With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. – Numbers 16:2b

Today's Scripture Reading (January 26, 2025): Numbers 16

I heard the story decades ago. It was told by the late Mark Beeson, who was, at the time, the founding and lead Pastor of Granger Community Church. I have to admit that I really enjoyed listening to Mark speak, usually because he connected with where I was and maybe where I wanted to be. I still remember the day he placed leeches on his arm after rolling up his always long white sleeves to illustrate some point or other in his sermon.

On this day, I was struggling. Mark told the story of the move that Granger made from the movie theater where they had started the church to their new building. The move in space wasn't far, just a few blocks, so Mark and his leadership team decided to make a march out of it. On a Sunday morning, they met at the movie theater, their former home, and then proceeded to walk to the new sanctuary. It was an incredible day of celebration, except for Mark. Mark knew something of which the rest of the people walking with him were blissfully unaware. At the same time, as this group of people was joyfully traveling to the new site, another group of leaders was meeting at the new church to discuss their pastor's firing. According to some, Beeson had allowed demonic forces to lead the church, and something had to be done; that something was to get rid of Mark and any leaders or congregational members who objected to the pastor's removal.

As Mark told the story, I faced a similar challenge in my church. There was a vocal minority that wanted to get rid of me as their leader. I took some strength in knowing that this was nothing new and that even people I admired had suffered through similar moments during their ministries. I needed to hear Mark's story, even if it was just to know that such opposition is common, even if you follow God's will.

Not only do contemporary pastors have to deal with these moments, but opposition was also present in Moses's ministry. For Moses, 250 officials and community leaders decided to rebel against Moses's leadership. I am sure that they had similar accusations to make about their leader. Maybe the message that we need to hear is that there will always be people who believe that they know better than the leader about the direction of an organization. Sometimes, they might even be right. However, the more important factor is who follows the will of God. That is the only crucial thing that anyone needs to know. Whatever side of a disagreement you might find yourself, it is the only thing you need to ascertain about yourself. In the case of both Moses and Mark Beeson, I am convinced that they were following God. All I want to do is ensure that I follow their example in the direction of the Creator of the Earth.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 17