Giving Up the Ghost
Pastor J. R. Wilhite, author
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This study is about the deaths of Ananias with Sapphira, his wife, in Acts 5:1-5. The actual study starts at about the sixth page. The first six pages or so are a review of what some of you may already know, and, if not, knowledge that will help the rest to better understand this study. That is why it is of the utmost importance you are hearing from God so you can always go to Him, ask Him, and verify what is true and what is not. When it is not, do not try to debate it with the person just pray for them and move on.
Beginning of REVIEW
John 4
God is a Spirit and the only way to worship Him or even know Him or the truth is in the Spirit. The devil has deceived us long enough about what we know and the truth. Satan uses our very thoughts against us to confuse and divide us from the truth.
2 Corinthians 10
Imaginations means ideas and thoughts; that every thought or imagination we have, if it does not line up with the truth, needs to be cast down. How can we know the truth when so many have interpreted the word so many different ways?
John 14
We are not to read the word on our own or listen to it unless we are hearing from God and able to verify all we hear or read with Him. Two men can read a book and both go away with a different understanding. One day they meet the person who wrote the book and learn they were both wrong.
I know some of you are wondering if this is all true, if we are to be taught all things, not just that of God, but all things by the Holy Ghost. Why haven't we been told this before?
Two reasons, one is a lack of knowledge. Some teachers, pastors, and leaders have been kept so busy with work they do not have the time to spend in this way. Since they did not know they should, why would they. Satan has deceived them.
Hosea 4
Before you get the idea the above does not refer to you because you are not a priest read Rev 1:6.
The other reason is fear of losing their congregation, their power, fame, etc.
Matthew 23
What is different about church today and back then? Not much since both attend at least once a week, give their tithes and offerings, listen to a man of God, etc.
Before you get the idea that listening to God is not backed up in scripture look up all the times Jesus said that you have ears to hear and do not hear, eyes to see and do not see. He was referring to the Spiritual ears and eyes. We are as bad as the Jews who denied Him back then; they were looking for a physical king, not a spiritual one and we are doing the same today.
Do you really believe you can outwit and are smarter than Satan who has been here thousands of years? It is pure arrogance to think that Satan does not exist, that he is easy to overcome, or that we can talk to God but He can not talk to us. Arrogance has brought us to where we are today.
Did you know every thought you have had or will have has already been thought or will be by others? We do not have original thought, and if you think about it long enough you will realize this is true. Satan forces his thoughts while we have to seek those of God. Think of thoughts you have had and wondered where they came from, but like many others, you accepted it as yours because you thought it. How many have eventually acted on these thoughts and done terrible things?
Satan knew he had to divide us. He also knew knowledge was our blessing or curse; a lack there of is a curse. The lack of knowledge is a curse when the knowledge we need is not conceived, such as listening to and hearing from God. By our being divided from this knowledge Satan has divided us from the truth and God and we will be destroyed.
So, if we are to be taught all things by God and not man, how do we know it is God we are hearing from and not Satan?
By asking if Jesus came in the flesh, God will answer, “Yes“, and Satan will answer, “No.” A sad thing is there is a large religion of witnesses that do not believe Jesus came in the flesh and as such are puppets of Satan and do not even realize it.
1 John 4
We start by having a call from God on our lives.. Then we realize there is more and we search to learn and attend church and gain understanding. We have no idea we are only fed milk, not meat, so we remain. Then one day someone (as in my case a nice elderly man) tells us to shut up and listen to God. At first we think it is reading His word and some fight it because they truly believe the Bible is the be all and end all and people like I are against them. They think that we do not believe as they do, that it is His breathed word; but that is not true because it says it is, so it is. But it does not say it is the end all if anything it says the opposite.
John 10:3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
All through scripture we read where a man has heard from God and become a man of God. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joseph, Daniel and many more, but that is the Old Testament. The old is about the “one“, the one God could reach, to use to get to the many. The New Testament is about us all. We are each the one and Jesus died so we could have what was lost in the garden and that is a personal relationship with God. What is sad is the arrogance of mankind to think that we will live, die, and then spend eternity with Him, but He can not talk to us here and now.
