I read a comment the other day and the Holy Spirit said, “You need to consider that for a message.” So I have. The comment was made by that man from India to whom I have referred several times recently. He wrote: “My hosts in a Southern (American) city… thoughtfully booked me into a motel room. While settling in, I flipped on the big TV set that dominated the room. What burst on the screen shocked me more than anything I had ever (yet) seen in America. There in beautiful color was an attractive woman seated in the lotus position teaching yoga. I watched in horror and amazement as she praised the health benefits of the breathing techniques and other exercises of this Eastern religious practice. What her viewers did not know is that yoga is designed for one purpose only – to open up the mind and body to receive visitations from demon spirits. Because this American yogi was dressed in a chic Danskin body suit, claimed a Ph.D. degree and was on educational TV, I assume many of the viewers were deceived into believing this was just another harmless exercise show. But those of us born and raised in nations dominated by the power of darkness know that hundreds of Eastern religions are marketing themselves in the United States and Canada under innocuous – even scientific-sounding – brandnames.”
Having jotted down that thought I proceeded to google “yoga and churches.” There are hundreds of churches across this country which teach their members the principles of yoga. And upon the authority of someone who knows its origins, those churches are opening their doors and hearts to demonic activity. But our church doesn’t have a yoga class, and it never will, so maybe I don’t need to warn you about Satan entering Calvary Baptist Church this way. On the other hand, perhaps as individuals we don’t think of this access to demonism as seriously as we should. Perhaps I should do some more studying and bring you a message on the “Satanism of Yoga.”
Moving down the road from my house toward Highway 41 is a church with a large barn-like building behind it. For years, the primary advertising of that church has been – not about Christ, but to their karate classes in that barn. Here we have something akin to yoga; something which is becoming more and more acceptable in the modern Christian mind. Kung Fu or Karate, Taekwondo and many other martial arts, openly began in oriental idolatry and demonism. Christian teachers tell people that the practice of Karate can be separated from philosophies of Karate. But many of the martial arts, and even Tai Chi, require participants to open their minds to forces unknown, drawing strength and energy from spiritual sources, either from within or without the practitioner. Here people willingly make themselves available to demon possession. Andy kind of meditation which is not upon the Lord and His Word, couple to surrender to a spirit which is not the Holy Spirit are open invitations to demon possession or at the very least demonic influence. Is this a subject which I need to address? Perhaps I should.
From yoga and karate, my mind turned to some of the practices of the “Word of Faith” people like Joyce Meyers, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Hagan, et.al. Visualization is one of their doctrines and practices. It is also predominant in occult paganism. And demon-worshippers use things like mantras, which originally came from Hinduism and Buddhism – where a word or sound is repeated and repeated to aid concentration in meditation. That is precisely what some of those professed Christian leaders teach in their mega-churches. They tell their people to verbalize what they want in life; say it over and over again, because the vocal expression of your desires will bring it to pass. I might be accused of unkindness, but honesty demands that I tell you there is a lot of demonism in those “Name it and claim it” churches – churches professing to be a part of Christianity.
As I was thinking about that potential message, I began looking for a scripture to use as my primary text. When the Lord led to His choice, I recognized that the problem of Satan in Christ’s church is not confined to the extremities of Christendom. The danger is not that our church might become a part of one of those mega-church cults. And we are not going to be sucked into any variety of oriental religion. The danger of Satanic attack is more problematic than that; it is rooted in the blessing of God itself.
Before we get to Ananias and Sapphira, let’s think about what was taking place at the time.
Only months before, the city of Jerusalem was shaken by the events of God’s greatest Pentecost celebration. The power of the Holy Spirit fell upon the hundred and twenty – people who yearned for revival. There was the miracle of glossolalia, the speaking in foreign tongues, and Peter preached the Word. And “They that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” The congregation of the church in Jerusalem jumped to twenty-five times its original size over night. But it wasn’t just a flash in the pan; it wasn’t a result of mass hysteria. This was real. Lives were being radically changed; revolutionized. Acts 2:42 – “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
And the blessings and miracles of God continued. In Acts 3 Peter and John were a part of the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. Out of that, Peter preached God’s free grace, and five thousand more people turned to Jesus, the Messiah. Then Peter, John and the lame man were arrested, interrogated, threatened and released. 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. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 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. 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.”
