[NIV] 1 Now a man named Ananias, together with hiswife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.
2 With his wife‘s full knowledge he kept back part ofthe money for himself, but brought the rest andat the apostles‘ feet.
put it - P144
4 Didn‘t it belong to you before itwas sold? And after it was sold, wasn‘t the money at yourdisposal? What made youthink of doing such a thing?
You have not lied just to human beings but to God."
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Andgreat fear seized all who heard what had happened. - P144
12 The apostles performed many signs and wondersamong the people. And all the believers used to meettogether in Solomon‘s Colonnade. 13 No one else daredjoin them, even though they were highly regarded bythe people.
14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women be-lieved in the Lord and were added to their number. - P145
16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusa-lem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impurespirits, and all of them were healed. - P145
Ananias and his wife Sapphira sell their property and keep part of the moneybut pretend to bring everything before the apostles. Peter confronts Ananiasand tells him he has not only lied to them but to God. Upon hearing this,Ananias dies. - P145
Later, his wife comes and the same happens to her. The apostlescontinue preaching and healing, and many believe in the Lord. - P145
In the midst of the flourishing Early Church, we come across a soberingstory. As others such as Barnabas show great generosity by selling theirproperty to give to others in need, Ananias and Sapphira decide to keepsome of the money for themselves while maintaining an appearance ofselfless giving. - P146
Their deadly sin, which Peter exposes, is lying: by theirpublic act in the temple, the married couple pretend that they are givingthe full sum away. - P146
God punishes them because such a lack of integritywill be poison to this growing community. There are countless reasonswe might be tempted to lie, such as desiring recognition, hiding ourflaws, and protecting ourselves from shame. - P146
May this story exhort us tosteer clear of deceit and instead live with integrity. - P146
That "great fear seized the whole church" (v. 11) is in reality a blessing.
- P146
When you and I are gripped by the fear of God when we are convicted of our sin-that is a wonderful place to be. Oftentimes, our sin is theresult of unhealthy fears such as not having enough money, not lookinggood in front of others, or not trusting in God‘s goodness. Jesus. - P146
But a healthyfear of the Lord, which means being reverent toward God and recogniz-ing our deep need for Him, is of great benefit for us individually and forour churches. - P146
In fact, we see its fruits in the Early Church: greater unity,
purity, spiritual authority, and even more people coming to know Jesus. - P146
Dear God, I ask You for an exchange: replace my sinful fears with the fear ofthe Lord, so that I might be pure and holy before You. - P147
Help me to live with theutmost integrity in Your eyes and before others as well. In Jesus‘ name, amen. - P147
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