Acts 4:32-5:11

You see in the text we are going to be in tonight a tale of two different stories.

A tale of generosity, and a tale of hypocrisy.

The text starts by saying…

Acts 4:32 (ESV)

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul,

There was a common bond between one another, that we just dont see today.

Now some have argued that part of this text should be the standard for how Christians live by giving up everything they own, and honestly I don’t see any evidence in scripture that this is the case however I do see some things from the two sides that we can learn a-lot from.

Lets read 32-35

Acts 4:32–35 ESV

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Couple principles to think about in our own giving.

Our giving should be motived by the work of Jesus Christ.

Our giving should be take care of the needs of the saints. Notice one word I said needs…

If God has blessed us with abundance than we should leverage that for the kingdom of God.

We see one man do that in the text. Barnabas.

Acts 4:36–37 ESV

36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

And Barnabas is the total opposite of a pair that we are introduced to in the text.

Ananias and Sapphira.

TWO people that appeared to be Holy. Yet its clear that they are not..

Listen to Acts 5:1-4

Acts 5:1–4 ESV

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”

We see a sharp difference here than we saw with Barnabas.

We see that they were trying to appear spiritual, and win over people without being truthful.

They lied, and were greedy.

The truth is they were agents of Satan according to Peter.

So look what happens.

Acts 5:5–11 ESV

5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Both of them drop dead, and so this story might bother some, but the reality is they lied to God, and others.

And it makes you think that today how grateful you should be that the Lord has not dropped you dead when you lied to the Holy Spirit and to others.

There are plenty of texts in the bible that warn us not to play with God.

Remember everytime I do the Lord’s Supper I read 1 Cor 11:28-30

1 Corinthians 11:28–30 ESV

28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

Acts Ananias and Sapphira

Therefore, their sin was not in holding back some of the funds but in the pretense, the hypocrisy. They lied to the church. They lied to God. They lied to the Holy Spirit. They pretended that they were giving the full amount when they were not. Giving gifts to God is sacred business, and to taint a gift to the Lord by concealing it in the package of a lie is a kind of blasphemy against the sanctity of God. So, again, Ananias and Sapphira were killed not because they failed to give everything to God but because they lied about their gift.

Some stuff I was reading this week, lead me to really ponder our own giving, and i was really challenged by a man I have read alot of R.C. Sproul, and he is debunking some myths about tithing.

The first myth, one I hear frequently in the church, is that tithing was an Old Testament principle that has no bearing upon the Christian community today.

Listen to a few thoughts by him.. By divine mandate the people of Israel were required to bring to the Lord 10 percent of their annual earnings, their increase for the year, in addition to other offerings that were to be given from time to time. By divine law, every person in the community was expected to give 10 percent of their income cheerfully. Something beautiful about this system was that everyone was required to give not the same amount but the same percentage.

That is why we see Jesus speaking of the woman who gives the widow’s mite (Mark 12; Luke 21). She had hardly two pieces of wood to rub together, but she made sure that she gave her penny to the work of God’s kingdom. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, who were so scrupulous about tithing. They gave their mint and cumin; if they found a dollar bill on the sidewalk, they would make sure to put a dime in the collection plate at the temple. But, Jesus said, “[You] have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy” (Matt. 23:23). Jesus saw the tithe as part of the Law of God—not the most important part, but it was expected from everybody. Therefore, one’s bringing his 10 percent was nothing to boast about because one was only doing his duty.

A poll taken a few years ago indicated that only 4 percent of Americans who call themselves “born-again Christians” are tithers. The other 96 percent may give but not to the level of the tithe. Many years ago I saw a campaign brochure designed to raise the level of giving in a particular church denomination. The campaign slogan was “Take a step toward tithing.” What we ought to be saying is “Take a step from tithing.” The tithe is indeed an Old Testament principle, but it is nowhere abrogated in the New Testament. Besides, the New Testament labors the point that the benefits of the new covenant are far greater than the benefits of the old covenant, so if people in the old covenant were required to give 10 percent back to God, how much greater is the responsibility of those who live under the benefits of the new covenant?

The principle of tithing should be a no-brainer for the Christian. It is something that all Christians ought to do, and if they are not doing it, they ought to move heaven and earth to start. If they are not tithing, as we are told in the book of Malachi, they are robbing God. They are stealing from God. So the first myth is that tithing does not apply to us today.

Acts Myths about Tithing

the one you hear more than any other, is that some cannot afford to tithe. Yet the poorest among us is living at a higher standard than 99 percent of all people in every era since the beginning of the world. How can we, who have been blessed with so many creature comforts, stand up before God and say, “I can’t afford it”?

Let me translate that myth into real terms. “I can’t afford it” really means “I cannot tithe and still do all the things I am doing now.” Yes, that is true. Obviously, if you are giving only 2 percent and you increase that giving by 8 percent, you are going to feel it. But when you say, “I can’t afford it,” what you mean is, “I can’t afford to do everything else that I’m doing and move my giving up to 10 percent.” However, God said, “Try Me now in this … if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10).

I will attest God has been faithful to my wife and I as we have been faithful to him.

I understand situations in life happen, but it all goes back to one of the firs things I said tonight.

Our giving should be motived by the work of Jesus Christ.

Acts Chapter 15: Lying Donors (Acts 4:32–5:11)

The Bible says that “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). We have heard that verse so many times that we have become inoculated to the weight of the insight. If we will but pause to reconsider it, we will see that God takes delight when He sees His people bringing their tithes and offerings to Him cheerfully. God is pleased when our giving is a response of indescribable gratitude for the good and perfect gifts we have received from Him. Everything we have comes from His hand, so how could we possibly be anything but cheerful givers? The fact that God loves the cheerful giver implies that He is not particularly pleased with the reluctant giver, and the text that we read in this study indicates that He is furious at the lying giver.