Ananias and Saphira - The Book of Acts

In this Bible Story, Ananias and Saphira are struck down for their false sense of holiness and charity. They feign generosity to look holy, and pay dearly for their deception. This story is inspired by Acts 4:32-5:16. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Acts 5:3 from the King James Version.

Episode 219: As the new family of Jesus was being formed, men and women shared each others burdens and resources, widows and orphans were taken care of, and the bond of love between them all was growing. Unfortunately, even in this utopia greed worked its way into a few hearts. Ananias and his wife Saphira sold some property to look generous to others. But when they gave the money to the family of believers, they lied and kept some of the money back for themselves. They were behaving like the figtree that showed leaves but bore no fruit. And just like that fig tree, they would die for their deception.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. But Peter said Annius, why hath Satan
filled thine heart to lie to the Holy ghost and
to keep back part of the price of the land.
Acts five three. Heavenly Father, as you begin to increase
my life and multiply the blessings around me, I pray

(00:24):
that you would keep my integrity steadfast and my motives pure.
Whatever you require of me to show my diligence and
obedience to you, I will not cut corners so that
I may gain more through deceitful actions than I would
by living a righteous and holy life. I denounce all

(00:48):
greedy and selfish motives that would try to cloud my
mind and my decisions. Because I am a person of
character and integrity. My yes will be yes, and min
no will be no. I will not be lukewarm and
vacillate to and fro like the waves of the sea. Instead,

(01:13):
I will remain consistent and strong, like the rock of
Jesus Christ. You can trust me with much because I
am faithful and little. Bring on the increase in Jesus name. Amen,

(01:34):
Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
an incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible in
a Year dot.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Com, Anonius, and Sapphira. In our last story, Peter and
John boldly healed a man who had been lame since birth.
People were astonished, but Peter assured them that they did

(02:03):
not heal from their own strength, but from the spirit
of Jesus. Now we see the Church growing and sharing
in all things, but some greed lingers in the New Church,
greed that will not be tolerated. Inspired by the Book.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
Of Acts, I'm so glad you've joined us on the
Bible in a Year podcast today. But before we get
to today's episode, I want you to know that I
would absolutely love to send you my daily devotional that
will give you fresh encouragement every single morning and day

(02:39):
from the moment we wake up to the moment our
head finally hits the pillow. There are thousands of things
demanding our attention, but it's in the midst of all
this crush and hustle and bustle that you and I
need peace and truth in God's Word. That's why I
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God's life giving, life changing Word by sending you my

(03:02):
free daily email devotional PowerPoint Today. So visit Jagraham dot
org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's
Jagraham dot org Jack Graham dot org. In yesterday's episode,
we heard of Peter and John's boldness to preach the
gospel even when facing opposition and intimidation from the religious

(03:26):
leaders of the day. God was working through them to
grow his church, and because of their willingness to step
out and obey God rather than human authority, thousands and
thousands more came to Christ. Today we'll see how sin
is a presence even in the life of early Christians.
We'll see how swiftly God dealt with one couple's deceit

(03:47):
as an example to others that God is serious about sin.
So let's listen now to the word of God.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
The hearts and souls of those who believed were becoming one.
A genuine community of people that loved selflessly was being formed.
Every person who was added to the church looked out
for their neighbor. As they learned more about the character
of Jesus, their actions began to look more like his.
Everything they owed they offered up to be shared among

(04:18):
each other. No need was left unmet by the family
of God. The apostles preached the words of Jesus and
proclaimed his life, death and resurrection. Widows were given protections,
orphans were given homes, and the lonely were given a community.
Every day, the Lord met more needs through the generosity

(04:39):
of the followers of Jesus. However, not all were willing
to lay down their selfish ambitions for the sake of others.
There were a few who desired to be seen as good,
but maintained the deep sin within their hearts. A man
named Annonius was plagued with this very illness. He and
his wife Sapforah, sold peace of their property and gave

(05:01):
the money to the apostles. They gave half of what
they earned, but claimed to give it all. Peter noticed this.
He noticed that Anonius and his wife desired the praise
of good deeds with none of the sacrifice. This was
something God would not tolerate, especially while the church was
in its infant stage. Peter held the bag of coins

(05:24):
in his hand from Anonius. He sighed and shook his head. Anonius,
Peter said, why have you allowed Satan a place in
your heart to.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
Lie like this?

