Witness the sobering consequences of deceit in the church as Ananias and Sapphira’s attempt to gain glory for themselves leads to a powerful display of God’s justice.
In this episode of The Jesus Podcast, Ananias and Sapphira conspire to deceive the apostles by withholding part of their offering while seeking public recognition for their gift. When confronted by Peter, their dishonesty brings swift judgment from God, reminding the early church of the seriousness of integrity and generosity in their fellowship.
Today's Bible verse is Matthew 6:4, from the King James Version.
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Speaker 1: So that your giving may be in secret, and your father,
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Speaker 1: who sees in secret, will reward you. Matthew six y four.
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Speaker 1: Gracious Father, we thank you for seeing our hearts and
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Speaker 1: knowing our motives. We ask for humility, Lord, that we
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Speaker 1: may give generously without seeking the recognition of others. Help
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Speaker 1: us to remember that our reward is not in the
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Speaker 1: praise of man, but in your approval alone. Teach us
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Speaker 1: to give faithfully and quietly, trusting that you see what
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Speaker 1: is done in secret.
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Speaker 2: May we be.
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Speaker 1: Content with your acknowledgment, finding joy and serving others out
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Speaker 1: of love for you. Keep our hearts pure, focused on
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Speaker 1: your glory and not our own. Strengthen us to remain
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Speaker 1: faithful in our giving even when no one else sees.
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Speaker 1: In Jesus's name, Amen, thank you for praying with me today.
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Speaker 1: You are listening to the Jesus Podcast. Remain here for
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Speaker 1: another dramatized story inspired by the Book of Acts and
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Speaker 1: the birth of the Church. If this podcast has blessed you,
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Speaker 1: make sure to follow so you never have to miss
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Speaker 1: an episode. Anonius made his way tiresomely down the darkened street.
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Speaker 1: He had taken longer closing up his shop than he
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Speaker 1: would have liked, and the price to pay was smelling
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Speaker 1: warm cooked meals through lighted windows while his stomach growled
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Speaker 1: with hunger, and an Ias grumbled mindlessly to himself in
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Speaker 1: cold bitterness.
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Speaker 3: All these people enjoying their lives, and mim who is
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Speaker 3: working with the short end of the stick.
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Speaker 1: He was suddenly drawn from his complaining when he heard
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Speaker 1: a loud thud. He turned and squinted down the lane.
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Speaker 1: He could make out a dozen or so figures standing
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Speaker 1: out front of a house. He bent his ear to
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Speaker 1: listen in. If he had to endure the late walk,
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Speaker 1: he might as well do so with the enjoyment he
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Speaker 1: found in eavesdropping.
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Speaker 2: I went to the market today to sell one of
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Speaker 2: my fields. You see, the Lord has graced me with
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Speaker 2: more than I need. The fruit of my other fields
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Speaker 2: alone will continue to feed those who hunger. But I
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Speaker 2: hope that the money this field has brought will be
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Speaker 2: able to bless the people of God in an even
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Speaker 2: greater way. I would have given it to the gathering today,
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Speaker 2: but I thought it best to wait, considering the amount.
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Speaker 1: And Anius recognized Barnabas voice. Not only did they own
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Speaker 1: land near one another, but both had become followers of
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Speaker 1: Jesus since the Resurrection, and Anaias stepped behind the corner
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Speaker 1: of a nearby house, cautiously peering around the edge.
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Speaker 3: May the world now of the goodness of God demonstrated
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Speaker 3: to you today, Barnabas, The Lord will use what you've
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Speaker 3: done secret to glorify himself in the light.
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Speaker 1: As the man entered the house, Annaias pressed the small
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Speaker 1: of his back against the wall. With a heavy sigh,
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Speaker 1: he pounded it with the heel of his fist.
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Speaker 3: One day I'll have the recognition I deserve.
