Jeremy is a high school head football coach who uses an unusual approach to punish his players. The performance-enhancing exercise wheel, or “PIE” wheel for short, is a creative way to discipline his players. Whenever a player is tardy at school, swears, or commits other minor infractions that warrant discipline, Jeremy makes them spin the wheel. By using the PIE wheel, it’s the wheel—not the coach—that becomes the bad guy. The concept is passing the harsh parts of punishment from the coaches to the inanimate object, the wheel.

 Acts 5 – Cost of Hypocrisy

Not all coaches would agree to use the PIE wheel, but it is certainly creative. Luke’s account of Ananias and Sapphira in chapter five is much more creative and severe than the PIE wheel.

No Christian should conclude that taking someone’s life today is a fitting punishment for hypocrisy. However, we also shouldn’t set this passage aside without understanding several vital lessons. Outright sin in the church or on a team needs to be addressed. In this context, God’s action was meant to impress upon the early church the seriousness of believers’ sins.

Ananias and Sapphira lied about their freewill gift of money to the church. Their hypocrisy cost them their lives, which had a purifying effect on the church. One benefit of church discipline is that it deters others from sinning.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete don’t overlook outright sinful behavior on their team but hold their players accountable. The Kingdom Coach and Athlete are not soft on open rebellion, but also examine their own heart before acting (Psalm 139:23-224) and (Psalm 51:10).

Bible Memory Verse – “And the word of God kept on spreading, and the number of the disciples continued to multiply greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” Acts 6:7

Click HERE for the Kingdom Sports Minute on Avoiding Hypocrisy.

Our featured book this week is Total Release Performance – by Wes Neal.

Click HERE to review.

To see our full catalog of over 200 Bible Study Guides, click HERE