“Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There were believers and counterfeit believers in the company. Of course! That’s how the enemy infiltrates. Spies! Imposters! Anything to spoil the purity of the church…anyone willing to pretend…to muddy the waters…to destroy the witness, could infiltrate the company. 

The first crack appeared in this apparently perfect church…the one Jesus said He would build in the most ungodly of places. A couple in the congregation craved the recognition and accolades that the sincerely generous ones received for sharing their bounty with the have-nots.   

It happened like this. 

“With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭33‬-‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s grace had invaded the hearts of ordinary people. 

One can imagine the gratitude of the recipients of this generosity.  The givers were named, praised, and respected for their deeds…and Ananias and Sapphira wanted the same recognition. They hatched a plot to win the admiration of the church too. 

So, they also sold their land but…they weren’t ready to give all the proceeds away. They gave their gift with a flourish! They were also part of the “righteous” ones…the generous ones who had a heart for the needy but…a red light flashed in their bank account!

It wasn’t that they had no right to share their profits as well as save some for a rainy day. It was that they were hypocrites…pretending to be as generous as those who gave all. 

And Peter got a tip-off…from the Holy Spirit! You see, when the Holy Spirit is in control, it’s impossible to keep secrets, especially if they are “dirty” ones…and that they affect Jesus’ church. 

Oh, horrors! Peter spilt the beans…in public…and he didn’t cushion his words. He called a spade a spade. 

“Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Peter quickly recognised the source of this deception. Of course, it was the devil at work…the deceiver…the intruder…infiltrating the company of God’s people. 

Ananias was so shocked at the disclosure that his heart stopped beating, and he fell dead…right there…at Peter’s feet…in front of the whole church. A few young men quickly removed his body and buried him. Jesus would not allow compromise to sully His people. Their witness, at this crucial moment in the infant church’s life, must be untainted and unspoiled by selfish ambition. Jesus was on display, through all of them. 

Unfortunately for Sapphira, who was in cahoots with her husband, and who told the same lie, suffered the same fate. The two lying hypocrites lay side by side in death…This was a swift and clear message to the church that the Holy Spirit, the representative of Jesus in His people, would not tolerate impurity in His body.    

The outcome was fear… holy fear that swept through the church and the people of Jerusalem. No one dared mess with the Holy Spirit and yet…fear had an unexpected outcome…a fear that set the direction of this mighty work of God. . 

“Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬, ‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…the church kept growing! There was a new respect for God and holy things. Just as, in the days at Sinai, after God had joined with His people in a solemn union sealed with a covenant, He acted decisively against rebellion and disobedience, so the Holy Spirit did the same at this crucial moment. 

In future days, when the fervour had cooled, when the discipline was forgotten, when the enemy’s inroads were more subtle…and the church spread across the Roman empire…so would the attacks against it. There would be the frontal attack of persecution which, like an oil fire that cannot be extinguished with water, only spread the blaze. Then there would be the subtle, more dangerous infiltration and dilution of the church with error and compromise…which demanded wisdom and divine authority to counter. 

There would be generations to come that would need truth to steer the ship and hold it on course. 

But…Jesus knew…and Jesus had His response…His men, armed with His Spirit…to inscribe and protect the truth…to preserve with pen and ink His infallible Word…to arm future generations with the weapon that will ultimately win the victory. 

God is never at a loss to handle any issue that arises!

And so, as the church grew in numbers and influence, as the opposition surfaced…and the Holy Spirit countered it with the written record of truth…in the stories and communications of ordinary people empowered by the Holy Spirit, so God’s eternal Word was preserved…and His plan to spread and secure His message to the whole world for all generations slowly took shape…

Peter would write. Paul would write. John would write. Even Luke, the Gentile “outsider”, would  write. They would tell the story…of Jesus…of His church…that would forever record the miracle and mystery of this living organism that carried the presence of Jesus in the world…then…and now. 

To be continued