Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-01-24
BY REV. HUGH t. STEVENSON.

Coming at the close of a week, when
under the slogan Master money matters
or they will master your an effort has
been made to impress the lessons of
thrift upon America, the lesson forms an
appropriate Subject for consideration.
Christ has made to say about a mans
attitude toward his property than any
other one theme. Throughout the four
gospels. one verse in every seven deals
with this topic and sixteen of his thirty
eight parallels refer to this theme"
Like all the great spiritual teachers of
mankind, Jesus recognized the intimacy
of relationship that existed between the
economic and spiritual values of life.
He sought to unite the race in the ties
OF love, justice and brotherhood. In his
EFFORTS to create a true human society,
the Master found that the love of riches
created a division in the ranks of man
kind, destroying in some their sense of
dependence upon their fellows as well
as their responsibility for and to them.
Instead of society resting upon coercion.
sought to establish an ideal summer So
ciety that would be founded on love
service and equality.
While there exists a gap between
the program of the Lord and the
practice of the early church. the so
ers OF the Risen Christ have filled the
social reformers in every age with
inspiration. encouragement and cour-
age. The study of this weeks lesson
reveals the fact that the organization
which was called for the first time
the churches Of our day. It appears
TO have been a community united in
common life by their religious ex-
per1ences and hopes. United by spir-
1tual ties, their fraternal relationship
was revealed in their sharing with
held all their possessions for the
common good. selling their property
and sharing the proceeds with one
another as their individual needs de-
manded. The pressure of opposition
which threatened them only served to
the reality of their faith in the Fa-
| therhood of God and their brother
hood in Christ by attacking boldly
| the problem of poverty, for through
| the strong sense of brotherhood the
Inequalities of fortune were leveled
and for a time a virtual community
of wealth was realized.
The spiritual life of the Jerusalem
church members was revealed by the
pocketbook nerve. They had grace
! to give their all for the glory of the
Master. They proved their faith by
1
making their gifts for the relief fund
of the church, which was admins
| tered by the apostles for the benefit
| of the needy. 1t has been suggested
that they parted gladly with all their
| wealth xbecause they looked for a
new social order was to be estab-
lished among men. Their unity was
strengthened by their common dan
ger, but their faith was demonstrated
by the gifts Of their property. Men
do not part with their wealth. espe-
| cially all of it. except under the
| driving power Of great convict n,
such as their faith that enabled tn
| to change completely their worl. ~
position for the glory of the Lord
Jesus.
| While the experiment in solving the
problem of poverty did not destroy
the dependent class. which grew so
| that Paul took up collections for the
poor at Jerusalem among the gentle
churches, it was not what men today
call either socialism or communism,
for it was a voluntary gift Barna-
bas, so called because Of his pathetic
spirit and generous giving. is men
toned as one who sold his property
and presented the proceeds of the
sale to the apostles for the use OF
his brethren According to the MO-
sale law, he had mo- right to possess
any property. for he was "a Levite,,
but this law was openly dfsregarded
after the Romans obtained the rule
| of Palestine. Josephus, who was
Levite, had q landed estate near
Jerusalem and received from Vespa,
sian additions to it Barnabas could
not only speak encouraging words,
but he gave so that they, especially
the needy, were encouraged by his
generosity.
4 r-I~ wi 10 q
sired to be considered generous and
yet through their love of money de-
iiberately planned to deceive the
brotherhood by keeping back part OF
the proceeds from the sale of their
property. Their motives are not dis
back part of the price but lying
about it. Their crime was a premedi-
tated one and was certainly not the
| first appearance of evil in their heart
It was the result Of evil that had been
fostered there for some time. They
church and lie to the Holy Spirit Had
! they been covetous only they would
/ have kept their property; vain only,
they would have given all. In tracing
the cause Of their crime let us not
forget that like Ananias and Sapphire,
would remove from us the sense of
the responsibility as stewards for the
right use Of property for the glory of
1 God. Humanity's needs reveal how we
| ought to use our funds for the benefit
of our fellow men.
with Satan, Peter held Ananias re-
sponsible for the Hpocrisy that
threatened to destrge the spirit OF
brotherhood. The action was not
merely lying but its seriousness was
due in seeking to put God to the test
II =, oil Cn:- :.
permit Himself and the young church
| to be deceived by lie. In trying to
impose upon the church they had lied
to the Holy Spirit, whom Peter recog-
nizes as God. Their action imperiled
the future of the church organization.
Falsity is fatal to spiritual life. They
could have kept their money and their
life If they had spoken the truth, but
| their brazen effort to deceive brought
upon them their sudden end.
| It was not Peter who struck Ananias
and his wife dead in the exposure of
pecting such a punishment to come
when he exposed the hypocrisy and
crime against the Holy Ghost In the
wife's case he was probably expecting
such an end, for he foretold it after he
confess. The One, who refused to pun
ish men when He was on earth. de-
tends the purity of His church, which
the community Of believers are now
called for the first time after the awe
comes upon them with the death OF
Ananias and Sapphira- Their end does
not mean that perdition is their fate.
with their final fate the record is 81.
lent The time, manner and place OF
their death were given as warning
against hypocrisy in trying to deceive
~ Ho,v Spirit They died because
f anrsn in t aed a hs1f nsD
brotherhood by a Ire. me temptatlon