Hebrews 13:7 “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.”
In His Church-Kingdom, our Lord has drawn together a body of people to whom He has given spiritual life; by which we know Him, love Him, and desire to follow after Him. The focus of the Church-Kingdom is Jesus Christ and His will and His work, not man’s. Therefore, He set up His Church-Kingdom in a very simple fashion; He is the King and the High Priest and His people (his “sheep”) follow Him, for He alone is the “good Shepherd” (John 10:11). To keep it simple, He set up two offices within His Church-Kingdom, the Pastor/Elder and the Deacons. The Pastors/Elders are the human Church leaders “which have the rule over you”. The “rule” they have is the Word of God, not their own desire, whelms, good ideas, etc. Thus, they are charged to “Preach the word [“the rule”]; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (II Timothy 4:2). As Pastors they are necessarily overseers and leaders, for the word Pastor is another English word for shepherd; albeit they are under-shepherds in service to the Great Shepherd, our Beloved Jesus Christ. Thus, they are accountable to the Lord; they are charged to watch over the Flock (Church-Kingdom) where the Lord assigns them. And when a particular need arises, they prayerfully “study” the Word of God and then, as the Lord grants preaching grace, they lovingly preach a message or messages that addresses the issues at hand. In this context, to “Remember them which have the rule over you” is to take full advantage of their preaching and teaching and then apply what we hear and learn to our lives. Also, the word “Remember” connotes praying for them and paying due respect to them and assisting and supporting them in their duties. A true, God-called, servant of God is not brash nor dominating nor self-righteous nor self-promoting, He is humble and meek and very gentle with the Lord’s Flock; always striving to set a good example for others to follow. The essence of his preaching is, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)! When “the elders … rule well” (I Timothy 5:17), the Church is always “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) and there is great joy in fellowship as the Church worships and serves the Lord God Almighty.