Ananias and Sapphira: Defiled Headship Part 1

Ananias and Sapphira:      Defiled Headship      Part 1 

Ananias and Sapphira lived in the days of the church’s greatest purity and power.

These Christians were knit together in the bonds of God’s love.  They knew they belonged to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Acts 4:32 reads, “All the believers were one in heart and mind.  No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”

This Scripture states they were of one heart and one soul.  The soul is the conscious life force in man, his personality, consisting of his mind, will, and emotions.  This is the level on which a person thinks, feels, and makes choices.

These Christians in the early church thought alike, they had deep feelings for each other and they made decisions that showed their mutual concern and care.

They did not sit through church pretending to be someone they are not, then go home and forget about the needs of others and slip back into their hidden sins.

Their love for one another went so far as to give their money and possession knowing everything they had was from God and not theirs exclusively.

They willingly sacrificed their own comfort for the good of everyone.

The result of this unselfish spirit was great power and blessings upon the church.  In John 13:35 Jesus said that this kind of love would be the mark of true discipleship.

But……Ananias and Sapphira wanted more.  They wanted to be more acclaimed, they wanted to be the center of attention, they wanted others to think they were super-spiritual----they needed to be recognized.  They wanted people to know they were more than just ordinary members, they were special.   They craved the praise of men.  

This is where trouble began when their fleshly pride took over.  Coveting the praise of man was evident enough to see they were operating in the realm of the flesh rather than the Spirit of God.

This becomes even more evident to us when we learn their confidence was more in their bank account, rather than God.  They could not bear to do what the others were doing----giving all their money totally to God and solely trust Him to meet their needs.   Their desire for praise and their confidence in material things expressed their fleshliness.

The dilemma was: “how could they get the praise they craved from the congregation without giving all the money?”

Answer:  Lie and Fake it!