DON'T LIE ABOUT YOUR GIVING5 Now a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s full knowledge [and complicity] he kept back some of the proceeds, bringing only a portion of it, and set it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and [secretly] keep back for yourself some of the proceeds [from the sale] of the land? 4 As long as it remained [unsold], did it not remain your own [to do with as you pleased]? And after it was sold, was the money not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this act [of hypocrisy and deceit] in your heart? You have not [simply] lied to people, but to God.” 5 And hearing these words, Ananias fell down suddenly and died; and great fear and awe gripped those who heard of it. 6 And the young men [in the congregation] got up and wrapped up the body, and carried it out and buried it. 7 Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me whether you sold your land for so much?” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “How could you two have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 And at once she fell down at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear and awe gripped the whole church, and all who heard about these things. (Acts 5:1-11, Amplified Bible)
Ananias and Sapphira were part of the Church described in Acts 4. They were among those who were of one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32 KJV). As the believers grew so close to each other that they had all things common, those with much gave to those with little so that there was no lack. Many owners of houses and land sold their property and brought the proceeds to the disciples for distribution to those in need. In the midst of this environment, Ananias and his wife decided to sell one of their properties. They conspired to hold back some of the profit and tell the church that they were giving all of the money. Whether it was pride, fear, greed or a combination of these, they decided to lie to the disciples and let it appear that they had given more than they had.
No one in the early Church was coerced into giving anything and there was no reason at all for them to feel the need to lie about the amount they were giving. All of the believers were sharing with each other out of genuine love and concern, not to be noticed or exalted. Our giving is to be done cheerfully, with love and gladness. Ananias and Sapphira could have simply sold their property, given a portion to the Church and that would have been the end of it. Unfortunately for them, they agreed to pretend that they were something that they were not. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
Ananias and his wife were believers; they knew God’s Law. They allowed sin to enter in and as a result they put God to the test (Acts 5:9). God is Righteous and Holy; He abhors sin. The consequences of their actions were swift and final. Both of them died right after their lies were exposed. In the Old Testament, the book of Number 30:2 says, “If a man vows a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break and profane his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth."
When love is your motivation, you don’t care about credit or recognition. Your focus is on honoring the Lord and giving your best to the Master. Give all that is in your heart, don’t hold back what the Spirit prompts you to do and suffer consequences. It probably won’t be death…but it might be a lesser harvest, delay or denial of what your desiring. The example of Ananias and Sapphira is a very vivid reminder of what can happen when we lose our focus.
Wanda Baker
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