Momentum - Week 7
Do you remember when you were a child playing pretend? When the girls were little, we would play pretend and eat plastic food, from their plastic kitchen, which they had baked and prepared. And, without having a clue where the little plastic pork chop had been, we pretended to eat it, say it was delicious, and the girls would smile, and head back to the kitchen to make pretend dessert. And often today, we grown-ups will pretend to be something we are not. Sometimes it happens in marriage, sometimes it happens at work, and sometimes it happens in the church.
As a child, I was abused by my Dad, and he often told me, “Don’t tell your mom. Don’t tell anybody.” And – for a long time – I didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t tell anybody about what I was experiencing as a child because I was afraid that they would reject me if they discovered what was happening and had happened to me.… I never let people in to get to know the real me. I joked around. I cut up. But I never let people into my private world…Although I was not yet a follower of Jesus, I pretended to like and love others.
At 2 AM, my dad would be hurling insults at me, threatening me, calling me names in a drunken rage…but at 6:45 AM, I would get on the school bus with a smile and pretend everything was great.
Can I confess something to you? I am still guarded. I don’t pretend to love other people, but I don’t let them into my life easily. I don’t trust what that person is going to do with my personal life. Even as a Pastor, I have been told, “Pastor, I have your back,” only to have them stick a knife in it. It’s fine. Everything is fine.
Today, we are going to read about the first time a follower of Jesus played pretend, and stalled the momentum of the movement of God in the early church.
Acts 4:32-5:11 (NLT2)
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. 36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. 1 But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” 5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.” 9 And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.” 10 Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.
MOMENTUM IS FUELED BY GENEROSITY
There is no doubt that the momentum of the first church was being fueled by the movement of the Holy Spirit. And as people became born again and surrendered their lives to Jesus, they felt led to take care of one another, spend time together, and ensure that every person’s needs were met.
They had a generous attitude toward their food, possessions, and finances. The reason they had a generous attitude was that they believed they owned nothing, and everything belonged to God.
I have a mortgage. I have a car payment. I have credit card debt. I would love to be debt-free. I would love to have my mortgage paid off. I would love for my car to be paid off. I would love to be out of credit card debt. Wouldn’t you?
And according to scripture, what was happening in the early church was a movement of generosity to the likes of which the world had never seen, and it hasn’t been duplicated since.
Acts 4:34-35 (NLT2)
There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
If any person had a need, it was met by the Lord through other believers. There was joyful generosity that met the needs of everybody…and we see it ultimately in the example of a man named Barnabas.
In Acts 4:36-37, Barnabas had an extra piece of land; he sold it, gave the money to the apostles to help fuel the church's growth and meet the needs of the thousands of people. Nobody told him to; he wanted to. And, God used him greatly to help meet the needs of all those who were surrendering their lives to Jesus.
And, though scripture doesn’t say it, I believe the first church must have really boasted about the generosity of Barnabas. People patted him on the back, spoke highly of him at the local coffee shop, and spoke of his humility and the way he strove to live like Jesus. And, I think that based on the behavior of Ananias and Saphira, we learn that…
MOMENTUM DIES WHEN MANIPULATION THRIVES
I think Ananias and Saphira became Jealous and wanted the same recognition that Barnabas received. So, these followers of Jesus allowed jealousy to grow. They wanted the same recognition. They wanted the same applause…but they didn’t want to make the same sacrifice. So, they sat down with each other and decided to sell a piece of property. They pretended to give all the money they made to the church, so they could be recognized in the community as generous, sacrificial, and humble people.
Last week, we looked at the first time the Devil tried to attack the church from the outside to prevent the message of Jesus from spreading. Peter and John were thrown into jail and told to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. They were released from jail, prayed for boldness alongside the other believers, and continued to share the gospel with people about Jesus. And now, we see the Devil's first attempt to attack the church from the inside.
I believe the devil tempted this husband and wife using the tactics of deception, manipulation, and pride. And, they gave in to the temptation. They pretended to be more generous than they actually were. Peter had the discernment of the Holy Spirit to be able to see right through them.
If you want to maintain spiritual momentum in your life, you must be honest in your evaluation of yourself. You must live in honesty about who you are, and allow others to be honest too. If you let other people think something about you is true when it is not true, you are in danger of falling prey to the same pride that this husband and wife demonstrated. If you let others think you are sacrificing when you aren’t, you are manipulating them. If you tell other people “white lies” about yourself, especially things that are spiritual, you are doing the same thing that Ananias and Saphira did.
WHITE LIES WITHHOLD GOD’S BLESSING
God takes honesty seriously. God does not bless lies. Even small ones. Even white ones. And I know some of us try to excuse them. We say, “It’s no big deal. It’s just a little exaggeration. It’s just a way to make me look a little better.” But those white lies chip away at your integrity. They leave gaps in your character. And over time, you stop knowing who you really are.
The momentum in your life will stall the moment you start pretending. You will feel frustrated and stuck. You will wonder why your joy has faded. You will feel like you are just going through the motions, and you will feel empty. God will not bless what you refuse to surrender. God is waiting for you to be honest.
In what areas are you stretching the truth so that others see something that is not real? Maybe you pretend your marriage is strong. Perhaps you act as if your faith is solid, but you haven't prayed in weeks. Perhaps you pretend to be generous, but on the inside, you harbor resentment.
Understand, Jesus is not concerned about your image. He is concerned about your character. So, you do not need to perform. You don't need to pretend to be anything; just be who you really are. God already sees the real you. And He still loves you.
So today, confess your sin. Be honest. Let go of the lie. Let go of the pride. Let go of the fear that says, “If people really knew me, I would let them down.” Stop pretending; live transparently, confess your sin to God, and let others know the real you.
Romans 5:8 (NLT2)
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
God knows who you really are, and He gave His life for you. And if you have never fully trusted Him, you can do that today.
Simply say something like this:
God,
You already know everything about me. You know my secrets. You know my sin. You know where I have been pretending.
Today, I want to stop living in lies and live in truth. I believe Jesus paid the price for my sin on the cross. I believe he died, rose from the dead, and will one day return. And today, I trust you with my secrets and my life. Please show me mercy and forgive me. I no longer want to pretend. I want to live the life You created me for. So today, I receive Jesus as my Savior and surrender my life to you.
In Jesus' name, Amen.