By Andrew Williams
Acts of the Apostles 5:11 ‘Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. ‘
Good morning fellow disciples.
When Ananias and Sapphira conspired to lie to the church, they were confronted by Peter and both of them died. They thought they were dealing with a gathering of people, but what they didn’t realize was that the person they were lying to was the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the head of the church, and the Holy Spirit is His representative who joins the members together.
We need to realize that church is not a social club. The Church is a part of the Kingdom of God with its own rules and governing structure. As members of the Church, we fall under its authority, and we need to submit to this authority.
This authority was exercised when Ananias and Sapphira were judged and punished by God for lying to the Holy Spirit. This led to the whole church being full of fear when they heard the report of what happened.
Do you respect Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit?
Do you fear God?
Are you living in a manner that proves this?
Prayer: Father God, we thank You for not punishing us like You did this lying couple. We admit that we have sinned against You! May we be filled with fear the way the early church was. Help us to live lives fully submitted and obedient to You. Amen.