City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

They Had Everything in Common

³² Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. ³³ And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold ³⁵ and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. ³⁶ Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, ³⁷ sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Ananias and Sapphira

5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, ² and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. ³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? ⁴ While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” ⁵ When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. ⁶ The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.⁷ After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you^{[The Greek for you is plural here]} sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” ⁹ But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” ¹⁰ Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Acts 4:32-5:11 (ESV)

Reflection

Let us not walk past this passage as if it is simply a tough lesson that we can grow from, or a scary story that is intended to make us stop sinning and eat our vegetables.  This is something that has happened at the birth of the church, and God is planting a flag here.  He is making it clear that He is still the same God that people got to know from the Old Testament.  He is one who loves his people, but also one who disciplines those He loves.  Think of the lovely passages that talk about God writing His name on our hearts, or the ones that seem to indicate that God is just love and would never do anything to hurt you.  It is true that God is always love, but I’m not sure that I have ever seen any passages that indicate that God would never hurt you.  One need only read the first chapter of Job to realize that that is not how God operates.

There is a similar story in 2 Samuel 6, where King David is bringing the Lord’s ark to his city and one of the servants tries to stabilize it when the cart shifts, though he had strict instructions to never touch the ark.  The servant dies right on the spot because the Lord was angry with him.  This too is a very hard story to take in, but it is the same God.

You see, God has a plan for you, for your good and not for your destruction, but that does not mean that He will put up with just anything you do.  God is full of grace, but there are consequences too.  Jesus tells us to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8).  God’s grace is not a play toy, but rather a device that draws us into the thing God intends us to be.  God’s plan is for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, and not for those who play around the edges.

Do we still sin?  Yes, and His blood and His grace will cover us if we accept it.  But if we are still holding on to our own past and our own efforts, then there is no place for the blood of Christ and God’s grace can do no work.

Application

One striking thing about this story is that Ananias and Sapphira suffered the consequence of their sin immediately, and this event filled the people with fear, but the church grew anyway.  Could you imagine what people would think of such a church today, where a couple dies right after being confronted by the pastor for their sin?  Such an event would hardly cause the church to grow these days.

But the growth seems to be because the church was a place that actually dealt with the sin that people were weighed down with.  In this passage, the act of giving land away to help others was freeing to Barnabas; however, to Ananias and Sapphira giving was a performance or an exchange. They were lying and deceitful in their actions in that they wanted the love of people fo saying they gave it all, but did not want the sacrifice it would’ve taken in giving it all.

If you saw a church that was so radical about following Jesus that someone died as a result of trying to hide their sin, would you join it?  Is there anything you are holding on to that would draw you away from the Lord, particularly if He were to take it away from you?  What if you were one of the people who received from the pile of money and goods the apostles were collecting?  Could you accept it with faith?

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for Your church and the members there in.  I pray that You continue to knit my heart together with my fellow church members, and that You make me into the neighbor they need.  Give to me the joy of Your salvation, such that I am not consumed with my needs or my desires.  Let Your provision be enough for me always. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.