Hebrews13:7 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit( NLT).
OBEY US IF...
I am afraid Satan is using media to turn the hearts of some church folks against their pastors and spiritial leaders in rebellion. The social media is full of woke anti church and anti preachers crusaders whose teachings encourages disobedience and rebellion.
It wouldn't have been an issue worth discussing but seeing church people take delight in such unedifying discussions and spear heading it gives me much concern. Most of these people have drawn a huge traffic of undiscerning minds (especially youths) to themselves.
The resultant effect of that campaign is a rising level of disobedience and rebellion against spiritual leaders because someone has twisted scriptures to discredit what their pastors have been preaching.
Unfortunately, some of those caught in the web of this deception are yet to realize that these people are turning their hearts against their pastors in disobedience.
Renegades that broke away from their spiritual leaders have formed an 'Absalomic' camp to attack those that brought them up in the faith. What a pity!
Obedience to spiritual leaders is biblical and scriptural. That's what the writer of Hebrews said under the inspiration of the Spirit in our opening text.
As long as INSTRUCTION from our spiritual leaders IS SCRIPTURAL and biblical, it behooves on us to obey them. Why? This is because their work is to watch over our souls as someone that will give account to God.
This is what makes spiritual leadership delicate. Every leader will account for souls in their care. To make their work easy, obedience is required.
Anytime you disobey a godly instruction from your spiritual leader, you disobey God. The spirit that makes you think the words of your pastor are mere words that is not worth paying attention to is a spirit of rebellion and destruction.
No matter how woke, educated, learned, exposed and wealthy you are, submitting to spiritual authority is non negotiable. Christian submission to constituted spiritual authority has nothing to do with age, education or status. You may have all these more than your pastor but his calling makes him your leader.
It should be noted that obedience to leaders is within the confines of what scripture commands. If instructions received is clearly against scriptures, disobedience is not a sin in that respect.
As you are praying for that spiritual leader, add obedience to your duty. You may be older in age, as long as you've decided to pitch your tent under him, obey. Your pastor is your spiritual father in a sense
Do not join rebels to attack his leadership. Any where people are planning to confront his leadership in a rebellious way, just excuse yourself from such gathering. Don't join others to attack or confront your pastor rudely.
If he is wrong and has failed to repent, simply walk away peacefully without protest. Some have done otherwise and they attracted a curse.
My mentor told some of us about a senior pastor who slept with all manner of women. His associates knew about it and they became rude to him except one. This man cursed them as they left his ministry but he blessed that wise associate who left in peace. He was the only one that had a fruitful ministry after he left. This is a mystery I can't explain.
Moses was wrong to have married a Cushite( Numbers12:1-15), yet God rebuked Aaron and Miriam for their rebellion against Moses. Though Saul was backslidden yet David understood the place of the anointing upon Saul. He decided not to touch him.
Obedience to holy instructions is expected of you. That's one of the ways to express your loyalty.
Father, I receive the grace to obey my leaders in Jesus name