Steve Simms's Blog, page 266

Is there too much agreement in church?

Passive agreement is overrated and often bland. Connecting with people heart-to-heart is much more powerful and fulfilling.

Social media trains people to be interactive while church continues to insist on keeping people passive and silent. However, when most of the members are required to sit and listen, year after year, the body of Christ is paralyzed.

When Christianity was made to fit into an agreeable Sunday morning comfort zone, it lost much of its power. Padded pews (or seats), padded sermons, and padded hearts don’t make for vibrant Christianity.

Too many Christians are comfortably flat-lining on a spiritual plain, rather than soaring on the Holy Spirit’s plane. Church should be like an airport–lead people to the plane of the Holy Spirit and let them fly. If you don’t surrender to the Holy Spirit with a tender heart, you’ll hinder Him.

If you don’t force yourself to obey God speaking in your conscience, you’ll be in rebellion against the kingdom of God.

Church could free people up like a square dance–everybody listen to Jesus call the meeting and do-see-do! Programs are everywhere at everybody’s fingertips. Why should people attend church to watch one more program?

If Christians met, not to just to listen, but to freely express the unspeakable joy of the Lord, we could change the world. When happiness comes from Christ within there’s no need to “pursue” it. You just let it flow as a joyous fountain. Hearing a talk about God is okay. Experiencing the joy of the Lord is better. Contagiously spreading God’s joy is world-changing.

Priests & other church leaders

Being hurt by religion is sometimes the first step toward learning to listen to and follow the risen Jesus. It helps us look beyond religious leaders to Christ.

The body of Christ should be an environment of radical humility, honesty, and healing–not of control and abuse! It should be so filled with love and light that abusers’ and users’ hearts are exposed and they either change or leave. Too often church services are conducted offline, disconnected from the risen Jesus.

Leaders with limited accountability will begin to abuse their power. Jesus calls all His followers to “walk in the light.”

If the priesthood and ministry produce abusive leaders, perhaps there’s a more biblical way to do church. See 1 Corinthians 14:26. If you falsely believe that you need someone to hear God for you, you won’t listen to God for yourself.

Without the innernet, a network of connected hearts, church is just a religious meeting. The first time I experienced a group of equals, hand-in-hand in heart-felt, Spirit-prompted prayer, it changed my life. True Christianity offers forgiveness for the past, power to live a pure, kind, and loving life in the present, and an amazing forever!

If religion doesn’t transport people into God’s presence, it’s like getting on a tour bus and hearing a talk without going anywhere. Sit still and listen church makes me feel like a natural spectator, not like a supernatural participant.

Priests behaving badly in Pensylvania

A grand jury report issued on August 14 revealed that Roman Catholic bishops in Pennsylvania covered up child sexual abuse by more than 300 priests that took place over a period of 70 years. (A week before that numerous allegations of sexual harassment against, Bill Hybels, a prominent, Protestant megachurch pastor, were revealed.) Those news reports inspired these thoughts:

Congregations give way too much power to one-man. Holding power over others in church is dangerous. Perhaps by trusting priests and pastors with too much power church has opened the door for predatory behavior.  Maybe we should try equality, honesty, humility and mutual accountability instead of religious hierarchy.

Assuming that priests and pastors won’t do wrong and need no accountability to church members, often fulfills Jesus’ words, “the blind leading the blind.” When a priest or preacher begins to think that he is the authority, he has taken the first step on the road to abuse.

Church member’s voices are as important as the priest’s or preacher’s voice. Their silence is complicit support of a minister’s words and actions. The Bible says, “Submit to one another.” The failure of priests and preachers to obey that command leads to much pain and abuse in church.

Church power corrupts. Jesus told His followers not to “lord it over” others. We need equality in Christ’s body, not hierarchy.

When preachers and priests think they aren’t accountable to church members, they crack open a door that can lead to terrible abuse. No one man in church should ever be exalted above practical, direct accountability and openness to the other members.

Priests and preachers can do evil things. Like any Christian they need real accountability to the body of Christ (not just to a religious hierarchy).

