Connect Series: Being Honest

In our relationship series, Connect, we are looking at the lives of Bible couples and the issues they dealt with. This week, we look at the marriage of Ananias and Sapphira, a couple who paid dearly for their inability to be honest.

When you meet someone, you usually want to know something about them. Here's some information on Ananias and Sapphira:

How they met? We don't know.

What were they like? Usually we've looked at what he/she was like, but for Ananias and Sapphira, we only know what they were like as a couple. Being members of the first church, it is very possible that they heard Jesus speak and teach prior to His death, burial and resurrection. The name Ananias means "Jehovah is gracious", so Ananias was raised in a family with a Godly heritage. They were wealthy landowners, having a piece of property that they sold (Acts 5:1). Finally, it's interesting to note that in the midst of the explosive growth of the early church, which didn't necessarily meet in a large building for "church" as we might think today, Peter knew who Ananias was (Acts 5:3). Ananias and Sapphira had been involved in the ministry of the church to be known by the leadership.

What was their issue? A lack of honesty. Likely as a result of the response Barnabas received for his donation to the church (Acts 4:36, 37), Ananias and Sapphira schemed to mislead the church as to the amount of a financial gift they gave (Acts 5:1, 2) after selling some property.

How'd it end? Both Ananias (Acts 5:5) and Sapphira (Acts 5:10) lost their lives because of their lack of honesty and their focus on possessions rather than a pure heart. God dealt rapidly with this sin in the early church to remind the early followers of what was important. As a result of sin being confronted, God grew His church.