DATE: Monday 05 May 2026
TOPIC: “THE CROWD MENTALITY”
TEXT: Acts 5:1-11
MEMORY VERSE: “Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barnabas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified” – Mark 15:15.
More believers were added to the Church as a result of the boldness of the Disciples in preaching the gospel. The Bible says, ‘They shared their possessions and there was no needy person amongst them.
The couple, Ananias and Sapphira in our text for today, saw the other believers selling their properties and bringing the proceeds to the apostles and they wanted to be part of this noble act. However, this was borne out of wanting to belong to the crowd, showmanship, rather than being genuinely serving and pleasing God. They had a very wrong motive.
The God that sees the heart and the intentions of man saw through them and their deceit. Verse 1 of our reading says that, ‘they also sold a property’. The second verse revealed their folly and motive; they kept back part of the money and brought the rest; this was done with the full knowledge of the wife. They connived to lie, they thought they were lying to the Apostles, but they were actually lying to God. Galatians 6:7, says, ‘Do not be deceived: God is not mocked.
A man reaps what he sows. They followed the crowd to their downfall and destruction. Each time we bend towards the wrong that the crowd is doing, we are nailing Jesus to the cross a second time.
As believers, we need to check the motive for all our actions and ensure that it aligns with the will of God, because God sees our hearts.
PRAYER: Father, let my motives and desires stem from pleasing you and not the world in Jesus’ name, Amen.