I cannot express the joy, excitement and thrill which was coursing through the hearts of those first converts. I can’t imagine what was in the minds of the eleven disciples and the original hundred and twenty. The other three hundred eighty souls who had seen the resurrected Saviour were, without a doubt, back in Jerusalem and the fold of the church. Hundreds of people were spreading the gospel throughout the city and sharing their salvation testimonies. When they weren’t worshiping God and pleading for His will in their lives, they were living their Christian lives for the glory of their Saviour. They were carrying out the great commission with zeal that has rarely been experienced since.
They weren’t spending their time behind closed doors singing their hymns and praying for grandma who broke her hip last week. They weren’t fishing any more, and they weren’t selling fish or carrying on their old occupations. For a while, everything they did was centered in telling what they knew about the resurrected Saviour. Those who had money were sharing their wealth with others in the congregation so they both could be out sharing the good news of Christ. And those who had property were freely and willingly selling their possessions and laying the proceeds down at the feet the disciples to be distributed to others who needed it. I am told that the words “sold” and “brought” are in the Greek tense which says this was on-going. Christ was the king of their lives and potentially the king of Jerusalem. These were the days of that church’s first love.
That provoked Satan unlike anything seen in Israel since the days of Josiah – perhaps never before. Satan could not stand idly by and let the gospel of Christ sweep like a firestorm across the world. He had to put a stop to it. But arresting the disciples hadn’t damped anyone’s enthusiasm. The Romans and the Jewish priests seemed to be powerless to assist him. What could he do? He went out, like a lion, seeking some sheep to devour. And he found the husband and wife team of Ananias and Sapphira. Through them Satan entered the Lord’s church – a church which was on fire for the Lord.
Ananias and Sapphira.
These two were obviously members of the church. They were sufficiently well-known to be recognized by Peter and called by name. I can’t find any reason in our scripture to say that they were not children of God. Some commentators say that they Satan indwelt them, and if that was the case then it could be argued they were not saved or possessed by the Holy Spirit, but the Bible doesn’t say that. Peter didn’t accuse them of being children of the Devil. He said, “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?” “How has Satan filled your heart with this lie?”
That question is probably the place for us to start. Humanly speaking, why did they do this thing? The truth is, you and I can only guess about the motives for what they did. Did they want to impress their friends or the apostles? Was it the sin of pride? Did they do it only to be like other people? Was it a matter of the flesh and not of the heart? Did they already know that they’d make a fortune and it was all about the money? Was it the sin of greed?
Rather than these possibilities, let’s say that they sort of stumbled into their sin, lead of course by Satan. Let’s say that Zillow told them their property was worth 100,000, and in the excitement of the situation, they rejoiced in the opportunity join the others in the church to give the Lord 100,000. But then in stepped the “god of this world,” making sure that their property sold for double the asking price. He can certainly do that sort of thing. Satan can make your life similar to heaven on earth. Now the pressure was on. Perhaps they had already told friends they thought they could give 100,000. You may think that giving 200,000 would be easier than 100,000, but no. It would be twice as hard. “Hey, what harm would there be keeping the extra 100 for ourselves? It is our property and our money.” Oh, but that would be a lie. “Not necessarily,” whispered Satan, “No one knows how much you received. Just walk in and put 100,000 down and step back. Let people think whatever they would like.”
Here might be revealed a wrinkle in Ananias’s theology: “No one knows how much money you were paid.” But someone did know. What kind of God do you have Ananias? Mine is omniscient. The Lord revealed the exact sum to Peter, who was the acting pastor at the time. And when he confronted Ananias with the actual sale’s figure, first Ananias lied and then later so did his wife.
In turn both Ananias and Sapphira died. God simply snatched the life out of them. Poof, and they were gone. Isn’t that rather extreme punishment for such a little lie? No it is not. Sin is sin. But had they not given to the church a large sum of money? Yes, but the Lord isn’t an accountant; He doesn’t concern Himself with figures and sums. And as perhaps you have heard, God is more interested in what is left after the gift has been given. The Lord does not look at lies as less wicked than murder. And He wasn’t as concerned about the potential theft as He was about the lie, and its implications.
Why did God so emphatically take lives of Ananias and Sapphira?
What was their mortal sin? It wasn’t simply because they had lied. It wasn’t because they had robbed God. It was an attack on the very person of God the Holy Spirit.
Let’s remember what was going on in that church. The glory of God, through Jesus Christ, was sweeping through the city. Souls by the hundreds were be convicted and were being given repentance and faith to believe the gospel. The power of God was obvious to saints and sinners alike. But we tend to forget that the “power of God” is not like what happens when we throw a light switch or we push the start button in our car. The power of God is not a thing or an influence, an energy or a force. The power of God is the Third Person of the Godhead; the power of God is the Person of the Holy Spirit.
