Hebrews: The Daily Discipline of a Devoted LifeSample

Being a leader is hard going. I’ve been a pastor and an elder for fourteen years, and I am sure I have made many mistakes in my time, but more often than not I have tried my best to serve God and serve his people! Being led is also not easy, when we have our own views on how church should be, and sometimes find leaders deciding things that we do not feel are good but we have little power to change. 

But this passage teaches us that we need to respect our leaders: ‘Obey your leaders and submit to their authority’ (v. 17). Sometimes they will get things wrong, but they are more likely to be the people God wants them to be if they have our support and encouragement. Whatever we think of our leaders, in the cold light of day we would admit that every church needs people appointed and gifted to lead the church, and that is a hard job! The job of the leader is not to lord it over his people, or manipulate them to get what he wants, but to lead with a servant heart (1 Pet. 5:1–4). 

The job of church members is to submit to that leadership to make our leaders’ life a joy and not a tribulation: ‘Let them do this with joy and not with groaning’ (v. 17, ESV). Notice that the job of leaders is not to please us, but to guard our soul: ‘for they are keeping watch over your souls’ (v. 17, ESV). This involves spurring us on, and driving the church on to be more effective witnesses to the Gospel. If we have leaders who are doing that, let’s celebrate them and thank them, no matter how uncomfortable it sometimes makes life for us! Since when was discipleship ever comfortable? 

But the church is not just about leaders teaching and envisioning. Leaders are here to ‘prepare God’s people for works of service’ (Ephesians 4:12). There isn’t just one minister in a church – every member is a minister, or, as Peter puts it, we are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation’ (1 Peter 2:9, ESV). That’s why every member of Christ’s church needs empowering, not to sit in a pew, but to live the Gospel out in the world: ‘May the God of peace … equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen’ (vv. 20–21). 

Reflection

How can you show gratitude to your leaders in church?