This side of glory, no human organization or institution is free of sin. There are ever present dangers. Because we are sinful.
Our democratic processes recognize this. Separation of powers, the principle of review, whether through parliament or the judiciary, or royal commission. Elections, the adversarial system, the need for a strong opposition. Due process. Why does our society do this? In a word... SIN.
Closer to home, some of our church laws and practices recognize this. Think of the time and money that we spend on the following: Presenting audited accounts, preparing for Annual General Meetings, providing for oversight by Bishops. Our clergy are required to swear oaths and assent to articles and make ordination promises. Our lay leaders are elected or appointed for limited periods of time. We separate out responsibilities between rectors and wardens, for example, responsibility for money versus responsibility for teaching and pastoral oversight.
Why do we this? Well, in some of this there as an aspect of specialization and a recognition of giftedness, but at bottom, the reason is... SIN. I'm sinful, you are sinful. And so we have to have checks and balances that protect us from ourselves, as well as protecting you from me and me from you.
In the past, two Christian men shared with me stories of financial impropriety at their churches. One spoke of a youth ministry account that was embezzled by a lay leader. Another, a layman who embezzled money from the church to maintain his lifestyle.
And unfortunately, the older ones amongst us have heard of spectacular falls from grace by American Televangelists, whether sexual or financial, and the bad name these scandals give the gospel. It is sad to admit the truth of this occurrences. They are not the normal experience. But they happen.
Now, of course, there are wonderful aspects of church life. And for every story of dishonesty, we could share several of generosity. In fact, I would venture to say that when the church is functioning as it should, what we experience is the generosity of God's people, not their dishonesty.
But while we rejoice in the generosity and good will of most, and the encouraging self-sacrificial generosity of a few, we also confess there is the danger in all of us of insincerity and hypocrisy, and sadly that Christians fall into sins of financial dishonesty.
The story of Acts from chapter 1 to 5 has been the progress of the Word. The name of Jesus Christ has spread throughout Jerusalem. A new community has formed in the midst of the city where Yahweh, the God of Israel chose to put his name and his temple. It identifies with Israel's history and Israel's worship, but it is distinct. For it recognizes that the hope of the Old Testament has been fulfilled by the life, death, resurrection, and current heavenly rule of Jesus as God's Christ. In peacetime, Jesus has been accepted as the Christ. In the face of arrest and persecution, Jesus has been acknowledged as Christ. And now there are many thousands of Jews in Jerusalem who confess the Risen Christ as Lord, live for him, and are waiting for his return.
You can tell when someone really believes something because it affects how they spend their money. It affects what they do with their savings, or their inheritance, or their limited income. It affects how they spend their money, their lifestyle, the sort of things they own, what they do with what they own, what they value, what they hang on to. We see all this in the picture of the church in Jerusalem in chapter 5 verses 32 to 35:
32 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. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. (NIV)
Here is a picture of the early church. You know how we can know it was real? Because it wasn't perfect. Luke will get to that bit eventually. But it gives us an idea of what we can aspire to.
That is, stuff like keeping ahead of the Joneses, or proving your success the the new boat, or the status-symbol car, or the showy guitar, or the latest whiz-bang piece of technology just because you can, whatever the toy is, really was not very important.
What was more important? Making sure the needs of everyone in the community were met. Sharing the stuff that you have for the good of the community.
Where does this attitude start? Where does this kind of concern for communal well-being, the good of the body, where does that start?
Look again at verse 32: All the believers were one in heart and mind.
Maybe you can fake this for a little while, but it is very hard to do so. You can't bribe people into such a state of affairs. You know, saying, 'Only if you give will God bless you.'
Or that you are required to give a tithe, because that was the Old Testament law. This was not compulsory acquisition. You have to sell your house and give it to us to be part of our church.
It is clear that this was not the attitude of the Apostle's and the early church. As Peter will say later to Annanias, 'Wasn't the property yours'? 'Aren't you free to do with the money whatever you like"?
But forced generosity is not generosity. Excelling in the grace of giving comes about by grace. It's because you don't have to that it is grace. You don't need management books or the latest leadership course to get this kind of generosity into your church.So what do you need for it? A common Lord, a common Spirit, common message, a common goal, and a common hope. These early believers in Jerusalem had all these things.
They had a common Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ. They had the Risen Jesus Christ as mission leader.
They had a common Spirit, the gift of the One risen Lord Jesus Christ, who would give them the words to say.
They had a common message of preaching that Jesus was the Christ that the Old Testament promised, and that his life, death, resurrection and ascension fulfilled prophecy. And that if a person repented and turned again, and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, they would be saved from death and God's wrath.
