Truth or Dare?

Over the weekend these words came to mind. Truth or Dare? They do fit the things I've been sharing. Am I asking God for truth or am I daring Him. The story of Ananias and Sapphira came to me so I reread it. I was already very familiar with it so there was some hesitation as to why I was led to the story again.

Acts 5:1-2 But a man named Ananias—his wife, Sapphira, conniving in this with him—sold a piece of land, secretly kept part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it. Peter said, "Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn't lie to men but to God." Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.

That's enough for me to consider today. Specifically verses 3 and 4. Peter knows what is only known to two people. The problem here was not the selling of the land. Peter says to Ananias and Sapphira you owned it and you had the freedom to do with it as you wanted. You really have to go back to chapter 4, say the last 5 or 6 verses to see what was going on here.

Peter also says that even after you sold it the money was yours to do with as you wished. So owning the land, selling the land and getting the money were not the issues. One single word was the problem. "SECRETLY!"

I have no choice but to include chapter 4 verse 32 on. I think bullet points will serve well.

• The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind!
• They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions.
• No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it."
• They shared everything.
• The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus,
• and grace was on all of them.
• And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy.
• Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it.
• The apostles then distributed it according to each person's need.
• Joseph, called by the apostles "Barnabas" (which means "Son of Comfort"), a Levite born in Cyprus,
• sold a field that he owned,
• brought the money,
• and made an offering of it to the apostles.

Everything going on was out in the open. Nothing being done secretly. Something that comes to mind here is that while everyone was selling there had to be those who were buying. There was no one twisting Ananias's arm to do anything. Ananias was doing what his flesh was leading him to do and the others were doing what the Spirit of God was leading them to do. God had moved on their hearts. But obviously not on Ananias and Sapphira's. Ananias wanted the recognition, the title so to speak, the association but not the full responsibility. In a sense he wanted to be guilty by association. If I hang around with this congregation of believers I will be one. We saw how that worked for them.

The giving by Ananias and Sapphira was of benefit to the overall picture of things, but the intent of their heart was to deceive and therefore it was of no benefit to them. Instead of being seen as one of the congregation, one of the believers, they die on the spot, separated from the congregation. More importantly separated from God as Peter points out in chapter 5:4. There is accountability in being a part of the congregation of believers and while Peter exposed the deception God held Ananias and Sapphira accountable.