The Heart of Giving

 Today's subject:  the heart and the focus of our giving and our good deeds.

We live in a very self-centered, self-glorifying, self-seeking, and self-promoting world.  We Christians need to stand out and be different.

One way we can be truly different is by not being so desperate for the applause of men. That will be noticed.

Let's take a look at how seriously God takes this.

To set stage:   Christian church still very young, but growing and growing fast.
On day of Pentecost, 3000 added to their number.  Sometime later after the healing of the lame beggar, 5,000 men believed the gospel and were genuinely converted.

Acts 2:47 - "....the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.."

Christian group = growing into something.  At this time, still concentrated around Jerusalem.  Was an amazing time in history.  Church having a wonderful time of success very quickly.

Acts 4:32-37
1)  The church was unified.
      Vs. 32 - they were of "one heart and soul".  Was pure.  Was innocent.  Was filled with love.  All on same page.  Cared for each other.  Pressures from the outside only seemed to strengthen their love for the Lord and each other.  Great goal for a church to have.  This pleases God. = Psm. 133:1

What causes quarrels and fights among us?  James 4:1-2

But, early church was unified.  Also, the early church was generous!

2)  The people were generous.

We, too, should be generous - in tithes and offerings, but also just to one another.  Generosity is the mark of a true believer and God has a way of blessing our generosity.
Prob.  11:25    2 Cor. 9:7

3)  The people were selfless. 
"There was not a needy person among them." - Acts 4:34
Was distributed by Apostles as people had need.  Many sold lands and houses to do so.  Weren't under any compulsion to do so.  (2 Cor. 9:7) but were more concerned with caring for each other than their own earthly possessions. 
Our love for one another is also a mark of a true Christian.  Jesus = John 13:34-35

Shining example = Barnabas.  Acts 4:36-37 - Sold a field and brought the money from that sale and put it at the apostles' feet.  Was a great thing according to scripture.

Acts 5:1-2 - "also" = comparing this to Barnabas' gift.  Also says 'with his wife's full knowledge, so you know they are up to something.

Acts 5:3-6
Question:  How did Peter know? 
Answer:  God clearly worked in him ans spoke to him in a very special way.  Could have been the man who bought the property, but what follows is CLEARLY and act of God.
Examples of other instances where God dealt severely with people who tried to deceive God.
Achan, Nadab and Abihu, Saul, Cain. 
In some cases the actions were wrong, but in all these cases their hearts were wrong.  

Peter points this out - Acts 5:4 - 'no one forced you to sell';  no one forced you to give the money; But somewhere in there they lied to God. 
Did Ananias TELL God he was giving all of it?  Did he tell the church he was giving all of it? 
Probably 'yes' to both questions.
Peter says tho Ananias that Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit.  THAT IS SERIOUS!!!!

Acts 5:7.  Sapphira shows up 3 hours later.  Why???  Concensus of opinion seems to be that she was getting herself fixed up as everyone would know she and her husband had given a huge gift to the church.

Acts 5:8 - she had a chance to come clean.  Could have confessed.  Her fate would probably have been different.  Again we see that the grave sin - not with the gift, but with the heart!  Was the deception, not the percentage of money.

Acts 5:9-10
Put the Spirit of the Lord to the test.  Testing God. 
Warned in Old Testament and Jesus quoted scripture telling Satan we should not put God to the test. 
Matt. 6:1-4 - Jesus criticized the pharisees for their hypocrisy and for their doing their righteous deeds to be seen by men.  Ne cannot then allow his church especially in this early and most pivotal time to be guilty of the same, so he purifies it.  

Acts 5:11-14 - People respected them.  They saw that they meant business, and people genuinely came to Christ and joined the church. 
We are all hypocrites to a degree, but let's check our hearts.  Let's be people that are genuine.   That we might do right things, and also do them with the right intentions. 
That we might have clean hands and a clean heart.