The Invasion
Unity developed in the early church. It expressed itself in sharing goods. A couple sold a piece of property, pledged the proceeds, kept back part of it, and were then judged by God. Bottom line?
With great discipleship comes great responsibility. Acts 5:1-11 … vv. 1-2, “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” It doesn’t say but either the practice was to pledge the entire proceeds of a sale, or they made such a pledge. Verse 3, “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?’” The enemy got into the community by Ananias. It was a threat to the unity in the body. God’s judgment was swift (Read verses 4-10). He struck both Ananias and Sapphira dead for their sin of lying to the Holy Spirit. So many Christians choose to see how much they can get away with. She joined her husband in his conspiracy, and she joined him in the grave. Verse 11 reads, “So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.” What is the challenge for us in this passage? It is two-fold: Don’t promote disunity in the church to make yourself look good, and don’t support another church member in his sin. If your Christian brother is about to violate God’s moral standards, stop him if you can. Be committed to unity in the church.
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.