Sin is like gravity. If we don’t continually work against it, it will pull us down and hold us there. That even applies to priests and preachers!

So what can be done? Church needs to go back to the biblical concept of mutual submission and open ministry to one another, and quit relying an the idea of an exalted priesthood or ordained ministry. For a book about how to do that, check out:  BEYOND CHURCH: AN INVITATION TO EXPERIENCE THE LOST WORD OF THE BIBLE–EKKLESIA.

A preacher’s tweak once a week isn’t enough

Christianity has to be more than a preacher’s little tweak once a week. All Christians (not just one per church) are called and ordained to preach the Gospel–to tell people the good news about Christ!

The traditional church  service typically doesn’t expect (or allow) God to do anything. He’s made a mere spectator. Church also makes people spectators watching a program. God wants us to be like living puppets animated from within by the risen Christ. Complacency, division, harassment, domination, lack of influence, show that church isn’t working the way it’s supposed to.

Church expects people to sit and look like they’re listening, but doesn’t expect them to remember or to do anything that was said. It trains people to ignore Spirit prompts and to listen to a preacher instead.

We can’t follow a script and follow the Holy Spirit at the same time. We have to choose. (When Jesus is present in a meeting there’s no need for a script). The Holy Spirit wants to give insight and revelation directly to every believer’s heart and not be confined to a sermon. When you keep the risen Jesus in sight, insight abounds!

Instead of a talk about the Lord, maybe church could prepare the way for the Lord to manifest His presence, like John the Baptist did. (Unfortunately religion seems to have little or no room for the living, resurrected Jesus Christ to demonstrate His presence and power.) The living Word of God is Christ’s presence. Church and the Bible shouldn’t be religion, but live-wire connections with Christ.

We need the living God to ignite and fan His fire in our hearts, not religious fanfare. The risen Jesus easily gets lost in church fanfare, but when people simply share what He’s doing in their lives, Jesus shows up.

Without a program, a preacher, and a sermon, church would have to listen to and follow the Spirit. Hey, that’s not a bad idea! To be a Christian we need to be Christ-accountable. It’s hard to be a Christ-follower if we ignore the risen Jesus.

Church seems to cultivate spiritual complacency. Christ creates spiritual contagion. Do you have a current Christ-connection? Christianity with complacency creates a contradiction! God is calling church to come out of its culture of complacency to continually & contagiously celebrate Christ.

Sermon-hearing without accountability or expectation to apply what is heard seems to have little impact on people or society. Sermons have limited results. Inspiring people to act on what they know is better. Facilitating Spirit-led action-taking is best!

If Christ is living in you, you don’t need to hear more talks about Him. You need to let Him overflow and carry you in His current.

The living Jesus is the best programmer. When He is allowed to run a worship meeting, it looks beautifully spontaneous. Joy and community break out when square dancers listen to and obey the caller (and when Christians meet to listen to and obey Jesus).

Church too often illustrates this principle: When the members don’t function, but are mere spectators, an organization is broken. Religious entertainment doesn’t heal church dysFUNction. Training, and empowering all members of the body to hear and obey the Spirit does!

When I read the Bible with an open heart, it always leads me into the presence of the Holy Spirit. God calls us to do the Word, not to sit and be bored. Go ahead, let God make your day! Experience the incredible, moment-by-moment movement of the Spirit in your heart!

All thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions are not created equal. Choose wise, uplifting, kind, encouraging, pure, and helpful ones.

Bill Hybels & Willow Creek show flaws of “Big Man On Campus” church

Perhaps Bill Hybels shows that the “Big Man On Campus” way of doing church is flawed. Here’s are some insights inspired by Bill’s alleged backstage harassment incidents at Willow Creek.

