7

Peter and John were fresh from the life-transforming experience of Pentecost, walking and living as men who were filled with the Holy Spirit. On the day in question they were making their way to the Temple as it was the hour of prayer.

In their minds there would be the vivid memories of all the Holy Spirit had accomplished through the witnessing of the disciples and the preaching of Peter on that day, of the great harvest of souls which they rejoiced to observe being gathered into the Church.

They were filled with the Holy Spirit as they made their way to the Temple. At the Beautiful Gate of the temple they saw the crippled beggar as one whom the Lord could, and would, gloriously transfigure.

The man's transformation proved to be the catalyst that the Holy Spirit used to provide Peter and John with another thrilling opportunity to preach to the vast crowd which gathered.

Having once more proclaimed Jesus and Him crucified in the power of the Holy Spirit the result was another five thousand being gloriously converted.

The Jewish leaders responded in considerable antagonism to these developments, imprisoned the Apostles, repeatedly threatening them with dire consequences if they continued preaching in the Name of the Lord Jesus. The Church responded by praying that the Lord would give them greater boldness as they continued to faithfully share the Gospel.

Their prayer was so powerfully answered: “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the Word of God with boldness.” “With great power gave the Apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4: 31, 33).

The Church had been confronted with this first experience of persecution, which was a development that they should have expected, for their Lord had warned them that this would happen.

We need to be alert to the fact that every time we reach out to win the lost we are invading the devil's territory, and he will inevitably attempt to launch a counter attack of one kind or another. This persecution was only his first attempt to check the triumphant advance of the Gospel, it certainly would not be the last.

Up until this particular point the believers “were of one heart and of one soul”(4: 32). They were genuinely united in their commitment to the Lord, and in their faithful service for Him.

This is a development to which we must give very careful attention. The devil continues to use these same strategies very successfully even to day.

“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, and laid them down at the Apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”

Those early Christians were so thoroughly one in heart which is evident by the fact that their love for one another was expressed in the most positive and practical ways. There was no suggestion of selfishness in their attitude, for, when they saw their fellow Christians in need they so willingly and so freely made available from their own resources to help meet each need.

It is this very kind of love which the Lord Jesus spoke about, “Love one another; as I have loved you”(John 13: 34). Remember, when He saw us in our most desperate need He did not hesitate, but willingly and freely exhausted His total resources so as to meet all our need!

The Christians who we read about in Acts 4 revealed that the Lord Jesus lived in them and loved through them. Jesus had added, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13: 35).

The surest way to effectively evaluate the authenticity of a personal claim to being filled with the Holy Spirit is be examining this crucial issue: discerning the evidence of the love of the Lord Jesus being expressed in the life in this kind of very practical way. The Lord Jesus Himself emphasizes this: “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7: 20).

It is not at all difficult to discover how these principles are to be worked out in our daily lives. First, the Holy Spirit, as He fills, enables the believer to see others as the Lord Jesus sees them.

It was this fact which made Peter and John stand out in contrast to the rest of the vast crowd which was going up to the temple. Others saw only a crippled beggar, whereas Peter and John saw a crippled beggar whom the Lord would completely transform so that he could walk, run, leap, and praise God. It was on the basis of that enlightened vision given to them by the indwelling Holy Spirit that they were used to meet the man's need.

This was also the case with the Christians as they saw their fellow believers in need. They saw them as the Lord Jesus saw them, and they loved them as the Lord Jesus loved them, even as they realized that the Lord had already entrusted to their stewardship the resources, which would meet the need. They did not hesitate, but immediately made all available to be used as the Holy Spirit directed.

We live in a day when those attitudes of the world: possessiveness and selfishness have become commonly accepted by many in the Church. The result of this is that the vast majority no longer have the eyes to see the needs of others, nor the compassion to act even if they do become aware of a need. Thus, even though the Lord has already provided the recourses needed to act, little or nothing is being done.

This outcome is never a failure on the Lord's part. It is the fault of those who profess to be Christians who are content to be conformed to the attitudes and values of the world. They hold back from being yielded, submissive and obedient to the Holy Spirit. Therefore He can neither fill nor use such people.

“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, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the Apostles' feet.

Having spoken about those practical expressions of love which were the common practice among the Christians who were filled with the Holy Spirit, our attention is now directed to this one man in particular. While we are not specifically told why he was singled out for this special mention, it very well may be to accentuate the contrast, which he makes to those, involved in the incident that follows.

