Chapter Five part I: Deception in the Church

How do we operate within the body of Christ?

What are some characteristics we should have as the church?

The early church had been exploding onto the scene in the first century with thousands of people coming to faith in Christ. People were selling everything they had, people were gathering together every day to eat and study Scripture, they were going out with boldness to share the hope found only in Christ with anyone who would listen and even with people that wouldn’t listen. The church was healthy and growing. Enter Ananias and Sapphira. This story seems so out of place compared to the other stories in the New Testament. The New Testament is defined by grace. (the Bible has always been about grace, but there is something so distinctly New Testament when it comes to forgiveness and second chances.)

Acts 5:1–2 CSB

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Ananias and his wife Sapphira decided that they would sell their property like some of the other people we read about in chapter four. However, rather than giving all they had to the church they kept a portion of it for themselves. There is nothing wrong about this in and of itself, the problem was that the two of them conspired together to deceive Peter and the other people in the church by telling them that they were giving all of it rather than only a portion.

There will always be people that try to deceive others in the church. Countless times in the New Testament Paul warned against false teachers. He even says in the book of Galatians that even if an angel taught the church something contrary to what he taught, that angel should go to Hell. The New Testament authors were very protective of the message they were sharing. They did this because it was a matter of Truth. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Nobody can get to the Father except through Him.

What temptation do we have to withhold the truth of the Gospel?

Why would a person do that?

What is the Gospel? Good News

The ugly truth about the Gospel is that we as humans are dead in our sin and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Christ alone does the work on our behalf and we have to be willing to trust Him in that.

Some people will water down the Gospel by saying it is all about love without ever mentioning people’s sins.

Why is understanding sin so important to understanding what Jesus has done for us?

What dangers do false teachers pose within the church?

What makes a false teacher false?

What protects us against false teaching?

Although Ananias and Sapphira’s actions seem minor, but their actions were much more devious than they seemed. If they had deceived Peter they could have become influential within the early church and caused serious problems for the Apostles.

Acts 5:3–6 CSB

3 “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land? 4 Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.” 5 When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. 6 The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him.

God prevented Satan from getting a foothold within the early church. By protecting the sanctity of the church God was declaring that the church was a holy body, filled with His presence.

Acts 5:7–11 CSB

7 About three hours later, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the land for this price?” “Yes,” she said, “for that price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Instantly she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband. 11 Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things.

The fate that awaited Ananias awaited his wife as well. There was no room for deception in the early church. What we see through the story of Ananias and Sapphira is that there are consequences for our actions.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 6

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The penalty of our sin is death, for Ananias and Sapphira, those consequences were paid immediately.

If the penalty of sin were paid immediately would we sin as often as we do?

Thankfully, Jesus pays that penalty on our behalf. Jesus died in our place so that rather than being seen as a sinner, God sees us as righteous.

Even though the penalty of our sin has been paid for, that does not open the door for us to do whatever we want. God calls us to live a life of holiness.

Leviticus 10:1–11 CSB

1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do. 2 Then fire came from the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has spoken: I will demonstrate my holiness to those who are near me, and I will reveal my glory before all the people.” And Aaron remained silent. 4 Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here and carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” 5 So they came forward and carried them in their tunics outside the camp, as Moses had said. 6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair hang loose and do not tear your clothes, or else you will die, and the Lord will become angry with the whole community. However, your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may weep over the fire that the Lord caused. 7 You must not go outside the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, for the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses said. 8 The Lord spoke to Aaron: 9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or beer when you enter the tent of meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute throughout your generations. 10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common, and the clean and the unclean, 11 and teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given to them through Moses.”

Aaron’s sons suffered the same fate as Ananias and Sapphira. God had just delivered Israel out of Egypt and had just instituted the Levitical priesthood. Like the early church this group of people were first generation people of God. They had never had anything like this while they were in Egypt. God gave them specific instructions about how to give sacrifices but Aaron’s sons ignored them and died because of it. God hates sin, and He cares deeply about our holiness. This is why He gives us His Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit within us there is no way we could be holy. Isaiah tells us that even when we do righteous things they are like filthy rags because of the sin in our heart. So God gives us a new heart and He gives us the Holy Spirit so we can please Him in the way that we live.

We may not drop dead because of the sin in our life, but our sin is a cancer. The longer it festers the worse it gets. It effects our relationships, it effects our minds. There are real consequences for our sins. Just like Ananias and Sapphira we have a choice.

We can choose to do what is right because God lives inside of us.

How have you let selfishness come between your relationship with God or with others?

What steps can you take towards a life of holiness?

Acts 5:12–16 CSB

12 Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared to join them, but the people spoke well of them. 14 Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers—multitudes of both men and women. 15 As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 In addition, a multitude came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Despite Satan’s attempt to divide or disrupt the church, God continues to grow His kingdom.

Jesus is the Truth. To follow Jesus means to live in truth. Be seekers of truth.