Reading Acts 5:1-16 with church growth in mind.

A church will not be healthy and grow without church discipline.  While the case of Ananias and Sapphira is unique and does not have any reproducible methods for the church today there are certain principles that we would be wise to understand and apply. 

One principle is to understand people sometimes have their own agendas.  As Christians we tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, which is good, but it can also lead us to an unrealistically positive view of people.  We do not know what Ananias and Sapphira’s agenda was but it was not simple generosity.   We have often been told they wanted esteem like that given to Barnabas.  That seems a little shallow and too easy. “Great Fear” is the description of the reaction of the people.  This takes a little thought to tease out.  If Ananias and Sapphira had been notorious, slimy, over-the- top-wicked people the reaction would perhaps have been more muted.  Perhaps the church would have said, “Good riddance” or, “Finally”, but if they were well know as evil, great fear would likely not be the reaction to their death.  The church was in “great fear” because they saw in Ananias and Sapphira God’s reaction to hearts that harbored hidden and unrepentant sin, condition common to all to some degree.  This moment was a call to take seriously personal holiness.

Church discipline is primarily about restoration of the wayward believer.  But at a broader level it is about rooting out sin from the body as a whole and from disciples as individuals.  It is a preventative to keep the destructive power of sin from spreading.  No church and this is an absolute certainty that fails to address willful, open and unrepentant sin will ever be effective.  In fact, when sin is open, unrepentant and not confronted it is empowered and will come to dominate the congregation. 

Which brings us to the second principle we need to understand and apply.  When discipline is direct, effective and holy something wonderful happens.  In verses 1-11 we see God directly carry out extreme church discipline.  In vss. 12-16 we see an explosion of the ministry of the church.  It is no accidental coincidence that the Holy Spirit is seen leading great ministry in the aftermath of the discipline of Ananias and Sapphira.  We know that God will not work with people who are hardhearted and unwilling to confront evil in their own hearts and lives.  That is also true of congregations and churches. Before we ask if dying and stagnant churches need new tools, techniques, methods or songs, we need to ask, “Do these churches need to confront the willful sin that has lived unchallenged in its midst for years?”

Church discipline is perhaps the least enjoyable thing a congregation will ever have to do.  It seems so much easier to “Go a long to get along”.  There is a fear that confrontation will cause an ugly scene and the church will no long be a happy family.  Rather than a “happy family” analogy let’s use a body as the metaphor.  Unrepentant sin is a cancer.  Surgery with a follow up of chemo and radiation will not be pleasant.  It will be painful and recovery will take some time.  However, if dealt with early is will be easier to recover.  If left untreated it will be fatal.