Respecting Leadership

“In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.” Exodus 16:2

“Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”Exodus 16:8

Not grumbling 
Moses and Aaron did nothing more than deliver the very words of God directly to the people and yet they chose to complain rather than yield. The truth be told, when we choose to gripe and complain about our leaders when they are simply delivering the word of the Lord, we are doing nothing more than opposing God Himself. By being a constant critic of our leadership, we are essentially telling God that He is not big enough to work through our leaders to teach and strengthen the body. In other words, our grumbling screams directly into the ear of Christ that we know better than He does about what is best for His flock and for us. Ouch! I don’t know about you, but when I see the kind of collateral damage that a grumbling spirit can do, it makes me want to keep quiet, sit back and watch what the Lord is going to do as He speaks through those in leadership positions. Please don’t misunderstand me here, I certainly am not expecting those God has placed in leadership to hear His voice with 100% accuracy all of the time. However, if the hearts of our leaders are submitted to our Heavenly Father and they are submitted to others out of reverence for Christ, (Ephesians 5:21) then we can walk in a greater confidence knowing that our leaders truly have heard from the Lord. It is an entirely different can of worms if our leaders will not submit to others. However, my desire for this post is to point our hearts to the correct response towards our leaders when they line up with God’s word. It is in this vein that I want to take a closer look at our responsibility in respecting leadership.

I love how Paul puts it plainly for us…

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Hebrews 13:7

Remember your leaders
Paul first off reminds us not to forget our leaders. When was the last time we told our pastor “thank you” or wrote them a note of appreciation? I don’t know about you, but that thought pierces straight through my heart! We seldom remember just how much work our leaders do to keep watch over souls. Being a shepherd  is no little task, take it from someone who actually raised sheep! (I grew up on a farm.) This is serious business here. Our spiritual life in many ways is in their hands and a pastor who understands the depth of this responsibility deserves a “thank you” from time to time! 

Consider the outcome of their way of life
Paul tells us to take a look at the fruit their life is producing, consider it, ponder it, study the fruit. We would be wise to plant the seeds from the Godly fruit we see flowing out of our leaders directly  into our hearts so that we too can produce a Godly fruit. What types of “fruit” am I talking about here? 

Let’s take a look at Galatians 5:22-23. 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

When we see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control flowing out of our leaders, it is always in our best interest to learn how to have those very same things flow out of our hearts as well.

Imitate their faith
I love how Paul tells us to imitate their faith, not imitate them, their behavior, their actions or their personality. I believe Paul was very intentional about choosing faith as our target for imitating. Faith can be played out through a myriad of people, actions, behaviors, and personalities. Our Heavenly Father has created each and every one of us in a very unique way. He did not design us to be carbon copies of each other. He designed us to be uniquely and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). We are designed to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1) not imitators of man. So, when Paul chose this word “faith,” he chose it specifically to direct us to emulate the God within our leaders rather than our leaders themselves.  

“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” Hebrews 13:17 

Be a joy
We are sometimes quick to forget that our leaders carry a heavy responsibility set upon them by the Lord himself to keep watch over our souls. If we can remember the severity of this responsibility we will inevitably do a better job of  submitting to their leadership. When we are able to submit to their leadership with a peaceful heart, it will allow the weight of their responsibility to be lightened. However, when our mouths are quick to grumble and complain it increases that weight of responsibility upon their shoulders causing their job to become a burden. It amazes me how the very attitude of our hearts can change the atmosphere of the workplace for our leaders. Let’s be quick to check our hearts to make sure we are being a joy not a burden.

“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

Respect and honor
This entire post has been showing us ways in which we can respect and honor our leaders. 1 Thessalonians reminds us once again to hold our leaders in the highest regard. They truly carry a weight much heavier than we may ever know. May we remember the magnitude of the responsibilities they chose to pick up when they accepted the beckoning of Christ’s call. Let us not forget that they are keeping watch over our souls, a responsibility that we can make a joyful one or a burden.

Call to Action
Take a few minutes this week to write a note of encouragement to your pastor. It doesn’t need to be anything formal. It can be something as simple as a text message letting them know that you are praying for them and you appreciate all they do. Find a way to let your pastor know that you are thankful for the work they do for the kingdom. Be an encouragement to your leaders this week!

For more reading on this topic read: Submission

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the leaders you have placed in the body of Christ who tend to our very souls. We may never know the extent to which they toil and labor in the kingdom, but help us to honor and respect them, be a joy to them, imitate their faith, remember to encourage them, and most importantly not become someone who grumbles against them. Help us to keep our hearts with all diligence in regards to our leaders. We desire to be a joy to them and not a burden. Show us today the very things we can be doing to bless those you have placed in our lives who are called to watch over our souls. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus.