Joses was a Levite, which indicates that he was a member of the priestly tribe of Levi. At some time he had moved from his home in Cyprus to Jerusalem.

Also, we can only speculate about the time he first heard the Gospel and responded to the Word. We do know that he had fully surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus and was a man who was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Every reference we have in the New Testament to this servant of the Lord gives the strongest witness to the fact that the Holy Spirit continued to have the complete loyalty and allegiance of this humble and obedient servant of the Lord. The Love of the Lord Jesus continually flooded his heart and was expressed through ever area of his life and service.

It was in humble obedience to the direction of the Holy Spirit in his heart and life that he spontaneously responded in love. As soon as the Holy Spirit made him aware of the need, he sold some land that he owned and brought the money, all of it, and laid it at the Apostles' feet.

It is in everything about this man, his attitudes, motivations, actions, that the discerning person can see the face of the Lord Jesus and feel the heart beat of His love!

Joses was genuine through and through. A man in whom the Holy Spirit maintained continuing Lordship in every area. A man who illustrates in a most challenging way the life of submission and obedience to the Holy Spirit which the Lord Jesus Himself lived.

It is this kind of genuine Spirit-filled believer who is so very rare today, and yet so desperately needed in our day. How we all need to so urgently pray that the Lord will bring us into that same dynamic experience of the Holy Spirit utterly filling us, completely possessing us, so that more and more we become more fully one with the Lord Jesus in His heart and mind.

“And Joses, who by the Apostles was surnamed, Barnabas, (Which is, interpreted, The son of consolation).” This word which is used here could also be translated: Son of encouragement; or, Son of comfort.

It is a most significant word that is used in this place: “Parakleseis!” This word is used several times throughout the New Testament, and in so many cases the way in which the word is used help us to gain a fuller understanding of all that the Apostles are seeking to say about this Spirit-filled man.

There can be no question about the great significance with which this word is used in John 14: 15, 16). “If you love me, keep My commandments. and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Paraklete), that He may abide with you forever.”

The word, “Paraklete,” translated “Comforter,” has also been translated, “Helper,” and, “Advocate,” among other words. The word signifies: One who comes alongside to help.

In the statement of the Lord Jesus, He is referring to the Holy Spirit as: “Another,” - One who would be just like Him to represent Him, whom He promised would come to be “with”, and “in” the believer as his ever-present and all-sufficient Helper. The Holy Spirit comes, bringing with Him, in His ministry to us and in us, every resource that He brought into the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This emphasis reveals so much of the exciting truth about this man: Barnabas. He was one, who, because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, was always motivated by the love of the Lord Jesus to be alert to the needs of others, and to move to do all that he could to meet those needs.

This was true of Barnabas because he saw as Jesus saw, and responded as the Lord Jesus Himself would respond. The Holy Spirit was able to fully reveal the Lord Jesus in Barnabas.

This is such an important challenge to us, this picture of the Spirit-filled believer who by that very fact was motivated by the love of Jesus pulsating in his heart, and placed all he was and all he had at the disposal of the Holy Spirit so that the needs of others could be met.

It is the standard that we must still apply today. For this is still what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit today: literally allowing the Lord Jesus to so flood our hearts and lives with His love that we will not only see the needs of others, but also see how the Holy Spirit makes it possible to respond to such needs in the personal compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another significant illustration of the genuine Spirit-filled attitude in the life of Barnabas is to be found in Acts 9: 26, 27. After Saul of Tarsus, the feared persecutor of the Christians, was converted on the road to Damascus, he returned to Jerusalem, only to discover that the Christians there “were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the Apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way.”

When everyone else drew back in apprehension, Barnabas came alongside Saul as a true helper acting in love, identified himself with this one others feared, and demonstrated his faith in the transforming grace of the Lord. That is the expression of the one who is so rightfully designated: “Parakleseis!” - Barnabas, the one who was filled with the Holy Spirit.

In the starkest contrast imaginable we turn our attention from “The son of consolation” to the tragedy of:

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 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.”

Notice, this verse commences with the word: “But!” Everything had appeared to be so gloriously positive, yet it was at this point that this wrenching interruption and change came: “But!”

But: there was this couple, Ananias and Sapphira. They were members of the Church in Jerusalem, thus it is obvious that at some point they had been able to give witness to the experience of salvation, and had been baptized.

