Upholding the Divine Order in Church Leadership
Numbers 16:7b ...ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.
Are you one of the “sons of Levi”? Let’s hope not…at least not in this context. Here’s why. They assumed that the call Moses had on his life was self-acclaimed, and therefore common and duplicable by anyone else who thought they could take on the same responsibilities and make just as good or better leadership calls than Moses himself. The only problem was, they were wrong! They accused Moses of taking too much upon himself, or in other words, assuming a higher leadership position than he was either capable or called to take. Moses’ reply is classic. He responds with the same wording as found in verse seven, “…ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.”
You see, they had two strikes already against them; first, they dared come against God’s anointed servant, and second, they thought they could stand in his place to do what he did, essentially for the purpose of taking his God-called responsibilities away from him. Sound familiar in any modern-day settings? I am sad to report to you that this same dynamic occurs today in way too many churches around the world, where the Pastor is essentially stripped from his God-given role as the leader of the flock, while others in the church take it upon themselves to call all the shots, as if it is their place Biblically to do so.
Herein lies the problem. When God sets an order of leadership, no amount of man-made re-organizing will ever be as successful as God’s way, or be approved by God. God either wants total submission or no submission at all. He would rather we be hot or cold, but never luke-warm. Question: is your church structured to where the Pastor is given authority to operate in his calling to the fullest extent of the Word of God? If not, why? Don’t you know that if and when a church strips its pastor of his God-given ability to guide the church in the direction of the Holy Spirit’s leading, that church is only asking for trouble?
Dear friend, if you are in a church where this is happening, my advice to you is either to help effect immediate change towards the Biblical model of church leadership, or leave and find a church that operates under such a model. God may not open up the ground and swallow a church up for deliberately tying a pastors’ hands behind his back (though He could), but He certainly will hold them accountable, and withhold His blessings upon such a church unless and until they repent and set their house in order. Please support your God-called pastor, and give him the room he needs to lead Biblically.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
Are you one of the “sons of Levi”? Let’s hope not…at least not in this context. Here’s why. They assumed that the call Moses had on his life was self-acclaimed, and therefore common and duplicable by anyone else who thought they could take on the same responsibilities and make just as good or better leadership calls than Moses himself. The only problem was, they were wrong! They accused Moses of taking too much upon himself, or in other words, assuming a higher leadership position than he was either capable or called to take. Moses’ reply is classic. He responds with the same wording as found in verse seven, “…ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.”
You see, they had two strikes already against them; first, they dared come against God’s anointed servant, and second, they thought they could stand in his place to do what he did, essentially for the purpose of taking his God-called responsibilities away from him. Sound familiar in any modern-day settings? I am sad to report to you that this same dynamic occurs today in way too many churches around the world, where the Pastor is essentially stripped from his God-given role as the leader of the flock, while others in the church take it upon themselves to call all the shots, as if it is their place Biblically to do so.
Herein lies the problem. When God sets an order of leadership, no amount of man-made re-organizing will ever be as successful as God’s way, or be approved by God. God either wants total submission or no submission at all. He would rather we be hot or cold, but never luke-warm. Question: is your church structured to where the Pastor is given authority to operate in his calling to the fullest extent of the Word of God? If not, why? Don’t you know that if and when a church strips its pastor of his God-given ability to guide the church in the direction of the Holy Spirit’s leading, that church is only asking for trouble?
Dear friend, if you are in a church where this is happening, my advice to you is either to help effect immediate change towards the Biblical model of church leadership, or leave and find a church that operates under such a model. God may not open up the ground and swallow a church up for deliberately tying a pastors’ hands behind his back (though He could), but He certainly will hold them accountable, and withhold His blessings upon such a church unless and until they repent and set their house in order. Please support your God-called pastor, and give him the room he needs to lead Biblically.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill