Steve Simms's Blog, page 210

If we focus on church, do we distort our focus on Jesus?

For centuries church has been the focus of Christianity, but the risen Jesus is calling us to make Him the focus. The personality Christians need to follow and popularize, isn’t a contemporary pastor or politician. It’s the living Jesus.

When Jesus said, “Follow Me,” He didn’t mean, “Just be a church attendee.” A “Call to Worship” is an invitation to adore Jesus. “O come let us adore Him.” A church “Benediction” isn’t a spiritual eviction. Leave the building, but continue to adore Jesus Christ thru out the week.

To go to church for a weekly sit-thru, does little good, unless you walk thru life, following the living Jesus. (Perhaps we make too much ado
About a weekly sermon sit-thru.)

It’s easy to be
A church attendee;
But hard to say,
Jesus send me,
And then obey.

People remember what they walk thru, but quickly forget what they just sit thru. Make church memorable. Let people walk out the Bible together. After an hour, church is through with you, but the living Jesus calls for 24/7/365.

It takes great confidence in God to truly humble yourself. To change your focus, sort your thoughts for kindness, truth, and hopefulness. Toss out the ones that don’t measure up. Learn to admire beauty–to be in awe and ponder the wonder of its magnificence.

When it comes to Jesus, take in the air of admiration; let your heart be amazed at His presence. Jesus said to “make disciples,” not church attendees. Christianity’s about God’s fire burning in you, not sermons that you sit thru.

No matter how many sermons you’ve sat thru, it boils down to this: Are you daily following and obeying the risen Jesus?

Understand– stand under kindness to overcome hostility

Perhaps people don’t understand each other because they don’t want to or try to. Perhaps when anger flares up we should tuck it back in & obey Jesus’ command to “love your enemies.”

If people do their own thing, feelings rule; if their own thinking, logic can. However, the mind has fake thoughts and fine thoughts. It’s important to know the difference. For example, worry is a choice, not an obligation, however, if you don’t bring peace to yourself, you can’t give peace to anyone else. Perhaps things are about to get better at any moment & your discouragement is a lie.

Assumptions, accusations, and conspiracy theories sweep too many minds downriver. Perhaps your attitude is influencing your circumstances, more than the reverse.

True thinkers must think. They’re unwilling to merely absorb other people’s information. Accumulating information’s fine, but it’s better to train your mind to think and your heart to care. If we spent as much time using our brain as our phone, we’d all be brilliant. Creative thinkers don’t fit easily into political categories.

Here’s a way to get some thinking going. People you disagree with have reasons for their opinions. Why not find their reasons? Ask yourself: “Why do some people disagree with my opinions? It’s easy to think of ways to retaliate; harder to think of ways to kindly respond. Perhaps when we give our opinion we should say “perhaps” instead of “the truth is.”

It doesn’t have to bother you when people disagree with you. That’s their right. Unfortunately, people who can’t refute an opinion, often choose to insult the opinion holder.

Wanted: Christian thinkers–Christ-followers who will think with the mind of Christ. For me, the perfect thought is “Jesus.” I love to think His name over and over.

Had we all been albino . . .

Perhaps if God had made everybody albino, humans wouldn’t have invented race. Then we could just be humans.

Outbreaks of peace during riots, aren’t called peaceful protests. So why are outbursts of violence during peace protests called riots? Law and order can compel people to comply, but kindness can cause them to want to.

Perhaps glorifying white history while ignoring black history is a prejudiced way of dealing with the past. Maybe we should thoroughly combine the two with complete openness and honesty.

Perhaps there’s a better way to discuss race than name calling and insulting those who disagree with you. Learn how to go from being color-blind to being color-kind. Search for: Off the RACE Track book.

Systemic religion vs. freedom in the Spirit

Religion is systemic. The Holy Spirit flows. Sometimes they contradict.

Sermon-free, unprogrammed, Spirit-led worship is an amazing thing to experience. Spiritual awakening focuses on the living Jesus, not on preachers, churches, or politicians.

When church allows attendees no function but programmed sitting, they become functionless. Then the people of God become a Sunday morning blob, instead of the interfunctioning body of Christ.

Jesus didn’t follow religious systems, so 1st century religious groups resisted Him. Even today, the living Jesus and organized religion sometimes conflict. Jesus often disturbs religious people today, like He did in the Bible.

