The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy

 

 

    For some reason, many think God should be infinitely patient, and infinitely tolerant of their sinful life style. How can I make such a judgment? "By their fruits you shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). By the same mode of judgment, I've observed many who have twisted the Scriptures and have created God in their own image. The old saying that "actions speak louder than words," is nearly always true and reveals a man's character with great accuracy.

            Is your life saying, "God should be infinitely tolerant of my pet-sins;  God should be infinitely tolerant of my neglecting Him and His church;  God should be infinitely tolerant while I live my life the way I want to, and while I worship whenever and however I want to!"

            The Bible does teach us that, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy" (Psalm 103:8). If we just read that verse, without reading the next verse, we'll not get the complete picture. Verse 9 says, "God will NOT always strive with man, nor will He withhold His anger forever."

            Does anyone really think they can ignore God, ignore Jesus and His church, and in general ignore the Truth, and still have favor with God on Judgment Day? Can a man do all these things and still expect to hear Jesus say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant?" (Matthew 25:21).

            Jesus did not tolerate the self-righteous, hypocritical Pharisees yesterday (Matthew 23), what makes us think He will tolerate the self-righteous hypocrites of today? (cf. Hebrews 13:8).

            Consider the response that Jesus gave His own disciples while sailing across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had just miraculously fed thousands of men, yet the disciples were concerned that they had failed to bring bread to eat on their journey. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said metaphorically, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees."  The disciples did not understand this saying. Jesus seemingly becomes a little impatient. These disciples had spent much time with Him; listened to much teaching; witnessed many miracles; yet were unable to pick up on His metaphorical cue. He says, "Do you not perceive nor understand? You have eyes to see but cannot see; you have hears to hear but cannot hear! Is your heart still hardened?" (Mark 8:17-18). This is similar to Hebrews 5:12, "You've been Christians long enough that you should be teachers, yet you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the word of God."

            In the very next chapter, we hear Jesus saying to the multitude, "You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you?! (Mark 9:19).

            Many cannot handle the often depicted angry and vindictive God of the Old Testament -- the God who is described as a "consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 9:3);  the God who flooded the earth, and later incinerated Sodom-Gomorrah. They cannot connect that God with the *meek and lowly Jesus* (who loves all the little children of the world).  But when we come to the New Testament, we learn that the Father and Son are "One" (John 10:30); They are in perfect unity (John 17:21); and the Son is even subject to the Father (1Corinthians 15:27-28). As Paul writes, "They suppress the Truth" (Romans 1:18). The result? We are left with an incomplete picture of Jesus, whom people think loves them so much that He will just let them live their sinful and irreverent lives and save them ANYWAY! They say, "Speak to us of the Lamb of God, but speak not of the Lion of Judah!"

            This is why so many religious people are committed to Christ only in-so-far as it is convenient.

                                                                                  Toby Miller

The Most Expensive Meal in History

Did you hear about the expensive meal at Burger King in Palmdale,
California? George Beane ordered two Whopper Jr.s and two Rodeo
cheeseburgers when he pulled up to the drive-through window. The cashier
forgot that she had entered the $4.33 charge on his debit card, and she
punched in the numbers again without erasing the original ones -- creating a
total bill of $4,334.33! The electronic charge went through to George's
checking account and left him penniless.

It was promoted as "the most expensive meal in history." That seems a
little extreme to me. I'm sure there are many other meals which have
brought a higher tab than that. But, I would like to cast MY vote for the
most expensive meal in history.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve ate some fruit which turned out to
be extremely expensive. It cost them their home in the Garden of Eden. It
cost them their relationship with one another. It cost them their
relationship with God. And additional costs have been passed down to every
man and woman who have lived on the face of this earth ever since.

The truth of the matter is that sin always has consequences. We play
games in our mind and try to deny it because we like to play with fire
thinking that we'll never get burned (even though everybody else has). We
like to flirt with sin thinking that "I can do this and it won't hurt
anything" but it always does. Sometimes, like Adam and Eve, sin affects our
relationship with others around us -- husbands, wives, children, parents,
church family, friends. And sin always affects our relationship with God.
And if our sin remains unforgiven, it can cost us our eternal home. It's a
high price to pay for a few moments of selfish enjoyment.

