The history of Christianity is a history of the struggle for power. This struggle is within each one of us. You may not realize it, but it is hidden inside you. Eventually, the church life will be a test to our real situation. As long as we are in the church life, sooner or later we will be tested and exposed.

Consider the rebels among the children of Israel in Numbers. Some rebels were on the border of the camp, some were with the mixed multitude, and some were very close to Moses, the leading one. Now, in chapter sixteen, two hundred fifty leaders rebelled. In view of all this, we must believe that the struggle for power was in every one of the sons of Israel.

We have been confronting this problem for over sixty years. The elders know that if they serve in a certain local church for several years, they will surely offend others. Some people are seeking for position and power, and if, because of the elders, they cannot get what they want, they will be offended. For example, in 1935 a co-worker in Shanghai rose up to take advantage of a tumultuous situation to seek for a "promotion." Brother Nee was away and had left the administration of the church and the leadership of the work to me. The brother who was trying to take advantage of the turmoil came to me, but I did not give him a positive answer. Eventually, this co-worker became an enemy to Brother Nee.

Those in the church life or in the Lord's work who are somewhat in the position of taking the lead will unavoidably offend some who are greedy for power. Because their desire for power and their lust for position are not satisfied, these greedy ones get offended and become displeased with those taking the lead. In such a case, the book of Numbers gives us a map that helps us to know what to do.

In chapter sixteen, Moses was bold and faithful in confronting a large-scale rebellion, a rebellion of two hundred fifty leaders. Although he fell on his face, he still did something. He brought this matter openly to God, to let God come in to speak, to judge, and to vindicate.

In spite of what Moses did, those rebels, especially the leaders, were strong and stubborn. They had made up their minds not to be subdued. When Moses asked Dathan and Abiram to come to the tent of meeting, that is, to the Lord, they accused Moses, saying that he had brought them out of a land of milk and honey (Egypt), that he had made himself a ruler over them, and that he had not brought them into a land flowing with milk and honey. Finally, they said, "Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up" (v. 14). They were eloquent and very stubborn.

What should we do in this kind of situation? In such a rebellious situation, it is better not to do anything. The Lord is still living. He is still on the throne and is still sovereign. He is the sovereign Lord and the highest authority. He is the Head of the Body today. Thus, we must always refer these things to Him and let Him be what He is. This is all we can do, and this is what we must do.

Concerning ourselves, we need to realize that without the Lord's mercy and grace we might be the same as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. But by His mercy we are here. Now we must learn to be alert and pray regarding any kind of rebellious situation.