Acts 5:33-40 
When they heard this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them. But one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was an expert in religious law and respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be sent outside the council chamber for a while. Then he said to his colleagues, “Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men! Some time ago there was that fellow Theudas, who pretended to be someone great. About 400 others joined him, but he was killed, and all his followers went their various ways. The whole movement came to nothing. After him, at the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee. He got people to follow him, but he was killed, too, and all his followers were scattered. 

“So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” 

The others accepted his advice. They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. (NLT)

—

We have a black dog. She knows she is forbidden to enter certain places. She enters anyway. 

She knows she is not allowed on the furniture. She lounges there whenever she gets the chance.

She knows she is not supposed to bark outside early in the morning and disturb the neighbors. She barks anyway. 

She is a strong-minded half-lab, half-border collie, with opinions and rules of her own. She may remind you of someone you know. She might remind you of Peter and John and the Boys in these first six chapters of the Book of Acts.

The Religious Authorities strongly, forcefully demanded Peter and John and the Boys stop talking about Jesus as if he had been raised for the dead (He had), ascended to heaven to the right hand of the Father (He did), and had sent the Spirit to empower them for their witness (He did that, too). 

Peter and John and the Boys, however, could not stop talking about the best thing that had ever happened. Lame men walked. Blind men saw. Jail cells couldn’t hold them in. A new world order was overtaking everything and everyone. 

Tell Peter and John and the Boys they couldn’t go certain places? They followed God’s commands instead.

Beat them and threaten them so that they would stop preaching about Jesus? They prayed with gratitude, asked for empowerment, and continued shaking up the Old World Order.

Say to them, “I mean it! Stop it!” They said, in effect, “God says, ‘Go!” God says, “Speak!” God says, “Heal!” God says, “Yes!”

Sometimes, you have to disobey the authority because a Higher Authority gives  greater commands. And sometimes, someone on the wrong side of the argument admits they might be wrong. He realizes that if they are wrong, this will not end well for them. Some arguments are good to lose. 

Sometimes, it’s best to march to the tune of a different drum.

—

I will march to the sound of God’s drum.

—

Our Father, direct my steps. Order my path. Fill my mind with your thoughts, and my mouth with your words. Fill me. Empower me. Send me. Amen.