As a part of the fellowship of the Church they would have personally shared in at least some of the events which culminated in the renewed coming and infilling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4: 31), and the genuine expressions of love and compassion which followed that event.

They would have witnessed the very positive response of the Church to the genuine sacrificial love of Barnabas, and it would appear that this development stirred within them the desire to be able so share that high esteem in which the Church held Barnabas.

Notice: they decided that they wanted to be able to share the glory, yet they were quite unwilling to pay the price. It is in this development that we observe the next insidious and most dangerous attack on the purity and integrity of the Church by Satan as he sought to bring to an end the mighty work of God in and through the Church.

Ananias and Sapphira were attempting to present themselves to the Churh as those who were genuinely filled with the Holy Spirit. They wanted to convince the other believers that they were also motivated by the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Yet it was all nothing but a hoax! A counterfeit! While they openly claimed that they were bringing “all” to lay it on the altar as a sacrifice of love, they were in fact deliberately keeping back part for themselves.

The evidence is unmistakable: Ananias and Sapphira were not filled with the Holy Spirit. This fact meant that they opened themselves up to be used as the pawns of the enemy in his determined attack on the true work of the Holy Spirit.

This may well have been the first occasion within the Christian Church that such an insidiously dangerous threat confronted the life and effectiveness of the Church.

Yet it is all too sadly true to say that there are today multitudes who are attempting to play this same deadly game. So very many who are pretending that they have yielded their all in total surrender to be used by the Lord, when in fact they deliberately keep back part of the price for themselves. Such people are always an extremely serious threat to the very life and vital witness of the Church.

“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?”

Remember, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and thus he received from the Holy Spirit the spiritual discernment, which enabled him to identify the truth. The Holy Spirit whom the Lord Jesus identified as “The Spirit of Truth”(John 16: 13), immediately exposed this attempt to deceive the Church.

It may not have been too difficult for Ananias to deceive men, but no one can deceive God The Holy Spirit! No one!

Peter so effectively exposed the true condition of Ananias' heart: he certainly was not filled with the Holy Spirit. Rather, his attempt to deceive revealed: “Satan hath filled thine heart!” The situation was the exact opposite of that which Ananias wanted everyone to believe.

It is crucial to grasp this truth: Every attempt made to pretend to be filled with the Holy Spirit comes from the same source: Satan! Whenever any person refuses to pay the price required by God to enable the Holy Spirit to fill the heart and the life, then it is never the Holy Spirit who fills, but Satan.

The presence of Satan is irrefutably exposed by: The lie! “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie!”

The Lord Jesus said, “When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8: 44).

Satan is the father of every lie, of every attempt to deceive, of every counterfeit. This is the spiritual reality: Everyone who draws back from entering into the true experience of holiness through the indwelling Holy Spirit, yet pretends to have that experience, is allowing Satan to fill their hearts with a lie.

Ananias dared “to lie to the Holy Ghost!” There is nothing that could be more foolish than that, yet there are still so many who are permitting themselves to be caught up in this destructive foolishness.

They see other Christians who are genuinely filled with the Holy Spirit, and every aspect of their lives continues to give the clearest evidence as to the authenticity of their experience. But, as these others observe these things, yet they themselves decline to meet the essential conditions required by the Lord to enter into the experience, they willfully keep “back part of the price”, they choose the alternative of pretense and deception. They choose!

It is inevitable that, sooner or later, their deception will be exposed because they are attempting to deceive the fellowship in which the Holy Spirit is personally present and actively at work. He is never deceived.

Yet still there are far too many who are playing this very senseless game, and they will inevitably have to pay an extremely high price for such foolish presumption.

“Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”

This was a most serious charge, which Peter brought against Ananias. He was reminding Ananias that at every point he was the one who had freely, and so foolishly, made all the decisions. He was the one who decided to sell the land, in the context of selling it to help the needy in the fellowship.

And, once he had sold the land, and received the money that was the price paid for the land, he was the one who would decide what he would do with any or all of the proceeds from the sale of the land.

No one had forced Ananias to do any of this. Step by step he made all of the decisions. He was the one who was responsible, therefore he was the one who was held accountable. This involved a freedom and a responsibility, which God Himself had entrusted to Ananias.

