A CULTURE OF HONOR

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (ESV) 

 

Romans 12:10 – “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” (NLT)

 

What is honor? Honor means “to hold in high esteem, to regard with great respect, to revere”. For Christians, it’s not just a concept but a way of living. It means appreciating the people and things in your life. 

 

A healthy leadership team doesn’t see one another as competition. It works together as a team. Each person has their role, and they work hard to perform in that role as best as they can. Do you know that there is one competitive verse in the Bible that tells us to outdo one another? This is in Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” 

 

Honor has to be cultivated. Honor doesn’t happen by accident but is the result of intentionally living out a vision to lift up those around us. It happens as a result of an intentional pastor or leader who decides to sow the seeds of honor in how they serve our ministries to how they treat their leaders. The honor level in our church is a direct reflection of the level of honor we have modeled as your pastors to the leaders of this church.

 

Churches don’t receive enough personal affirmation of encouragement and positive support. That applies to the members as well as the leaders. So, how do you encourage your leaders?

Here at Word for the World Cebu, we are trying to build into our lives as leaders and volunteers, a culture of honor. There are some things that we need to say to each other that too often go unsaid. I’ve often been amazed when I see leaders and workers serve selflessly, tirelessly, and happily helping without seeking anything in return. This is a sign of Christ’s presence in them. We should make opportunities to recognize and appreciate such actions.

 

Let’s call it honor time. Honor time is not flattery time. It is not saying something nice to someone so that they might say something nice to you. It is not a mutual admiration society meeting. It is looking at the work of God in another person and acknowledging it. It is recognizing the glorious ways the Holy Spirit is building His church through His people. We’re honoring the Lord by honoring one another. And in so doing we are showing one another that our labor is not in vain. God is moving and He is at work among us.

 

Leaders can feel so lonely. It might be that every Sunday, your leaders go home with some nagging piece of disappointment. If you are a leader, you may even think the Lord could never use you. You may wonder if you’re doing something worthy for the church. Honor time can quiet those voices. 

 

The Bible has a lot to say on the subject of honor. In fact, the Bible calls us to live a lifestyle of honor. Why? Because in God’s Word:

 

HONOR IS MANDATED

 

Romans 13:7 – “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (ESV)

 

1 Peter 2:17a “Honor everyone.”  (ESV)

 

We are called to live a lifestyle of honoring people, and of highly regarding those around us. Often, we take pride in being Word-based, but when it comes to cultivating a culture of honor, have we embraced the Word’s call?

 

HONOR IS CELEBRATED

 

Here’s a great truth about honor: Whether it is in your family, business, or church, wherever there is a culture of honor present, joy is always there. The reason is that a culture of honor releases people to celebrate each other. Honor means pointing out people’s strengths, not their weaknesses. Honor means celebrating people’s wins, not their failures. Honor means seeing people’s future, not just their past. Do you want joy in your family, business, or church? Sow the seeds of honor and watch out for a harvest of joy!

 

HOW DO WE START CULTIVATING A CULTURE OF HONOR?

 

HONOR THE PEOPLE YOU SERVE WITH

 

From the workers who make our church clean to the ushers and greeters to the KIDZONE workers and to the Praise and Worship Team: The church is the people. And if we are honest, it takes a whole lot of them to make our churches and ministries succeed. Usually, because of the pace of ministry, we can often forget the unsung heroes who work in our church. 

But, what if we change that now? What if we decide starting today will be the start of a lifestyle of honor? Think about the church for a moment, or your ministry. Who would you honor today? The Core Team Leader? The Council Leader? The man or lady in the Praise and Worship who serves so faithfully?  This could be the beginning of developing a culture of honor.

 

HONOR THE PLACES YOU SERVE IN 

 

One thing I love about being a worker of God is the sense of being called, of waking up every day with the understanding that you are called to help reach the city in which you live. There are few things that compare to living for a vision. 

 

Outside the walls of your ministry or church are thousands of people who are serving the city that you are called to love! It could be the Policeman, the Traffic Enforcer, or the people in your community. They are there. We are serving the hurting, the lacking, and the dying. We are making a difference in the lives of the people God has called us to reach out to for God. What could your ministry do to honor them? What could you do to let them know they are highly esteemed in the eyes of our church? Sharing the love of Christ through the gospel is one of them. This step could open doors like never before.

 

HONOR THE MINISTRIES YOU SERVE NEAR

 

No Man is an Island. In our case, No Church is an Island. Your city has within it other believers, brothers, sisters, and ministries who are co-laboring with you. These men and women represent God’s deep devotion to reaching everyone in your city for Christ. How could you honor what God is doing through them? What would happen if you were somehow able to honor those fellow laborers in your vineyard? The other workers in another church?

 

Honor can change the atmosphere of our church and our city. Honor is the culmination of a heart’s desire to help churches and ministries know how to begin to sow seeds of honor. 

 

Showing honor is an act of love and humility. When we honor our Pastors, Church Council, Core Team, Ministry Heads, Sunday school teachers, Ushers, Worship Team leaders and members, church staff, volunteer workers, and others who serve at our church, we are recognizing their sacrifice and service to God.

 

These leaders work hard, often behind the scenes and unknown, to care for our church family and point people to Christ. They deal with criticism and conflict at times. So it’s important that we lift them up with encouragement, respect, and gratitude. 

 

The Bible calls us to esteem them highly in love because of their work. So let’s make it a priority to pray for them and build them up. Let’s be quick to forgive if there are misunderstandings.

 

Remember, we are not perfect. We are also under God’s grace and mercy, just like you. As we honor our leaders and workers, may we also grow in grace and Christlike humility. Then our church will be known for our outstanding honor and love – a culture that deeply values each person and role God has given us for His glory.

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION:

1) How can we create a culture of gratitude and recognition within our congregation to ensure our church leaders and volunteers feel valued? In what ways can we better understand and appreciate the sacrifices and commitments made by the leaders and volunteers in service to our church and community?

2) Have you ever been inspired by the service and sacrifices of church leaders and volunteers? How did it impact your own sense of service and commitment?