Why God Hates Lies

Mike Hosey, Elder

I have always told my children that I hate lying. In fact, I’ve explained to them many times over that lying will get them (at least) double the punishment.  The reason is twofold.  First, they are going to get chastened for the wrong they committed.  Then, they are going to get disciplined for the second wrong of lying about what they did. If they tell me the truth from the beginning, they are only going to get punished for the one thing they did wrong.

In human terms, there’s a very clear and understandable reason for my severity regarding untruths: lying destroys trust.   I explain to them that since I am not all knowing, a lie destroys my ability to entrust them with responsibilities or privileges in the future.   And I explain to them that such trust issues will bleed over to their other relationships as well. At some point, I argue, lies will render their friendships and kinships unreliable, and possibly treacherous.  

But these are all human reasons.  Our relationship with God is a bit different than our relationships with others.  Proverbs 15:3 tells us that God sees everything.  There is nowhere that we can go, and there is nothing we can do, and God not know about it. When we lie to God, the issue is not about trust. This is because God already knows whether or not we can be trusted.  The issue is one of respect.  If we tell God we did not do something, knowing that He was there to see the whole thing unfold in its naked truth, then we are showing God complete disrespect.

Unfortunately, the husband and wife team of Ananias and Sapphira learned this the hard way (Acts 5:1-10).  The congregation of their church was selling off property and giving it to a communal pool for distribution to the poor.  The congregation did this willingly and without coercion. But Ananias and Sapphira lied to God about the price for which they had sold their property. Perhaps they were trying to avoid the social judgment of their fellow church members. In any case, their disrespect was met with death.

Any time we lie to God we are disrespecting Him.  Anytime we lie to ourselves, or to others, we are disrespecting the image of God.  And with each lie, a bit of whatever goodness we have dies, as we find it easier and easier to lie.

Thankfully, we worship a God who is able to raise us from the dead.

When the Holy Spirit Speaks, There is Nothing Anyone Can Say

Mike  Hosey, Elder

Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 10:16-20 that he is sending them out into a dangerous world that will persecute them severely.  He tells them that they will be handed over to religious courts and beaten. He tells them that they will even be handed over to important political leaders, like governors and kings, because of their association with Him. Interestingly, He tells them that in this abuse, they will be witnesses for Him to the nations.

And most importantly, He tells them not to worry about what they will say in those situations. The Spirit, He says, will give them declarations in that very hour.  In other words, the Holy Spirit will witness through them in powerful ways.

And this is exactly the kind of thing the Holy Spirit does in the world.  He witnesses (Romans 8:16, 1 John 5:6-8, Acts 5:32, John 15:26). 

Consider how the Holy Spirit, through Peter and John, healed the crippled Man in Acts 3:6-8.  The Holy Spirit by healing him, made that man into a witness for the power of God. But the witness of that crippled man didn’t stop in chapter 3. In Acts 4:5-14, Peter and John (and that man) are brought before the religious leaders who want to know by what power, and by what name that man was healed.  Peter boldly WITNESSES that the man was healed by the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:10).  The Holy Spirit makes the mouth of Peter and the life of that man (once again) a witness to the world!  The witness of that man’s change was so strong that the religious leaders had nothing to say in response to Peter (Acts 4:14).

This very thing is also true of you, if you are a born again believer. There will be times when the Holy Spirit will make your life a witness for others.  Don’t resist that!  Whenever he heals you from a hurt, or from an addiction, or from a sin, or from a physical ailment, or from anything, jump up and leap and celebrate like the man in Acts 3:8 

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Instead of hiding that victory, be a witness for the nations! Know that even if people ridicule you, there is nothing they can really say about the gift of your victory.

No Silver or Gold, Give Dynamite Instead

Mike Hosey, Elder

Big things sometimes come in small packages. Yes, that's a cliche, but cliches are often true.  For instance, you are probably aware that a small stick of dynamite can make a big impact. Well, if you've got the Holy Spirit in you, then you are very much like a powerful stick of dynamite.

Consider an act that the Holy Spirit performed through Peter and John (Acts 3:1-26).  One day those two men were going to the temple, and when they arrived at the temple gate they encountered a crippled beggar who asked them for money. Peter famously replied that he didn't have any silver or gold, but what he did have, he would give to the man. Peter helped the man up, and the power of God healed him that very instant. Although Peter had no money for the man, he did have the power of the Holy Spirit.  And that man, once touched, became an example of the power of God to everyone who witnessed the event -- and more importantly, to everyone who knew that man! 

If you are submitted to Jesus, then you are no different than Peter and John. God may not have gifted you with healing power, but EVERY true Christian is gifted by God through the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 lists for us many powerful gifts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

You may not have gold or silver to give to someone, but you can give what you have. You can give love, joy, and peace. You can show patience, give kindness, demonstrate goodness, prove a faithfulness, be gentle, and exercise self control with people who are hurting. Sometimes this can even heal their hurt.  And when it does, everyone who witnesses it, and everyone who knows that someone, will be impacted like they were hit with a holy stick of dynamite!

The Action in Acts

Mike Hosey, Elder

The book of Acts is one of the most popular sections of scripture in the Bible. In fact, of all 66 books of the Bible, Acts ranks as #10.  It’s pretty easy to see why.  Acts is a book of action.  From the first chapter to the last, there are stories of amazing motion from the early foundational days of the church. Central to the story is the character of the Holy Spirit.  He appears early on in the book, and it is He who moves things along to accomplish God’s purposes on earth.

There are some interesting things about the Holy Spirit that we learn in Acts.  Consider these three things:

1) The Holy Spirit EMBOLDENS people for service to God:  Take a look at Peter.  Just before Jesus is crucified, Peter fearfully denies Him three times (John 18:15-27). But after the Holy Spirit touches him in the Book of Acts, Peter becomes exceedingly bold, preaching a sermon on the proofs of the Lordship of Jesus.  He sums up his sermon by openly proclaiming to the religious leaders who had just murdered Jesus for His claims, that they had, in fact, murdered both their Lord, and the anointed Son of God (Acts 2:36).

2) The Holy Spirit ENLIVENS the word of God: When Peter had finished his Holy Spirit inspired sermon, which was filled with direct quotations from the word of God, and which also became the word of God, the people were pierced to the center of their being (Acts 2:37). It put them in a state of immediately wanting to serve! And it’s no wonder that this happened.  Afterall, because of the Holy Spirit, the word of God is ALIVE and sharper than a two edged sword, and judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)!

3) The Holy Spirit causes even the least to PROCLAIM God’s Truth:

Take notice of Peter’s sermon once more.  He quotes from the Old Testament book of Joel which decrees that even slaves will proclaim the truth of God to the world (Acts 2:18) in the last days.

So if you want to be emboldened, with an enlivened sense of the Word, and an effective proclamation of the truth, then submit yourself to Jesus, and God will give you a very great gift (Acts 2:38).