Listen to this warning from James: "When tempted, no one should say,
'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt
anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged
away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin
and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my
dear brothers." (James 1:13-16)

Don't be deceived! Partaking of sin will result in a bill far greater
than you ever could have imagined. Even greater than the cost of burgers in
California these days.

Alan Smith

Bwana, in this place there is no path. I am the path

Have you ever been lost? I mean really lost? It's easy to do when we are
unfamiliar with the area we are traveling through. Some of us have been lost
and some of us still are, aren't we.

When we first arrived in Africa, Dan Bell the missionary we were joining
took me out into the bush. He pointed out the tire tracks of our vehicle and
said, "Always pay attention to the tire tracks, they'll show you how to get
back". (normally we would meet a man from the area who would guide us to the
village to which we were traveling, but often we went back without them.)

Stanley Jones tells of a missionary who got lost in an African jungle,
nothing around him but bush and a few cleared places. He found a hut and
asked the man who lived there if he could get him out. He said he could.

"All right," said the missionary, "show me the way."

The man said, "Walk," so they walked and hacked their way through unmarked
jungle for more than an hour.

The missionary got worried. "Are you quite sure this is the way? Where is
the path?"

The man said, "Bwana, in this place there is no path. I am the path."

You see the place we need to go is unfamiliar to many people. That's not a
new problem in it'self. Notice the conversation that takes place in John
14:4-6, Jesus said: "You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas
said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know
the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me." (NIV)

Most of us are heading in a lot of different directions in our lives. We
plan our lives out in stages. We plan what we will do when we get out of
school, then where we will work and where we will live. We make plans for
getting older and what will happen in our lives then, but what about after
that? Someone once said, "if you don't know where you are going, you'll be
sure to get there."

There is only one who is the path! He is the way, the truth and the life! Do
you know him? If you're lost and struggling to find your way, maybe it's
time meet the one who is the only true path!

Russ Lawson,

From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli

    I remember while in Advanced Infantry training, dressed in full combat gear and carrying a backpack that weighed at least  700 pounds (!) while on a forced march through ankle-deep sand; I decided death would be easier. Everyone in the platoon was nearly exhausted. Then the Drill Instructor started singing, "From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli…"  He commanded us to sing, and somehow we found the breath to do it. Amazing – as the unified voices of each Marine filled the air, strength came from *somewhere.*  We all finished the march.  There was something about lifting our voices together in song that gave each of us strength and encouragement to withstand a common burden. 

    Funny how singing can, in one situation, cause one to be filled with energy and stamina; in another situation cause an inward, emotional joy, and at other times cause a lump to form in your throat and tears to fill your eyes.

            In the OT, we see singing associated with work, worship, and even military activities (Gen. 31:27;  Ex. 32:17-18;  Isa. 16:10).  Singing is an important and powerful part of our lives. It expresses our deepest emotions, motivates athletes, motivates soldiers, unites masses of people, and celebrates significant events. However, it's most important use has always been to worship and praise God.

            It really isn't surprising that God commands New Testament Christians to sing; God's people have always been a "singing" people. Being delivered from Egyptian bondage, "Moses and the children of Israel sang to the Lord" (Ex. 15:1ff).  Consider all the "Psalms" (songs) that David wrote;  When Babylon devoured Judah and led the people into captivity, they said to the Israelites, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" (Ps. 137:3). This was said in a mocking sense, but is proves that God's people had a reputation for being a singing people.

    Singing was part of the spiritual life of Jesus. In the synagogue, He sang with the congregation. In the upper room after Jesus had shared the last Passover meal with His disciples and instituted the Communion, we read, "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" (Mark 14:26). 

    When Paul and Silas were prisoners in jail, they were singing hymns to God and the other prisoners, plus the guard were listening to them (Acts 16:25). Undoubtedly, the singing played a part in the conversion of the guard.

            Out singing is motivated by, "Letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly" (Col. 3:16), thereby "being filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18).  The source of our enthusiasm is God – it is NOT the result of being "emotionalized" by an organ, or "energized" by guitars, drums and tambourines. We "make melody in our hearts to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19). Our singing is not to entertain one another or show-off our talents.

