Acts 5. “If this plan is the undertaking of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God.” (5:38-39) – Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all people, arguing that the religious authorities should leave the disciples alone and see how things play out.

God is at work and three things are happening:

Fruitfulness. The response to the gospel and the movement of the Holy Spirit is drawing people in and changing lives. “With great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and a great grace was upon them all.” (4:33) They “had favor with all the people and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (2:47) “Many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles… the people held them in high esteem.” (5:12-13) The way God is moving among the people and calling them to himself is mind-blowing. The power of the Holy Spirit working through the disciples is astonishing. The miracles and wonders just keep coming – healings, deliverance, excessive generosity, bold witness, and even walking out of jail unhindered (5:17-26).

Fraud. Wherever something incredible is happening, there will always be people drawn to all the fuss and excitement who subsequently seek to use those events for their own social standing and glory. The story of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11) is God protecting the integrity of the movement by exposing those who wanted to improve their personal image, rather than seeking the glory of God. This couple offers a deceitful, partial truth – which was still a lie. I imagine that judgment would not have fallen on them if they had simply said, “we brought you half of the proceeds” but they pretended it was all the proceeds, so they would be perceived as generous. The Holy Spirit revealed this deceit to the disciples.

Fear. There is a fear that falls on those in the church (5:11) that is healthy, a respect for the ways of God. They respond by walking in greater integrity. There is also fear that develops outside the church, a jealousy that leads to the arrest of the apostles (5:17) and rage against them that leads to imprisonment and death threats (5:33). The disciples themselves do not have fear, they have only more boldness!

As the story of the early church and this movement of the Holy Spirit unfolds, we see that Gamaliel was correct. “If this plan is the undertaking of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.” (5:38) No one can stand in the way of this expansion of the kingdom of God.

Pray that the Holy Spirit would bring a season of fruitfulness to the church today. Pray for God to reveal deceit and those who practice fraud, to call insiders to greater integrity, to protect those who walk in obedience, and to make us bold and confident witnesses. The plans of God cannot be thwarted.