Ananias and Sapphira

I've been thinking about Ananias and Sapphira this week after reading their story in Acts chapter 5. "But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" It's amazing to me how quickly Satan tried to get a stronghold in the new church.

I've been wondering about this couple. Who were they? Were they in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost? Were they part of the three thousand souls that were added to the church that day? What changed so quickly for them? They didn't have to give any of the money, or they could have told Peter they were giving part of it. Did they plan their deception or was it after the money was in their hands that they gave in to temptation? What a sad ending. "And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost" (verse 5) and "Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost" (verse 10).

I've also been thinking about our response to the judgment of sin. Verse 5 of this chapter says, "great fear came on all them that heard these things" and verse 11 says, "And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things."

I have been in services when the man of God is preaching and sin is revealed. I cannot think of a single time when "great fear" did not come upon me. I am fearful for my own soul, lest I have sinned and not repented of it. It doesn't matter if I know I'm innocent or not, something in me says, "I have to be sure!" I never want to sit pridefully thinking I have no sin. But I am also fearful for others - what if they don't repent when God is giving them the opportunity?

These are sobering thoughts, but this is a story we cannot ignore. May Psalm 51:10 be the prayer of our hearts in 2011 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."