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THE KING’S BUSINESS
feet.’’ W e have been looking upon an exceedingly fair, picture, but now the scene changes. The old serpent again enters Eden. Up to this point the church’s chief danger has been from without, from the open opposition o f foes, but now it faces the greater peril o f foes within, foes who fancy themselves friends. It is no wonder that God, who loves His church, dealt with this matter with a stern hand. The atmos phere o f love and consecration and sacri fice o f self in which the deed o f Ananias was done, made it all the more unpardon able. It is to be noted that the same words are used in describing his action as those used in describing the action o f Barnabas up to a certain point, but then what a dif ference ! In the one case we have a deed o f self-forgetting love; in the other, a deed o f closely calculating hypocrisy. It is evi dent that the early church was not perfect; as some séem to imagine it was. There was in it an Ananias and Sapphira as nrell as a Barnabas. The plan o f Ananias and Sapphira was to bring part o f their prop erty and put it in the general fund, but keep back part for themselves, .and yet at the same time enjoy the distribution' of the general fund. It was a deliberate fraud. vs. 3, 4. “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? Whiles it remained, was it not mine own ( did it not remain thine own) ? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own {omit, own) power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” The lie o f Ananias was not an ordinary lie, and we cannot conclude from this that every lie is a lie to the Holy Ghost. Ananias had seen the whole hearted love o f Barnabas (cf. ch. 4:36, 37), how he had- literally brought all that he had ancl laid it at the Apostles’ feet. He had- also seen the admiration the conse crated Barnabas had awakened in the Apos tolic company, and he decided to gain the same applause for himself, and also appar ently, to share in the general distribution,
but he aimed to do it without paying the full price. He, too, “sold a possession,” but secreted part o f the price and brought the rest with the intent to deceive the church. But the Holy Spirit guided the early church and an attempt to deceive the Spirit-guided church was an attempt to deceive the Spirit Himself. Further than this, he pretended full consecration when he did not make a full consecration. Now consecration is to the Holy Spirit, and to pretend to consecrate all when one does not, is to lie to the Holy Ghost. It is evi dent there is much lying to the Holy Ghost in these days. When we stand up in con secration meetings and say' we have sur rendered all and that our “all is on the altar,” when we have not surrendered all and when all is not on the altar, is to lie to, the Holy Ghost. It would be well if these words should sink into the hearts o f those who so lightly and flippantly pro fess an entire surrender without being sure as to whether they have made an entire surrender or not, and whether the profes sion is a reality or a lie to the Holy Ghost. It was Satan that prompted Ananias to this deception. The Holy Spirit had filled the heart o f Barnabas, Satan filled the heart o f Ananias. But while Ananias’ sin orig inated with Satan, Peter’s question implies that Ananias was none the less responsible, in that he had given place to Satan and permitted him to fill his heart." The fact that his sin originated with Satan did not lessen, but aggravated his guilt. H e had entered into partnership with the devil, and this is what every liar is doing (John 8:44), and every one who teaches error instead o f teaching the Word o f God (1 John 2:22). In ch. 4:31 we have the Dis ciples Spirit-filled, and here we have Anan ias devil-filled. The heart that is open to the Holy Spirit He will fill; the heart that is open to Satan he will fill. Ananias had lied not unto men, but unto God. Those are solemn words. A lie to man is bad enough, but a lie to God—that is appalling. Every reader o f these notes, would do well to ask himself, Am I lying to God?, v. 5* “And Ananias hearing these words
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