Perhaps Christianity isn’t about aligning with a religious institution but about daily following the risen Jesus. Perhaps humility is designed to free us from solitary confinement in the prison of our pride. Perhaps when tears come to your eyes, it’s best to let them flow.

Religion tells people that they are “good.” The Holy Spirit convicts people that they are sinners who need Christ. To self-identify as a “good person” is to contradict the Bible in several places.

e-quality4K & unity

E-quality4K means: Everyone qualifies for kindness. If we won’t treat everyone as our equal, how can we complain when we’re mistreated? Equality’s easily proclaimed, but it takes humility to treat everybody as your equal.

If inferiority exists, it’s not based on appearance, but on disrespect for others. I admire people who are equally kind to everybody. Equality doesn’t mean everybody being alike, but everyone being equally valued.

Equality isn’t an attitude of violence or a threat to American society. Equality is “radical ideology” that was written into the American Declaration of Independence. The Bible is even more radical by going beyond equality. It says: “in humility value others above yourselves.” Without the “we,” “we the people” are divisive and hostile.

America was founded by declaring equality as “self-evident,” but making it elusive. When police kill someone before he’s tried, “liberty and justice for all” is denied. Unsubstantiated claims are un-American and violate, “innocent until proven guilty.” To look down on people is to renounce the American idea of “self-evident” equality.

Before God we’re all equally flawed people. Let’s show mercy and kindness to everyone. If you won’t resist evil in your own heart, you can’t overcome it anywhere else. If you won’t overcome negativity in the words you hear, read, and say, you won’t overcome it in your lifestyle. Open your heart to moments of insight and “aha” changes in your perspective.

You can tell how much people love God by how much kindness and compassion they show people. Christians should be Spirit-led and overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit, not spiritually dead. Repentance is to align your lifestyle with God, not with your feelings and desires.

Churches have failed to unite, but individual Christ-followers have heart connection. All genuine Christ-followers are united. The same Jesus lives in each of us. Therefore, we diverse Christ-followers don’t have to achieve unity. We just need to recognize that the living Jesus in each other.

Mountains are a chance to climb to new heights and view life from a higher perspective. However, merely projecting what you want without project-ing (working to make it happen) does little. It takes effort to improve yourself or your circumstances; none to deteriorate.

When the risen Jesus changes your life, He doesn’t create illusions; He dispels them. A managed mind, fine tuned to the voice of the living Jesus, makes life amazing!

Are you right with God? Asking for my friend, Jesus. I love listening to and talking with Jesus. Just praying . . .

Belligerence boomerangs, loving humor heals

A belligerent leader generates and emboldens belligerent followers. Before you embrace bombastic and belligerent boastings engage your brain.

Belligerence tries to justify itself by insulting its opponents. Belligerence boomerangs.

When people enjoy warm-hearted humor together, then anger and belligerence diminish. Belligerent humor mocks people. Warm-hearted, uplifting humor, helps them heal. Notice how you laugh. You can laugh with joyful kindness or vindictive belligerence.

God created laughter to connect people heart to heart. Never use it to belittle. Use laughter to release heart-felt joy; never to put anybody down. Good, anger dispelling, friendly laughter, makes life so much better. (Everyday I order a supersized laughter & kindness combo. They’re amazing!)

Anyone can be rude and unkind to people but it takes guts to be compassionate and caring. Kindness is more powerful than belligerence and doesn’t create a wake of hate. God give us deliverance from continual belligerence.

If you will continually show kindness to people, they will eventually respond with kindness. A kind appeal to make a fair deal is more effective than making people feel insulted. I admire people who are kind to everybody!

It looks like all Americans could agree that it’s wrong for police to treat blacks differently than whites. Kind, warm, supportive, heart-connecting humor can help stop and heal the glaring wounds in America. Check out my book, Off the RACE Track–From Color-Blind to Color-Kind.

The living Jesus gives joy / demons bring torment

Biblical Christianity’s about inner rivers of elation that flow from “Christ in you.” The joy that the living Jesus gives is beyond description. He frequently causes my heart to soar with elation. I love to bask my heart in the inner currents of Jesus’ rivers of living water.

Following the living Jesus is a wonderful way to be elated without being medicated. Jesus often fills me with elation, far beyond my expectation. The greatest antidepressant is the joy of surrendering to the risen Jesus.

