God's Servants

"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." - Ephesians 4:11-13

The Body of Christ functions as each member fulfills certain commands from God. We are responsible not only to carry out the roles God has given us, but also for the way we allow others to carry out their roles on our behalf. The way we treat those in leadership is a crucial part of life in the Body of Christ. Here are the three things that God requires of you as it relates to the messengers that God brings into your life.

1. Honor
   First Timothy 5:17 says, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching." Those in leadership are to be honored especially those whom God calls to teach us His Word. That means that they are to be encouraged. That means that they are to be esteemed. That's your responsibility biblically; to make sure that you honor those who teach the Word.
2. Respect
   First Thessalonians 5:12 adds, "We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you." So, you're to respect the people that teach God's Word to you, those who admonish you from the Scriptures. By respect, we mean deference. When push comes to shove, yield, give them the benefit of the doubt. No messenger is perfect. Those who have been around my church for any length of time have certainly seen my flaws. But we're on the subject of your responsibility right now which is honor, respect.
3. Submission
   Hebrews 13:17 summarizes the treatment of church leaders this way, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account." Obedience is a huge responsibility. One of the things that you want to do as a hearer is to make it so that it's not hard for your elders to lead you.

Is it difficult to lead you? If you make it hard to lead you; if you're dishonoring, disrespecting, unresponsive to spiritual leadership, you're the one who loses in the end.