Just a few elementary thoughts on spiritual protocol.

2.  Romans 13:1-7
 Everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities. Everyone is subject to someone.
 Spiritual Protocol involves the establishment of divine
order in God’s house. God told Moses to build Him a
tabernacle according to the pattern in heaven.
 What is Protocol?
 Webster’s dictionary defines protocol in part as “a
code of ceremonial forms and courtesies of
precedence accepted as proper and correct in
official dealings, as between heads of state and
diplomatic officials.” This is the definition upon which
we will concentrate.

3.  God is moving in the area of spiritual
protocol.
 Why is this area important?
 We need to know the limits God has set.
 Those who don’t learn the protocol
concerning spiritual matters will always be
moving beyond their measure, stepping
beyond the boundaries that God has
ordained and moving beyond the areas
that the Holy Spirit has given them to move
in.

4.  As we learn the protocol of the spiritual
realm, we will begin to know how to
operate without transgressing or moving
beyond the area or the measure of rule
that God has given us.
 If we are to function properly in the Spirit,
we must be aware of the ways in which
God desires that we move.
 Just as in a game in the natural, rules have
been set, we dare not break those rules lest
our ministry be disqualified.

5.  It is interesting to note that if an individual
has bad manners in the natural, he will also
have bad manners in the spiritual.
 We need to develop a spiritual code of
ethics.
 If someone is prophesying, should I
prophesy at the same time?
 Do I have the right to interrupt a speaker to
bring forth an utterance in tongues? Of
course not. We need to understand the
measure of our rule.

6.  One of the primary rules of spiritual protocol
is the law of subjection.
 To be under subjection is to owe allegiance
under external governmental rule; to fall
under the control or authority of another.
 As we look at subjection, we learn that we
are under external governments.
 We must begin to acknowledge the
governments that God has set on the earth.

7.  The three fundamental areas of
government include:
 Church government,
 Political government
 Family government.

8.  Everyone must be submitted, or subjected, to others
in each of these areas.
 If an individual is out of order, he is unbalanced or
unsubmitted in at least one of these governmental
areas.
 God has called us to be subject to one another in
love (1 Peter 5:5).
 This is an attitude of the heart; actions alone do not
constitute submission. We may be performing all the
right deeds, but if our heart is rebellious or if we think
bitter thoughts toward one whom we are serving,
how can we say we are truly submitted?
 God looks at our hearts, not merely our deeds. While
pure deeds flow from a pure heart, they alone do not
constitute purity before God and man.
 Faithfulness is not loyalty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9.  I have found that the measure of my
submission will measure out the degree
of my authority.
 If I am unwilling to obey God by being
subject to those He has placed in
authority over me, then the authority
that is to be present in my life is not there;
I cannot exercise authority over others.
 Roman centurion and Jesus

10.  Again, Romans 13:1 exhorts us, “Let every
soul be subject unto higher powers...” How
many souls? All of them. We are all to be
subject to the higher powers or authorities.
The Bible says that there is no power but of
God (Rom 13:1). In other words, all authority
that exists has been ordained by God.
 Therefore, when we resist authority we are in
reality resisting God. (The one exception to
this is when earthly powers are opposed to
God – of course we are first to be submitted
to him.)

11.  Without higher powers, or where authority is
not in place, anarchy reigns. For instance, if
a father does not exercise dominion in his
house, the mother might step into his place
to rule, creating a matriarchy.
 Often there is a negative connotation to a
matriarchy, as though the woman were to
blame for grasping the power within the
family. However, she has actually arisen to
keep anarchy from coming into it.

12.  If the father does not rise to his place and the mother
does not rise to hers, then the children will start to rule
and anarchy will be the end result.

 When there were no judges in Israel everyone did
what was right in their own eyes. A classical example
of anarchy.

 Again, everyone must be subject to someone; we
are all to be subject to those placed in authority over
us. The Bible uses the term “higher powers”. Let’s look
at some of the words translated as “power” in the
Bible to see what these higher powers are.


13.  The first of these is dunamis. Romans 1:16
says, “For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to everyone that
believeth...” This word “power”
(dunamis) means miracle –working
power.