How should church leaders deal with those who deceive others?

Acts 5:1-11There was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. . . . Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.

Leaders cannot tolerate deception. It corrupts the community. The story of Ananias and Sapphira shows how leaders in the early church, along with the Holy Spirit, dealt with deception swiftly so that it would not weaken the fledging church. While our situations will not be this extreme, we dare not take deception lightly.