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Speaker 4: What's the cost of pretending? What are the ripple effects
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Speaker 4: of our fake faith? Make no mistake, friends, a fake
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Speaker 4: faith can cause some serious damage to you and to
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Speaker 4: God's people. Welcome to the Jesus Podcast, a year of
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Speaker 4: stories showcasing the death of Christ's love and the glory
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Speaker 4: of his spirit. We've been going through a mini series
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Speaker 4: on the birth of the Church, showcasing that the power
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Speaker 4: and work of Christ lives on through his followers. Take
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Speaker 4: a moment to follow on whatever platform you're listening to
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Speaker 4: so you never have to miss an episode. Today, we're
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Speaker 4: diving into one of the more shocking stories in the
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Speaker 4: Book of Acts today's episode is inspired by Acts five
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Speaker 4: one through sixteen, and it introduces us to a couple
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Speaker 4: who wanted to make a name for themselves in the
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Speaker 4: early Church, but ended up as a cautionary tale. Their
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Speaker 4: names in Anias in Sephira. The story of their deceit
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Speaker 4: reminds us that while we can fool people, we can
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Speaker 4: never fool God.
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Speaker 1: Back at home, Annia sat at his table. He swirled
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Speaker 1: a cup of wine around in his hand like a
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Speaker 1: fortune teller, trying to see the future, and the circular wavelets.
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Speaker 1: His wife, Saphira, busily scurried around the kitchen, fixing him
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Speaker 1: a plate of lukewarmfood.
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Speaker 3: It's just not fair, Saphira. Barnabas has all this wealth,
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Speaker 3: so of course he can afford the praise. Where does
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Speaker 3: that leave the rest of us to scurry under the
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Speaker 3: feet of the apostles for table scraps?
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Speaker 1: And Anaias held nothing back. If asked, he would have
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Speaker 1: blamed his lack of control on the tiredness from the day,
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Speaker 1: but his heart knew he would feel the same emotion
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Speaker 1: in the morning after a heavy night of sleep. The
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Speaker 1: sourness from years of self loathing and envy had corrupted
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Speaker 1: away at his heart. Regardless of whether his feelings were
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Speaker 1: right or wrong, he felt a sense of security sharing
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Speaker 1: it with his wife. Saphiro was faithful to a fault
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Speaker 1: and would follow Anonaeus to the ends of the earth.
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Speaker 1: She had fallen deeply in love with him at a
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Speaker 1: young age, and the years together only fortified her affection
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Speaker 1: for her husband.
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Speaker 5: You're absolutely right, dear, you work just as hard as Barnabas,
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Speaker 5: if not harder. For I've heard he can afford help
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Speaker 5: this year.
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Speaker 1: An Anius grunted with a judgmental nod of his head.
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Speaker 5: Ah, but have some food. I'm sure you're hungry.
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Speaker 3: Try to relax.
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Speaker 5: Things will turn for the better.
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Speaker 1: Saphirah carefully laid a plate of homemade rosemary bread, olives,
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Speaker 1: and grapes before her husband. He thanked her as he
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Speaker 1: looked up into her eyes. He could see that she
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Speaker 1: was just as worn out as he was, yet her
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Speaker 1: eyes still glored with the virancy of a youthful soul.
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Speaker 1: When she stepped away, Annaias pushed around the food on
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Speaker 1: his plate, but satiating his hunger was going to have
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Speaker 1: to wait for a deeper desire burned within him.
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Speaker 3: You know, my love, I've been thinking, thinking about what
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Speaker 3: you were saying about things turning out for the better.
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Speaker 1: I believe I have a way to help us, Safi
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Speaker 1: returned with an inquisitive look. Ever since they had devoted
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Speaker 1: themselves to the teachings of Jesus, she struggled to think
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Speaker 1: about herself.
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Speaker 3: Well, ah usend the believers. Of course, a mutually beneficial plan,
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Speaker 3: if you will, you know our field, the one that's
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Speaker 3: dried up as of late, Perhaps it would be better
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Speaker 3: if we rid ourselves of the burden. We can give
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Speaker 3: some of the proceeds to the apostles and keep some ourselves.
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Speaker 3: Of course, the apostles need not know that last part.
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Speaker 1: Though Saphira questioned Anonia's words silently, in her mind, she
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Speaker 1: could feel a subtle prodding within her that caused her
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Speaker 1: to struggle with the idea. Though Anonius didn't say it explicitly,
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Speaker 1: he fully intended to deceive the Apostles. She knew what
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Speaker 1: he was saying was wrong, but her love for Anonius
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Speaker 1: caused her to mistakenly take her duties as an encouraging
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Speaker 1: wife to mean disrespecting the spirit. His prompts to oppose
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Speaker 1: the plan would possibly upset her husband further.
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Speaker 2: And this was the.