No one could compel him to give all. No one could fault him if he felt that he needed to use some of the proceeds of the sale for his personal needs, as long as he was open and honest in what he said about that portion which he decided to give.

It is always those decisions that we ourselves make according to our own choices, which are so crucial. Whenever God calls us to make a sacrifice to help to meet some need, we make the decision as to how we will respond. God does not force us to give; He never forces us to do anything.

The other side is equally true: Satan cannot force us to go his way. Either way, our decision is the result of our own personal choice.

“Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?” The suggestion, the temptation, may have initially come from the enemy, but you could have rejected it. You should have rejected it.

But, instead of rejecting it, you welcomed it. You began to willingly accommodate it in such a way that it became increasingly appealing and desirable to you.

As the idea grew in your mind it was you yourself who not only permitted it to take the dominant position, you openly encouraged it to do so.

Consequently, “Satan filled thine heart!” He filled your heart and mind, your desires and your thoughts only because you decided to willingly yield to the lusts of the flesh!

You could have said, “No!” and meant it! You could have rejected his every advance and suggestion with the strongest desire and determination to please the Lord Jesus as you actively filled your every thought and desire with the wonder of His love and grace.

You yourself gave conception, willingly and deliberately, to that which was to completely break your personal fellowship with the Lord Jesus, and at the same time opened you up to the domination of Satan.

This is an awesome statement, which Peter made to Ananias. Every true Christian, whose desire is to continue to live the genuine, Spirit-filled life, will carefully, prayerfully consider the implications of these words. Our personal choices, even in things that appear to be quite insignificant, are always so very vital.

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

In The Epistle to the Hebrews there is a reference made to those who have “done despite unto the Spirit of grace.”

The wording of this statement sounds somewhat strange to our ears, yet the message contained in those words is of the utmost importance to us. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of grace and there have been, even as there still are today, people who did “despite” to Him. They so brazenly and deliberately acted as to inevitably and seriously insult Him, resulting in Him being so greatly angered that He moved in judgment against them.

By pretending that he was speaking and acting as one who was filled with and motivated by the Holy Spirit, when in fact he was filled and motivated by the spirit of evil - Satan, Ananias did so willfully and so brazenly insult the Holy Spirit, he so greatly angered the Holy Spirit, that he was struck down dead!

Is it really that serious a matter to pretend to be filled with the Holy Spirit? It really is, especially as it is the spirit of evil, Satan, who fills you. This awesome warning must be taken very seriously.

There are some who already, or who will soon, pay a very high price for their foolish presumption and their deliberate pretense and deception.

Remember Who this awesome Holy Spirit is! He is God the Holy Spirit! He is infinite in holiness, and so very protective of the absolute purity of His holiness. He wields all of the power of the living God, in all things, and at all times.

It is for this very reason that the Apostle Paul wrote, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (I Corinthians 3: 16, 17).

“Ananias fell down, and gave up the ghost . . . And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.”

He never gave any thought to the possibility that his foolish, self-serving deception would end in this way. Rather, he was convinced that he would get away with his deception, and everyone would be praising him for being so obviously Spirit-filled and motivated by self-sacrificing love.

His life had become a lie, even to himself! Yet, he is not the only one who must be described in those tragic terms. There are multitudes of others who have chosen this role for themselves, so that it can be said of them: their very life has become a lie, even to themselves.

The end of such a lie is always, and inevitably, inescapably: JUDGMENT! We must take that fact so seriously.

Paul wrote, “Let love be without dissimulation!”(Romans 12: 9). Do not pretend to love! Make sure that your love is totally free from all pretense and deception.

“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?”

It is so very significant to notice the way in which Peter dealt with Sapphira, the wife of Ananias. He did not greet her with the accusation that she was just as guilty as her husband in this matter. In fact, there is no suggestion that he made any pre-judgment about her, or her possible involvement in her husband's sinful scheme.

His question to her was both simple and direct: “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” In expressing his question in this way he gave to Sapphira a choice, a very clear choice. She could be totally truthful in the answer that she gave. Or, she could lie as her husband did and thus confirm her involvement with Ananias in this deliberate deception.

A choice! That gave to her the opportunity to reconsider, to reevaluate the decision to attempt to pretend to be Spirit-filled when in fact they were following a totally carnal motivation. Who knows, the Holy Spirit may well have been so convicting her of this sin that she did want an opportunity to reconsider.

