Acts 5:1-11 

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.

³ Then Peter said, “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? ⁴ 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 just to human beings but to God.”

⁵ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. ⁶ Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

⁹ Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

¹⁰ At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Offering Evolution

Church offering has evolved and refined as year passed by. There was a time when one knows who gives more by more clinking of coins heard. When paper bills were introduced in the market and you hear clinking, you can easily imagine that the giver gave just an extra change. The use of offering envelopes modulated giving into a more confidential way.

Church giving should be an opportunity for us to practice faith and for our spiritual growth. However, in the first century church giving opened an avenue of spiritual mockery. Ananias and his wife Sapphira saw church giving as an opportunity to make money.

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.

This narrative about Ananias and Sapphira teaches that making money out of the ministry in the church is a spiritual mockery that has tragic or disastrous ending. Ananias and Sapphira did not believe God would bless them when they give. They cannot wait but have decided what blessing they should get when they give. They might have sold their property to have money and give the rest that they don’t need.

1. Ananias

³ Then Peter said, “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? ⁴ 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 just to human beings but to God.” 

Why did Peter say that Satan has filled the heart of Ananias when he gave some money?

Ananias gave just a portion of the revenue when they sell a piece of their property. Ananias and Sapphira sold only a piece of their property and used “giving to the church” as their marketing slogan or strategy bait.

They might have sold their property through auction or public bidding. Something like: “Any bidder please, the proceeds will go to the church treasury!” The amount of money they kept back for themselves was the exact price of their property. The excess of the profit from the sales was what they brought at the apostles’ feet. Their intention was for business transaction and gave just the surplus of their income.

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian is under flak after she revealed that only 10 percent of the proceeds from her eBay auction will be donated to the survivors of Super-typhoon “Yolanda.”

Accordingly, the 33-year-old Reality TV star earned $10 million from the auction of her used personal items because of that “publicity stunt.”

One fan wrote, “If this is true, I feel you are using the victims of that disaster for your own personal gain.”

Ananias and Sapphira used the offering to the church as “publicity stunt” so that they were able to sell a piece of their property and make more money. The consequences for the love of having more money caught up quickly with them.

⁵ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. ⁶ Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

In that situation, believers learned that the Lord does not need their money for the church.

Giving to the church is a manifestation of gratitude to the Lord who provides for our needs. Giving God’s tithes inspired by the Holy Spirit will keep us from the love of money. There is peace about the future for the person who regularly gives what belongs to God.

In Hebrews 13:5 is an inspirational verse for those who trust God for their finances. ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Ananias never trusted God for their finances, so they agreed to kept first for themselves. Giving God’s tithes inspired by the Holy Spirit is a practice of faith in God who provides.

2. Sapphira

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” ⁹ Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” ¹⁰ At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Why did God not give Ananias and Sapphira any chance to repent?

The instant killing of Ananias and Sapphira is wrong and unacceptable in the eyes of man.

If man thinks that what God did was something wrong, who can punish God?

Whatever man concludes about God’s action, God did what He thinks best for the church.

Is God really a forgiving God, if so, why did He not give Ananias and Sapphira any chance to apologize or a change to ask for forgiveness for their wrongdoings?

This narrative teaches us that we cannot lie or hide anything from God.

When God decides to destroy His creation, we may rebut, we may protest or criticize Him, but who can stop the Lord when He punishes himéher who blasphemes His Spirit?

In Luke 12:10 the Lord Jesus did not suggest but seriously declared… ¹⁰And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

The word ‘blaspheme’ properly means refusing to acknowledge someone worthy of respect. When Sapphira lied to the spirit-filled Peter, she did not just tell a lie but she explicitly refused to acknowledge the Holy Spirit who was speaking through Peter.

To tell a lie is a contempt or disrespect that can be charged in any civilian court. Anyone standing before a judge who lies in his or her testimony can be charged with contempt—meaning-be charged with disrespect of authority.

The Holy Spirit is to be treated with much greater respect than any human judge.

Not a few Bible students believe that it was not Peter who denounced Ananias and Sapphira but the Spirit of Christ speaking through Peter.

This history teaches that God does not allow spiritual mockery in His church. God does not need money and does not need any created being for Him to become God. God created gold, precious stones and He can instantly make the church rich if He wanted.

Giving to church is an acknowledgement that the Lord put everything in place to earn money.

In 2 Corinthians 9:10 Paul teaches the relationship behind giving and the provision of God. ¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 

Those who give God’s tithes believe that God is working behind the scene to put into proper arrangement so that he will earn an income. Those who give God’s tithes believe that when they give back the portion belonging to God, God will continue to supply them of their daily needs: finances, safety, wisdom, etc. Those who give God’s tithes believe that giving God’s tithes regularly, God will steadily increase their wealth and enlarge the harvest of their righteousness.

Giving to church is an obvious sign that the member of the body of Christ is actively involved. 

Nostalgic Trip

A child saw her parents giving their tithes and wondered if her parents were rich. She thought that her parents were lying to her each time she asks them for allowance. Her parents were very thrifty yet they can give more money to the church than to her.

When they went abroad, the little girl wondered again, how they were able to go and live abroad if they do not have much money. Her friends who have bigger houses and have cars do not even go abroad. But when she became a Christian, she came to understand that God blessed their family so much because her parents are faithful in tithes of God.

Parents teach your children that the practice of giving God’s tithes brings blessing to givers.

Normally, when children see their parents giving God’s tithes, they will also practice what they see from the Christian practices of their parents.

You might have heard this: “If God will let me win $10 million, I will give $1million.”

And this, too: “If God will give me a salary of $100,000, I will give $10,000.”

God knows what happens in the future even our attitude, if it will change or remain. It is not a secret that many people have an abrupt transformation of attitude, changes in character and lifestyle when they get rich.

Do not promise to give God what you do not have because you cannot fulfill promises 100%.

It is not the amount or how much money we can give that God wants to see in us. God wanted to see how much we depend upon Him or how we obey His instructions.

The willingness to give testifies as to how much trust in God’s instruction about giving. Our motivation of giving God’s tithes should be inspired by the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is active in our life, He will inspire us to give, that is for sure!

Giving God’s tithes is a practical indication that our faith in God is active. Giving God’s tithes is also an acknowledgement that God gives us our health, safety, wisdom, emotional stability, loving relatives, peace in our city, air we breathe, etc.

We need the Lord who provides for everything we need and increases our righteousness.

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