BULLETIN ARTICLE – 11 March 2018
In the book of Acts, Luke shares about the spirit of fellowship and sharing in the early Jerusalem church. He gives a good and a bad example of this community sharing. The giving of Barnanas of the land sale was the good example. The actions of Ananias and Sapphira was the negative example. They sold property they owned and contributed the funds for church use. Barnabas had given the full proceeds from the sale of the field. For Ananias however, “Satan had so filled his heart that he lied to the Holy Spirit and kept for himself some of the money he received for the land”. Giving by church members was not mandatory. The couple probably promised the church leaders to give the full amount raised. However, they brought some of the funds instead of all and was therefore guilty of keeping for themselves the money promised to the church.
What made Ananias and Sapphira make such a promise? It could have been that everyone spoke highly of Barnabas for the things he had done. They could have been envious of the good reputation Barnabas received and lied to the church in order to win the same sort of esteem that Barnabas had received. In the process, they probably pretended and declared to everyone that they had brought the full amount of the sale to the apostles when in fact they did not. In their hypocrisy, they were deceitful and lied both to God and men.
This incident reminds us of Achan in the Old Testament, who kept some of the items from the spoils of war that had been devoted to God (Joshua 7). In fact, the same Greek word translated in English as “kept back” is also used in the Septuagint (the Greek Bible) in Joshua 7:1. Achan, as well as Ananias and Sapphira, were severely punished by God for deception. The severity of the punishment was important as it served as a strong warning. Achan sinned just as Israel first entered the Promised Land. God had to weed out any evil right at the start. Likewise, in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, God could not allow sin to remain in the new church right at its start and to affect its spiritual strength and growth. In this instance, as a result of God’s judgement, great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
Christians are to be generous with the financial resources that God has blessed them. Jesus taught his disciples that: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Apostle Paul taught the Corinthian church: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor 9:7-8). You are encouraged to give to the ministry of the church – for us our giving will go to the needs of the church, its members and for mission work. Make “giving to God” a Christian lifestyle for you and don’t lie to God in your giving – be a Barnabas.
