Acts 5:1-11

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

The setting for Acts 5, is found at the end of Acts 4.

In the early church, the individuals often sold all that they had and brought the money to the apostles and there was no need for anyone as the apostles distributed the money.

Acts 4   32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

(The individuals were not required to do this.  We see in Acts 5 Peter made it clear that their own property was their's to do with as they willed

36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

***Acts 5  1-11    a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?  

(It was not required that they give this money to the apostles.  However they wanted to appear to be doing as the others at that time were doing.  So they agreed together to do this deception.) 

why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

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5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

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7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? 

And she said, Yea, for so much.

(She kept the deception going with her lie.)

Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

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Here are two church people conspiring together to lie to the apostles and to the church in order to make themselves feel worthy while they appeared to be doing as others in the church.

Peter makes it clear that to do this is to lie to God.

***

Sadly a man at the church I attended in 1978-82, the teacher of our Sunday school class, was hanging out with bars in "private life" while teaching our class.  He was also committing fornication, by his own later admission.

He pretended in front of church to be a godly man while doing these sins, even while teaching Bible!

Incredible, but it happens.  Even in the church.

We see this in both protestant church groups and in catholic groups.

This is the apostasy in today's church groups ... the falling away from scripture ... going another way from Bible even while teaching Bible.

Can one even come back after turning away from what they know as the truth?

Hebrews 6   4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

***

This man who was committing fornication and taking delight in drinking at bars and pursuing women for sex while teaching Bible is still teaching Bible at a church in Dallas.

This is like the Catholic priests who continue to be priests but are child molesters.  They just transfer to another church group and pretend to be godly while committing sins against God.

Isn't this the "strong delusion" that is sent by God to those who do ungodly acts while pretending godliness?

II Thessalonians 2:10-12    And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

That deluded person will continue in his sins while thinking himself to be something else.  Therefore there will be no repentance nor change.

And when that strong delusion is from God, there can be no change.

Thus Peter speaks of it as follows:

II Peter 2   19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

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A further warning:  the man and wife in Acts 5 conspired together in the church to do evil.  Both dropped dead.  You can be dead without physical death.

If a husband proposes to do evil, the Christian wife must not go along with the plan.

Genesis 3, God ordained that the husband would rule ... but the Christian woman cannot join something she sees as evil.

Paul explains in I Corinthians 7 that the "unbeliever" can dwell with the believer ... This means the believer dwells as a Christian in the ways of God and the Bible.  If then the unbeliever is content to dwell with the mate as the mate lives as a believer the marriage continues.

I Corinthians 7    But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.

13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

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