A Great Church (Part Three)

The topics of power and grace are easier for us to discuss than an expression like “great fear.” So far in the story of the church it has been a record of victory. Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 is followed by 3,000 conversions! The atmosphere in the early church is one of love and generosity. In Acts 3, a man lame from birth is miraculously healed. A prayer in Acts 4 for boldness in witness is answered with the filling of the Holy Spirit.

But the account in Acts 5 reminds us that there are no perfect churches—then or now. If Acts 4 closes with the story of the generosity of Barnabas, Acts 5 opens with the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira. The judgment of God in response to their pretense produces the third characteristic of a great church—great fear.

Great Fear

“Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events” (Acts 5:5,11 NIV).

A misunderstood story. Following the action of Barnabas in giving all of the proceeds from the land sale to the church, Ananias and Sapphira decided to sell their land. We need to be clear on the nature of the sin of this church couple. Their sin was not in not giving all of their proceeds to the church. Their sin was pretense and hypocrisy. They pretended to give all of it. They wanted the praise Barnabas received without making the same sacrifice. Peter, discerning through the Holy Spirit that the devil was behind their sin, told Ananias: “How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:3-4 NIV).

Two grave markers. The immediate death of Ananias followed by the same judgment from God on his wife has puzzled many students of the Bible. They conclude that the punishment was too severe. They have the same opinion about the sin of Achan recorded in Joshua 7. Just because he took some of the spoils of the Jericho victory, why should he, his wife and children, and cattle die? Many judge those deaths as much too harsh. Is there a lesson here? Could it be that at the border of the Promised Land and at the birth of the church, these gravestones send a message to God’s chosen people in the Old Testament and to the church in the New? What would the message be to Israel? God wants obedience! What would the message be for the church? God wants integrity and hates hypocrisy. The strongest words of Jesus were directed to the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Our Lord doesn’t want His people to wear a mask of pretense.

What is this great fear that seized the church and everyone who heard about the deaths of this couple? It is the fear of misrepresenting our holy God through an impure life. It is the fear that my life as a believer might send a message that Jesus makes no difference in the lifestyle of a Christian. It is the fear that the words “a new creation” in 2 Corinthians 5:17 mean absolutely nothing!

The expression “no one else dared join them” (Acts 5:13) is significant. It meant something to be saved and to join the church. Purity and godly living were expected. It makes me think that we need to add to the curriculum of the membership classes in evangelical churches. Yes, we need a statement of faith, and the story of the candidate’s conversion needs to be shared. But I would like to add Matthew 5:13-16 and some teaching about lifestyle as found in the Sermon on the Mount or another great passage such as Ephesians 4! God wants His church to be new creations who are totally committed to Him!