Hierarchy of Power

A political-spirit or government-spirit in the spiritual realms controls every town, city, nation and region on earth. Their authority on earth is perpetuated by a hierarchy of power.

• Political-spirits and government-spirits in the spiritual realms control human political powers, such as kings, emperors and other political leaders. The people may change over time, but the spiritual powers remain in control.

• Kings and political leaders have authority over large groups of people, so this gives political-spirits and government-spirits immense authority on earth.

• Most people look to their political leaders to solve the problems that disturb their lives, so they mostly submit to them. They are unwittingly submitting to the political-spirits and government-spirits that control their political leaders. They should be looking to the Kingdom of God for their salvation, and to the Jesus as their king.

• Political leaders and kings use military force and political coercion to control their people. This gives political-spirits and government-spirits their power an point of entrance to control them.

This hierarchy of power allows the big controlling spirits to exercise authority on earth, despite their defeat by Jesus.

Hierarchy and Money

The world system uses hierarchy, because it is great way to extend the power and control of those at the top of the system.

In the world, money flows from the bottom to the top through compulsory taxation.

Programmes for salvation begin at the top and attempt to penetrate down to the bottom. By the time they reach people in need, they have usually been distorted, corrupted or ripped off.

In the Kingdom of God,salvation is transmitted sideways from person to person and house to house, as it is carried by the Holy Spirit. It is transferred relationships, not by programmes.

Money goes sideways from person to person through giving and sharing within one another relationships.

Dangers of Hierarchy

A hierarchical structure is dangerous, because it concentrates power in the hands of a few people at the top. In a biblical Church the decision making process will be decentralised. No one person will hold much power, so if a leader falls into sin, damage will be limited.

A problem with hierarchical structures is that they allow churches to continue after the Holy Spirit has departed. A dead church can continue for many years, because it is perpetuated by the institution. On the other hand, an autonomous House Church that grieves the Holy Spirit will quickly die, because it does not have institutional support. If it was dependent on the Holy Spirit, it will collapse without Him, limiting the amount of damage done.

A serious sin of the western church has been transplanting its divisions and denominations into Africa, Asia and Latin America, where they do not mean anything. The concept of an Anglican Church (Church of England) in Africa should be seen as bizarre, but this kind of thing is so common, it has become acceptable.

No Hierarchy

There will be no hierarchy in the Kingdom of God.

Large human organisations need a hierarchy of authority to transmit information and to direct actions. Messages and instructions pass down through the hierarchy to the people on the bottom. Reports go back up in the same way. Hierarchy also allows decisions to be made at the appropriate level. The person at the top sets the general policies and rules, but delegates simple decisions down the hierarchy to an appropriate level of responsibility. Difficult or important decisions are delegated back up to the top.

God is not constrained in this way. He is omniscient, so he knows everything that is happening, everywhere in the universe, all the time. He is not dependent on reports up a hierarchy. He knows what is happening everywhere, so he does not need anyone to report to him. God is also omnipotent, so he has the ability to decide what should be happening in every situation in the universe at the moment it occurs. He has no need for hierarchy.

The Holy Spirit can speak to any person in the universe, whenever he chooses, so he does not need to speak through intermediaries. The Holy Spirit lives in every Christian, so God can communicate his will directly to anyone as he chooses. can speak to any Christian anywhere at anytime. He can speak to us directly without needing a priest or pastor to tell us what God is saying. An infinite God can communicate his will directly to his people, so he does not need hierarchy to accomplish his purposes.

Hierarchy

Hierarchical organisations are becoming obsolete in the modern world. This hierarchical form of organisation was useful for providing order and control, but tended stifle creativity and spontaneity. In the modern world, this level of control is no longer acceptable, and the world is shaking off the bonds of hierarchy. Hierarchies are being replaced by networks. A strong network allows a group of people with diverse skills and talents to co-operate in a highly effectively and productive way.

The business world is rapidly transitioning from hierarchy to networks. General Motors once owned and controlled every aspect of car manufacturing. It was a very hierarchical organisation, controlled from the top. In contrast, Nike does not own a single factory or warehouse. All aspects of production from design to marketing and manufacturing are done by a network of contractors and subcontractors. Decision making is decentralised. The development of business networks has increased the efficiency of many business processes. A World Bank economist, Charles Goldfinger (great name for an economist) has documented the positive impact of business networks on the information economy.

Al Qa'ida, the organisation responsible for the destroying the World Trade Centre, is a very effective network (though we might not agree with its goals). The network is decentralised, so that it is not dependent one or two key individuals. If some leaders get put out of action, the network closes up and carries on. This is very important for a network operating in a hostile environment. It is ironic that Osama bin Laden seems to understand the power of networks better than the church.

Despite the trends, the church is still very strong on hierarchy and control. "Sadly, the more the surrounding culture relaxes, the more intent some Christian leadership seems to be on controlling the masses through application of authority" (The Prodigal Project).

To be effective in the modern world, the church will have to transition from hierarchy to a network model.