-1952)
About three hours later, the wife of Ananias came in. She didn’t know what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me. Is this the price you and Ananias sold the land for?” “Yes,” she said. “That’s the price.” Peter asked her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! You can hear the steps of the men who buried your husband. They are at the door. They will carry you out also.” At that very moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in. They saw that Sapphira was dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Oh, dear. Sapphira was in on a conspiracy. She and her husband agreed to lie – to say that they had given all of the proceeds of sale of their land, and not just part of the proceeds. Why do that? Was it because, among the Jerusalem believers, she wanted to look ‘good’ like those others “who owned land or houses [and] sold them”?
Did they hope to be regarded as among the best of all the Christian ‘worshippers’ while simultaneously serving their own interests? But were they not, in fact, serving their own interests all the time? Even their religion existed with a view to their own ‘good’.	‘No one can serve two masters at the same time. He will hate one of them and love the other. Or he will be faithful to one and dislike the other. You can’t serve God and Money at the same time.’ (Jesus Christ, c. AD 30)
Was Ananias’ whole heart – and the heart of his wife, Sapphira, devoted to Jesus Christ, Son of God, Lord of all? Were they devoted to Him because of his love demonstrated by His enduring the cross to give them the opportunity of having their lives totally changed by Him – so as to become like Him? The whole church and all who heard about these things were filled with fear.

Sinner Syvret

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