May 11, 2022
What does it say?
Believers shared everything with one another. Some sold houses and land to distribute the money to anyone in need. Ananias and Sapphira lied and fell dead immediately.
What does it mean?
The early church didn’t promote socialism; their voluntary giving was evidence of God’s free flowing grace. In general, generosity trumped selfishness due to the unity of purpose believers felt in the Holy Spirit. God judged Ananias and Sapphira for conspiring to look generous by lying about the purchase price of their land. Perhaps they envied the praise Barnabas received for giving the proceeds from his land. Their hypocrisy, however, wasn’t just an offense to Peter and other church members, but to the Holy Spirit. The early church quickly learned that God’s Spirit cannot be deceived.
How should I respond?
Whose opinion do you value more: family, friends, or God? “Once we are more concerned with our reputation than our character, there is no end to the things we will do just to make ourselves look good” – Warren Wiersbe. Take a quick spiritual honesty assessment. Are your prayers sincere before God or aimed at making an impression on listeners? Do you genuinely worship at church, or are you preoccupied with who may be watching you? Hypocrisy is easily detected and never hidden from the Holy Spirit. Earnestly seek to please God alone, and others will naturally form a favorable opinion.