Speaker 2 (05:35):
You did not have to sell your land, You did
not have to give anything away. But here you are
lying about what you did sell. You have lied to me,
the Church and God. As Peter spoke these things, Anonius
fell down at his feet and breathed his last. His
body was taken away and buried, and a healthy fear

(05:56):
came on all of the people. Only three hours had passed,
and Safforah, the wife of Anonius, had not heard what happened.
She came to Peter with a humble image and holy attitude,
but Peter saw right through it. He held the coins
in his hand from her husband and said, did you
sell your land for this much? Saffora looked at it,

(06:18):
knowing it wasn't the full amount, and nodded her head.
Peter rubbed his head. It grieved him to see Safforah
lie so boldly. Why is it that you do this?
Why lie? What have you to gain? The feet of
those who buried your husband will carry you out as well.
And as Peter spoke these words, Saffora dropped dead in

(06:41):
front of him.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
We begin today's reading with a beautiful picture of Christian community.
The church. The believers in Jerusalem gathered frequently to support
and strengthen one another and to share with all who
had need, and most of all, to proclaim the Gospel.
This community of faith was drawn together because of their
deep love for Christ and for one another. The community

(07:07):
of Christ's followers stood out in a greater community as
an example of generosity and selflessness, drawing more and more
people to Jesus every single day. The Church is multiplying,
It is becoming a multitude. It is a beautiful picture
of what is possible when God's people live with the
heart of Christ, loving God and loving each other, just

(07:28):
as Jesus commanded us. And yet in the midst of
this great grace and the growth of the Church, sin
still showed up, as it does today. When we come
to faith in Christ, we are freed from the power
and penalty of sin, but as long as we live
on this earth, sin will be a presence that we
deal with. We will deal with temptation, and in today's

(07:49):
reading we discover the sin that tried to make its
way into the church through a husband and wife named
Anonius and Sapphirah. With all the generosity going of these
two wanted to experience some of the glory of being
the generous ones. They wanted recognition for their good deeds
and their generosity. So they sold a piece of property

(08:11):
that they owned and gave some of the money to
the apostles for the work of Christ and the Church.
The problem is, while they said they were giving it all,
they kept some of the money for themselves, and they
lied to God and the Church. It was Antonius, the husband,
who sold the land and kept some of the money
and then deceived the apostles, he thought, but Sephirah had

(08:33):
full knowledge, so they both were guilty. When Anonius gave
the money to the apostles, Peter said to him and
Acts five, verses three through four, Antonius, why has Satan
filled your heart to light of the Holy Spirit? And
to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds for
the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain
your own? And after it was sold, was it not

(08:55):
at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this,
dear eat in your heart? You have lied not to
man but to God. When he heard these words, Anonius
died on the spot. His wife, Sephirah came later, and
Peter asked her how much they sold the land, for
she did not know that Anonius was dead, But it

(09:18):
was an opportunity for her to tell the truth. Unfortunately,
she also lied, and when her lie was revealed, she
also died and was carried away to be buried with
her husband. Serious stuff. What is the message here? Anonius
and Sephirah were an example to the early Church, and

(09:38):
we learned that because of what happened to them, great
fear came upon the church, and all who heard it
is reminded that while there is grace and forgiveness in Christ,
God is still serious about sin and will not allow
sin to corrupt his people. Anonius and Sophiah may have
thought their little deception really wasn't hurting anyone. After all,

(09:59):
they did give a sum of money to help other believers,
but they neglected to think about how their actions offended God.
That our sin always grieves God and defiles our relationship
with him. Lying to God and testing the Holy Spirit
is nothing to play with. God wanted to be clear
about this with the early Church. He wanted his church

(10:22):
to be pure and therefore powerful. Likewise, we also need
to be serious about sin, not only our own sin,
but sin in the church. There must be discipline in
the face of deceit and in the Church. We must
never do anything that would somehow hinder the spread of
the Gospel. Dear God, we know that sin grieves your

(10:46):
heart and is a destructive force in the lives of
believers and the church. So help us to be on
God against every attempt by the enemy to hinder the
work of Christ and his Church around the world. Your
hearts be pure as we give and serve and live
for you in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for listening

(11:08):
to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham
from Dallas, Texas, and before we go, I want you
to know that I would love to send you my
daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement every single day.
So visit Jack Graham dot org to sign up for
your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jack Graham dot org.