Scripture: Acts 5:1-11
Fake it till you make it. This is a common phrase that people use today. Maybe you don't enjoy your job as much as you would like, but you are going to pretend like you do until things get better. Maybe you stopped believing in God a while ago but you need to still go to church and pretend everything is ok to please someone close to you.
In Acts 5 we meet two people who had the opportunity to do something amazing for God. These two people had the opportunity to sell their property and give the proceeds to those in need. We know that they were not forced to sell their property. They probably saw other people doing it and wanted to be like them. The problem comes when "He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest" (v.2).
Imagine how different this story would have been if Ananias and/or Sapphira came to Peter and explained everything that they were dealing with.
Imagine if they were authentic.
Instead of selling their property and bringing only part of the money to the apostles and claiming it was the full amount, what if they said something like this:
Hey Peter. My wife and I sold our property because we think these people are doing some great things and we want to be like them. But we are struggling right now to give it all away. I mean, it is a lot of money. It's kind of scary. Could you pray for us?
I can imagine Peter responding in a way similar to this:
Wow. Thanks for sharing that guys. I too struggled to give away it all but I was finally able to do it when I saw how much Steve benefitted from my giving. I was blessed to see him blessed. I will be praying for you guys that you will be able to do what God has called you to do .
Authentic.
Instead, Ananias and Sapphira tried to fake it. Unfortunately for them, God knows the whole story. Instead of leaving the building with an apostle praying for them and a new faith challenge to pray about, he and his wife left in a body bag.
God was showing his new church that He might not be physically present but the Holy Spirit is God and He is there. Being authentic is extremely important because it leads to life. Pretending like you have it all together will lead to death.
Be authentic. Stop faking it. Go to God. Go to God's people and be real with them. Tell them what you are dealing it and see how the Lord blesses you and the situation.
