How should we honour our leaders?

First, remember them (Hebrews 13:7). Pass their legacy on to the next generation. The best legacies are left by leaders who don’t think of such things. They simply run well and finish well. Their lives are worth remembering.

Second, consider the outcome of their way of life.

This means to examine their lives closely and thoughtfully. Honourable leaders have nothing to hide. The leaders mentioned here include the pioneer generation. They preached the Gospel to this community with signs and wonders (2:3-4). The Church of the Hebrews is one blessed outcome of their way of life. This Sermon to the Hebrews is another.

Third: Imitate their faith.

Authentic and mature spiritual leaders despise human glory and discourage auspicious events in their name. If you really want to honour them now and hereafter, observe their lives, imitate their faith, and forgive their flaws. Jesus is the only perfect human leader – so far.

Fourth: Obey your leaders and submit to them (Hebrews 13:17).

Obey means take directives from them. And submit means yield or give way even if you disagree. There is safety in submission. Rebellion is perilous (1 Samuel 15:22–23). Ground yourself in a local church. Do as your leaders direct. Worship the Lord and serve your brothers and sisters with no selfish ambition and without hankering for recognition.

Finally, don’t be a pain in the neck. Don’t make things difficult for your leaders by demanding attention or doing your own thing on the side. Be accountable in principle and in practice. Leaders must give account to God for how they care for your soul. Blessed are you if they can do this with joy and not with grief (Hebrews 13:17).

This is discipleship according to Hebrews. Leading and learning occur best in a relational community where we can observe the lives of our leaders as they watch over our lives. Beware of online preachers whose lives you cannot examine. By their fruits you shall know them (Matthew 7:16). Honour the leaders you know.

Prayer Track

•   Honour the pioneers who spoke the Word and laid foundations for the Church in Singapore: William Milne and Samuel Milton (1819). Claudius H. Thomsen (1822). Edward Squire (1837). Benjamin Keasberry (1839). Maria Dyer (1842). Sophia Cooke (1853). Philip Robinson (1857). Charles Phillips (1864). James Thoburn and William Oldham (1885). Sophia Blackmore (1887). These are just some of the shining stars in Singapore’s Hall of Faith. Are you aware? How can we rightly honour them if we barely know who they are and what they have done?

First of all, honour them by naming them in prayers of thanksgiving to God for their labour of love. Second, honour them by loving Singapore sacrificially until our last heartbeat. Third, honour them by considering the outcome of their way of life and by imitating their faith. Read Bobby Sng’s book, In His Good Time: The Story of the Church in Singapore. You need to know this story because it’s God’s story and our story. You are in it. And you are continuing it. This is neither nostalgia nor sentimentalism. A tree disconnected from its roots dies. Determine in your heart to capture this historical memory as an act of devotion to the God of your leaders, the God who loves Singapore.

•   Honour your pastors and elders. Their task is like no other because this present crisis is like no other. The post-Covid era could bring more unknowns and worse disruptions. Bless your pastors daily.

Invoke the Name of Jesus over them: May they flourish and not flounder in this time of severe testing. May they model authenticity and be honest about their own struggles, hopes, and dreams. May they model empathy, being more sensitive than ever to the emotions of their church family. May they model courage and turn the crisis into a defining moment of discipleship (Benny Ho). May they model biblical faith in decision-making on matters big and small.

As one senior pastor puts it: A leader’s action is a theological statement. As leaders, we need to have a theological stance on all things. We need to process our fears before God and let our actions be inspired by faith and guided by sound theology. Let not disease, or earthly decree, but doctrine guide our decisions (Rick Toh).  

•   Honour all your leaders. There is safety in submission. Will you set a good example? Submit to their leadership. Be accountable. Be patient. Be gracious. No one is perfect. Love them, flaws and all. Free them from the burden of unreasonable expectations. Don’t be a pain in the neck. Be the staff or volunteer they can totally count on for anything that needs to be done – even at short notice and without constant prodding. 

Make their joy complete by being likeminded (Philippians 2:2). When they call for church-wide prayer or community outreach, support wholeheartedly. Pull in the strugglers and stragglers. Together, move in step with your leaders through every twist and turn of this long-drawn battle. 

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