“Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. “
Acts 5:1-6

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OCTOBER 3, 2024

As we saw earlier this week, taking the proceeds from selling property and placing it at the feet of the apostles was an act of worship. Peter’s comments to Ananias make it clear that the property, as well as the income from its sale, were at Ananias’ disposal until the money was brought to the apostles. The problem was deception in worship.

Ananias and Sapphira misrepresented themselves to the apostles and to God. Worship is serious business! We are to worship in spirit and in truth. Our intention is not primarily a feeling of religious wellbeing, but to approach the God we have surrendered to in love. We should prepare ourselves for worship, coming ready to fully participate. Deception has no place here. We are to come transparently and humbly before the Lord.

I will not pretend my mind has never wandered to other matters during a worship service. We struggle at times to understand or apply something said from the pulpit. We have preferences of worship music or style which can affect our attitude. Some teachers are more to our liking than others. We are fallible human beings, but as followers of Jesus we must be genuine in our worship. There is no standard of perfection, but when we come to worship and find our thoughts or attitude going astray, we should intentionally refocus our attention and reorder our hearts. We should not tolerate insincerity within ourselves when worshipping God.

Corporate worship is a unique experience that encourages and unifies us as a church. We study a Bible passage together to learn and apply truth as the Spirit gives us insight. We gather as a body because we are edified by face-to-face interaction with fellow believers. There is no need to impress others, but we must be sincere in our love for one another. Worship is not about us; it is about the Triune God who has provided His Son Jesus Christ as our Savior and the Holy Spirit to speak into our hearts and guide us. God knows our hearts fully, including when we worship; there is no deceiving Him.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • How do you prepare to worship?
  • How could you more authentically worship in spirit and in truth?
  • How do we as a church encourage one another through our engagement in corporate worship?
  • How has worship been instrumental in your spiritual growth?

 

Church Reading Plan: Ezekiel 36; Psalm 86