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Speaker 1: Gateway to her flesh. Playing the part of opposing counsel,
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Speaker 1: she began to convince herself that the plan wasn't entirely wrong.
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Speaker 1: What harm could come from seeking a little recognition if
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Speaker 1: the church still received support. As she thought through and
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Speaker 1: anyas plan, she allowed herself to admit the weight of
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Speaker 1: life she had started to feel. It was the first
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Speaker 1: time in a long time. Her shoulder slumped forward. Perhaps
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Speaker 1: this was how God would allow them a chance at
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Speaker 1: a fresh start.
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Speaker 5: You are crafty, my love, with a sharp mind. Do
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Speaker 5: as you see fit, and I will follow up with
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Speaker 5: you accordingly. I trust you.
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Speaker 1: Saphira stared into the flame of the rusted lamp in
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Speaker 1: the kitchen. She held her hand up to it, feeling
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Speaker 1: its small, radiating warmth. She pressed her fingers closer, allowing
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Speaker 1: the dancing flame to tap her finger tips. She winced
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Speaker 1: in pain as she drew her hand back swiftly. She
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Speaker 1: pondered the duality of its nature to both comfort and harm.
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Speaker 1: In its right place, it gave light to the whole house,
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Speaker 1: but uncontained, it would burn the entire house without a
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Speaker 1: consideration for what laid in its path. Near the end
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Speaker 1: of the week, some believers gathered to listen to the
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Speaker 1: apostles teaching pray and worship. Together. The sound of hundreds
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Speaker 1: of voices lifting the name of the Lord high in
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Speaker 1: praises rang through the streets and up to the heavens.
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Speaker 1: People working their way up and down the street would
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Speaker 1: regularly stop and listen in. On many occasions, they would
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Speaker 1: find themselves staying longer than they intended. Something in the
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Speaker 1: depths of their soul. Would cry out and satisfaction at
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Speaker 1: the words of Jesus gospel and hearing the simplicity of
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Speaker 1: receiving the grace of Jesus through his scandalous rescue plan,
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Speaker 1: they would give their hearts to the Lord and join
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Speaker 1: the people of the Way. And Annias wriggled through the people,
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Speaker 1: his eyes set on the apostles at the center of
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Speaker 1: the congregation. He'd arrived from the market place and carried
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Speaker 1: two coiners us, one in each hand. He passed the
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Speaker 1: two bags between his left and right hands before slipping
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Speaker 1: the larger of the bags into his satchel. He found
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Speaker 1: Saphira near the front rows just as John began addressing
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Speaker 1: the crowds, brothers and sisters.
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Speaker 6: People of the Way Blessed be the Lord, our God,
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Speaker 6: king of the universe, who provides for our needs. He
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Speaker 6: is exceedingly grateful for your cheerful.
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Speaker 3: Giving, and we are humbled to distribute his provision to
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Speaker 3: the needy.
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Speaker 1: This was the perfect opportunity an Anaias thought to.
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Speaker 6: Himself today we have wonderful news. Last week a believer
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Speaker 6: among you sought a large piece of property, and they
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Speaker 6: have chosen, from the goodness of their heart, to give
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Speaker 6: all the money they have earned from it to the
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Speaker 6: Lord and his people. But they have asked that the
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Speaker 6: left hand not know the works of the right, and
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Speaker 6: they will therefore remain anonymous. But the Lord knows when
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Speaker 6: you give in secret, and he will reward you openly
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Speaker 6: as he sees.
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Speaker 1: Fits and nice eyes turned to slits as his nostrils flared,
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Speaker 1: A white fury raged within him as he realized barnabas
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Speaker 1: humility had slung an army of arrows into his plan.
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Speaker 1: He had mistakenly assumed John's note of God being glorified
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Speaker 1: in the light was a hint at publicly acknowledging Barnabas
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Speaker 1: by name. Never had he considered barnabas delicate choice for
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Speaker 1: anonymity to be set in storm. Along with his gift,
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Speaker 1: he calculated his options. Perhaps there was still hope for
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Speaker 1: recognition for his good deeds, even if he.
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Speaker 2: Had to work the system.
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Speaker 1: He waited until the gathering ended before sharing it with Saphira.
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Speaker 3: I shall follow them home, just as Parnabus must have there.
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Speaker 3: I will presume them with our offering. Then they will
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Speaker 3: acknowledge us before the gathering, just like with Barnabas. Today.
