Respect Church Leadership - 1 Thessalonians 4-5

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (ESV)
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

The above admonishment to the church at Thessalonica but have been in the inspiration for this verse by the writer of Hebrews (or, vice versa depending on the date of each letter):

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

This was a theme in the early church.  Note that after Peter admonishes the elders fo the church to care for their flocks, he writes the following to the flock:

1 Peter 5:5 (ESV)
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Submission and respect to church leadership was a normative in the days of the early church.   There were some, of course (like today) who abused that privilege and instructions:

3 John 1:9-10 (ESV)
I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

Church leaders are to be respected and honored by follower-ship.  But, church leaders are not to lord over their followers.  They are, in humility, serve those they labor for.