Mims Chapel Church 

​Lesson 8 Third Week

The Holy Spirit Punishes Believers for Their Dishonesty

Background Reading                     Devotional Reading
Proverbs 11:3; Ephesians                Acts 5:1-11
4:25; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11;
John 16:13; 15:26

Central Verse
"But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." 2 Corinthians 4:2, KJV

"We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone or distort the Word of God. We tell the truth before God. And all who are honest know this."
2 Corinthians 4:2, NLT

Key Terms
Deceitfully—Practicing or tending to practice trickery; showing or contain­ing deceit or fraud.
Distort—To tell in a way that is misleading; to twist out of the true meaning or proportion; to alter to give a false or unnatural picture or account.

Underhanded— Marked by secrecy, chicanery, and deception; not honest and aboveboard.
Renunced —To give up, refuse, or resign, usually by public declaration; to refuse to follow, obey, or recognize any further.

Introduction

During the infancy of the New Testament Church, God established some very important rules, regulations, and guidelines. One of them was the stan­dard of honesty amongst the believers to God, to themselves, and to one another. It was important that they understood their lives were not about themselves, but about God. They were taught to lie not to one another, but to always speak truth. The Holy Spirit will guide the believer into all truth, for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.

God hates a liar, and during Judgment, they won't tarry in His sight. Liars are already destined for Hell, where they will be cast into the Lake of Fire. A liar is a dangerous person, for he brings dissension and causes division.

Discussion

The Church was growing, the Holy Spirit was moving in a mighty way, and souls were being saved and being baptized in the Holy Ghost. God was sending miracles and there were great signs and wonders being seen daily. The believers were witnessing, having fellowship, and making sure that all believers had food, clothing, and shelter. Some of the believers who owned land were selling what they had and sharing it with the ministry.

There is always someone in the congregation whose heart is not right, who has a form of godliness, but does not have the power of God. They are just there to get in the spotlight, have their name called, or to gain glory and recognition. Such were Ananias and his wife Sapphira.

They sold a possession for a certain amount of money but kept back part of the price during offering time. Ananias went before the apostle first and laid the money at his feet. Peter asked him why he allowed Satan to fill his heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the money. He told Ananias that it was his possession and after he sold it the money belonged to him, so why would he lie about the amount that he receivecre God considered this lie against the Holy Ghost a serious offense, So He allowed Ananias to fall dead right where he was standing in the church. God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11). He is a God of love, but He is also a God of wrath.

Great fear came upon all the believers who heard and saw what had hap­pened. The young men that were there wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. He didn't receive a funeral, no memorial, just taken to the grave and dropped him in. About three hours later, Mrs. Sapphira came in not knowing what had happened to her husband. When questioned by the apostle she answered the same as her husband. Peter asked her how she
had gotten together with her husband to lie to the Holy Ghost. He told her that the same men who buried your husband are here to take you out and bury you. So, she, too, fell at the feet of the apostle and died. The same young men that took her dead, lying husband took her out and buried her next to him.

God's judgment upon Ananias was swift and caused an increase in humility, awe, and fear among the believers. Without a proper fear of the Holy God and His wrath against sin, God's people will soon return to the ungodly ways of the world. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The believers must know that God's grace is available to them, but His wrath is a reality as well.

The Church continued to grow, and God continued to add to the Church so that more souls could be saved. The Apostles were happy and content doing what Jesus had shown them: going from place to place and city to city healing the sick, delivering the homeless and the abused, and delivering those tormented by evil spirits. People came by the multitudes out of the cities surrounding Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those vexed with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Conclusion

God wants to do the same for His Church today. Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, and forever. God maintains the ability to bring His King­dom alive for present-day believers just like He did for the early Church. It's time for believers to get excited and allow the Holy Spirit the freedom to work in our lives. Perhaps some believers need a new filling of the Holy Ghost. Some people are believers but have never experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is available to every person who has repented from the sins and believed on the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins. For as many that are led by God, they are the sons of God. God wants His children to have power over the works of the flesh. Not telling the truth is a work of the flesh, and the flesh cannot obey God.

One of the most abominable sins in the Church is to deceive God's people about a person's relationship with Christ, their work, and the extent of their ministry. When a believer engages in this hypocrisy, it means that he is us­ing Christ's shed blood to glorify himself before other people, and the Holy Spirit will not allow that without giving consequences.

Questions

Why is being dishonest so deadly?
What does the Spirit of Truth have to do with truth?
Why were Ananias and Sapphira punished so severely?
What happened to the Church when they heard about Ananias and Sapphira?
What should believers learn from this lesson?

Essential Thought-  "The wages of sin is death: some die while they live, while others die after they die."

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