They had the common goal of being Christ's witnesses, and bearing that message to the ends of the earth.
And they had the common hope that either Jesus would return to rescue them from the present evil age, or that he would raise them from the dead and give them an inheritance among the saints.
And these things produced a wonderful unity and commonality of purpose.
And do you know friends, we have each of those things. There is no reason why we cannot have the common purpose that produces these concerns. There is no reason why we cannot be 'one in heart and mind'.
One disciple gets special mention. We know him as Barnabas, because the Apostle's changed his name. He was a levite from Cyprus named joseph. But he was such an encourager that they called him 'Son of Encouragement'. Verses 36-37:
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Here are the edgy sort of things that these early believers did. They did radical things. Things that people would shake their heads at. 'Can you believe he has sold that property his father left him and gave it to the Apostles. He's been brainwashed. You know, it's all well and good to be a little bit religious, but you can't let it affect your back pocket or your asset portfolio or your superannuation.' But the early disciples would make decisions that made their suited financial advisers study their shoes and say, 'Let me get this straight. You are going to liquidate your assets and give the proceeds away to some new religious group. Well I really can't help you. Please pay my fee now. Good bye'.
Notice that we know about this generosity. That is, secrecy safeguards sincerity. Jesus teaches us that we should give so that our left hand doesn't know what our right hand is doing. But then again, look at this. We all know about the fact that Barnabas sold his field. Luke knew about it, and the church for the last 2000 years has had the story plonked in their laps. In other words, Barnabas didn't give this money secretly, and the early church in Jerusalem accepted money from Christians publicly, and was happy for the story to be told later on. That is, the early church didn't understand Jesus' words in Matthew 5 to require absolute secrecy in every act of giving.
Sometimes the giving was not secret, like Barnabas'. Now, it's also apparent that the early church didn't turn giving into a telethon. I'll give you $50 if you mention my name on TV. Nor was it the conspicuous philanthropy of others. But as Paul says, good works and evil works will out. The testimony of good works is not for us to give, it is for others. Including in the area of giving. Like Barnabas'. Perhaps Barnabas has received his reward in full already. Or perhaps he just accepted the normal way of giving in that community, but didn't big note himself. But either way, Christians for the last 2000 years have known about Barnabas' generosity, but not from Barnabas. Maybe the testimony for good works is for others to give.
A noticeable aspect of some of Paul's letters is reference to financial and material generosity. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-13, the Apostle Paul actually goes so far as to compare churches in two regions. He compares the Macedonian churches with the Corinthian church. He tests the sincerity of the the Corinthian churches' love by comparing it to the other churches. He says this:
1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. 6 So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But just as you excel in everything –in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us –see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 10 And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. (NIV)
The giving was for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. And the Apostle Paul compares the generosity of the Macedonians to the Corinthians. He challenges them by the example of the generosity of Macedonian Christians, who, in the midst of hardship, gave willing -- in fact, they urged Paul to let them give.
We need to do both things. We need to not blow our own trumpets when we give, and make sure our left hand doesn't know what our right hand is doing. But we also need to let our generosity be tested by comparing it to others. That is what Paul does. That is what Jesus does, when he blows the trumpet on the poor widow who put her whole life in the temple treasury.
But this is the question I want us to ponder as we think about Barnabas' gift of the proceeds of the sale of land. Why is it that we feel uncomfortable with such extreme and irrevocable financial generosity?
It might be because churches have done bad things with people's generosity in the past. That is true. And we must guard against that. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
But I don't think that is the main reason why we're uncomfortable.
I think the main reason is that we have been taught to have something to fall back on. Keep something in reserve, for a rainy day, because never know what's around the corner. We are told that a fool and his money are soon parted. And who wants to be a fool.
Well, Barnabas was probably single, as far as we know didn't have dependent children, and in chapter 13 was set apart for an international preaching ministry alongside the Apostle Paul.
What is appropriate for an Apostle and Missionary is not necessarily appropriate for a parent of dependent children, a mother with little ones to care for, a father with family responsibilities.
But what I want you to get a feel for is the radical, irrevocable nature of the generosity. Barnabas really believed that Jesus was the Christ. So he put all his assets at his Lord's disposal. He put everything at his Apostle's feet. And no wonder the Apostles called him 'Son of Encouragement'.,
But even the best of human acts can be counterfeited. And what we see in Ananias and Sapphira is not a lack of generosity. Objectively speaking, they were generous. Acts chapter 5 verses 1 to 2:
1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Now, it is quite acceptable for Annanias and Saphira to keep some of the money. That is the point of verse 4:
4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?