            We often sing in preparation for taking the Lord's Supper – to prepare our hearts for prayer – and encourage someone to respond to the invitation. But perhaps the greatest reason to sing is summed up in the great old hymn, "I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free, for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

            We should not take lightly this important area of our worship. Singing from the heart, Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, will substantially help us to grow in our spiritual nature.  However, until you lay your sins at the foot of the cross, and begin obeying the Gospel you have nothing to sing about.   

--Toby Miller

Is it wrong to judge others?

 

Today I'd like to spend a little time discussing a topic that seems to pop up every now and then, usually in a class study situation. I'm referring to someone saying something like, we can't judge others because the Bible says we can't and then they cite the above verse.

I deliberately only provided verse 1 of Matthew 7 and did not cite the whole thought being expressed by Christ there because that's the usual pattern the questioner's use. They only quote verse 1 as a basis for their belief that we can't judge others - in anything! I think that the main reason that someone has a false belief in the matter of "judging" others is because, even though they've heard or read the above passage, they've probably never really studied it. That's what we're going to do right now.

As a prelude to the spiritual part of our lesson, I'm going to relate to you a little story that will serve as an illustration to our study of "judging." To our lesson regarding the type of "judging" that Christ is speaking against there in Matt. 7. We'll look at the whole statement made by Christ and we'll also look at a couple of other Bible references on this subject of "judging." But first, the story....

This story was told many years ago by a man who's probably remembered today by only a few reading this editorial. His name was Gabriel Heatter and he was a radio commentator for the Mutual Broadcasting Co. The few who remember him will probably remember his opening line each evening which he started off his WW2 news broadcasts with: "There's good news tonight." Here's his little story that he entitled, "Golden Shoes."

He said that he had met a man who had an unusual watch fob hanging from his vest - a tiny pair of golden shoes. He asked the man what was the significance of the shoes, if they were an award or something like that. The man replied that they were not an award, simply a reminder. He then asked the man what the shoes could possibly remind him of. It's the man's answer that serves our subject.

The man was an executive of a large business organization. He and four other men made all of the decisions for this business. For a matter to be acted upon it must be unanimously agreed to by all five of them or it was to be dropped. One of the matters that once came before them was a proposed promotion of a young man in their company. The other four agreed to the promotion, but this man said, "No, that he felt the young man wasn't qualified. That he filled his current position well, but didn't seem serious enough for a more responsible position. He always had a ready laugh or a funny story for every situation." The matter was dropped.

The executive said that a few days later he happened to be passing by the young man's house and met a doctor just leaving it. He asked the doctor if someone there was sick and the doctor told him "Yes" and that it involved a very strange case. It seemed that the patient was the young man's wife who was very ill and the doctor told him that if it weren't for her husband doing everything he could to keep her spirits up, she might have died a long time ago.

The doctor said that the young man must never let his wife see his concern that she might die at anytime. He must always be ready to encourage her and cheer her up. He added that the young man had just about worn himself out trying to find funny and hopeful things in order to keep her life bright and full of courage. The doctor said, "I couldn't have done it. He changed his whole personality so that he can cheer her up. It's miraculous how he has given her life."

The executive said that he couldn't sleep that night for thinking about how he could get the executive board back together and revisit the matter of the young man's promotion, and what he could do to remind himself, to make him remember a very important lesson. His wife had given him the watch and he had the golden shoes made by a jeweler to always remind him: "to never judge a man unless I could put myself in his shoes and know all the reasons why he conducts himself as he does."

Okay, let's apply our little story to the spiritual aspects of our lesson. First off, we have to add verse 2 to our beginning scripture which is usually neglected by those who misinterpret Christ's teaching in Matt. 7. Verse 2 reads, "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

You see, what Christ is talking about here is not that we can't make judgments, but rather HOW we are to judge. Think about it, we make judgments every day. Most of the time we call them "decisions" but aren't our "decisions" based upon our judgments? Of course they are. We even make decisions on who we choose to associate with based upon their actions or deeds. Based upon the open and visible aspects of their behavior. His admonition in verse 2 simply means that, when we judge, we are to do so fairly and righteously, considering that this is how we want to also be judged.