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Speaker 1: Saphira gave a sullen nod, a mark of her inward
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Speaker 1: wrestling lead the way. Then, as the people began to scatter,
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Speaker 1: an Annias slithered behind the apostles as they made their
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Speaker 1: way home. He mimed everything he had seen and heard
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Speaker 1: the night he had stumbled upon Barnabas and the apostles.
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Speaker 3: Excuse me, apostles, wait.
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Speaker 1: And Annius sped into a light job. He could hear
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Speaker 1: the coins jingling in the bag at his side. He
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Speaker 1: firmly placed one hand over the bag to silence them
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Speaker 1: as he lifted the other coin purse high into the air,
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Speaker 1: a triumphant display of his deceitful generosity.
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Speaker 7: Ha ha ha a anius, how splendid to seal you?
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Speaker 2: How are you and Sephara.
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Speaker 3: We are quite well, brother Peter. In fact, we are splendid,
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Speaker 3: for the Lord has been gracious with us, and we'd
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Speaker 3: like to share our good fortune.
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Speaker 1: And Annius dropped the cones on the ground and took
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Speaker 1: a knee. He pressed his face low as his eyes
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Speaker 1: flitted about in anticipation.
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Speaker 7: Oh a gift, How marvelous. Please tell us how the
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Speaker 7: Lord has placed such generosity on your arm.
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Speaker 3: Where you see my wife and I have a field.
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Speaker 3: Let us say we had a field, we soldiers, we
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Speaker 3: might give the full earnings to the people of the way.
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Speaker 1: Peter noted the familiarity of anonius newfound wealth, quickly connecting
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Speaker 1: the dots to John's interactions with Barnabus. The Spirit whirred
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Speaker 1: around Peter's mind like a watchman's trumpet, sounding at the
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Speaker 1: sight of the enemy. Peter was washed over with supernatural
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Speaker 1: clarity as Anonious dark deeds were being revealed to him
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Speaker 1: through the spirit's divine revelations. Righteous anger swept over the
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Speaker 1: apostle like the red seas closing over the Egyptian an Anius.
00:14:01
Speaker 7: How have you allowed Satan to fill your heart? You
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Speaker 7: have lied to the Holy Spirit, For you have indeed
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Speaker 7: kept some of the money you received for the land
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Speaker 7: for yourself.
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Speaker 1: An Anius quaked as fear sunk it's claws into his heart.
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Speaker 1: He had been caught, and he could feel the color
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Speaker 1: draining from his face and any hope of being praised.
00:14:24
Speaker 1: He dug through his thoughts to find an excuse that
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Speaker 1: might dampen the blow to his pride, but nothing came.
00:14:32
Speaker 1: Peter began to reason with the lost disciple.
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Speaker 7: Didn't the land belong to you before it was so?
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Speaker 7: And after it was so? It wasn't the money yours
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Speaker 7: to use as you pleased? What made you think of doing.
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Speaker 2: Such a thing?
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Speaker 3: I will I saw maybe I it was havid.
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Speaker 1: An Anius stammered incoherently. Peter's voice struck his soul, like
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Speaker 1: falling oak tree splintering against the forest floor. Annius felt
00:15:00
Speaker 1: himself sweating as a harsh, heated wind spiraled around him.
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Speaker 7: You have not just lied to mankind, but to God.
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Speaker 1: At these final words, an Annius grasped at his chest
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Speaker 1: in agony. The man cried out in anguish before lifelessly
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Speaker 1: dropping to the ground. Before the other disciples gasped at
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Speaker 1: the suddenness of what they had witnessed. Him, but each
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Speaker 1: one knew it was undeniably the spirit protecting the people
00:15:30
Speaker 1: of God from the cunning serpent of old. He had
00:15:34
Speaker 1: lured Anonius into perverting the good things of life for
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Speaker 1: personal gain, but had been thwarted yet again. Peter whispered
00:15:44
Speaker 1: to Andrew, who ran down the street. A few minutes later,
00:15:48
Speaker 1: Andrew returned with several other men. The men carefully wrapped
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Speaker 1: Anonaius in a sackloth and hoisted his body up. Though
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Speaker 1: he had left the world in shame, they would respectfully
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Speaker 1: bury him, guarding their own hearts against the same bitterness
00:16:06
Speaker 1: that had consumed Anonius in life. Hours passed along sluggishly
00:16:13
Speaker 1: as Saphira worried in an empty home. She watched the
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Speaker 1: late afternoon shadows stretched slowly into the evening, and Anais
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Speaker 1: had been gone far longer than she would have expected.
