Punishment Is Guaranteed

So I got the run around when I was deciding what I was going to write about/study about tonight. This blog has become more of a \”what do I want to learn about and what did I learn\” rather than \”what God taught me this week or day or whatever.\” Its almost like a study work sheet where I read something and hammer out what I believe is true and how it applies to my life now. That especially rings true because I have been hanging out in the Old Testament lately and you would think that not a lot of that applies to us these days. Literally, no but metaphorically and principle wise it absolutely does. I was going to land in Joel but the New Testament grabbed me today so I am going to dive back in to Acts.

After a much needed talk/explosion in our relationship over purity that I recently fell with, the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Now I also read some commentary on this and tried to read it in some sort of context rather that just assuming that it was a passage and lesson about solely hiding from the Lord or stealing. I found something that really intrigued me. I looked back to chapter 4 in Acts and realized  a huge part of the reason why this husband and wife duo got in trouble. The section of passage right before the account of A and S\’s death talks about this idea of believers sharing their possessions.


Acts 4:32-35
³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.


Now this is freaking cool and in a real way I wish that I could live this way now with a group of people. They literally had nothing to there name. They shared everything and had to worry about nothing but following Christ. This is like a call back to the way Christ introduced his followers. The famous verses in the gospels that say –


Luke 9:23
²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.


Mark 8:34
³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.


Matthew 16:24
²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.


Luke 14:25-33
\”If anyone comes to me without \’hating\’ his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be a disciple of mine. The man who will not take up his cross and follow in my footsteps cannot be my disciple……….So it is with you; only the man who says good-bye to his possessions can be my disciple.\”


Basically, I think that this concept is more than just pick up your cross and follow me. The first part of that verse is nothing to miss. Its almost like the trinity. You can not forget one of them and be okay. To me this is huge. The first part of this command is \”deny yourselves\”. Now I didn\’t really look this up or study what it actually means but I think I have a pretty good idea. This command is saying give up everything. Not some things, not certain things. It means give up EVERYTHING. No exceptions. 


This brings me back to the story of A and S. Most of us know the story but I will summarize it anyways for my sake. They were land owners and they sold their land like what was commanded but instead of giving it all they help back some for their own pockets. Then God struck them down dead right then and there after the apostles had confronted them (thats the punishment/ sin will find you out part)


Now bare with me because this is the knot that ties this package up. For these people back then it was about possessions, and there is still some applications for that in our lives today but I think it goes much deeper than that and when Christ says \”deny yourselves\”. I think it goes past possessions. I think it goes beyond any boundaries that most of us can fathom. I think when He say deny yourself and give up everything it means everything. At the core of it, that means giving up your privacy, your life, your feelings, and being completely changed by him. With our authentic relationships I think that it hits the nail on the head. What these people were doing back then by giving up all there possessions and selling everything and sharing everything, they were with out the temptations to have personal gain. Maybe not with out but it was putting them in a position to be able to serve God in a greater capacity and follow him with more focus because they had nothing else to worry about. Now, I think it is the same today with our personal struggles, fears and insecurities, as well as maybe possessions. The devil uses those things as footholds unless we completely give those over to God, are authentic with other and share with those who are in need. (encouragement). 


For me, meeting weekly with E, or when I was back in NY, those time are when I am laying those things at the apostles (E,C,and S) feet. That is when I say you know what I am not going to hold any of this for myself, here you go. Take it all, every last penny. Now because I do this…because we do this as brother we now have a greater capacity to serve and seek God because sin is not bearing down on us. Here is when we get in trouble tho. When we hold back like Ananias and Sapphira. We I am not completely honest and authentic with myself, E, or even K. Thats when its guaranteed failure. There is a foothold for the devil and there is only one way out…. DENY YOURSELF.


Well I really didn\’t stay on the topic that I thought I was going to but I am really happy with what I learned today. It really shows the importance of what I am involved in on a weekly basis and how honesty is a huge part of the success along side the dissatisfaction. And its so true from way back in the OT till now. There are consequences for our actions and punishment is guaranteed.