\”But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?\” Acts 5:3
What we are about to touch here is not what you may expect. This is not particularly about Ananias and Sapphira. This is about a warning we sense the LORD is giving to us in this critical moment. Ananias agreed to keep back a part of the proceeds of the land they sold and lied to the apostle that it was the entire amount.
In the same way, there are men among us who have connived together to keep back a part of God\’s Word from the people, while declaring that that is all there is to know. It is clear that they know the whole truth, but their lives have been secretly hijacked by the devil to disclose only half truths. This half truth is what makes it difficult for people to discern the hidden errors in such messages. They speak certain things in God\’s Word that are clearly true, but they have quietly withdrawn the other half of it, so that the people can be decieved, while their heads swell with Bible knowledge that has no application for their hearts.
What is the first critical thing we are noting here? It is that a part of the money is kept away and they (Ananias and Sapphira) deceitfully exclaimed that it was all. Watch out brethren! A good number of those who are doing this fall into it without knowing. When you begin to hold certain theological interpretations of God\’s Word that poisons your heart to other parts of Scriptures, you are basically schooling yourself to be another Ananias. And you can only be queuing up for the same gravity of judgment that fell upon him and his accomplice.
The second thing I want you to note is that such intelligent theological/Bible teachings may sound profound, but it is only plausible (something believable, but not true). What makes for this false credibility? They have accomplices. They are not necessarily lone rangers. They hide their tracks properly in the way they intellectually hide some aspects of God\’s Word to elevate their own prejudices, so as to overthrow the faith of others. The only reason why they are not exposed is that our generation has lost that prophetic edge that accompanies a faithful and fruitful ministry. When Ananias fell dead before Peter, it was clear that it was not an abuse of the anointing, it was rather the Holy Spirit Himself working as a freeman among the apostles and in the Church, to arrest any element of corruption.
Example:
God elects and predestinates
\”Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied\” (1 Peter 1:2)
Man responds and experiences the certainty that accompanies God\’s salvation
\”Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for IF ye do these things, ye shall never fall:\” (2 Peter 1:10).
Indeed, salvation is not something to be lost like a candy in pocket, yet the promised certainty is conditional. It requires diligence to make election sure and to be able to persevere. God promises a perfect salvation; we believe and act accordingly. That settles it. If you like, ignore obedience and keep arguing eternal security; that is not the whole counsel of God. And it only guarantees one thing: perdition. (2 John 9-11, 1 John 3:3, Galatians 5:21)
\”Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.\” Acts 5:20
It is high time we stopped entertaining half truths. Most theological disputes arises because a group emphasizes one aspect of God\’s Word over another. We are not called to teach our pet doctrines; we are called to teach all the words of this life, as proven by our lives.
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The Prophetic Edge is Missing Today
It is the lack of a prophetic edge in our ministries that condones the works of those who have\”…crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.\” (Jude 1:4). Men have grown in certain \”godly\” systems who could have been discerned and discovered beforehand as \”Ananias\”, who have now occupied strategic positions in those ministries or even started their own work that appeals to a younger generation. A younger generation that is easily pleased with an intelligent presentation of the Scriptures that leaves their heads spinning, but their hearts still running away from the arms of the Saviour and the operation of His Grace.
If the LORD permits, we may, at another time, speak more about the need for every expression of ministry today to have a sharp prophetic edge, that cuts deep into the hearts of men, so as not to be left shallow with head knowledge of God\’s Word. This already, I can tell, offends some who think we can no longer operate in prophecy. Yet, the Word of God says to, \”Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.\” (1 Corinthians 14:1). \”For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.\” (14:31) \”Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy…\” (14:39) \”Despise not prophesyings.\” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).
It is because we have given up the capacity to prophesy to those who occupy ministry offices, that\’s why we have received all kinds of preachers and teachers today who are making a name off of the ignorance and spiritual insensitivity of Believers.
The Purpose of the Mixt Multitude
\”And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.\” Exodus 12:38
\”And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?\” Numbers 11:4
\”Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.\” Nehemiah 13:3
\”But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. [27] So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? [28] He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? [29] But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.\”
Matthew 13:25,27-30
As Israel began their journey out of Egypt, they were joined by a people the Word of God described as \”mixt multitude\”. What will that mean? They were Egyptians. So, we can pick a principle from here. That anytime God\’s people are on the move or wherever God\’s people congregate, there may be people there who may appear to be like them but are not in reality. It means that the enemy has a budget of men to sponsor into any gathering of God\’s people, that if care is not taken they will be so mixed with the people, that we will not know. And it takes the operation of the prophetic, as we saw in the case of Ananias been discerned by Peter, to discern such elements as they strive to express their feigned obedience to the faith, and thereby establish their heresy.
Now, what is the goal of the mixed multitude? Their goal is to make God\’s people to lust, to be overtaken by desire for something that may even be legitimate, to the extent of grieving God. So, desire for things is put before desire for God and His ways. Is that not where we are today? We have made the Word of God man-centred in our drive to make it applicable to all life situations. This has gradually weakened the spirit of prophecy in our midst, since we are all trying to be politically correct and current with people who are mostly unsaved, but mixed with the elect saints. This has brought leanness to the soul of genuine saints as the unsaved continues to find the church comfortable, regardless of their disobedience.
The Separation of the Mixed Multitude from the Saints
Division or Discernment?
In Nehemiah 13 above, we see that the people made a separation between the \”tares\” and the \”wheat\” after they heard the Word of God. You know by now that the tares are the mixed multitude, while the wheats are the elect saints. However, in the parable the LORD gave in Matthew 13, we see the LORD clearly saying to not separate the tares from the wheat yet, because it is not the harvest time (Matthew 25:32). The possibility of getting into the flesh and turning all those who disagree with us to tares that must be rooted out, is not little. So, the LORD says, leave them, let them grow together.
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But, what must we do with them if we shouldn\’t separate them. In Malachi 3:18, it says, \”Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.\” The word is to discern. Know the difference between the genuine saints and those who are putting on a camouflage. The Spirit will always want to make such a difference in our hearts, because He knows those who belongs to Him and those who do not. However, if we have already predetermined that we cannot have such a spiritual operation among us, how can He make such discovery to us?
You will see that the brothers were fully open to the move of the Spirit among them, so it was difficult for them to lay hands suddenly on any man (1 Timothy 5:22). That is, they hardly consecrated anyone into the ministry that was a false brother or sister. The one they did by lot was probably because the Spirit had not yet come to settle into them. Once the Pentecost occurred we didn\’t hear about Matthias again (Acts 1:21-26).
The proof that the LORD is working among us is the freedom the Holy Spirit has to operate in His diverse ways, so that Christ can be glorified (John 16:13-14). He is to glorify Jesus and if we don\’t allow the Spirit, we are denying the LORD His due glory. False brethren will keep growing among us to mislead God\’s people, and if possible, overthrow their faith (2 Timothy 2:18). But it is our duty as God\’s watchmen to discern (not to SUSPECT) one another, to know the Spirit\’s impression about those among us, so that we can block the adversary from installing them into the hierarchy that will promote them into further influence. \”He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…\” (Revelation 2:6)
\”For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? [18] And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?\”
1 Peter 4:17-18
NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from the King James Version
Photo credits: Random, berean research, Messengers International
