Dead Wrong

Acts 4:32-5:11

  1. State of the Early Church
  2. Not just some, but all have joined into very close community.
  1. Private ownership remains, but everything is assumed to be shared.
  2. The idea of “what’s mine is yours”
  3. Like a close family, no one holds tightly to what is “theirs”
  4. When necessary, things are sold to cover others’ needs
  1. The central unifier is the Gospel, proclaimed by the apostles.
  2. God’s grace (favor, goodness) transforms the community.
  3. Without this love, such an arrangement would fail.
  4. (Hence communism/socialism fails without love as the foundation)
  1. This is not redistribution of wealth, but elimination of poverty.
  2. It’s a necessary response for those who love the church

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17 NIV)

  1. This love does not tolerate laziness, and will not be abused

“For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”” (2 Thessalonians 3:10 NIV)

  1. Why did God strike down Ananias and Sapphira?
  2. Public giving of this nature likely had powerful impact on their society.
  1. This couple wanted recognition of moral strength without actual moral strength.
  2. They were not required to sell property to give.
  3. They were not required to give all.
  4. The crime came in seeking recognition via false spirituality.
  5. This would be a first step in making godliness a sham.
  6. You have seen the danger if you’ve ever known a holier-than-thou who was not-so-holy behind closed doors.
  7. If God allowed Christ to die for the sake of his church, why not allow a pair of frauds to die for the same?
  1. Parallel is 1 Cor. 11:29-30, where what was intended to proclaim unity (Lord’s Supper) was being abused and thus destroying unity.
  1. Because this is God’s just penalty, the church does not mourn their deaths (cf. Leviticus 10).
  1. If you saw a hypocrite struck dead by God, would you stop playing games?
  1. To seek the reputation of Christian morality without truly moral Christian character is to invite the God’s severest intervention.
  2. Possibly Ananias and Sapphira ended up in heaven. (See 1 Cor. 3)
  1. God commands us to engage in his process of moral development. (1 Thes. 4:3-8)
  2. If we trivialize sin because “it’s forgiven anyway,” we disdain the holiness of God.
  1. Where do you stand?
  2. Do you behave in falsely “Christian” ways to deceitfully gain respect?
  3. Is your happy-Jesus-face and scripture quotation matched by godliness in your family life?
  4. Letting your sin and selfishness be seen would be better than hypocrisy…
  5. But the only right way is to let your righteousness match the image you portray.
  6. Stop faking righteousness!
  1. More specific to this example: we still do operate a “deacon’s fund.”
  2. Do not “rob Peter to pay Paul,” as general giving diverted to benevolence just hurts the rest of the church.
  3. If you do want to give out of your abundance to help others in need, additional contributions can be marked “deacon’s fund.”
  4. If you would like to be a part of that process of distribution, drop us a note.

Those who fake spiritual maturity in order to falsely gain the respect of others have no place in the body of Christ. To God, this is as serious as life and death.

FOR NEXT WEEK:

Read: Hebrews 10:19-31.

Consider:

What positive encouragement does this passage offer towards Christians?

What stern warning does it proclaim?

Has your life been either too heavily influenced by “full assurance…for he who promised is faithful” (v. 22-23) or by “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God?” (v. 31) Explain.

Pray:

Confess any area where you have put on an image of spirituality while holding firm to a sinful attitude that contradicts it.

Ask God to make you truly holy, and to use you to build up the church with encouragement and giving.

Do:

Seek out an opportunity this week to help someone in need (whether financially, emotionally, or physically) and then in love offer whatever assistance you can!