We had a great Sunday morning! We were blessed to have the Piedmont fire department come and share with our Sunday School youth for first Sunday. We are so thankful for their work and to be able to encourage them with gifts and support. Pastor Andy spoke titled his sermon “Acting Up In Church”. What does church look like to you? How important is being a part of the body of Christ? Andy started with a story from chapters 4 and 5 of Acts.

Sometimes the way our Bibles are divided into chapters can make us miss the flow of a story. Acts 5 feels like a new beginning, but it is actually the continuation of what God was doing at the end of Acts 4. The early church was growing, facing pressure from the outside, yet strengthened by deep unity on the inside. Luke describes a community marked by one heart and one mind, where believers held their possessions loosely and cared for one another sacrificially. It was a beautiful picture of Spirit‑filled generosity. Among these believers was Barnabas, a man whose kindness stood out. He sold a field and laid the entire amount at the apostles’ feet, not for applause, but out of sincere love. His act reflected the heart of Christ, who gave himself fully for us.

But into this atmosphere of unity and selflessness stepped a very different attitude. Ananias and Sapphira also sold property, but unlike Barnabas, they kept back part of the money while pretending to give it all. Their gift had the appearance of generosity but was driven by pride. They wanted the reputation of sacrificial giving without the sacrifice itself. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, saw through the deception. He reminded them that the land was theirs, the money was theirs, and the gift could have been honest. Their sin was not withholding money, it was lying to God in order to gain praise from people.

The consequences were immediate and severe. Both Ananias and Sapphira fell dead at Peter’s feet, and great fear came upon the whole church. At first glance, the punishment seems extreme. But God was protecting His newborn church. The foundation of this community was still wet, still forming, and pride threatened to crack it. If hypocrisy had been allowed to grow unchecked, unity would have fractured, generosity would have dried up, and the mission of the church could have been derailed. God removed the contaminants so the purity of His people could remain.

This story reminds us that God cares deeply about the motives of our hearts. He delights in generosity that flows from love, not from a desire to be seen. He guards His church from the subtle poison of pride and hypocrisy. And He calls us to be like Barnabas, people who give quietly, joyfully, and sincerely, reflecting the generosity of the One who gave everything for us. May we be a church marked not by appearance, but by authenticity; not by pride, but by unity; not by self‑promotion, but by sacrificial love.

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