Acts Church: Built Through Purity Not Pragmatism

The display of wrath within the Acts 5 church caused not two, but three casualties: Ananias, Sapphira, and the legitimacy of today's Seeker-Sensitive movement. In this chapter of the bible, God makes it clear to anyone who has eyes to see, that His priorities are different than the aims of modern pragmatism. In the Acts 5 church, we see the co-existence of two things that many today would think are in opposition with one another: 1) Unbelieving "seekers" were scared away from the church, and 2) God still grew His church.
Let's take a closer look at the first 14 verses of Acts 5:
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much." And she said, "Yes, for so much." 9 But Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
If God had the same priorities that modern pragmatists do, why would He display his wrath in such a way, so as to scare all of the seekers away? If He were seeker-sensitive, God would do everything in His power to make the Church of Acts: warm, inviting, relevant, uplifting, even entertaining.
The reality seems to be, that God has some other things (such as holiness) prioritized higher than the modern goal of "get them to come to church at almost any cost".
Listen to what John MacArthur's New Testament Commentary on The Book of Acts has to say about this passage:
The church that would reach the world must be pure; it must be a church that deals with sin. God displayed the importance He places on the purity of His church by His dramatic judgment of Ananias and Sapphira. While God may still intervene directly in the lives of sinning Christians (1 Cor. 11:30), disciplining sinning believers is the responsibility of each congregation.
Sadly, church discipline is practically an ignored duty today. It has fallen prey to the unbiblical notion that loving people and building up their self-esteem means tolerating their sin. Biblical love, however, seeks this well-being of others. ... The impure, worldly church that is the inevitable result of the absence of confronting holiness will not be an effective witness for Jesus Christ. ...
The swift judgment of Ananias and Sapphira kept the half-hearted and uncomitted from joining the Christians. The practice of sternly dealing with sin helps maintain a pure church. People do not rush to join a church that will expose their sin. Discipline is thus an essential key to evangelism, because it purifies the church and keeps the shallow and merely curious away. It is startling to see churches today that will purposely not make sin an issue so as to attract the shallow and the curious.
Many pastors fear that the practice of church discipline will drive people away and ruin their churches. It will drive away those who love their sin, but attract those who hate it and seek repentance and righteousness. Despite the strict discipline imposed by God so that unbelievers feared to associate with the church, (Acts 5 tells us) "more than ever believers were added" to the exploading church. ... The means of this growth was purity.
Uncompromising commitment to holiness characterized these believers... They were a fearful group, and that kept those who loved their sin away, and those who wanted forgiveness of sin near. That stands in sharp contrast to the masses of uncommitted, even unsaved, people that feel comfortable in the church today. The failure of churches to preach holy living, and to discipline those who dont live that way, allows sinners and hypocrites to remain in the church, convoluting it's direction, sapping it's power, robbing it of purity, and marring it's testimony. Men may build their churches with a tolerance for sin, but the Lord builds His among people who love holiness and hate and expose sin.
The Lord Jesus Christ wants total commitment. Only those who are willing to forsake all, including sin, and lose their lives in submission to Him, are worthy to be His followers. A church made up of such people will be a pure church, with a powerful testimony to the world.
For more biblical critique of the Seeker-Sensitive / Purpose Driven movements, see: "Pragmatism Missing in Ezekiel"