00:16:26
Speaker 1: If the apostles had invited him in as they had
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Speaker 1: with Barnabas, wouldn't he have called for her to join,
00:16:33
Speaker 1: or worse, had something gone wrong. She shuffled to her seat.
00:16:38
Speaker 1: No harm could come from checking on her husband, she
00:16:41
Speaker 1: thought to herself. She anxiously strode along the winding streets
00:16:45
Speaker 1: of the neighborhood. All she could think about was the
00:16:48
Speaker 1: well being of her husband. She had worked hard to
00:16:51
Speaker 1: provide a stable life for them, and she desperately wanted
00:16:55
Speaker 1: him to find some reprieve from his weariness in the
00:16:59
Speaker 1: recognition of the Apostles. She found the house where the
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Speaker 1: Apostle stayed and gently knocked on the door. She peered
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Speaker 1: through the window as a slight breeze brushed the curtain
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Speaker 1: back slightly. She noticed a dozen men huddled around the table.
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Speaker 1: They were in concentrated discussions with one another. Her head
00:17:21
Speaker 1: whipped back forward as the door opened slowly. Matthias poked
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Speaker 1: his face out. Matthias chefishly called for Peter while pushing
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Speaker 1: the door wider.
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Speaker 3: Peter, she's here.
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Speaker 1: Peter rose to his feet slowly. The creaking of his
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Speaker 1: chair emphasized the silence of the rest of the room.
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Speaker 7: Thank you, Matthias. A good evening, Sapphira. We were expecting you.
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Speaker 2: Please come in.
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Speaker 1: Saphira was surprised to hear that she was expected, as
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Speaker 1: no word had been sent along to her. She stepped
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Speaker 1: cautiously through the door.
00:18:00
Speaker 5: You you were.
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Speaker 7: Yes, Anonius was here not too long ago to share
00:18:07
Speaker 7: a gift with the believers. I assume you knew of.
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Speaker 1: This, Sephira remained poised at the question.
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Speaker 7: I see, well, then perhaps you can confirm that this
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Speaker 7: is the price an Anius receive for the land.
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Speaker 5: Yes, we discussed it beforehand. We prayed and sought the lord.
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Speaker 5: I fully supported Ananaius and what he thought was best.
00:18:34
Speaker 1: Peter upended anonius coin purse into his hand. The truth was,
00:18:40
Speaker 1: Saphira hadn't known the amount and Anius received for the land,
00:18:44
Speaker 1: but she remembered anonius plan to tell the apostle that
00:18:47
Speaker 1: his gift was the entirety of his prophets.
00:18:51
Speaker 5: Yes, that is the amount.
00:18:52
Speaker 1: In an instant, the same rushing wind that had encircled
00:18:56
Speaker 1: Anonius swept around Sephira, rattled the house. His floorboards creaked,
00:19:03
Speaker 1: and dust fell through the ceiling above. Safira's sight left
00:19:07
Speaker 1: her as panic crept over her body. The hot whirlwind
00:19:12
Speaker 1: seemed to draw the air straight out of Saphira's lungs.
00:19:16
Speaker 1: She gasped helplessly, clutching at the apostles robes. Losing consciousness,
00:19:23
Speaker 1: Sapphira released her grip and slammed her hands against the ground,
00:19:28
Speaker 1: fighting for stability. In her blindness, she heard Peter's thundrous voice,
00:19:33
Speaker 1: How could you conspire together.
00:19:35
Speaker 7: To test the spirit of the Lord. Listen, the feet
00:19:40
Speaker 7: of the men who buried your husband are at the door,
00:19:43
Speaker 7: and they will carry you out.
00:19:45
Speaker 1: Also, just as her husband had, Saphira's body fell motionless
00:19:50
Speaker 1: to the dust from which it had come. The same
00:19:53
Speaker 1: men who had buried Anonius now came for the body
00:19:57
Speaker 1: of his conspirators. Of what happened took to the wind
00:20:02
Speaker 1: the next morning. By evening the next day, all the
00:20:06
Speaker 1: believers in Jerusalem were gripped with fear, not in fear
00:20:11
Speaker 1: of punishment, but in admiration for his holiness.
