The+effects+of+the+Deaths+of+Ananais+and+Sappharia+on+the+Church

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=Acts 5:1-11=

The Story of Ananais and Sappharia is an account of a couple who seemed to be giving everything to the Church offering, but they were secretly holding some back. In a decisive act of God, they were struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit.

Here are some things to consider about this passage: In 1 John 5:14-17 there is a sin leading to death, “And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.” God clearly lays out the truth that there are some sins that will lead to death. Apparently in this case, their sin did lead to death.

In Matthew 6:1 there is a warning against hypocrisy, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” This is also an applicable text for the situation with Ananais and Sappharia.[|[1]] They clearly had an outward appearance of giving and they seemed to be publicly obeying and confirming the mission of the Church, but they were not. God intentionally did this in a public way because Ananais did his sin in a very public way. This incident was intended to be seen and spoken of throughout the Churches and with the people. God was making an example out of them. I could guess that if they had not made such a public display of their giving, God may not have made such a public display in punishing their sin. It is clear throughout history that God takes the righteousness of his people very seriously. It is also important to note that this account of Ananais and Sappharia is contrasted to the account of Barnabas giving freely and generously to the Church and thus affirming its mission to the world. [|[2]]

Why was Ananias’s role so potentially destructive for the Church?
Lying to the Holy Spirit is the chief sin here. Ananais and Sappharia were free to give all or just part of their offering, and in holding some back yet claiming to give all, they were not merely lying to men, but to the Holy Spirit. [|[3]] This is the loftiest part of their sin. The Church is now constructed around the one single name of Jesus Christ. What was so sinister about the situation with Ananias was that he appeared to be affirming the mission of the Church (the exaltation of the name of Christ) but he was secretly lying to the Holy Spirit. When we give we fulfill part of the mission of the Church as a witness to the World. There is an illusion here to Deuteronomy 15:4 “there will be no poor among you.” Ananias was negating the beauty of the Church and ultimately the beauty of Christ in doing what he did. There was so much at stake. When the world sees the mission of the Church lived out they see the beauty and centrality of Christ. If people knew that Ananias was lying they could question the authenticity of the Church, its mission, and ultimately the exaltation of the name of Christ would be compromised. God is so committed to the mission of the Church that he had to take care of this problem immediately and severely. [|[4]] He had to preserve the foundation of the church. Their deaths served to preserve the Church and to teach the early Church how serious the mission of the Church is, and how seriously God takes this kind of sin. It was a clear warning.

The purpose for the story within the narrative is threefold. The first thing we see is that God see’s the thoughts and intentions of the heart. No man can hide from God, he is all-knowing and this is evident here. The second thing we see is God’s fierce commitment to the Church, which is ultimately a fierce commitment to his own glory. The highest good is the glory of God, and this is God’s ultimate pursuit at all times. The third thing we see is that God will preserve the purity and mission of the Church despite how things may seem.

How did this event edify the Church?
First, this event taught them to take the mission of the Church seriously. They clearly saw the demonstration of this seriousness when two among them dropped dead. It taught them fear of the Lord and the demonstration of his power. It taught them to be reverent and sincere in their own walks with the Lord. [|[5]] Integrity is what you do when no one is looking, or when you think no one will know. They probably realized very quickly that God sees the heart, and how significant that is. If any of them were on the fence about following Christ they learned an important lesson that day. It invited them to be in “all in” or “all out” in regards to commitment to the Church. The half commitment or lack of integrity that Ananais and Sappharia showed was obviously not going to fly with God, and they knew this. Finally this event taught them that the name of Christ was serious.

[|[1]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 1-12//. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.), 153

[|[2]] Airhart, Arnold E. //Acts// (Kansas City, Mo.: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1977) 61

[|[3]] Johnson, Dennis E.. //Let's Study Acts//. (Glasgow: Banner of Truth, 2003), 50.

[|[4]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 1-12//. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.) 156. [|[5]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 1-12.// (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.) 155.

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