In the midst of the greatest revival of Spiritual life in the history of humanity… In the day when the Lord’s church was at its purest and most effective… Ananias and Sapphira listened to Satan and in a sense invited him to go with them into the midst of God’s glory.
Peter had hardly uttered the words, “Thou has not lied unto men, but unto God,” when Ananias crumbled lifelessly to the ground. The Spirit of God gave Sapphira three hours to think about what her husband was doing, giving her time to repent of her part in the deception. Maybe she was at home waiting for her husband’s triumphant return, but he didn’t immediately come back. Perhaps she went to the church meeting place, expecting to see him and to hear all the adulation of the apostles. But what she heard was, “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” “Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost.”
Why did Ananias and Sapphira die? Wasn’t it because their attempted deception and their denial of the deity of the Holy Spirit attacked the very heart of what God was doing in Jerusalem through His church? Satan filled the hearts of these two to rebel against the leadership of the Spirit over His church and His work. They tested the omnipotence of the Spirit, and they failed their own test. They tempted God, as Israel had done so many times in her history, after they had seen the miraculous proof of His power. Ananias and Sapphira asked themselves, “Can the Spirit of God in the Apostles detect a lie?” Yes He can. By trying to deceive the Spirit they were testing the knowledge, authority and justice of God. And by their example they might have lead others to do the same. What they were doing attacked the unity and holiness of the Lord’s church.
Enveloping this event is the reality that the Holy Spirit is the governor of Christ’s churches. He is our source of our power to glorify Christ, and to see souls saved. He knows when we are holy and when we are not. He knows when we are sincere and when we are not. Even in the midst of great revival, we can’t afford to invite God’s enemy into our midst through our sin. Every part of our ministry must be Holy Spirit based. No carnal hand should dare to touch the work of God; not even an unholy finger should be applied. We must recognize the Spirit’s personality, deity and authority, even in the giving of our offerings.
How sad when a believer permits Satan to gain a foothold in his spiritual life. It could come through yoga; it could come through pornography; it could come through a gambling addiction. Maybe it is in the music we listen to. Satan can enter our lives through so many doors. We must never allow our spiritual life to wane. Only constant vigilance, prayer, Bible reading, preaching attendance, and surrender to the Holy Spirit will keep Satan at bay. Don’t give Satan an opportunity. “Neither give place to the devil” – Ephesians 4:27.
Conclusion
Let’s say that as some of us are praying and trusting God, the Lord SO invigorates our church that it would be impossible NOT to call it “revival.” Let’s say that in successive months, three thousand souls and four thousand souls are saved. Let’s say that on successive Lord’s Days, three souls are saved, followed by four souls the next week. Let’s say that there is such excitement about the service of the Lord that one, two and then three people surrender their lives and their futures to serve the Lord in full-time ministry. Let’s say that so many people are giving so much of themselves and their finances that we could begin to support a dozen new missionaries.
But then, Satan steps in and entices one of us to commit adultery, or to steal some article of clothing from a shop where the owner wasn’t paying attention. Someone gets drunk and his name reaches the newspapers. In the midst of the Lord’s revival, Satan tempts you and draws you into some sin. Of course you aren’t going to publically admit to sin. You may even deny that it was you. You are going to hide what you have done; also hiding the fact that you’ve let Satan fill your heart with his filth. And the next Sunday you are in church as usual. Do you think that the Lord is unaware of what you have done? Do you think that He is unconcerned? What is to keep God from revealing your sin to me or to some other member? Are you going to tell me that God can’t do that? I am not saying that He will, but He certainly could.
Now, when you are confronted, how will you respond? Will you and your sin be used of the devil to kill that revival? Or will you be negatively used by God to bring others to fear? Verse 11 – “And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many has heard these things.” I think that here, this was a positive fear, adding to the revival, not taking from it. But nevertheless Ananias and Sapphira were dead, and therefore they did not share in the great blessing.
What should terrify us more: death at the hands of God, or the loss of the power of God? While many in the Jerusalem church were striving to glorify the Lord, Ananias and Sappphira were playing games with the Devil in such a way they could have put an end to the Lord’s work. This chapter tells us that it is a dangerous thing to play the hypocrite in God’s sight. The Lord knows exactly what is going on in our hearts. He may, or He may not, let it stifle His power. But either way, Ananias and Sapphira were dead and had no part in those great blessings.
What a warning we have here. Do not to open the doorway for Satan to come into our church.