Can you start to see how Satan has deceived us all and manipulated the word to his benefit?
The way to Hell is paved with good intentions.
Constantine, a Roman ruler in the 4th century, decided that he would make a law that for anyone to have power, land, etc they had to believe in Christ. All he did was cause non-believers to lie about their faith, and in time filled the church with many non-believers. Even the present Pope, John Paul, wrote a book about 10 years ago where he states that, based on how many cardinals today that are in power and are not true believers, the next Pope will more than likely be anti-Christ. Not necessarily THE Anti-Christ of Revelation, but one of many.
Matthew 24
11. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
24. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
…or teach that we should not hear directly from God.
I also believed and even taught incorrectly in my life. It was not until I was able to hear and verify the truth with God that I came to know the truth. Before you condemn me or think I am a flake or worse, search the New Testament for Spirit, Faith, hearing, listening, seeing, and read each verse and all around it very carefully and see what you discover.
So, why do so many miss in John 14:26 that we are to be taught all things by God?
Let me ask this how many rose with Jesus?
Matthew 27
It is sad but many never snap to "after his resurrection," is when the many rose, not in the end day, but when He rose from the dead. So why is that missed? Because we read a chapter or book at a time and not a verse at a time, and we are in so much of a rush to get through we miss over half of what is written. But when the Spirit is present and guiding He also explains and brings understanding to each verse.
Now there is one other area we need to review before continuing. Many believe once a person is saved they are of the church and Christ. That just is not so. When we are saved we have had a call on our life from Jesus to accept Him as Lord. I know some believe we can only reject and not accept, but the point is that until we do take up that call we are not saved so that would be accepting the call.
When we are saved by what Jesus did at the cross we have the spirit of God in us and only in us. At that point we need to listen and hear from God to be able to even become part of the church much less of Christ.
So now you realize we are saved by what Jesus did at the cross as a man, and then when we listen and hear, it is revealed to us whom He is as the Son and the Christ.
Below Jesus explains how we can become part of the church. Remember that it is the difference in the language that causes confusion, but this time it is the incorrect use of a name verses a description.
Matthew 16
Verse 17 is the key, "for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven". Simon did not get this revelation from hearing with his physical ears, but inward from the Spirit, which is what God is.
Matthew 16
In verse 18 the word Petros, which is the Greek word in the original language of Matthew, is as follows:
Strong's Ref. # 4074
Romanized Petros
a primary word; a (piece of) rock (larger than GSN3037); as a name, Petrus, an apostle:
KJV--Peter, rock. Compare GSN2786.
Matthew 16
What was Jesus building His church, not on a man, but on the revealed knowledge of which Jesus is as the Son of God and the Christ?
I know the Catholics will have a fit with this because the entire idea of the Pope is this verse. That Jesus chooses Peter and each Pope is in a direct line to Peter, but let's face it, it is time to get to the truth, the true meaning of the word not just what a few almost 1700 years ago decided, but what God's truth actually is.
Do not get me wrong; in my quest for the truth I have had many of my beliefs come into the light to find they were wrong. It is hard to accept that something we believe our entire life is not correct. I had to decide to go either with the truth and accept it as the truth or spend a lot of time trying to alter the meaning of verses to fit my form of the truth. There are not many forms of the truth; there is only one truth. Just like interpretation is of the flesh, understanding is of the Spirit. We can either, by the flesh, try to understand and interpret the word differently each time, or we can go to the One who wrote the book and learn the truth.
Matthew 16
So why is this so important? Because as a man The Son could pay the price. As God He could not. As the true Son of God it gives us a chance to be inheritors through Him. “Christ” means Anointed of the Spirit, the Spirit (God) in, on and through us. Imagine a sponge-dripping wet; it is then anointed with water. Christ or Christos the Greek word means anoint. Jesus said He was anointed with the Spirit of God. So, if He is the Christ (anointing) and He is anointed with the Spirit, when we are of Christ we are to be anointed with the Spirit as well.
Luke 4
Now the review is over we can get to the point of this study. BUT before we get into this study let me explain something I have explained before but it is worth repeating.
