Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Acts 5:38-39 NIV
The church grew by leaps and bounds in its early days in Jerusalem. So much so that the Jewish religious leaders became jealous and arrested the apostles. As they debated what to do with these leaders of the Jesus movement, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin cautioned restraint.
Gamaliel reminded the council of two earlier messianic movements that had fizzled out when their leaders had been killed. He suggested that these movements failed because they had a human origin, and God was not in them. If, instead, God had been behind these movements, they would have succeeded despite any opposition.
So, he advised caution with the current messianic movement centered around Jesus. If it had a human origin, it would eventually fail. But if it were of God, they would find themselves on the losing side in a battle with God.
While Gamaliel’s advice was to opponents of the Jesus movement, it is just as applicable to those within it. As individuals, local churches, and denominations, we make plans for serving the Lord. And those plans will seem good to us. But are they?
It is easy to make the same mistake the leaders of the failed messianic movements mentioned by Gamaliel did. To make plans and assume that God is in them. And then to watch them fail and wonder why?
But if we are where God wants us to be, we can have confidence that his plans will be accomplished; they will never fail. Throughout the Scripture, we can find examples of God’s people who faithfully followed him and overcame overwhelming odds. And what was true of them will be just as true for us today.
How can I know that I am where God wants me to be? If I am faithful to him and earnestly seek his direction, I can trust that he will direct my ways.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
