Description
Respect and Esteem for Church Leaders: A Biblical Perspective
In this episode, we explore Paul’s message in 1 Thessalon… (visit YouTube for more)
Transcript
Have you ever felt like grumbling about your church leaders? I certainly have, but here’s what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 12 to 13. We ask you brothers to respect those who labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
Paul is asking us to hold in esteem the people that God has given us to lead us. He is asking us to respect, to honour, and to love the people who are laying down their lives for the care of our souls. He is asking us to esteem highly, to look up to the people who are trying to lead us in honesty, in our faith, so that we together are serving the Lord well and loving him dearly.
Yes, there are plenty of spiritual leaders who get it wrong, and if they are good leaders, they will be the first to admit it. But God doesn’t ask perfection of any of us, including our church leaders. He just asks us to be humble and to follow Him.
So will we follow this lead? Will we give our respect and our esteem to our church leaders? Sometimes that is indeed a challenge.
God, please forgive us for when we are not following this, for the times when we’ve belittled church leaders, for the times when we’ve disrespected them. God, we know that you place leaders for our good and for your glory, though they are human, just like us.
And we, Lord, all have our spheres of authority and leadership. Please help us then to be kind and compassionate to other leaders and to accept that they are working for us on your behalf. Please help us to be at peace among ourselves in the church. Amen.