Perhaps it’s time to set aside your debate with God and let the living Jesus elate you.

Badness will bring you sadness, but Christ’s forgiveness will fill you with gladness. Positive anticipation produces a better attitude than negative anticipation. Hope! Instead of focusing on things you dread, focus on things you hopefully anticipate.

Christians are called to be beyond hostility, bullying, and hate. “Love your enemies.” But too many Christians, called to be peacemakers, are stirring up hostility and hatred. Demons influence people to be hostile; love releases kindness. Christians, be careful that you don’t support behaviors that violate God’s love. “I do not want you to be participants with demons.” –1 Corinthians 10:20. If you don’t believe demons are real, notice the hostility and hate being spread today.

This man’s songs rang a bell in many people’s heart

This man and I have shared lots of kind, warm, supportive, heart-connecting laughter. He was a great delight to be around. I found out a few days ago that Curtis Littlepage has left this world.

Curtis encouraged multitudes as a “bell ringer” for The Salvation Army in Nashville. But he was more than a “ringer,” he was a singer. Curtis loudly and joyfully sang Christmas songs and spirituals in front of Kroger and Walmart stores for years. You could hear his love and joy all over the parking lot.

I would pick up his kettle at night and Curtis would still be enthusiastically singing after 8 or more hours. Frequently a customer or two or more would be gathered around him, singing with him, arm in arm. It was hard to get Curtis to stop singing; he loved blessing people so much. Sometimes I would have to get out of the van and go get his kettle to get him to stop.

Once a couple of guys were talking with Curtis when I drove up. I kept waving to him from the van that we needed to go, but he kept talking. Finally he got in the van and said that he was talking with a country music singer who wanted him to learn a song from a CD he gave him and then sing it for his wife tomorrow. We put the CD on and the song was “Ugly Christmas Sweater.” After listening to it a few times, we took the CD out and I noticed the artist was Garth Brooks.

Curtis was interviewed and sang on local TV several times. He always beamed with joy. One of his favorite songs to sing was “This Little Light of Mine.” We frequently asked him to sing it for us at The Salvation Army Berry Street Corps (church). You couldn’t fail to be uplifted by Curtis and his heart-felt singing and his joyful attitude. That’s why he almost always had more money in his kettle than anybody else.

I talked to Curtis on the phone about a month ago and we joyously laughed together like we always did. In this time of anger and insults, the world desperately needs more inspiring people like Curtis. I sure will miss him! Writing this is the only time that Curtis made me cry.

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End heart-stemic racism

Racism is heart-stemic. It stems from the heart and can make any system corrupt. Love God; love people. When the people in any system have the guts to obey “the two greatest commandments,” systemic racism will disappear. Let’s end heart-stemic racism.

Unless society trains people to obey their conscience and choose kindness instead of hate, systemic changes won’t eliminate injustice and heart-stemic racism will continue. That’s because systems function at the morality & justice level of the people who run and staff them.

Heart-stemic racism is especially dangerous because it convinces itself that its opinions about people are true and moral. It has a stealth effect because it often hides beyond our awareness. However, compassionately listening to people will expose any heart-stemic racism that is hiding within you.

As long as people in institutions and organizations have racial judgments in their heart, there will be systemic racism. Passive racism ignores people because of their skin color. While systems are run by and include people, they’ll be no better than those people.

When overt racism is illegal, heart-stemic racism operates in subtle ways. Heart-stemic racism usually finds a way around anti-racism, systemic changes. Systems are maintained by people. If people won’t change, systems won’t. Systemic changes can sometimes force outward compliance, but can’t change human hearts.

The lie that says that “black people are inferior” was created disguise both systemic and heart-stemic racism. The failure to expose racial tyranny in our history that was supported by that lie, distorts the way we see our past. Color-blindness has trouble seeing thru that disguise. It has trouble seeing either systemic or heart-stemic racism.

Systemic change without heart-change means that what’s in people’s heart will continue find ways to come out. Corruption stems from human hearts: No corrupt hearts means no corrupt systems. System changes won’t stop systemic injustice until habitual attitudes are changed.

We can’t change what’s heart-stemic in people’s heart, but the living Jesus can! He can fix hearts and replace heart-stemic hate and injustice with kindness and love. Jesus doesn’t say follow a system, follow your heart or follow a man. He says: “Follow Me“

A true walk with the living Jesus replaces heart-stemic racism with love for all. People who truly love God, want to be kind and to stand for fairness for all, regardless of systems, peer pressure, or tradition. Love’s not systemic and never will be. Systems can make people love. A new heart can.