Religious leaders who have power over a congregation and little or no personal accountability to them can easily sexually harass people. They can also get exposed by courageous people with a “me too” hashtag by their name.
Colorful, dancing stage lights and comfortable, “seeker-friendly” church are a poor substitute for Christ’s light. Too many Christian leaders, like a comet’s elliptical orbit, breeze by Christ on Sunday morning and then go far away from Him during the week.
When the Spirit’s not freely flowing, there’s not much spiritual growing. Christian growth needs the irrigation of the Holy Spirit, not the ear oration of one man’s sermons.
Christianity presented as theory is weak, but experienced as Christ’s living presence it’s revolutionary! Every transformative encounter with Christ is worth thousands of informative sermons about Him.
When there’s no sensitivity to the spontaneity of the Spirit, church becomes structured and stifled (and often controlled by one man). Making one man the Christian expert shuts down a church’s sensitivity to the spontaneity and conviction of the Spirit. It also isolates that one man and makes him vulnerable to being manipulated by his own pride and power.
To try to keep people entertained some churches have resorted to “haha moments” instead of “aha moments.” However, people need “Christ-ahas,” where His presence and reality transform their soul, not just religious entertainment or information about Him.
Early Christianity wasn’t about robotics (repeating things by rote after a celebrity preacher). It wasn’t about an outward form of religion. It was about Christ’s fire, conviction, and accountability surging in human hearts!
The Bible says, “Behold the Lamb of God,” not “Listen to sermons.” It’s time to “Look unto Jesus,” not to religious celebrities. Spiritual transformation happens when the risen Jesus is continually kept clearly in sight, not hidden behind a Big Man On Campus preacher.
Sermon-hearing is like trying to see the beauty of Christ through another flawed person’s eyes. Perhaps it’s better to see for yourself. The spiritual unsighted are sometimes surrounded by the living God, yet completely unaware of His presence. People need spiritual vision, not religious talks. To see Jesus, step out of any darkness in your life, open your spiritual eyes, and look at His light shining in your conscience.
Humans have the ability to resist and overcome compulsions, desires, and feelings. We don’t have to give in to them! To be unaware of your mental and emotional programming is to be a blind victim of it. Without sexual restraint and accountability, consensual easily becomes compelled.

When Jesus lights up your heart with His fireworks, releasing aha moments in your soul, you graduate from “seeker-friendly” Christianity lite. Christianity becomes an everlasting well of love, joy, power, and peace; not people saying “O well,” after hearing one more sermon. Sermons slide through the mind, seldom sticking within, but direct encounters with Christ are unforgettable.

When your relationship with Christ is an inner delight instead of a religious rite, it’s hard to be quiet about it! Hopelessness stands on a person’s unawareness of life’s myriad of possibilities. A strong inner awareness of Christ’s presence, forgiveness, transformation, healing, and love makes life amazing, regardless of the darkness around us.

In the New Testament the body of Christ met with surrender, openness, and accountability to God and one another, not as an audience to listen to a Big Man On Campus. For two thousand years, millions of people have had a Christ-realization moment when Jesus became real to them and obeying and being accountable to Him became the most important thing in their life. Have you?

Church has theorized, theologized, mythicized, and religionized Christ. It’s time to “realize” Christ by letting Him take absolute control. (That’s what “Lord” means.) Being continually in love with Jesus is a supernatural joyride through the trials and struggles of life.

For an alternative to Big Man On Campus church, check out this link: https://amzn.to/2KJ7OBN

Bill Hybles & Willow Creek show flaws of “Big Man On Campus” church

Perhaps Bill Hybels shows that the “Big Man On Campus” way of doing church is flawed. Here’s are some insights inspired by Bill’s alleged backstage harassment incidents at Willow Creek.