But it is not that which is the problem. It is their giving of a part but making it seem like the whole that was their sin. It was the deception of saying, look, I'm just like Barnabas, when really you're not. It was the attempt to pass themselves off as something they're not. It was the lie that the whole was really only a part.
What does Peter say? Oh well, I guess beggars can't be choosers. Thanks so much for what you have given us, and we won't raise the little problem of the exaggeration, the little white lie. But we'll think of the good that the money you have given will do. We might think that such an approach is tactful and acceptable.
But Peter doesn't. What Peter says about Annanias and Sapphira is this:
Verse 3, 'How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit'. Verse 4, 'You have not lied to men but to God.' Verse 9, 'How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?' Peter doesn't look at the good that the money could do. He looks at the sin and folly of attempting to deceive God and the Holy Spirit. And then the young men had a busy time burying the bodies.
Ananias and Sapphira were hypocrites. They wanted to seem one thing while they actually were something else. God doesn't want money at the cost of honesty. He can get the money from anywhere.
I won't deny there is an aspect of harshness in this. Some Christians sin and aren't put instantly to death. Like us... we confess our sins every Sunday at church. But Ananias and Sapphira are.
But also consider this. Sarah is scared so lies to God, but still lives. David commits adultery and murder wrapped in a whole web of lies, rightly admitting 'against you and you only have I sinned' and yet he lives long, albeit with a civil war and losing 4 sons and having sexual immorality spread through his family. Solomon falls into extreme polygamy, idolatry, and gross accumulation of gold and silver contrary to God's command, yet the kingdom is taken from his son, not him, and he continues. Peter lies three times that he doesn't know Jesus, and in the ends he is restored to Apostleship. Simon Magus wants to buy the Holy Spirit with money, and he gets a chance to repent. Jezebel of Thyatira and the Balaamites and Nicolaitans of Pergamum get and opportunity to repent despite their sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. None of them fall down dead immediately when their sin is revealed.
In the end, I don't know why God treats some differently to others. But I do know that God is justly with all his creatures. Equity doesn't necessarily mean equality. It can't, given the differences I've just outlined. And God has his own purposes in expediting the sentence of death to some, and commuting it for others, until a more appropriate time..
I don't agree with everything C S Lewis says or implies in his books. But I do think he does capture this aspect of God's dealings with each of us as individuals in The Horse and His Boy. In the story, Aravis is a girl who drugs her stepmothers slave girl so she can escape. And the slave girl received a severe beating. So along the way, a great lion gives her 10 scratches on her back with his claws. He could have done more. And at the end of the story, Aslan reveals that he was the lion that attacked her. And Aslan reveals to Aravis that her injuries were equal to those which the slave girl received, scratch for scratch and blood for blood. And Aravis asks Aslan , 'Will any more harm come to her by what I did?' to which Aslan answers: 'Child, I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own'. C S Lewis, The Horse and His Boy, (Fontana Lions: London, 1954), 169-170
We don't know Annanias' and Sapphira's story. And for now, we do not know either theirs or ours, for the story is not at the end. But one day, at the end, we will learn our own. And we know that God is just in all his dealings with each of us.
But God is a consuming fire. At key times in salvation history, God acts supernaturally in both grace and judgment. We see it in the books of Exodus and Numbers. God not only shows wonders and signs, but also publicly punishes his people. When God comes near, his power both gives life and puts to death. And so it is here in the books of Acts. The Holy Spirit heals and binds up, but he also cuts down and puts to death.
So the response in verses 5 and 11 is not surprising:
Verse 5: When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. (NIV)
Again verse 11: Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. (NIV)
If God does this to his own people, it is right and proper to fear God. It's the only sensible approach.
Fear does a few things. It means we take God and his commandments seriously. We are afraid to break them and offend against God. We will also be concerned to put things right, when we've done wrong..
Later in Acts, some believers in Ephesus openly confessed their deeds, and burnt their occult scrolls (Acts 19:13-20). The reason they did this was because they were afraid. A demon possessed man overpowered the seven sons of Sceva who were taking Jesus' name in vain. They did this because everyone living in Ephesus heard about it, were seized with fear, and began holding the name of the Lord Jesus in high honor.
As part of the mission of the risen Christ in Acts, the judgment on Ananias and Sapphira was simply another sign showing that Jesus was the Christ. Because that is the story. Whether it is belief or betrayal, sincerity or sin, escape or execution, the mission continues, the gospel inexorably and unstoppably continues it's journey to the ends of the earth.
Acts 5 verses 12 to 14:
12 ... And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. (NIV)
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? ” (1 Peter 4:17-18 NIV)
We need to be holy, because our God is a consuming fire. Don’t fear men, fear God.
Let’s pray