There's a passage, again from the 7^th chapter of Matthew, from the same portion of the sermon being preached by Christ where He said, "Judge not......." He says that we are to "beware of" and thus avoid "false prophets (teachers)" and we'll know who they are because we'll "recognize them by their fruits." (Vs 16 & 20) We'll be able to see their actions, hear their words and can judge them by those things.

Here's another quick example of exercising judgment from the scriptures: Romans 16:17 says we are to "watch out for those who cause divisions," who teach contrary to the Gospel and when we recognize them, we are to "mark and avoid them." Again I ask you, aren't we judging, making decisions regarding who we, as Christians are to associate with?

A classic example of "judging" righteously can be seen by looking at good old Job and the judgment passed on him by his three friends. They were looking at all of the terrible things happening to Job and seeing those things as evidence that Job was lacking in righteousness. That he was evil in some way. Of course Job was denying this and rightly so, he was righteous. They couldn't see his heart.

Here's our final thought on this subject today. We cannot judge the "heart" of someone. Only God "knows the heart" (Acts 15:8) thus is the only Judge qualified to judge it because He is the "righteous Judge." (2Tim. 4:8) And, because we want to be judged fairly and righteously, we have to exercise that same spirit when we make decisions based on our judgments.

The same principle involved in "judging" can be seen in teaching and directing others in their Christian walk. In James 3:1 we can read this principle and what it's telling us there is that we are not the standard by which they are to live. IE: we have "warts" just like everyone else. Therefore, we don't want to be judged by the standards by which we judge others.

When it comes to the judgment of another's "righteousness" or "heart" it's not our judgment to make. David gives us who the only Judge qualified to do that in his Psalm 9:8. "He shall judge the world in righteousness, He shall administer judgment to the people in uprightness."

Ron Covey

Miami's Biscayne Bay

A grand piano recently showed up on a sandbar in Miami's Biscayne Bay, about
200 yards from shore. The piano, which weighs at least 650 pounds, was
placed at the highest spot along the sandbar so that it didn't get
underwater during high tide. The piano has now been removed, but its
placement on the sandbar remained a mystery for several days.

After many theories and false claims, the truth was revealed. The piano had
been placed on the sandbar by a television designer's teenage son who said
Thursday he hoped the idea might help him get into a prestigious art school.
Nicholas Harrington, with video-taped proof of his endeavor, said that he -
with the help of his brother and two neighbors - planned and implemented the
venture by carrying the piano out to the sandbar on the family's 22-foot
boat. Harrington, a high school junior, has hopes that his "artistic
expression" would help him get into Manhattan's Cooper Union College. *

For several days, officials weren't sure how the piano got there, but they
knew someone had to place it there. The tide could not have done it; it
didn't just appear there unaided.

One can look at the universe and make the same deductions. With all the
marvelous design - infinitely greater than that of a baby grand piano -
surely it didn't just appear accidentally! The intricate design of the
Universe gives undeniable evidence of a Designer, and the Scriptures reveal
that the Designer is God.

"In the beginning, GOD created the heavens and the earth."
-- Genesis 1:1

"For every house [and every piano] is built by someone, but He who built all
things is GOD." -- Hebrews 3:4

Among other things, the Divine origin of the universe indicates that YOU are
no accident! Mankind did not just appear accidentally, aimlessly. The
Scriptures reveal that God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27)
for the purpose of having fellowship with God.

But due to our wrong choices, SIN has separated us from God (see Isaiah
59:1-2).

But God loves us so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die on the
cross for our sins so that we might be reconciled to Him (see Romans
5:6-10). The blood that Jesus shed in His death has paid the price of
redemption for sin (Ephesians 1:7). His atoning blood covers our sins if we
accept the gift of salvation on His terms by placing our faith and trust in
Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31),
confessing Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed)
into Christ so that our sins can be washed away (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

How did man come to be? Why are we here?

We were CREATED by a loving CREATOR! He has also provided the means to His
ultimate purpose for our lives - living eternally with Him - through the
GIFT of His Son.

Won't YOU accept His offer?

