Contrary to our human wisdom, the fallout from the tragic account of Ananias and Sapphira at the beginning of Acts Chapter 5 was that the church actually grew deeper and wider, as it caused people within and outside of the church to fear the Lord. The believers grew in such numbers that the Jewish religious leaders, in their jealousy, once again persecuted the church by arresting its leaders, the apostles. It was Acts Chapter 4 all over again as God delivered the apostles, and they went right back to preaching the death and resurrection of Jesus to all the people and even to their persecutors. Peter and the apostles lived by the theme expressed in verse 29: We must obey God rather than men (see also Acts 4:19-20). Yet every time the Jewish leaders opposed the believers, God honored their obedience to Him and the church grew even more.
Some years ago I received an e-card on my birthday that gave a definition of the word honor as: the recognition that God gives when we do what is right without regard to our reputation. What a beautiful summary of these chapters in Acts. We have the negative example of Ananias and Sapphira who were more concerned about their own reputation than about doing what was right in the sight of God. What did they receive from God? – judgment instead of honor. And then there are the apostles who were willing to obey God versus man in the face of persecution, who thought nothing of their own reputation to the point where they were glad to suffer shame for the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 5:41). It begs the question: “Who am I serving?” Am I serving myself by doing whatever I think I must do to guard my own reputation; or am I serving the Lord Jesus Christ by doing what is right – because it is right in the sight of God – and because my desire is for others to honor Him too?