STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE THROUGH SERVANTHOOD
By: Dr. Mike Jones
In Spiritual Protocol: A ministry of excellence, everyone is subject to someone, because Spiritual Protocol is an establishment of order as seen in the writing of Apostle Paul in Romans 13:1-7, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore [ye] must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute [is due]; custom to who custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”
Simply stated, Spiritual Protocol is needed for us to stay within the various boundaries that God has set in the local church assemblies. Those who operate outside of God’s established boundaries for the local church will always be moving beyond the legal limits God has ordained and beyond the areas the Holy Spirit has given them.
The principle to remember is: If a person, calling himself/herself a child of God, refuses to walk in subjection to the rules of the House that God has established through His servant, then the person is walking in a spirit of rebellion. Throughout the Bible, we see family members walking in the sin of rebellion. One story appears in the Book of Genesis 9:20-27; “And Noah began [to be] an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the win, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid [it] upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.”
The important thing to remember about this story is that it took place after the flood, when God was starting over again with the heard of man. We know rebellion started in heaven and will continue until God established His new heaven and new earth. [The passage I am making reference to is found in Isaiah 14:12-15, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”]
As I stated earlier, every local assembly has its own set of rules for that particular House. What works for one local assembly might not work for another. Simply stated, some things are done differently from church to church as Apostle Paul so eloquently stated in I Corinthians 12:12-21, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body [were] an eye, where [were] the hearing? If the whole [were] hearing, where [were] the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where [were] the body? But now [are they] many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need for you.”
As one Christian writer stated (and I agree with him wholeheartedly), “It is the delegated authority that decides who is in charge of what. People should not come into local church week after week and have no idea who will lead worship, who will be the usher, who is allowed to prophesy. I cannot just get up one week and say, well, I think I’ll take over the dance ministry this week. Maybe I’ll teach Sunday school next week. No; there must be order in God’s house. Delegated authority also decides how things are to be done. Do people need to come up to the mike to prophesy or share, or can they do it from their seats? Should it be cleared with the leaders first? Can people just… (TO BE CONTINUED)
(Adapted from Spiritual Protocol: Striving for a Ministry of Excellence; all Scripture references are taken from KJV unless otherwise noted.)