The first believers in Jerusalem shared everything with one another. Barnabas and others in the church actually sold their land or houses to meet the needs of their fellow believers. Even though Ananias also sold property and gave to the church, he and his wife Sapphira secretly kept some money for themselves. They might have thought that they could get away with this, but they were not just lying to people – they were lying to God. God judged them by taking their lives, because He cares about the holiness of His church and doesn’t tolerate liars among His people.