Submission

Biblical submission is often confused with forcing someone into a place of obedience or compliance. We assume that when someone is submissive they are not given a choice. Let’s take a look at both of these words and their meanings so that we can see the difference between these two words, obedience and submission. Both words are closely related, but different enough that it merits us examining them more closely. Obedience comes from the Greek word “hupakouo” meaning to line up under. This word is applied in scripture to children, slaves, soldiers and servants. This word implies a moral obligation, duty or command. Obedience is something we have to do, something we are commanded to do. In contrast, submission is something we should want to do. Let me explain why. The word submission comes from the Greek word “hupotasso” which means to line up under as well, but instead of lining up out of duty, it means to line up out of a devotional loyalty. This now shows that we have a choice to line up. It is our devotion to someone that is causing us to line up under that person rather than the fact that we are being commanded to do so. Submission requires a voluntary yielding. This is not to say that those previously mentioned (children, slaves, soldiers and servants) are not to be submissive, but merely be obedient. On the contrary, the Lord desires that we be submissive first then out of this place of love and respect we move in obedience.

Christ does not force us into following him. He does not beat us into a place of “submission.” That is not at all what submission is. Christ lovingly, kindly, and patiently waits for us to come to Him. He waits for our hearts to be ready to submit to what He has for us. The very core of Biblical submission is us being willing to make a loving, decision to follow the lead of another person, not because anyone is forcefully causing us to do so, but because out of love and respect we trust that person to make good decisions. Submission is also a two way street.True submission relies on the one choosing to follow as well as the one leading. They both need to be willing to love and respect the heart of the other person in order for Biblical submission to work, and to work well.

Scriptures
Since we now know what Biblical submission is and is not, let's take a look at some scriptures.

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.” Ephesians 4:22-23

In other words, we wives should lovingly, willingly and respectfully follow the lead of our husband just as we would follow the lead of the Lord. We do not, or at least we should not spend our time with the Lord nagging Him, criticizing Him and comparing Him to other “gods.” So what is it that makes us think it is an okay thing to do with our husband? Not one of these three things is anyway shape or form shows submission. In fact these things are showing that we do not love, care about, respect or even like our husband. It is our responsibility as wives to be aware that our loving and willing submission goes a long way to encourage our husband and in building up his faith. If our husband is not saved then we are to simply continue to submit to the Lord and in doing so we will be able to show Christ to him.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

This verse is actually sharing a two step antidote for being able to send the devil packing. First, submit, second resist. When these two things are done with the right attitude and in the right order, then the devil has no choice but to leave. Satan does not have a choice, he must obey!

First, we must submit to is the Lord. If we approach submission to the Lord with a begrudging attitude, out of obligation rather than out of love we are going to miss out on some very precious things in the kingdom and quite possibly miss the part about the devil fleeing. The devil is permitted to stay anywhere that an unsubmitted spirit is welcomed, no matter how hard we think we are resisting.

Submitting to leaders

“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” Hebrews 13:17

God will place leaders very strategically in our lives for specific reasons. Sometimes it can be blatantly obvious as to why our leaders have been placed there and other times we have to spend some time being patient with the Lord and His timing of things for those reasons to be revealed. Please bear in mind God does not make mistakes in those He has placed in leadership positions over us. If we find ourselves in a position where we don’t understand God’s reasons, than we need to spend more time praying for the Lord to reveal them to us. This verse is very clear that those whom God has placed as our leaders are responsible for the watching of our souls. So our submission, the fact that we are voluntarily yielding to their leading allows them to lead more effectively. It's our stubbornness and unwillingness to remain teachable that makes their job as a leader difficult if not impossible. Our hearts must be willing to yield before they can lead.

I feel as though this is where people want to sometimes get bent out of shape on the submission subject, because what do you do with a leader that wants to lead with a strong authority and not from a place of relationship? If we are doing what scripture tells us to do, pray for those in authority over us (1 Timothy 2:1-2), then we have already placed our leaders in the hands of the Lord. Not only is it our responsibility to place our leaders in the hands of the Lord, but it is our responsibility to leave them there and let the Lord deal with their hearts. Look at how many leaders in scripture were wrong, yet those under them chose to submit to the Lord’s authority. (Daniel with King Darius - Daniel 6, David with King Saul - 1 Samuel 19, Moses with Pharaoh - Exodus Chapters 7-12) In each one of theses examples those under the unjust authority were shown what to do and how to handle their individual situation according to what the Lord desired. It is not our responsibility to change the hearts and minds of leaders. It is our responsibility to stay faithful to what God has taught us about the biblical definition of submission and stay in a place that God can work in our own heart. The Lord has a way of revealing to our hearts what it is He wants us to do and say in light of the challenges we face.

Trust that the Lord is going to give you a clear understanding of biblical submission and how you can apply it to your life. Submission is truly a beautiful thing if it is functioning in the manner in which the Lord intended. It can be a vulnerable place, because as we submit to others in the faith we are saying I love you, I trust you and I believe you are going to protect my heart. On the same token their heart should also say I love you, I trust you, and I will be careful to guard your heart with all diligence. Submission really is giving someone permission to protect and guard your heart.  

Lord, I thank you for your word. I thank you that you desire for us to operate in submission not because someone is forcing us to do so, but because we desire to do so. Help us to understand how you desire this principle of submission to work in our lives. Help us to have a positive outlook on the area of submission rather than a negative one.

To read more on submission visit “A Mother’s Commission.”