The Holy Pursuit of Money
In Acts 4 and 5, Luke places generosity and greed side by side and shows that neither is ever merely private. In Acts 4, people hold their resources with open hands, needs are met, and “great grace” is at work among them. In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira allow money, image, and deception to fracture the trust that holds the community together. These stories invite us to examine not only how much we have or how much we want, but what our desires are doing to us—and what our choices are making possible for the people around us. This week, we’ll talk about desire, greed, honesty, and generosity, and consider how greater openness with our lives and resources can create more care, freedom, and possibility within a community.
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Resources
Acts by Beverly Gaventa
Acts by Willie James Jennings
Sermon Video
Acts 4:32-5:11
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.
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
Luke 22:3
Then Satan entered Judas…
1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Proverbs 19:22
What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar.
Matthew 5:15
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.
Sermon Quotes
Israel rejects God not because they want to be more, but rather because they are willing to settle for less. - David Stubbs
We have clothed our bodies in relentless anxiety over its desires and equate our longings and hungers with the sinful condition of the human creature. - Willie James Jennings
Discussion Questions
What desires have you learned to distrust in yourself? Where did you learn that wanting certain things—success, intimacy, sex, recognition, comfort, money, influence, rest—was somehow spiritually suspicious?
Willie James Jennings writes that we can become so suspicious of desire that we “equate our longings and hungers with the sinful condition of the human creature.” Have you ever experienced spiritual dryness that was really a disconnection from what you deeply wanted?
Luke shows us how generosity in Acts 4 creates a community where needs are met and “great grace” is at work, while greed and deception in Acts 5 threaten the trust holding that community together. Luke shows us that both greed and generosity have consequences for the whole community. When you look at the way you use your money, time, and resources, what kind of community are you creating? Have you ever connected your personal generosity to what becomes possible for everyone else?
When you hear the word “greed,” what do you instinctively picture: wanting too much, having too much, or being willing to compromise something to get what you want? How would your understanding of greed change if greed were measured less by the size of your desire or what you desired and more by what you are willing to sacrifice—truth, integrity, generosity, relationships, peace—to satisfy it?
Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, “Whoever loves money never has enough,” and David Stubbs writes that Israel rejects God “not because they want to be more, but rather because they are willing to settle for less.” In what ways can pursuing more money actually cause us to settle for less? What might we sacrifice—peace, time, intimacy, generosity, freedom, integrity—in order to gain something that promised us more than it could actually give?