00:20:16
Speaker 2: They were in awe that.
00:20:18
Speaker 1: The Lord's righteous judgment, devoted themselves steadfastly to his teaching
00:20:23
Speaker 1: and purposed in their hearts to abide by his way
00:20:28
Speaker 1: of living. The Lord had dealt seriously with Anonias and Sapphira,
00:20:33
Speaker 1: and would not take such selfishness lightly. He needed his
00:20:38
Speaker 1: people to follow the lofty call of following him and
00:20:42
Speaker 1: the dire need to care for one another. They were
00:20:46
Speaker 1: a chosen people who were called to endeavor together to
00:20:51
Speaker 1: keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
00:21:01
Speaker 4: Our story today started on a high note or so
00:21:03
Speaker 4: it seemed Annias and Saphira, inspired by the generosity of Barnabas,
00:21:08
Speaker 4: sold a piece of property. Sounds great, right, But there's
00:21:11
Speaker 4: a twist. They kept back part of the money while
00:21:14
Speaker 4: pretending to give it all. Imagine them coming in, smiles
00:21:17
Speaker 4: on their faces, laying the money at the apostles feet,
00:21:20
Speaker 4: as if to say, look, how generous we are. It's
00:21:22
Speaker 4: a classic case of keeping up with appearances. But the
00:21:26
Speaker 4: Holy Spirit is not one to be deceived. Peter, filled
00:21:29
Speaker 4: with the Holy Spirit, calls them out, an Anias, why
00:21:32
Speaker 4: has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?
00:21:36
Speaker 4: Notice Peter's words here. He doesn't say why have you
00:21:38
Speaker 4: lied to us? Or why have you lied to the Church?
00:21:41
Speaker 4: He says you lie to the Holy Spirit. That's like
00:21:44
Speaker 4: trying to pull a fast one on someone who can
00:21:45
Speaker 4: see right through you. Peter also doesn't reprimand Annius by
00:21:49
Speaker 4: saying why didn't you give all the money? Because here's
00:21:52
Speaker 4: the thing. If they wanted to keep half the money
00:21:54
Speaker 4: for themselves and give half the money to the church,
00:21:56
Speaker 4: that would have been totally fine. It's the fact that
00:22:00
Speaker 4: they wanted the appearance of giving everything, but only giving half.
00:22:04
Speaker 4: Let's pause and consider all of this. Was there sin
00:22:07
Speaker 4: keeping a part of the money not at all. Peter
00:22:10
Speaker 4: makes it clear, while it remained, was it not your own?
00:22:13
Speaker 4: And after it was sold was it not in your
00:22:15
Speaker 4: own control? They were free to do what they wanted
00:22:18
Speaker 4: with the money. The sin wasn't in holding back, but
00:22:21
Speaker 4: in pretending to give it all. They wanted the reputation
00:22:24
Speaker 4: of being sacrificial without the actual sacrifice. They wanted the
00:22:28
Speaker 4: applause with none of the cost. And there's the rub. Friends.
00:22:32
Speaker 4: Their sin wasn't stinginess, It was hypocrisy. How often do
00:22:36
Speaker 4: we fall into that same trap? We put on our
00:22:39
Speaker 4: Sunday best, not just in clothes, but in our spiritual lives.
00:22:42
Speaker 4: We might drop a Bible verse in conversation or post
00:22:45
Speaker 4: it on social media to sound holy, or talk about
00:22:48
Speaker 4: how we've been praying fervently for someone, when in reality,
00:22:51
Speaker 4: we're hitting the snooze button on our spiritual lives. We're
00:22:54
Speaker 4: so busy crafting a holy image that we forget holiness
00:22:57
Speaker 4: is an inside job. When we get to the jaw
00:23:01
Speaker 4: dropping part of the story, you see this part makes
00:23:04
Speaker 4: me uncomfortable because I would have loved it if Anonius
00:23:07
Speaker 4: and Saphira were just rebuked and then they repent and
00:23:09
Speaker 4: then everyone makes up. But that's not how the story goes.