David A. Sargent

Why not to eat celery

At the risk of offending celery growers and celery lovers in general I want
to share with you that I don't like Celery. It's not that I have anything
against celery; it's just that I don't like the taste or texture of raw
celery; in fact I don't think it is a particularly attractive plant.

Now, having said that; I also want to say that I love celery; (under the
right circumstances). I don't think that you can make a decent Turkey
Stuffing without celery. Potato Soup does not taste good without celery;
Tuna Salad and Chicken Salad need just a pinch. In fact we use celery to
season many things in our kitchen. Just today I chopped and dried or froze
an entire pack of stalks of celery for our future use. But to eat celery by
itself, even with peanut butter or other fillings whatever they might be, I
just don't like it and won't eat it other than to be courteous to a host or
hostess.

I know some folks who won't even touch celery, they won't try it, they won't
experiment with its various uses. That's sad, because they are missing out
of something good that would be a blessing in their lives.

Celery in our home is an intricate and important seasoning; it complements
and often completes other foods and recipes. It becomes incorporated into
the whole to make what is good, even better. There are some foods that just
do not taste as well without it.

Isn't it the same with some people in our lives or our church families?
There are sometimes folks who we just may not care for. There may not be any
reason we can identify or put our finger on. It may not be even that we
don't care for them, but we just don't click with them, so we don't go out
of our way to know them better.

In the same way as my celery however, these same people may help complete
and make better who we are or the whole flavor of our church family. Perhaps
it's time that you try to expand your horizons and your relationships. God's
church family can grow only when we are willing to experience the fullness
of the Spiritual Gifts He has given to each member.

Paul wrote in Romans 12:3-10 "For by the grace given me I say to every one
of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather
think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of
faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members,
and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are
many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have
different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is
prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving,
let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let
him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give
generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing
mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil;
cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor
one another above yourselves." (NLT)

I still hate celery, (raw), but I try very hard to love and appreciate those
who God brings into my life. I heard a quote which was attributed to Abraham
Lincoln in which he said, "I don't like that man, I must get to know him
better." Is there someone that you need to give a chance to flavor your
life?

Russ Lawson

A personal regeneration

   

            Some time ago, astronomers observed bright masses of light in the night time skies; they called them "Nebula," and supposed them to be globs of chaotic matter. When the Herschel telescope came along, they discovered these seemingly confused globs of light were, in reality, distant distinct, individual stars, and not just aimless globs of matter that drifted together.

            What the Herschel telescope did for these stars, the Gospel does for man. It seems the majority of men think of themselves as being mixed into a zoological gene pool and assimilated by some means of aimless, universal evolution. However, when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is received in the heart, like that telescope, it brings man out of his ignorance, and allows him to see himself as a separate individual being, and compels him to meditate upon his personal eternal destiny.

            Until one has personally encountered Jesus Christ face to face in the Gospel (1Corinthians 13:12) --- until one has personally stood alone in contemplation of Calvary, he will not believe unto eternal life.

            A personal faith allows the believer to enjoy a personal peace. This inner peace belongs to the "individual" Christian himself. Just because I come to Christ does not mean that you will have peace. If you want personal peace, then you must come to Christ individually and personally. Unless you are made aware of the personal and individual nature of salvation, you are going to be nothing more than a "church goer."  There is no doctrine in all the Scriptures that teaches a man can be saved by the faith, service, or holiness of another.

            The Gospel of our salvation involves: (a) a personal calling (2Thess. 2:14), (b) a personal regeneration (Titus 3:5),  (c) a personal perseverance (Rev. 2:10),  (d) a personal holiness (Heb. 12:14), and (e) personal service (Rom 12:1-2). 

            Your sins are washed away in the blood of Christ when you are personally baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38), no one else can be buried with Christ in your behalf.  No one can "show forth the death of Christ" in your life by partaking of the Lord's Supper for you (1Corinthians 11:26), it is a personal responsibility.  Or, to put it in a modern setting: Just because I go on a diet doesn't mean that you will lose weight!