Religious leaders who have power over a congregation and little or no personal accountability to them can easily sexually harass people. They can also get exposed by courageous people with a “me too” hashtag by their name.
Colorful, dancing stage lights and comfortable, “seeker-friendly” church are a poor substitute for Christ’s light. Too many Christian leaders, like a comet’s elliptical orbit, breeze by Christ on Sunday morning and then go far away from Him during the week.
When the Spirit’s not freely flowing, there’s not much spiritual growing. Christian growth needs the irrigation of the Holy Spirit, not the ear oration of one man’s sermons.
Christianity presented as theory is weak, but experienced as Christ’s living presence it’s revolutionary! Every transformative encounter with Christ is worth thousands of informative sermons about Him.
When there’s no sensitivity to the spontaneity of the Spirit, church becomes structured and stifled (and often controlled by one man). Making one man the Christian expert shuts down a church’s sensitivity to the spontaneity and conviction of the Spirit. It also isolates that one man and makes him vulnerable to being manipulated by his own pride and power.
To try to keep people entertained some churches have resorted to “haha moments” instead of “aha moments.” However, people need “Christ-ahas,” where His presence and reality transform their soul, not just religious entertainment or information about Him.
Early Christianity wasn’t about robotics (repeating things by rote after a celebrity preacher). It wasn’t about an outward form of religion. It was about Christ’s fire, conviction, and accountability surging in human hearts!
The Bible says, “Behold the Lamb of God,” not “Listen to sermons.” It’s time to “Look unto Jesus,” not to religious celebrities. Spiritual transformation happens when the risen Jesus is continually kept clearly in sight, not hidden behind a Big Man On Campus preacher.
Sermon-hearing is like trying to see the beauty of Christ through another flawed person’s eyes. Perhaps it’s better to see for yourself. The spiritual unsighted are sometimes surrounded by the living God, yet completely unaware of His presence. People need spiritual vision, not religious talks. To see Jesus, step out of any darkness in your life, open your spiritual eyes, and look at His light shining in your conscience.
Humans have the ability to resist and overcome compulsions, desires, and feelings. We don’t have to give in to them! To be unaware of your mental and emotional programming is to be a blind victim of it. Without sexual restraint and accountability, consensual easily becomes compelled.

When Jesus lights up your heart with His fireworks, releasing aha moments in your soul, you graduate from “seeker-friendly” Christianity lite. Christianity becomes an everlasting well of love, joy, power, and peace; not people saying “O well,” after hearing one more sermon. Sermons slide through the mind, seldom sticking within, but direct encounters with Christ are unforgettable.

When your relationship with Christ is an inner delight instead of a religious rite, it’s hard to be quiet about it! Hopelessness stands on a person’s unawareness of life’s myriad of possibilities. A strong inner awareness of Christ’s presence, forgiveness, transformation, healing, and love makes life amazing, regardless of the darkness around us.

In the New Testament the body of Christ met with surrender, openness, and accountability to God and one another, not as an audience to listen to a Big Man On Campus. For two thousand years, millions of people have had a Christ-realization moment when Jesus became real to them and obeying and being accountable to Him became the most important thing in their life. Have you?

Church has theorized, theologized, mythicized, and religionized Christ. It’s time to “realize” Christ by letting Him take absolute control. (That’s what “Lord” means.) Being continually in love with Jesus is a supernatural joyride through the trials and struggles of life.

For an alternative to Big Man On Campus church, check out this link: https://amzn.to/2KJ7OBN

Lookin’ like a Christian?

 

If you haven’t heard, perhaps your being herded

If you haven’t heard Christ’s living words burning in your heart, it’s easy to follow the herd. Are you being herded?

When God blazes a new trail in your heart, it often creates a mismatch with religious tradition. Jesus’ way or the religious way? When the ways part as they sometimes do, which will you follow?

Christianity began as a movement of fiery trailblazers. It was never meant to be a calculated method of smoke and mirrors. Be a trailblazer. Follow Jesus (the new and living Way) beyond programs and traditions into direct interaction with Him. (Jesus is the GPS — the On-The-Go Driving Directions App.) A church that has trouble welcoming trailblazers easily gets stuck in form and tradition.

Christianity is about following Christ out of the wilderness of sin and experiencing a new, holy lifestyle from within. Unfortunately, church is often hostile to spiritual pioneers and inner engineers who seek to follow the risen Jesus beyond religious tradition. But how can the God of surprises fit into a church that allows no surprises?

When church lumps troublemakers and trailblazers into one group, it has lost its way. Those who sit as passive spectators on God’s highway easily become roadkill. Those who follow Jesus out of the ruts become strong.

