Acts 5:1-2

Summary retelling of Acts 5:1-2:

Today we meet a very infamous married couple: Ananias and Sapphira.  We’ll learn much more about them in the next few days, but for today we find out that like Barnabas they sold a piece of property and laid some of the money at the disciples’ feet.  The difference is, he and his wife schemed to keep some of the money themselves. 

Thoughts for Today:

First Thought:

So today we hear about another couple selling something they own in order to give.  This has the makings of a very good thing.  An act like this could be motivated by generosity, love, charity, or another whole host of reasons.

Does an act of apparent generosity always have to be motivated by good means?  What bad emotions could have motivated this couple to sell a piece of property?

Second Thought:

We also learn that Ananias and his wife Sapphira scheme to keep some of the money for themselves.  They are working behind the scenes.  Their faith is no longer transparent.  They are presenting an image of complete generosity when in truth they are giving some of the money and keeping some of the money.

Do you think that it is wrong to sell something and keep some of the money?  If so, then what about this story is wrong?  What are Ananias and Sapphira really guilty of in this passage?

Third Thought:

We see in this passage that it is a husband and wife scheming.  This shows us that sometimes the people close to us can be a great asset to our faith, but sometimes the people close to us can help lead us down the path of sin.  Just because someone is a friend, doesn’t mean they will always have a good influence upon us.

How often do you evaluate your friendships and ask whether or not the influence is a good one?  What do you do to encourage good friendships?  What do you do if you discover a friendship is a detriment in your life?

 Passage for Tomorrow: Acts 5:3-6