“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”

Before I write this I want to say that I am not speaking about anyone at my current church. Occasionally there are people in our church’s who have obtained positions of authority but are not living a Godly lifestyle or teaching a Christ centered message. We do not have the option of disrespecting these people. We have the opportunity to minister to them. We have the opportunity to respectfully disagree and make our frustrations known in a Biblical manner (going to them and speaking with them, as opposed to going to anyone else and talking about them). But even if they are not changed they remain an authority over us. It is then our obligation to live a Christ centered, Godly life in their midst. But we are not to follow their example. We are to follow the example Jesus set before us. It is difficult but possible to be under someone’s authority but not follow their example. If God has placed you in that position, I would suggest that he has placed you there to help you grow.