Christians claim to see the light. Those who see the light ought to be bold spiritual trailblazers not passive church spectators. Christians are called to fight with the Light, not to light up the fright.

Since Christ healed the breach between people and God, His followers should be the most creative people on earth, not the most boring. If church is in decline in the Western world, perhaps it is time to pioneer a fresh way of Christian gathering.

Somehow church became a prisoner of tradition instead of a pioneer of transformation. Life is always changing and growing. Anything that doesn’t change is dead.

To grow, people need to try things out. When church offers the opportunity to experiment with its teachings, it will become exciting. Their experiments will then verify the teachings and make them even more real to people.

Recognizing and forgiving wrong

Ignoring wrong is denial, not tolerance. However, recognizing and forgiving wrongdoing is powerful!

Forgiving others releases any emotional chokehold their hurtful words or behaviors have on your life. One of the best gifts you can give yourself is to forgive others.

Without judgment there can be no forgiveness. If no wrong is believed to have been done, then there’s nothing to forgive.

Forgiving others has nothing to do with a bad memory and everything to do with an obedient heart. To forgive someone isn’t to excuse their behavior, but to choose to refuse to blame or accuse them anymore. You can forgive someone without their cooperation, but you can’t be reunited to them without it.

Forgiveness needs to be not only given to others, but also asked for yourself. Ask people and God: “Will you please forgive me?” and see what happens. Trying to forgive yourself is trying to shortcut God’s process. Instead ask God and the people you’ve harmed to forgive you.

Far more people have heard a sermon about forgiving others than have actually forgiven everybody. (Perhaps more than a sermon is needed.)

You wouldn’t want your car washed with toxic water so why let yourself be brainwashed with toxic words, images, and media? Today is the factory for your future. Everything you think, believe, read, watch, say, and do is manufacturing your tomorrows. If you’re not open and honest, why should you expect anyone else to be.

Life’s a puzzle. Don’t complain. Instead, enjoy trying to put it together using God’s Instruction Book. The Good News is that Jesus will forgive the mess we’ve made and change our heart so that we make less mess in the future.

Society tells people to do whatever feels natural to them. Christ’s forgiveness calls and empowers people to live better than their human nature.

Anybody like repeating words after a preacher?

Some preachers’ idea of participation in church is this: “Everybody say: ‘This message is gonna be good.” If preachers want people to say a one-liner to their “neighbor,” why don’t they say: “Turn to your neighbor and quote a Bible verse.” Instead of making people repeat words after them, why don’t preachers let people listen to Jesus and share what He tells them.

Early Christianity wasn’t about robotics (repeating things by rote). It was about Christ’s fire in human hearts!

Making people robotically repeat a silly phrase to the people beside them isn’t congregational involvement in the Sunday service, no matter how much preachers love to do that. Perhaps, instead preachers could tell the congregation: “Turn to your neighbor and pray until God’s fire ignites both of your hearts!”

Trying to pump church people up by making them repeat one-liners while they listen to a one-person sermon, seems unfair. Social media platforms allow everyone a voice, but church platforms usually block everybody but the preacher. When church is directed and controlled by a man, perhaps that makes a statement that we don’t believe Jesus is able to direct it by Himself.

How would you like to hang out with friends using a programmed format every week? I think that’s how Jesus feels in church. If church trained people to enjoy hearing and following the living Jesus, more people would be thrilled about their faith during the week.

Instead church zoos people in rows like zombies instead of letting them zoom to God’s zenith in zeal of the Spirit. Church can become a behavioral loop (a rut) that recycles every week but changes nothing.

A bike is okay, but riding a jet is more powerful. Church is okay, but letting people flow in the Spirit is more powerful. Perhaps church could focus on creating an environment where the risen Jesus shows up and radically transforms hearts and lives.

What good is it to repeat words after a preacher and/or hear a message if we don’t repent of our mess? Hearer meetings (merely hearing a sermon) can become dour. Doer meetings (everyone hearing and obeying the Spirit) release power. There’s nothing like a meeting of doers of the Word, everybody listening to Jesus and then openly sharing and/or doing what He says! Try it.