            Too many church members are hiding behind the work of the congregation as a whole. They flatter themselves that the church is growing, while personally doing nothing to help make it grow. On the other side of that coin, they will complain that the church isn't growing, while actually contributing to its decline! It seems that everyone is an "expert" on the problems within a congregation, but few take personal responsibility to become part of the solution.  Judgment unto eternal life is personal: "Each of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12). Our eternal verdict will be based on how our lives were lived in accordance to God's Word (John 12:48-50). But how can we know we are living in accordance to God's Word if we are ignorant of it?!  [Illustration: There are over 20 varieties of mushrooms, but only 6 are edible. If all 20 varieties were spread out on a table before you, how are you going to know which ones are edible? -- unless you "know mushrooms."] Likewise, when you are confronted with many different religious doctrines, how are you going to know which is the right one? -- unless you know your Bible!

            Salvation is a personal, individual responsibility with personal and individual blessings. The world will not understand your life in Christ because it didn't understand Christ. Don't be a "glob of chaotic matter" that wanders aimlessly through this world that is passing away; be an "individual" that shines in Christ.

                 

--Toby Miller                                                                                                                           

Appear righteous without actually being righteous

 

I know that a lot of people like mystery novels, like crime stories, so I'm going to present a lesson today that could fit in either of those categories if our story had been written by man. But, since it wasn't, it is neither a mystery nor a novel. It is a true story, a reporting of an event that included some crimes (IE: sins) being committed and the consequences realized by the perpetrators. No, there's no mystery as to what occurred, but I guess one could be envisioned as to "why" it happened. I think that we'll solve that mystery as we delve into our true crime story as we search for a spiritual lesson.

We find this event being reported in the last part of Acts 4 and the first 11 verses of chapter 5. As a short intro, let me set the scene for you. In the last part of chapter 4 we see the Apostles preaching the word with "boldness." We see the disciples being "united" in their "hearts and minds" by this preaching & teaching. And we see the disciples sharing all that they had with each other so that no one was in need. We see that they were not concerned with "self" nor were they concerned about "possessions." They were concerned with being righteous.

But then, in chapter 5 we see a different attitude come into the scene. Two people who were not possessed of the same spirit as the other disciples. Of course we're talking about the husband and wife team of Ananias and Sapphira. Now we've all heard the story about how they sold some property and came and gave part of the proceeds to the Apostles, sort of like the other disciples were doing only not quite like the rest as their thinking was, shall we say, a bit off of plumb.

Ananias came first with their contribution and, after a short conversation with Peter, dropped dead. The report says that three hours later along comes his wife (now widow, only she doesn't know that) and meets with Peter. He asks her a simple question and upon her answer to that question, she drops dead. What in the world happened here?

Now I just briefly reported the facts, the "WHAT" of the case, but to really understand the "WHY" we need to investigate a little further. Legally speaking, what we have here is a "compounded crime." First off, we have a "conspiracy." A conspiracy is, by judicial code (and the dictionary,) two or more people agreeing to commit a wrongful act. Plus, to be charged with "conspiracy," an overt act by one or more of the conspirators must occur. Ok, back to our first offense, the "conspiracy."

We see in verse 4 that our conspirators, Ananias and Sapphira, "conceived in their hearts" to do what they did. It also tells us in verse 2 that they made an agreement, or a plan, to keep back a portion of the proceeds of the sale. Now, remembering our definition, that an overt act is required, takes us to our second crime or sin.

Offense #2 is the "overt act." The "act": they lied to the Apostles about their gift. But, in reality, who did they lie to? To God, of course. We read that in verse 4: (Peter speaking) "You weren't lying to us but to God." (NLT) It was at this point that the death of our first conspirator occurred.

Then Ananias' co-conspirator, his wife Sapphira, came in. Peter asks her, did you sell the property for so much, and she said, "Yes, that was the amount." That answer, in continuance of the conspiracy, also brought about her immediate death. Think about this though, she had her chance to be truthful, to not continue the lying and deceiving, but she didn't take it, did she? For both their conspiring and their overt acts, they paid the price for their sins. Doesn't it kind of make you wonder what she would have done had she known about the fate of her husband? If she knew the consequences of their sin? I can only say, "perhaps so" and we'll touch on this thought later.

Now, was their sin "not giving enough?" No. If that were the case I'm afraid that many of us would be in dire jeopardy. As we just saw, their sin was compounded in this way: One, they deliberately and with intent to do so - lied to God. We can see how it was "compounded" by looking at verse 9 where it shows us the motive, the purpose, of the conspiracy. To "tempt, to test" (to deceive) the "Spirit of God."

