Why We Have a Generation of Ananiases and Sapphiras
“Today in the church, we have a generation of Ananiases and Sapphiras who will lie for the honor and glory of man rather than telling the truth for the honor and glory of God,” Holy Fire Ministries founder Bert Farias told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of “Greenelines” on the Charisma Podcast Network. “The Lord wants to deal with the greed and the covetousness that’s in the church concerning the glory of man.”
The author of Cleansing the Temple, Farias says if the glory of God came in as powerfully today as it did in the book of Acts, many more Christians would be found whose characters resemble those of Ananias and Sapphira. This couple, the apostle Peter said in Acts 5, “did not lie to men but to God” (v. 4c). Both died immediately.
To prevent that from happening, Farias says, church leaders must preach the whole counsel of God to their congregations.
“The apostle Paul said he did not want the blood of men on his hands. He wanted to preach the whole truth,” Farias says. “It’s not just exhortation and comfort and encouragement. In the Bible, the content of correction, reproof and rebuke is two times more than exhortation and encouragement.
“Years ago, the Lord dealt with me about writing more and speaking more on what He called ‘lost themes,’—things in Scripture that have been underemphasized, discarded or understated—things like holiness, the fear of the Lord, the judgment seat of Christ, the return of the Lord, hell and heaven. A lot of ministers, pastors are not ministering enough on the whole counsel of God.”
For more of how the glory of God needs to be restored to the church, listen to the podcast below.
