I wonder if Peter thought about the situation in the Early Church described in Acts, as he penned the verse above in his NT letter. Satan tried to persecute the Church by arresting Peter and John and telling them to stop speaking in the name of Christ; but in spite of that, the Church continued to grow and was even filled with the Spirit. And then, Satan tried to infiltrate the Church by filling Ananias' and Sapphira's hearts (Acts 5:3) to lie to the Holy Spirit and God. But, God executed fatal judgment for allowing their hearts to be filled by Satan instead of the Holy Spirit; and the fear of God was instilled in the Church. This purging of sin allowed the Church to continue to effectively minister through the Spirit. In a way, Acts 4:32-36 and Acts 5:12-16 describing the Spirit-filled church are almost like bookends to the Acts 5:1-11 story of how God dealt with sin at this critical time at the beginning of the Early Church.
This passage is a reminder that the Enemy is actively trying to find ways to attack the Church, especially one that is Spirit-filled and effective for God. But, it is also an encouragement that our God is indeed Sovereign and can overcome and will ultimately be victorious.
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