Memorize: Sapphira and Ananias judged
Key Verses: 1, 4, 13, 15, 19, 38-39
Some people just feel like they need to be the ones getting the credit. They are not content to let Jesus get the credit, so they jump in the spotlight. That is what happened with Sapphira and Ananias. Many believers were following the prompting of the Holy Spirit and redistributing their own wealth. We saw that at the end of chapter four. Some wealthy people know how to give generously, but most give for the show it will produce. They set up foundations with the scraps of their wealth and call in the news crews to be sure their ‘generosity’ gets magnified. All the while they throw lavish parties and continue to squander their wealth on themselves. The Early Church did something very different. People surrendered their rights to their wealth. It was no longer their wealth. Jesus owned all of them.
The Holy Spirit does not let Sapphira and Ananias get away with it. Their hypocrisy is exposed and they are struck dead. They could have brought a large sum of money and donated it and that would have been fine. Instead, they tried to claim that what they donated was the total of what was sold, a deception, and that is why they were struck dead. They tried to deceive God.
The message is spreading, and people are hesitant to assume leadership roles. They recognize that leadership carries with it a set of big shoes which must be filled. That is why so many people who feel the call to leadership today don’t step up. They don’t want to take on responsibility. They want to feel like they are in charge of their own lives.
And the miraculous continues to happen. The miraculous highlights what the LORD is doing in order that people will believe in Jesus. The miracles are just the spotlight pointing at Jesus. Jesus is the object of display, not the lights themselves. I hate it when spotlights hit you in the eye when you are trying to look as something important. You just wish the spotlights would stay focused on the stage. Those lights can temporarily blind you to what is important. Miracles can do the same thing. They can become the object of focus rather than Jesus. When God does miracles, it is only to point out and highlight Jesus.
When God is at work, no one can stop Him. The apostles keep right on preaching and teaching, even when warned not to continue. They obey God rather than man. They submit to His will rather than human will. Politics and expediency don’t determine the Truth. No poll or focus group defines their campaign. They continue to give witness to what they have seen and what Jesus has done. Not a bad pattern for our lives. We just need to focus more on Jesus as they did.
REVIEW: John. Look at the first four chapters of Acts. Start running HOLY through your memorizing computer.
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