You Don’t Know the Authority You Have in Difficult Relationships:

The modern church has often struggled with the concept of spiritual authority, sometimes looking more like the hierarchical, top-down structures of the world than the upside-down Kingdom Jesus described. This confusion can lead to pride, competition, and a distorted view of leadership that places human titles and power above humble service. However, the Bible offers a different perspective, one where leadership is not about being served, but about being held accountable for those we are called to shepherd.

Hebrews 13:17 is a powerful key to understanding Kingdom authority. It’s not about a leader lording over people, but about a shepherd sleeplessly watching over his flock, knowing that he will one day have to give an account to the Chief Shepherd for every single one of them.

Hbr 13:17 KJV – Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that [is] unprofitable for you.

The Upside-Down Kingdom and the Capstone

In Luke 22, the disciples were arguing about who among them was the greatest. Jesus’s response turned their worldly understanding of leadership on its head. He said, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them… But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”

The world’s leadership model is a pyramid, with the person at the top exercising power over everyone below. Jesus, however, introduces a different kind of pyramid—one where the leaders are at the bottom, foundational, supporting the believers, with Jesus Christ as the single, glorious capstone. This model isn’t about human leaders having authority over believers; it’s about all of us being built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus as the ultimate head.

This is a shift from thinking in terms of who answers to me, to who I am accountable to God for. It’s not about being a “boss” but a “keeper.” When God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” and Cain replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” the implied answer for every believer is a resounding “Yes.” We are keepers. We are responsible for one another.

Authority as Responsibility, not Control

A leader’s authority in the Kingdom isn’t about control or dominion. It’s a weight of responsibility, a solemn trust from God. This is the “measure of the rule” Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 10:13—a specific measure of accountability God has distributed to each of us. This measure is not a title or a position, but a divine assignment for which we must answer to the Father.

This is the potent truth of Hebrews 13:17. The leaders are those who “watch for your souls.” The original Greek word for “watch” implies a sleepless, vigilant care. Think about the people you lose sleep over, the ones whose faces come to mind when you pray in the middle of the night. These may be the very people for whom God has given you a measure of accountability.

Your responsibility as a leader is to regularly go before the Father and give an account for these individuals. This isn’t a report card where you tally their successes and failures. It’s an oral report, a conversation with the Head of the Church, where you present your “flock” to Him with either joy or grief.

• When a leader gives an account with joy, it unleashes blessing upon those they are responsible for. It is a declaration of faith and love, a joyful offering of the lives entrusted to their care.
• When a leader gives an account with grief, the scripture says it is “unprofitable” for those under their care. The Greek word for unprofitable is pernicious, meaning “tending to cause death or serious injury.” This shows the powerful spiritual consequences of a leader’s heart posture. A leader’s grief or frustration in prayer can have a devastating impact on those they are called to serve.

A Powerful Influence

As a leader, your role is not to force obedience, but to give an account to the Father for those in your measure. It’s the Father’s job to go to work in their hearts, making them teachable and willing to submit. Your job is to be faithful in prayer, bringing your loved ones, your spiritual children, your colleagues—whoever is in your measure—before God with a heart of joy.

This is true spiritual authority. It’s a humble, powerful influence born out of a deep sense of responsibility and a love that mimics Christ’s. It’s a love that does not seek to be served, but to serve, and ultimately, to give a joyful account for the souls entrusted to its care.

May we all seek to walk in this kind of leadership, a leadership that points not to ourselves, but to the Capstone, our Lord Jesus Christ, and may we give an account for those in our care with hearts full of joy.