If it is from God, you will not be able to stop it!

Acts 5:17-42 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. "Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life." At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, "We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside." On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this. Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people." At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood." Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him." When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 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." His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

Good Morning.

All the underlining in the above passage is mine--things I would like us to notice. As I read and reread Luke's account of these dramatic happenings, I thought, "God, what do you want us to learn, to observe from these goings-on?" While Acts is a historical piece on the early church, it is first and foremost the inspired Word of God; it is not counted among the 66 books accidentally. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3.16-17) So, "I ask you, God, to illuminate what You would have us to take from this Scripture today~" The first thing I noticed was the difference in the dispositions of the two groups of people--the Jewish leaders vs. the apostles. Remember, this is an all-Jew theatre here--the leaders, the apostles, and the people who were taking it all in. The leaders were filled with jealousy which caused them to fear what was taking place among the Christians--teaching of the Gospel + miracles = many people believing. That prompted their imprisoning of the apostles, thinking that would shut them up, and get the Christian movement stopped.

God had a different plan, a rather dramatic one--He sends an angel to free them, and instruct them what to do next: GO > TELL. . . Remember the Great Commission? Acts 1.8, Matthew 28.19-20-- The actions of the Jewish leaders did not alter God's original plan, it was still the same: You > GO > BE MY WITNESSES. So, they did. . . at daybreak, they were back in the Temple. Notice with me that the Jewish leaders had to be careful because they feared the people would stone them if they handled the apostles wrongly. People? The Jewish people who were believing the message of Jesus and joining the Christian community. They had heard, they had seen with their own eyes the miracles that had substantiated the claims of these men about their Jesus, and they would have been enraged to see the apostles treated harshly. The accusation against the men: you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching--which means Peter, John, and the rest had obeyed what Jesus had told them to do: Be my witnesses in Jerusalem. . . and clearly, it had hit its mark. Obedience to God has that effect.

The Jewish leaders are furious now: jealousy ➤ fear ➤ rage, but they are stopped by wise Gamaliel, the most respected rabbi in Jerusalem, (who the apostle Paul studied under). He says something that applied to the ministry of the apostles that day, and still applies to us today: "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..." Of course, we know the outcome of the apostles' continued obedience--the Gospel spread, the name of Jesus became even more famous. . . But concerning movements that spring up today--those that boast 'signs and wonders' that you may be unsure about--test them by the Scripture and the Spirit, and watch carefully. Often, those that are not of God implode from the top (leadership) down.

So, the Sanhedrin has the men flogged--probably a full 39 lashes, one short of that allowed by Jewish law--and releases them. At first glance, you might think they beat them so senseless they were without reason, because what is the apostles' reaction? They pick themselves up off the ground, no doubt in tremendous pain and bloodied, and they start rejoicing! [Are you daft, Men?] And then they return to teaching about Jesus... The apostles were confident of their God and their mission, and courageous in their conduct because they were being obedient to the will of God. I want some of that...you? Go...in confidence, Christine