When Do You Obey Your Leaders?

When Do You Obey Your Leaders?

The Kingdom of heaven has an upside down leadership as compared to the kingdom of the earth.

The earthly kings usually lord over people (Matt 20:25), but the Heavenly King showed us that He led as a Servant (Matt 20:28). He told His disciples to do likewise (Matt 20:26-27).

The context of obedience must be a response to love (John 15:12). Obedience demanded without the context of love is just human lordship and oppressive rule.

Note: Jesus did not say "Obey Me so that My job is easier." No. He said, "Keep My commandments and you will stay in My love. Because I have loved you (John 15:9-10, paraphrase). 

In other words, the call for obedience is for t̵h̵e̵ ̵l̵e̵a̵d̵e̵r̵'̵s̵ ̵s̵a̵k̵e̵ our sake because it is a call of love. But we must not assume that just because a leader is a Christian, he must be loving you.

Therefore, a leader quoting Heb 13:17 does not appropriate any obedience. Because a verse that is taken out of context is a pretext for a proof text. There is only one such verse in the Bible by the way.

The preceding passage to Heb 13:17 is Heb 13:7. It says, "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝. Consider the outcome of 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, and 𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡."

First and foremost, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐝, not the leaders. Apostle Peter and the disciples did not obey the high priest (their leaders) in Jerusalem (Acts 5:29). They said, “𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐧."

Our unconditional obedience is towards the 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 (which is God's final authority). In other words, you don't have to obey any leader who is not speaking in alignment with the Word of God.

Heb 13:17 is about obeying the leaders who speak the Word of God. It's not unconditional obedience towards any leader, unless they speak in alignment with the Word of God. If they are just giving opinions that are not found in the Word of God, you have a choice because your primary allegiance is not to men, but God.

If they are speaking according to the Word, then your obedience towards them is also your obedience towards God.

Leadership is best learnt in the family, since family is the foundation of true leadership in church (1 Tim 3:4). As the head of the household, demanding obedience from your child or your wife does not work. It has to be done in the context of love, for obedience is a response to love.

This foundation does not change when it comes to the church. The leader's job is not to get enough obedience from the flock by quoting Heb 13:17, but to pour out enough love to them.