Failure

 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;
Acts 5:38 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/act.5.38.ESV

Even though Gamaliel wasn't a believer in Christ, he had some common sense. He was clearly a liberal in the best sense of the word. His advice to his fellow ruling Jews was to leave the fledgling Christian Church alone.

Gamaliel's reasoning was to stop persecuting the church, because it would fail anyway if it was manmade. Everything manmade is fallible and has a shelf life. The church however has persevered for 2,000 years and is still ticking along.

The reason the church is soldiering on isn't because of any intrinsic strength in itself but because it is God's passion project- it cannot ultimately fail. The true church has been persecuted throughout its history, yet God has sustained it through it all. Persecutors are wasting their time.

Jesus told us we're blessed when we're persecuted, because great is our reward in heaven. So we the people of God cannot lose. Yet our persecutors cannot win, because they find themselves fighting against the Almighty.

'God, forbid that we should be like Gamaliel, knowing the truth yet still not embracing it. May we wholeheartedly follow You all our days, until You call us home, in Jesus' name, amen'

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