Some of the problem for people’s understanding the word before they hear from God is the difference between the present day English and that in 1612AD. In present day there is a big difference just between the English language of the US and UK .
Example:
STUDY on Giving Up The Ghost
One area of scripture that gives people pause and causes many to wonder is in Acts 5:1-5 when Ananias and his wife Sapphira lied about how much they got for selling their possession then died due to the lie.
Acts 5
But here again we have a difference between the King James and what it actually stated.
5.
It did not say he gave up the Ghost, but that he expired.
So is the King James wrong? No it is in our understanding today of the language that is wrong. Notice in verse 5 ghost is not in caps and not proceeded by Holy. Ghost here means he gave up his life. The life he was, the soul, was gone.
Strong's Ref. # 1634
Romanized ekpsucho
from GSN1537 and GSN5594; to expire:
KJV--give (yield) up the ghost.
The truth is they never were of Christ and not being of Christ, just saved, they still were of the flesh more than the Spirit.
We also need to look at what Paul warns us about in II Corinthians 10:5. They had been manipulated by Satan and were becoming more of the world and less of God. As agents of Satan in the presence of the Holy Spirit they could not survive, just as Moses could not view the face of God without being destroyed because sin was in the flesh and sin in the presence of God is destroyed. If they had repented of the sin or never even had taken that thought to heart to deceive the Holy Spirit they would not have died.
This is an example of us and life. We either keep accepting those thoughts and acting on them and eventually are destroyed by them or cast them down and have all the promises. God did not kill them; their flesh did them in. They had every chance to make it right and did not.
Acts 5
How does verse 4 above relate to our lives and us? We have the same choices; we can at any time choose to cast down the imaginations or thoughts not of God or allow them in. They had the opportunity while they owned it and again once they sold it to tell the truth. It was not about giving it all, but being honest. They could have gotten 100K for what ever and given 5K and kept the rest and lived, but to say that what they got was what they gave was two lies, one about what they got and one about what they gave. They were not willing to give it all, and that is what being of God is about, giving it all to Him. No not things, but us, who and what we are, and in time the things one way or another will not matter.
Acts 5
Let me tell you this; if I am right ,what you have to lose is everything. If I am wrong, all you have to lose is some time daily trying to hear from God. When you do hear from Him, and your salvation is then solid as a rock, you will thank me. How does it become solid? When you hear God call you His child you know without a doubt He is real, you are saved and no one can ever steal it from you again, but only when you hear.
Romans 8
24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
13. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
John 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
52. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
15. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Pronounced pet'-ros
18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art a piece of the rock (Peter), and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
1. But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2. And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
3. 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?
4. Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
|0191| hearing
|1161| And
|0367| Ananias
|3056| words
|5128| these,
|4098| falling
|1634| expired.
|2532| And
|1096| came
|5401| fear
|3173| great
|1909| on
|3956| all
|3588| those
|0191| hearing
|5023| these things.
Pronounced ek-psoo'-kho
4. Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
1.
|0435| man
|1161| And
|5100| a certain,
|0367| Ananias
|3686| by name,
|4862| with
|4551| Sapphira
|3588| the
|1135| wife
|0846| of him,
|4453| sold
|2933| a property,
2.
|2532| and
|3557| secretly kept back
|0575| from
|3588| the
|5092| price
|4894| aware of
|9999| {it}
|2532| also
|3588| the
|1135| wife
|0846| of him,
|2532| and
|5342| bringing
|3313| a part
|5100| certain
|3844| to
|3588| the
|4228| feet
|3588| of the
|0652| apostles
|5087| placed
|9999| {it}.
3.
|2036| said
|1161| But
|4074| Peter,
|0367| Ananias,
|1302| why
|4137| filled
|4567| Satan
|3588| the
|2588| heart
|4675| of you,
|5574| to deceive
|4571| you
|3588| the
|4151| Spirit
|0040| Holy,
|2532| and
|3557| to secretly keep back
|0575| from
|3588| the
|5092| price
|3588| of the
|5564| land?
16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
2-27-04 H.O.M.E.