Ok, that's the gist of the case against Ananias and Sapphira. That, in their way of thinking, they could conspire, to "conceive in their hearts," to keep part of the proceeds of the sale of their property, and then by lying about it, convince God that they were giving "all of it."

You know what's sad about this whole episode? That it didn't have to happen. The Apostles weren't requiring the disciples to give everything they owned to them. If you read verse 4 again you'll see that Peter even told Ananias (and I paraphrase) "the property was yours before you sold it (IE: you could have kept it) and even after you sold it the proceeds were yours (IE: you could have kept them or given them away, whatever you desired). SO WHY DID YOU LIE ABOUT IT?

In wrapping up our investigation, here's my summation of the case against Ananias and Sapphira as to why they entered into a conspiracy, why they did what they did in furtherance of that conspiracy, plus unveil our "envisioned mystery." Unreservedly speaking, they did so in order to appear righteous without actually being righteous.

With them serving as examples for us, let me ask a couple of questions. Do you think that there may be many in the world today doing exactly the same thing? I do. Do you think there are many people today who believe that they are deceiving God by their appearance of being righteous? I do. I believe the evidence will show that, in spirit, there are many Ananias and Sapphiras among us today. And another sad part is, that they will still commit the same sins, the same offences towards God, as did our convicted conspirators even while knowing the consequences!

Basically, Ananias and Sapphira thought they could deceive God, could cheat God and get away with it. They didn't and neither will their imitators. Court's adjourned.

Ron Covey

　

　

Financial infidelity

One of the sensitive aspects of running for political office is
knowing that (in many cases) you may have to make known your financial
standing.  Most of us enjoy privacy when it comes to how much money we
have in the bank, what our income was last year, and how deeply in
debt we may be.  A candidate for high political office will likely
have to reveal some of that information.  A failure to be completely
honest will put that person's future in jeopardy.

Many seem not to know that the same truthfulness is needed in
marriage.  A Harris Interactive online poll of over 2,000 adults
showed that 31% had engaged in some degree of cover-up.  For some it
was hiding cash from their spouse (58%); others concealed a minor
purchase (51%).  15% of those confessing such "financial infidelity"
kept a secret bank account.

"Financial infidelity may be the new normal," commented Forbes.com,
who commissioned the study.  But let it be known there is another
truth to be considered.  "These indiscretions cause significant damage
to the relationship," said Ted Beck of the National Endowment for
Financial Education.  That doesn't qualify as a surprising
observation.  Most of us would be deeply hurt if we discovered our
spouse was hiding finances.  We would wonder what else was being kept
from us.

All marriages with which I am familiar are formed on the basis of vows
that both bride and groom make to each other.  Implicit in those vows
is the understanding that they will be as one, just as marriage was
designed to be.  "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate," stated
Jesus in Matthew 19:6.

What would lead a husband or a wife to twist their vows in such a way?
In this case it's money.  The  Bible warns us to be aware of the
potential money has to lead us into dangerous territory.  This
statement is familiar to many: "For the love of money is a root of all
kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their
greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1
Timothy 6:10).  If only more would heed the warning given by God's
word!

The lure of drugs is well known.  We understand that we can become
addicted to certain drugs, and thus we are careful not to come under
their power.  The Bible, though, speaks of the lure of money in
similar terms.  Jesus compared materialism (greed) to idolatry: "No
one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).  (Mammon is another
word for money.)

Marriage offers us the opportunity to enjoy lifelong companionship and
intimacy; it is a gift from God.  The love of money, on the other
hand, has repeatedly been shown to have the power to destroy
relationships and lead people to do things they otherwise would not.
A choice has to be made: Do we need that faithful companion, or would
we rather reach for the cash?

Before you answer that last question, consider one more truth from
God's word: "Will you set your eyes on that which is not?  For riches
certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward
heaven" (Proverbs 23:5).  The Lord is trying hard to help us see the
best things in life.  Let us determine to be true to our vows, to be
completely honest with our spouses.  People are always more important
than things.

--Timothy D. Hall