OzThoughts – Wednesday, 10th June, 2009

OzThoughts – Wednesday, 10th June, 2009

I have always been amused by one of the stories of the early Christian church. It is the story mentioned yesterday from our Sunday worship, the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). The amusing part is not their sin but I have always wondered about the very quick burial of both husband and then wife. This is at a time when a friend I waiting for two weeks for her father’s funeral in England.

The early church was a real community and there was much sharing together. People were pooling their resources to help the community. One noted donor to the group was Barnabas which means encourager. Barnabas you will remember had a block of land which he sold and gave the sale price to the community. I do not wonder he was called the encourager.

His generosity, or was it the praise he got caused Ananias and Sapphira to scheme. Like Barnabas they sold a block of land and decided to give part of the proceeds of the sale to the church community, pretending it was the whole of the proceeds.

When the Church Leader, the apostle Peter confronted Ananias about it, Ananias dropped dead. The scriptures simply say the young men wrapped him up, took him out and buried him. Then Peter questions Sapphira about the matter. She says it was all the funds they received. Peter questions why they were deceiving the Holy Spirit. Then Peter with all the delicacy of a fisherman hauling on a net full of fish, tells her that the men who buried her husband are outside and coming to take her out for burial. She drops dead too.

I would think that a wife would have some claim on attending her husband’s funeral. Although, I guess she should be grateful they were thoughtful enough to bury her beside her husband. As I said I have always been amused by this.

The content of the story is pretty serious stuff. This couple were trying to con the church but were actually sinning against the Holy Spirit. God judged them harshly and they both died immediately their sin was known. It seems God used them as an example to the church that they were to be truthful and honest in all their dealings.

I feel a little uncomfortable with the quick funeral. Maybe it was the custom of the day. I have a feeling it is almost the mob rushing in to deal roughly with the wrong doer. Like the mob that was ready to hurl stones at the adulteress or at the Christian preacher Stephen or the mob who cried crucify him when presented with Jesus the Christ! I know in this case god led the punishment but I have in the back of my mind and deep in my heart that we are called by God to be “lovers” and not the punishment squad.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, help me to see what is right in your sight. Help me to live a life that is pleasing to you. I pray that your Holy Spirit will not be offended by my actions but give me power to live as you would have me live. I pray for each of my friends who read this. I pray that you will bless them all and support those who need your Spirit’s help right now. Amen.
[Look and Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N0iVysrykU&feature=related ]

Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore;
Soldiers, give thanks, and sing
And triumph evermore:

Chorus
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice; again I say, rejoice.

Jesus the Saviour reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When he had purged our stains,
He took his seat above:

His Kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o'er earth and Heaven;
The keys of death and Hell
Are to our Jesus given:

He sits at God's right hand,
Till all his foes submit,
And bow to his command,
And fall beneath his feet:

He all his foes shall quell,
Shall all our sins destroy,
And every bosom swell
With pure seraphic joy:

Rejoice in glorious hope;
Jesus the judge shall come,
And take his servants up
To their eternal home:

We soon shall hear the archangel's voice;
The trump of God shall sound, Rejoice!
Author: Charles Wesley (1707-88)
The Salvation Army Song Book: Song Number: 164
Acts 4:32-5:11 (The Message)
32-33The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it." They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.
34-35And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person's need.
36-37Joseph, called by the apostles "Barnabas" (which means "Son of Comfort"), a Levite born in Cyprus, sold a field that he owned, brought the money, and made an offering of it to the apostles.
Acts 5
1-2 But a man named Ananias—his wife, Sapphira, conniving in this with him—sold a piece of land, secretly kept part of the price for himself, and then brought the rest to the apostles and made an offering of it.
3-4Peter said, "Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours, and after you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. So what got into you to pull a trick like this? You didn't lie to men but to God."
5-6Ananias, when he heard those words, fell down dead. That put the fear of God into everyone who heard of it. The younger men went right to work and wrapped him up, then carried him out and buried him.
7-8Not more than three hours later, his wife, knowing nothing of what had happened, came in. Peter said, "Tell me, were you given this price for your field?"
"Yes," she said, "that price."
9-10Peter responded, "What's going on here that you connived to conspire against the Spirit of the Master? The men who buried your husband are at the door, and you're next." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than she also fell down, dead. When the young men returned they found her body. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11By this time the whole church and, in fact, everyone who heard of these things had a healthy respect for God. They knew God was not to be trifled with.


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