His Judgement

Devotional #12

“But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie(deceive) to the Holy Ghost …” Acts 5:3

“Whiles it remained …thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” Acts 5:4

“Then Peter said unto her, How is that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord” Acts 5:9

God told Moses, after bringing out the children of Israel from Egypt, let them build a sanctuary that I may dwell among them (Ex 25:8). God desired to dwell among His redeemed people.

Jesus Christ tabernacled among His people while He was here. All those who believed not only that Jesus Christ died for their sins but also identified with Him in His death and resurrection by faith to deal with the root of the nature of sin, received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit dwells in such Individual believers. “What know ye not that your body is the temple of Holy Ghost which is in you… (1Cor 6:19). Holy Spirit dwells in the midst of His children in their assemblies. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor 3:16).

We see the power of the Holy Spirit working in the Church against sin in Acts 5. Ananias and Sapphira, deceived and tempted the Holy Spirit. Self-renunciation, devoid of faith and true love toward God only produces hypocrisy. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to take advantage of the distribution of the money which was brought by others, without fully laying their money at the feet of the Apostles. Ananias and Sapphira did not perceive the power of the Holy Spirit who sees everything even deep down in their hearts.

The church is God’s dwelling place and He cannot tolerate any kind of sin in His house. Holy Spirit is a person who dwells in us and with us and who acts with power about the sanctity of His house. The same kind of judgment applies to all those who deceive and tempt the Holy Spirit either now or whenever the Judge feels right to execute. Let us not take the presence and power of the Holy Spirit lightly in His house.

Holy Spirit gave discernment to Peter to perceive what Ananias and Sapphira had done to lie unto God. God of wisdom grants discernment to His saints to examine all things. “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he judged of no man” (1 Cor 2:15).

In the first century Church How Holy Spirit acted is a lesson for all of us. When we gather together as a house of God, it is important to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of His holiness without hypocrisy. Our God is the God of truth and he expects we all practice truth in our inward parts. Lying comes from the enemy because he is the father of all lies.

God loves us and desires to dwell in us and also with us. Believers need to understand what is the nature and power of God in His house. God uses His servants even now like Peter to discern and execute His judgments in the Church of God. When a believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, judges all things, and is used by God through the power of the Holy Ghost.

He uses His faithful servants not only to minister to bring conviction in the hearts of hearers but also to execute judgment on those who are hypocrites.

God may raise many faithful servants who are filled with His Spirit to be used in this manner in His dwelling place.