The Power Mid Structure: How We've Misunderstood God's Kingdom Authority
While I was reading through Scripture, I made what I thought was a simple slip of the tongue. Instead of saying "pyramid structure," I said "power mid structure." But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this wasn't a mistake at all—it was actually a perfect description of how the enemy has corrupted our understanding of authority.
You see, in the false kingdoms of this world that are influenced by the enemy, everything has to fit into a pyramid structure with power being the ultimate goal. Everything revolves around who's on top, who's in control, who gets their way. It's all about the "power mid"—that place in the middle where power is concentrated and flows downward.
But God's Kingdom works completely differently.
Two Different Operating Systems
When Jesus stood before Pilate, He made this crystal clear. Pilate asked, "Are you a king?" And Jesus said, "I am. But my kingdom is not of this realm. It doesn't work like the system that you're currently serving" (John 18:36-37, paraphrased).
Jesus went on to explain: "Otherwise, my followers would fight for me." In the worldly system, a king would usurp authority over others. They would literally force them out in a powerful, violent way and establish dominance. But Jesus said, "That's not how my Kingdom works."
This is revolutionary. Jesus was introducing an entirely different operating system for human relationships—one that doesn't rely on the "power mid" structure at all.
The Problem with Power Mid Thinking
If we try to use the word "submit" or understand submission while operating from a false understanding of what God's Kingdom looks like, we're always going to be trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole. When people insist that wives must submit to husbands because "there has to be a pyramid structure where she's number two and he's number one," they're operating from the wrong kingdom entirely.
This power mid mentality creates all kinds of perversions:
"Women can't have governmental authority because then they would be over men"
"Someone has to be in charge, and by God's design, it's the man"
"If the wife doesn't submit to the husband, she's out of order"
But when you start reading Scripture with this mindset, you actually have to take the passages out of context to make them say what you want them to say.
The True Nature of Kingdom Authority
In God's Kingdom, authority isn't about control—it's about responsibility to serve. Jesus demonstrated this perfectly when He washed the disciples' feet and said, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all" (Mark 10:43-44, NIV).
Even when Jesus flashed His authority, He did it in service of others. He told Pilate, "You have no power at all except my Father gave it to you" (John 19:11, paraphrased). But then He willingly submitted to crucifixion, knowing that when Pilate exercised that power, he would actually sabotage his own system. The cross was the ultimate demonstration of how God's Kingdom works—power through love, not force.
From Power Mid to Kingdom Flow
In God's Kingdom, we're not climbing a pyramid to gain authority over others. Instead, we're flowing together in unity, each playing our part in building up the whole. As Paul says, we're to "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21, NIV).
This isn't about who's on top or who's in charge. It's about who can serve best in each situation. It's about the strength to yield when yielding serves love. It's about knowing who you really are—royalty in God's Kingdom—and choosing to lay down your life for others from that place of strength.
The Results Speak for Themselves
When we operate from the power mid structure, we create cultures of envy, strife, and every evil thing. People are constantly vying for position, trying to get close to the powerful one, manipulating to get their way while giving lip service to submission.
But when we operate from God's Kingdom paradigm, we create something beautiful: authentic unity where everyone is empowered to contribute their gifts, where decisions are made through wisdom and love rather than force, where submission becomes a dance of mutual honor rather than domination.
The power mid structure produces slaves. God's Kingdom produces kings and queens who choose to serve one another.
An Invitation to Revolution
I want to invite you to what we might call a "revivolution"—a Kingdom revolution that transforms everything from the inside out. Not through force or rebellion, but through the unstoppable power of love demonstrating a better way.
This isn't about tearing down every structure. It's about bringing God's Kingdom reality into whatever structure we find ourselves in, allowing His love to transform it naturally from within.
When we understand that we're not called to climb the power mid but to flow in Kingdom unity, everything changes. Marriage becomes partnership instead of hierarchy. Church becomes family instead of corporation. Leadership becomes service instead of control.
That's the revolution Jesus started. That's the Kingdom He's still establishing. And that's the authority structure that will ultimately transform the world—not through power over others, but through the power of love flowing through us all.
Welcome to God's Kingdom, where the power mid is being revolutionized into something beautiful: a community where mutual submission reigns and where every relationship reflects the very heart of God.
Blessings,
Susan 😊