00:23:13
Speaker 4: And honestly, this is a really weird and off putting
00:23:18
Speaker 4: passage because this doesn't happen in any other parts of
00:23:21
Speaker 4: the Book of Acts. We don't ever see someone in
00:23:23
Speaker 4: the New Testament being off because of their disobedience. That
00:23:26
Speaker 4: seems more like an Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy type of
00:23:29
Speaker 4: thing to happen. You see, as soon as Peter confronts Anonius,
00:23:32
Speaker 4: he drops dead. Talk about a dramatic end to a
00:23:35
Speaker 4: church service. And just when you think it couldn't get
00:23:37
Speaker 4: any crazi or three hours later, Saphiro walks in, completely
00:23:41
Speaker 4: unaware of what's happened. Peter gives her a chance to
00:23:43
Speaker 4: come clean, but she doubles down on the lie and
00:23:45
Speaker 4: she also drops dead on the spot. Now I can
00:23:48
Speaker 4: hear some of you thinking, wow, isn't that a bit harsh?
00:23:51
Speaker 4: But here's the thing. God's judgment here is not just
00:23:54
Speaker 4: about punishing a simple mistake. It's about protecting the integrity
00:23:58
Speaker 4: of the early Church. This was a critical moment for
00:24:00
Speaker 4: the church and God had to set a clear standard.
00:24:03
Speaker 4: You cannot build God's Kingdom on lies. The church was
00:24:06
Speaker 4: growing rapidly, and God knew that unchecked hypocrisy could rot
00:24:11
Speaker 4: it from the inside out. And here's the thing. We've
00:24:14
Speaker 4: seen a lot of this in today's culture, haven't we.
00:24:16
Speaker 4: We've seen a pastor or a church leader's hypocrisy really
00:24:19
Speaker 4: blowing things up for other people's faith. How many of
00:24:22
Speaker 4: you have been in a church where the senior pastor
00:24:24
Speaker 4: has had an affair or there's been some serious money
00:24:27
Speaker 4: problems in dishonesty. These types of things cause riffs. This
00:24:32
Speaker 4: type of hypocrisy can really hurt the faith of people
00:24:35
Speaker 4: who have innocently come in yearning for connection but end
00:24:39
Speaker 4: up really burned by these types of things. It's not
00:24:42
Speaker 4: that we have to be perfect, but we can't be hypocrites.
00:24:45
Speaker 4: And I think this passage is so intense as a
00:24:47
Speaker 4: warning sign for not only the early church, but for
00:24:50
Speaker 4: us today. You see deceit and hypocrisy have large consequences,
00:24:56
Speaker 4: and we see a very appropriate response after this. What
00:24:59
Speaker 4: happens next Anonius and Sephirah are buried. It says, so
00:25:03
Speaker 4: great fear came upon the church and upon all who
00:25:05
Speaker 4: heard these things. Yeah, duh, imagine if that happened in
00:25:09
Speaker 4: today's church. The lesson was very clear. God takes the
00:25:13
Speaker 4: purity of his church seriously. But notice what also happens.
00:25:17
Speaker 4: It says, and through the hands of the apostles, many
00:25:19
Speaker 4: signs and wonders were done among the people. Purity leads
00:25:23
Speaker 4: to power. God's spirit moves mightily when his people are
00:25:26
Speaker 4: walking in integrity. The early church responded with awe in
00:25:30
Speaker 4: the community around them took notice the result. More people
00:25:33
Speaker 4: believed and were added to their number. Here's the irony.
00:25:37
Speaker 4: The church grew not despite the judgment, but because of it.
00:25:40
Speaker 4: There's a lesson here, folks. A church that pursues holiness, authentic,
00:25:44
Speaker 4: spirit filled holiness is a church where God's power is manifest.
00:25:48
Speaker 4: People are drawn to it. So what can we learn
00:25:50
Speaker 4: from Anonius and Sephirah. Be real with God and with
00:25:53
Speaker 4: each other. Don't settle for a facade of holiness when
00:25:56
Speaker 4: God is inviting you into the real thing. Let's be
00:25:59
Speaker 4: a church where authenticity reigns, where we're not afraid to
00:26:02
Speaker 4: be honest about our struggles, and where we trust God
00:26:05
Speaker 4: enough to believe He can do mighty things among us.
00:26:08
Speaker 4: Maybe we have the courage to drop the masks step
00:26:10
Speaker 4: into the light and let God's Spirit move among us
00:26:13
Speaker 4: with purity and power, because when the church is real,
00:26:16
Speaker 4: God shows up in real ways.
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