And Who Are Those That Have Rule Over Us???

We’ve already discussed why we are supposed to obey the Man or Woman of God, but are there others that we have to obey??? 




Hebrews 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.

I wanted to include the Contemporary English Version because it tells us so plainly what God wants us to know about obeying The Pastor. 




Hebrews 13:17 (CEV) Obey your leaders and do what they say. They are watching over you, and they must answer to God. So don't make them sad as they do their work. Make them happy. Otherwise, they won't be able to help you at all.





As I read the verse above, I thought hmm…  That is talking about your pastor.  The Amplified Bible actually says, “Obey your spiritual leaders…”




As I was mulling this over in my mind, God reminded me that there are other scriptures that tell us about being obedient and showing respect to those in charge or who have rule over us!!! 




1 Peter 2:13-18 (NKJV)

¹³ Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,

¹⁴ or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—

¹⁶ as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.

¹⁷ Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

¹⁸ Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.



1 Peter 2:13-18 (CEV)

¹³The Lord wants you to obey all human authorities, especially the Emperor, who rules over everyone.

¹⁴You must also obey governors, because they are sent by the Emperor to punish criminals and to praise good citizens.

¹⁵God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right.

¹⁶You are free, but still you are God's servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong.

¹⁷Respect everyone and show special love for God's people. Honor God and respect the Emperor.
¹⁸Servants, you must obey your masters and always show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel.

We can see that God instructed everyone to show respect and be obedient!!!  He even told the servants to be obedient to their masters.  Just as they had servants that worked for their provision, we work to provide for ourselves and our families.  Today, our provision comes to us in the form of a paycheck from our boss or the company that we work for. 




Romans 13:1-2 (NKJV)

¹ Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

² Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

God makes it quite plain that we are supposed to obey those in authority in every area of our lives.   

I know from personal experience that as a worker and as a servant of God, I am called to obedient to those who have rule over me!!  And yes, that means my boss at work!!!  I must admit that I sometimes wonder, “Am I the ONLY one???” 

 

It seems that some folks, and yes even some of those who say they are Christians, think they can go to work and act up.  They may NOT actually say it, but you can watch them and they have this attitude that God is my boss and that means that I do NOT have to obey anyone else!!! 




However, that is NOT how THE WORD tells us to act!!!



Ephesians 6:5-8 (NKJV)

⁵ Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;

⁶ not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

⁷ with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

⁸ knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

God tells us here that when we work for others, we are supposed to work for them “as unto Christ.”  That means that we are supposed to work as hard for them as we would if we were working for THE LORD!!!



James 4:17 (CEV) If you don't do what you know is right, you have sinned.