Injustice always disturbs the peace–the peace of mind of those mistreated by it. Racial injustice and unrest is discouraging, but there is real hope for healing and justice, thru history, fresh insights, strategy, and even humor. For some fresh insights on how to overcome the stubborn persistence of American racial discord, search for: Off the RACE Track From-Color-Blind to Color-Kind.

Bring back the Jesus Freaks: America needs more than political Christians

Over 50 years, somehow America went from Jesus Freaks to political Christians. Jesus Freaks made Christianity spontaneously contagious. People took of their masks and caught it from them. They didn’t hope in politics, a bag of tricks, or a religious quick fix.

I believe that churches gradually shut down the Jesus Movement of 1970s, by systematizing and structuring it and squeezing out the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit. As many Jesus Freaks became preachers and church leaders, they slowly switched their loyalty from freely expressing their love for Jesus, to staying in line with church order. I miss all the “fools for Christ” who used to roam around, expressively celebrating Jesus everywhere they went. Let’s bring back the Jesus Freaks!

Jesus Freaks wanted to submit to Jesus, even when it disturbed the status quo. They were amazing models of untamed Christianity, until they were tamed and housebroken by the prevailing church culture. From the Jesus Movement until now, I’ve seen ecclesiastical power stop moves of God.

Jesus Freaks were preoccupied with the living Jesus Christ–joyfully focused on Him. They expected God to act in unusual ways, and He did! Today too many Christians are focused on politics. Nowadays, many Christians are limping spiritually, when we should be leaping for Jesus. What many Christians call their “tribe” may actually be their cage.

Jesus Freaks embraced the invisible kingdom (government) of God, not a human leadership and human government. When they gathered around the living Jesus, they’re weren’t an audience for a human leader, but sheep responding to their invisible Shepard. They were acutely aware of their great, daily need for the living Jesus.

Jesus Freaks were taught and inspired by Jesus living inside them. They passionately read the Bible, and didn’t need professional preachers to teach them. The Jesus Freaks were experiencing the risen Jesus and couldn’t doubt His reality. For them, Jesus was reality, more dependable than either people or the physical world.

Most Jesus Freaks weren’t part of a Christian hierarchy. We saw ourselves as all equal, until churches gradually reimposed the clergy/laity concept on us. I’m a Jesus Freak who was “ruined.” I’ve never been willing to tone down my passion for Christ and my loyalty to Him above any human leaders, organization, or nation.

I was always amazed at how much love, kindness, and humility I saw in Jesus Freaks. People called Jesus Freaks “fanatics.” I wish we all could be such caring “fanatics.” When I remember hanging out with Jesus Freaks, I’m so moved that I cry.

The main desire of Jesus Freaks was for more and more of the living Jesus. They wanted to be up and doing, not just attending and listening. Thus, they weren’t good at fitting into religious roles.

Jesus Freaks encouraged people to follow the living Jesus, not religious programs. They preferred to follow Christ in the streets instead of sermons in a church. Jesus Freaks experienced exciting Christianity! Most church goers know what the typical preacher is going to say next; nobody knows what the living Jesus is going to do next! Jesus Freaks experienced many surprising, divine visitations.

For Jesus Freaks, praying was a conversation with their best Friend. They sought to deflect honor and recognition from themselves to Christ.

Old Jesus Freaks, humanity needs you to come out of hiding and to return to your first love for Christ. Jesus Freaks need to be a wake-up call for Christians in 2020. Old Jesus Freaks, before you die, get your passion back and pass it on far and wide!

Jesus Freaks have lived thru out the last 2,000 years. I love reading their stories. The Philokalia is an Orthodox book written by ancient Jesus Freaks. I love it!

Most Christian denominations were started by Jesus Freaks. (The Bible doesn’t use the term Jesus Freaks, but “fools for Christ.”) Many of the people Catholics call saints were Jesus Freaks. Thru out history, some people were “freaked out” by Jesus Freaks. (Can you imagine that?)

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Need a handbook for living as a Jesus Freak? Read the Bible.

I’ve also written a guidebook for exciting Christian living. Search for: The Joy Of Early Christianity book. Thank you.