I don’t know about you, but I would love to have been part of the church that was created by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
The Bible tells us that “many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Wow! What an amazing church, and one that I would love to see replicated throughout Greater Sydney, and not only replicated but multiplied.
Two words summarise the experience of the church: power and grace. “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” There was one person who was a fascinating example of this grace-filled power. His name was Joseph, but his nickname was Barnabas because he was always encouraging people. One way he encouraged people was by selling his investment property and giving the funds to people who needed the money. He also had a knack of spotting young people who were potential leaders and encouraging them to follow God’s calling. Barnabas had such a good eye for potential young leaders and getting alongside them that potentially 67% of the New Testament can be traced back to his quiet cultivation of the next generation of leaders. Don’t you think we need more Barnabases in our churches in Greater Sydney?
Just when everything in church seemed so idyllic, tragedy struck. A couple called Ananias and Sapphira were genuinely inspired by Barnabas and others’ generosity in the church. They were also attracted to the way the church held in high regard those who had sold property to give to the poor, and they wanted to be in that position. However, when they saw the profit that the sale of their property generated, they struggled with the thought of giving it all away. At the same time, they still wanted the public recognition that came with being generous. So, they came up with what they thought was a brilliant solution. They would keep a significant share of it for themselves, but give enough to gain what they knew was the necessary entrance price into the Giving Pledge Club. Instead the anticipated recognition, within hours of transferring the funds into the trust account, they had both joined the Dead Hypocrites Society. They did not just lose what they had grudgingly given to the church—they lost everything, including life itself.
Why do terrible things like this happen so soon after God’s people have stepped into His promised future? Why did Achan and his entire family end up under a pile of stones so soon after Israel had crossed the River Jordan and effortlessly conquered Jericho? Why did Uzzah have to be struck done while the David and all the house of Israel were celebrating as the ark of God’s promise was on its way home to Jerusalem? Why did Ananias and Sapphira have to breathe their last so soon after the Holy Spirit had breathed fire into the early church?
I believe that the reason is seen in the reaction to what happened to Ananias and Sapphira. After Ananias died, the Bible says, “great fear came upon all who heard of it”, and when Sapphira died three hours later, “great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.” We can so easily start enjoying the blessings of God that we forget the fear of God, the appropriate response to the reality of the magnitude and power of the Person who gave us those wonderful blessings.
You see, the root of the problem with a person like Richard Dawkins is not really that he is an atheist and an evolutionist. The root of the problem is that he simply does not fear God. If Dawkins did fear God, he would not say such disparaging things about Him. The same is true for all of the other Four Horseman of New Atheism and their entourage. The late Christopher Hitchens did not fear God. Neither does Lawrence Krause. In fact, there is very little fear of God in our society, much like there was no fear of Yahweh flowing in Belshazzar’s party the night Babylon fell.
And in the midst of this tragic global disregard of divine wisdom and power, God sends an angelic messenger with a clear and powerful message: Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come! And this is not only a message that our society needs to hear. It is also a message that needs to transform the hearts of people inside the church as well.
“It is God who blesses men with property, and He does this that they may be able to give toward the advancement of His cause. He sends the sunshine and the rain. He causes vegetation to flourish. He gives health and the ability to acquire means. All our blessings come from His bountiful hand. In turn, He would have men and women show their gratitude by returning Him a portion in tithes and offerings—in thank offerings, in freewill offerings, in trespass offerings. Should means flow into the treasury in accordance with this divinely appointed plan—a tenth of all the increase, and liberal offerings—there would be an abundance for the advancement of the Lord’s work.
“But the hearts of men become hardened through selfishness, and, like Ananias and Sapphira, they are tempted to withhold part of the price, while pretending to fulfill God’s requirements. Many spend money lavishly in self-gratification. Men and women consult their pleasure and gratify their taste, while they bring to God, almost unwillingly, a stinted offering. They forget that God will one day demand a strict account of how His goods have been used, and that He will no more accept the pittance they hand into the treasury than He accepted the offering of Ananias and Sapphira.” AA p75
The amazing reality is this: once you truly fear God, you have nothing else to fear! You do not need to be afraid that you will not have enough finances to meet your needs or how an economic downturn might affect your job or being ridiculed for openly sharing your faith or being put into prison or dying for what you believe. The reason why we do not need to be afraid is because we really understand how great and generous and compassionate and wise God is, and when we trust Him in every area of our lives, that even if we die, He is able to give us eternal life. It was not Peter and the apostles, who obeyed God rather than men, who were afraid of being stoned by the people. It was the captain of the guard and his officers!
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39
May the Holy Spirit lead us to truly fear God so that we can become fearless in obeying Him in all areas of our lives (including our finances), being generous with what He has graciously given us and sharing the incredibly good news about Jesus’ death, resurrection and soon return.
The book of Acts is drenched with the Holy Spirit. Reading it is like taking time to play out in the tropical rain! Read the full stories for today in:
Acts 5 NET
Acts of the Apostles “A Warning Against Hypocrisy”
Acts of the Apostles “Before the Sanhedrin”
Invite your friends to join this journey with you! You can follow this journey on Facebook too.