We can learn from Peter's method here. In our dealings with other people we should always remember that each one should be given the opportunity to reconsider their position, the opportunity to reject positions previously taken and acknowledge that those positions were wrong. The opportunity to humbly confess and repent, to then seek cleansing and restoration to the fellowship.

This is the way in which we see Peter dealing with Sapphira. This approach is in complete conformity with Paul's admonition, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in a spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6: 1).

“Restore!” - if at all possible! Give the person concerned the opportunity to humbly seek the path of true restoration.

What a tragic moment that proved to be. She deliberately chose to ignore the opportunity, which she had so graciously been given to be totally open and honest with the Church and before the Lord. Having willfully entered into the devilish pact with Ananias, her husband, she demonstrated that she was determined to pursue that path to the very end.

As Ananias permitted Satan to fill his heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, even so Sapphira willfully allowed Satan to fill her heart to also lie to the Holy Spirit.

As Ananias was personally responsible for his attitude, motivation and words, even so Sapphira was personally responsible for her attitude, motivation, and words. She could not blame Ananias, or anyone else for that matter.

This is an unchanging principle: When we choose to in any way act contrary to the truth, we ourselves are responsible, God holds us each responsible. He will not allow us to attempt to shift the blame, because He knows that we do act according to our own personal choice.

“Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?”

Sapphira was charged with being and equal and willing partner in this evil conspiracy, therefore she was identified as being equally guilty of challenging the Holy Spirit to act in response to their lie.

“To tempt the Spirit of the Lord!” How we need to humbly think about the implications of those words. Any attempt to deceive, to pretend that we are fully surrendered to the Lord when we are not, involves actually and defiantly challenging the Holy Spirit to deal with our deliberate carnality.

Yet, too many Christians give these spiritual principles little, if any, thought. What we are dealing with here is a most vital spiritual principle, which never varies.

“Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.”

When Peter had no choice but to make that pronouncement he must have identified with the great grief felt by the Holy Spirit at being compelled by Sapphira to act in judgment.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life. He seeks to impart life in all of its fullness, yet Ananias and Sapphira compelled Him to bring death as the just judgment on their deliberate and willful carnality. For had not that carnality been thoroughly purged from the Church it would have spread to defile the whole Church.

“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are”(1 Corinthians 3: 17).

“Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4: 30).

The Holy Spirit had sought to perfect Ananias and Sapphira in the beauty of the holiness of the Lord Jesus. They chose to flatly refuse to allow the Holy Spirit to glorify Jesus in them. They would have no part of the good and acceptable and perfect will of God for their lives.

“Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, . . . buried her by her husband.”

This was such an incredibly high price to pay. There are some who may want to add: After all: it was only a lie!

“Only a lie!” They selfishly acted in a way which, if unchecked, would lead to the destruction of the Church.

“Only a lie!” They trampled under their feet the precious blood of the Lamb of God, which was shed for their cleansing and sanctification.

“Only a lie!” They chose to make themselves an open and defiant reproach to the holiness of God.

“Only a . . .” We hear it so often. People seeking to minimize carnal motivations, attitudes, words, and actions, which in reality will inevitably lead to crucifying the Lord of glory afresh!

How absolutely vital it is to identify: “Only a . . .” as nothing short of the vile attempt of Satan to heap shame, reproach, and dishonor on the Lord Jesus and His blood-bought Church.

“Great fear!” A great sense of deep awe! An awakening of greatly increased reverence at the realization of the infinite holiness of God!

Isaiah said, “I saw the Lord!” (Isaiah 6: 1). And, in that moment he saw himself. The result: his life would never be the same again.

“I saw the Lord!” - the Holy Spirit - move in the most awesome power of judgment. The Church witnessed the actual reality, and that fact inspired the deepest sense of awe and the greatest sense of reverence.

How very greatly we need to recover far more of that great sense of reverence and that deep sense of awe: for God and for God the Holy Spirit.

When we do recover that true and vital perception of this truly awesome Holy Spirit who comes to fill us, then we will always exhibit the same attitude, which we see in Barnabas. We will be absolutely genuine in all we are and in everything we say and do: with the motivation that the Lord Jesus will be glorified.

Whenever we allow ourselves to become careless, we are but one short step away from totally identifying ourselves with Ananias and Sapphira in their willful decision to pretend to a spiritual experience which they had no longer any genuine claim to have.