JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?
The Believers Share Their Possessions
32All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
36For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
Acts of the Apostles 5
Ananias and Sapphira
1But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
3Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”
5As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.
7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?”
“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”
9And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”
10Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.
At the beginning of this passage, we see a beautiful picture of unity. The believers loved Jesus so much that they held their possessions loosely and cared for one another generously. Barnabas is shown as an example of someone who joyfully gave what he had to help others.
But then, the story takes a serious turn.
Ananias and Sapphira also sold land, but instead of being honest, they pretended to give all the money while secretly keeping some for themselves. The problem wasn’t that they kept part of the money. The problem was that they lied—to the church and to God.
When they lied to the other believers, they broke the trust they had with the other members of the church. God calls the church to be unified, or work together as one big team, because we all love Jesus. When trust is broken, it’s hard to work as a team and complete the jobs God asks the church to do (like care for those in need). Even today, we are part of the church, and it is important that we are unified with the other people around us.
Peter tells Ananias that he didn’t just lie to people; he also lied to the Holy Spirit. This teaches us two very important things: 1.) The Holy Spirit can be very sad when we dishonor God. The Holy Spirit is a person, who is God. We can made the Holy Spirit sad when we intentionally sin. 2.) God cares deeply about what’s happening in our hearts. He isn’t impressed by pretending or trying to look good on the outside. He wants truth, humility, and trust.
God already knows everything about us—yes, everything! Isn’t that amazing? God perfectly knows and understands our thoughts, our fears, and even the things we try to hide. And the good news is this: when we are honest with God about our sin (anything we think, say, or do that disobeys or does not honor God), he is always ready to forgive us because of Jesus.
God invites us to live with open hearts, love others generously, and walk in truth. This week, practice being honest with God and with others. In prayer, tell God exactly how you feel, ask for forgiveness when you mess up, and thank him for loving you no matter what.
Use this prayer as a guide if needed: Jesus, thank you for being gentle with me and ready to forgive me. Help me love others generously and walk in truth before you. I want my heart to belong fully to you. Amen.