Lesson for August 19, 2018

The Doctrine of Spirituality vs. Carnality

The Protocol Plan of God

Protocol is strict adherence to precisely correct procedure. In the case of the believer, protocol is strict adherence to the mandates from God and using the correct procedure for carrying out those mandates. These mandates and the precisely correct procedures are found in only one place, the Word of God. By learning and applying the truth found in the Bible, a believer can fulfill God’s purpose, plan and will. When this truth is presented from the Word of God in a systematic manner, it allows any believer to grow spiritually (regardless of I.Q.) by following God’s plan.

God, in His grace, has set up certain protocols that must be strictly adhered to if a believer is to advance in his spiritual life. Random intake of Bible doctrine will not accomplish the goal. If a believer is to properly execute God’s protocol plan, he must be consistent with his intake and application of Bible doctrine. There is no other plan for believers in this Age.

During the Church Age, in which we live, believers receive all the necessary tools for the fulfillment of the Protocol Plan of God. The objective for a believer should be to reach the status of “spiritual maturity,” which results in a tactical victory over Satan in the Angelic Conflict. Only by residing in God’s power system under the control of the Holy Spirit can the believer reach this status.

God’s policy for dealing with mankind is always His grace. This grace begins with providing salvation through Jesus Christ. Since Christ paid the penalty for the sin of the entire human race, anyone can have eternal life and be saved from eternal separation from God. All that God requires is a simple act of faith in Jesus Christ (apart from any human merit). This simply means that you are relying (trusting) in Jesus Christ for eternal life and not in your good works or anything else. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

After salvation, God’s policy continues to be grace. Only by orienting to His grace can a believer execute the Protocol Plan of God. The Christian Way of Life was not designed to be a life of human good works performed as a means of gaining the approbation of God. The Christian Way of Life is a life of thinking divine viewpoint and the divine production that results. Divine production can be visible or invisible. (Titus 2:12)

God’s power system is based on virtue (strength of character) and integrity (a strict adherence to divine truth). You cannot adhere to something that you know absolutely nothing about. For the believer with positive volition, virtue is motivational when directed toward God and functional when directed toward mankind or circumstances. In other words, when you begin to learn about God, His character and His attributes, you become motivated to love Him and depend on Him in every circumstance of life. The natural result of your love for God will be impersonal love for all mankind, based on the virtue and integrity that you develop as a result of knowing God through His Word.

There is a point of reference with God under the Protocol Plan and that is the love of God. Not the “mushy” emotional feelings often called love, but the genuine love of God based on His integrity. This is “agape” love, God’s unconditional love for all mankind that caused Him to send His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sin. When Christian integrity is developed by a believer, he is able to exhibit personal love for God on the basis of God’s character. A believer is also able to exhibit impersonal love for his fellow man based on the integrity of God resident in his own soul.

Our authority for this plan is the Word of God. It is the Word of God that establishes the standard by which all teachings, experiences and actions are evaluated. Any teaching, experience or action that does not fully agree with Scripture is wrong. Those who distort, change or misuse God’s Word are “false apostles” and “ministers of Satan” (even if they are well-meaning). The Bible tells believers to note them and avoid them.

God’s protocol plan has a result. The result is the ability of the advancing believer to make good decisions from a position of strength, to take control of his life and to develop a personal sense of destiny.

The Protocol Plan of God also has an enemy – the cosmic system of Satan. As the great counterfeiter, Satan’s cosmic system seeks to mimic God’s power system. The power of the Holy Spirit is counterfeited by human emotion and ecstatic behavior. Divine Viewpoint Thinking is replaced with Human Viewpoint Thinking. God’s grace policy is replaced by a system of human good works. Virtue is replaced by a charismatic personality and charm. And the authority of God’s Word is replaced by political correctness.

God has a purpose for His protocol plan and that is to glorify His Son, Jesus Christ. Glorification of Christ is accomplished through the life of an advancing believer as he exhibits the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. The character of Christ can be produced only by God the Holy Spirit as He is allowed to control the thinking of the believer. Bible doctrine resident in the soul of a believer is the “raw material” that the Holy Spirit uses to teach and guide him through life’s journey.

Eleven Principles of the Protocol Plan of God by Pastor R.B. Thieme, Jr.

1. The Protocol Plan of God has a system of authority. God has delegated that authority in two spheres: 1) in the temporal sphere – the laws of divine establishment and government 2) in the spiritual realm – Bible doctrine, communicated by the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher. (Psalms 33:12; Ephesians 4:11)
2. The Protocol Plan of God has a spiritual life for each believer. Therefore, you and you alone are the only one that can live your spiritual life – no one else can live it for you. (I John 1:5-10)
3. The Protocol Plan of God recognizes the volition of the believer. Each believer is a production of his own decisions, whether they are positive or negative. Volition is important for establishing values. As you establish values, those values dictate the manner and function of your own volition [free will]. (Philippians 2:1-16)
4. The Protocol Plan of God has a system for advancement, or spiritual growth – metabolized doctrine in the stream of consciousness of the soul. (II Peter 3:18)
5. The Protocol Plan of God has a system of Problem-Solving Devices. They are related to metabolized doctrine in your soul. The Christian Way of Life was designed for you to personally resolve your own problems before God without interference from others. (Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 5:11-14)
6. The Protocol Plan of God has both historical and individual time reference. The historical time reference is the unique dispensation of the Church Age. The individual time reference is from the moment you believed in Christ till the moment of your death or the Rapture, whichever occurs first. (Colossians 1:25-29)
7. The Protocol Plan of God has a Portfolio of Invisible (spiritual) Assets provided for each believer in eternity past. (Ephesians 1:3)
8. The Protocol Plan of God has a system of invisible impact on history, which comes in 5 categories: 1] personal impact – blessing by association with a mature believer who is a winner and an invisible hero 2] historical impact – blessing by association to a client nation through the Pivot (remnant according to grace) 3] international impact – blessing by association to a non-client nation through spiritually mature missionary function 4] angelic impact – invisible heroes become a witness for the prosecution in Satan’s appeal trial, which extends from prehistoric times into the Church Age 5] heritage impact – blessing by association with the invisible hero after his death. (Romans 11:1-12)
9. The Protocol Plan of God has precisely correct procedure, based on the principle that God has only one way of doing a thing – a right thing, done in a right way, at the right time. (I Corinthians 14:40)
10. The Protocol Plan of God has a system of eternal rewards and decorations for each believer who executes the Protocol Plan of God. (I Corinthians 3:12-15)
11. The Protocol Plan of God has an enemy – arrogance. God makes war against the arrogant believer, but He gives grace to the humble believer. This becomes the basis for whether you are going to succeed or fail, arrogance is always failure under the Protocol Plan of God. (James 4:6; I Peter 5:5-6)