Unit: Acts (Part 1)
Theme: The Church Begins
Lesson Text: Acts 4:32–5:16
Supplemental Text: Matthew 6:1-4, 19-24; 2 Corinthians 9:6-12
Aim: Be genuine in your generosity.
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By Mark Scott
At times, people can do all the right things with all the wrong motives. Youth groups can visit the residents in a nursing home (good thing), but they might hate every minute of it (wrong motive). Jesus spoke of how the religious leaders of his day (he called them “hypocrites”) carried out good actions (giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting) with disingenuous motives (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16). It is always best to unite motive with manner and attitude with action.
Sharing Makes the Church a Generous Place
Acts 4:32-37
Acts 4:32-37 is the second summary section of the book of Acts—the first one being Acts 2:42-47. Luke does this every so often (e.g., Acts 5:12-16; 6:7; 9:31). He pushes pause and succinctly summarizes many activities of the church. This section concludes the two chapters covering the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple and the consequences of that miracle for Peter and John in particular. These men had received threats from the Sanhedrin, but they had also received boldness from the Holy Spirit, a boldness that other believers later received in answer to their prayer (Acts 4:31).
Unity characterized the earliest days of the church. All the members were on the same page. This showed up in their care for one another. One is struck by the unity reflected in the church’s being one in heart and mind. There is no substitute for that. Three attitudes characterize people in general: what’s yours is mine, and I will take it (thief); what’s mine is mine and I will keep it (narcissist); what’s mine is yours, and I will share it (Christ follower). Possessions were intended to be shared—not retained. The phrase, there were no needy persons among them, shows the remarkable impact of the believers’ generosity.
Great power (evident in their preaching of the resurrection) and the powerful working of God’s grace (evident in their lavish generosity) was what caused the members to share their goods and lay them at the apostles’ feet. The apostles, who oversaw the contributions, made the distributions as needs dictated.
One such generous example is highlighted. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whose nickname was Barnabas, sold a piece of property and gave the proceeds to the church. Questions about the parcel’s location and why a Levite owned property are not answered in the text. But the author (Luke) clearly approves of the example. This noteworthy action stands in stark contrast with the sinister ones immediately following.
Pretending Makes the Church a Dangerous Place
Acts 5:1-11
Barnabas might have received “good press” for his generosity. Contextually speaking, Ananias and Sapphira perhaps wanted similar press. Something must have motivated their pride. They sold a piece of property, as had Barnabas, but they conspired to “keep back” some of the proceeds. (That same phrase, “keep back,” appears in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, in Joshua 7:1 to describe what Achan did with “devoted things” from the defeat of Jericho.) It amounted to embezzlement.
Retaining a percentage of the proceeds from the sale was not the problem. Pretending to have given everything was the problem. Peter, who confronted both husband and wife, accused them of lying to the Holy Spirit and to God, as well as testing the Spirit of the Lord. It was a very serious sin that resulted in terrible consequences (i.e., death). We might consider this couple’s death as an overly harsh punishment for a little lie. Or was it? The integrity of the Christian community was at stake. Just as Achan’s sin had the potential of disrupting the progress made in conquering Canaan, Ananias and Sapphira’s sin risked disrupting the progress of the church in fulfilling its God-ordained mission.
Luke records the immediate burials of Ananias, then Sapphira. It is hard to imagine Sapphira not hearing about her husband’s passing in the three hours after his death (Acts 5:7). We are left to wonder. They were buried beside each other. Great power and great grace made for a generous church. Great fear made for a dangerous church.
Miracles Make for a Healing Church
Acts 5:12-16
The sudden deaths of Ananias and Sapphira were no doubt miraculous. But the apostles worked many other miracles. Many signs and wonders were performed, which gave credence to the message the apostles preached. Crowds brought sick and demon-possessed people, and all of them were healed. Even Peter’s shadow healed some.
Thus, the church was considered by onlookers not only as a dangerous place but also a desired place. The church grew so much that the large gatherings had to be held in a part of the temple known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The Lord kept adding men and women to the number of the saved. The church was looked upon with fear but also treated with great respect and admiration.
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