Steve Simms's Blog, page 282

Can politically, denominationally, racially, doctrinally, and nationally divided Christians ever be one?

In John 17, Jesus prayed that all of His followers be one. Today there are more than 40,000 denominations, Sunday morning is still the most racially segregated time in the USA, and millions of believers are leaving the institutional church and being called “Dones.” Christians are also greatly divided by politics and nationalism. It looks like Christians will never be one in an organizational oneness. Christian unity will have to be built on heart-connection with the risen Jesus. Learn more @ http://amzn.to/2wNSzFl

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Check out “ONE: Unfolding God’s Eternal Purpose From House To House” by Henry Hon on Amazon.

Where to find heart connections

Heart connections change lives. Are they encouraged anywhere besides funeral homes & support groups? Yes, in ekklesia!

Ekklesia isn’t another word for church. It’s a very different way for Christians to meet together.

Some people want to argue about the Bible. I’d rather read & obey it & let it burn in my heart & change my life! Instead of chillin’ in the fridge, let’s heat up in God’s spiritual oven.

Is it possible that too much organization can turn the body of Christ into an institutional robot? Let’s meet & do the Bible: pray for the sick; cast out demons; love our enemies; etc. Christ-followers are called to be and to do more than church as usual.

We don’t need programs & talks about our spouse, so why do we try to relate to Jesus, our Heavenly Spouse, that way? When a group gathers for unstructured time with Christ; like a kaleidoscope, He creates beautiful patterns.

Jesus calls us to walk in the light, not to hide in the night. He calls people to follow and obey Him as much on Sunday afternoon as He does on Sunday morning.

This book can help you find heart connections in ekklesia. It’s called Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia. It’s available at this link.

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My 95 Theses 43-47

My 95 Theses #47:

Don’t pressure or manipulate people by playing (or preying) on their emotions and/or religious sentiments.

My 95 Theses #46:

Use the ancient Christian practice of “the laying on of hands” as an aid to praying over people.

My 95 Theses #45:

Make time during meetings to pray for the physically sick to be healed.

My 95 Theses #44:

Ekklesia isn’t based on age groups. Children & teens may have something from God to share.

My 95! #43 — People need a safe place where they can be real. Let worship be that place.

When Christians meet heart to heart, it’s ONEderful!

Here are some quotes from the book, ONE: Unfolding God’s Eternal Purpose From House To House that illustrate that when Christ-followers meet from house to house, it’s ONEderful! Google “Amazon’s One Unfolding Purpose.”

“According to New Testament revelation, every believer should be a minister.”

“After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ…believers lived and assembled in the joy and freedom of the Spirit.”

“After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ…believers lived and assembled in the joy and freedom of the Spirit.”

Church without community is like spaghetti without sauce.

Church without community is like spaghetti without sauce. Church without unity is like unconnected chain links.

You can’t organize or hype-up genuine Christian unity. It comes through surrendering our agendas to the Holy Spirit.

If church meets around a prearranged program, it’s difficult for a leader to allow God’s Spirit to interrupt it, & rarely happens. Perhaps every church could allow some unprogrammed time in worship & just see what Jesus does.

As an expert builder can build LEGOs into incredible things, let’s allow Jesus to build us into an amazing spiritual family. As one LEGO alone can’t be built into anything, but needs to connect to other LEGOs, one Christian cannot be Christ’s body.

The Protestant churches ignore the saints. The Catholic & Orthodox churches honor the saints. God wants us to be the saints and to do the stuff the saints did. After all, it’s good to know the stuff in the Bible, but it’s better to do the stuff. To imply that the Bible is not authoritative or is not capable of being lived out nowadays, is to deny the amazing testimony of the first Christ-followers.

Learning about Jesus is good. Encountering Him is better. Daily trusting & obeying Him is best! No one can adequately tell you how powerfully Jesus works in human hearts. You just have to experience Him for yourself.

Good things happen when people talk with & listen to one another with honesty, humility, & compassion. Words shared in a personal way, heart to heart, usually mean more than words shared in a formal presentation. Heart-felt encouragement is often much more powerful than instruction.

Spiritual life means that Christ is living & actively working inside of you in ways you cannot contain. We want explanations to satisfy our mind. God wants to give us revelations to satisfy our heart.

We try to figure life out. The Bible says, “Lean not on your own understanding.” No individual, meeting, or organization can control Christ. So why try?

Why not just surrender all control to Him?

It’s amazing when Christians listen to Jesus together and then pass on what they heard to one another. We need more than information about Jesus. We need to personally experience and partake of His resurrection life!

Since we can trust God to run the universe all by Himself, perhaps we can do the same with a church service. When church always gives people a program or curriculum, people learn to rely on that more than on the living Jesus.

We not let our trust in Jesus rust & bust. Keep it shinning brightly! Daily read about Jesus in the Bible and watch your faith in God grow!

Sometimes one single step begins a great journey. To get going, get started.

Encouraging words will bounce off your mind; but flourish in your heart. Open up and let them in.

The truth is, lies hurt and wall people off from the real world by entrapping them in deception & myth. A life littered with lies, languishes in legerdemain. Even silent lies distort the truth and quietly deceive.

Lies condemn people to be continually stuck in darkness. Truth lights a path to recovery and new beginnings. Denying the truth never makes it go away. Those who lack the courage to walk in the light & live out truth, litter their lives with lies.

Here’s the truth. When you tally up the good things in your life, you’ve got a lot to be thankful for. If you focus on making your life count, you won’t have time to count your problems. Although our attitude matters most in life, we often work on improving it the least. Don’t stop when you fall down; stop when you get where you’re supposed to be.

95 Theses For Ekklesia #40-42

My 95 Theses #42:

Give people freedom in worship; to kneel, raise their hands, dance, & otherwise respond as led by the Spirit.

My 95 Theses #41: Meet like a support group so people can encourage & minister to one another.

95 Theses For Today #40:

People mean more than a program. If people are hurting, let them stop the program to ask for prayer.

My (New) 95 Theses for the 21st Century #36-39

95 (New) Theses #39:

Allow people to share their struggles & needs in church so that others can pray with them & minister to them.

New 95 Theses for the 500th Reformation anniversary #38: Create an environment where tears are accepted as normal.

New 95 Theses #37: Allow & encourage the open confession of sin. (James 5:16)

Lookin’ ahead, 500 years after Luther’s 95 Theses: My #36–

Meet in joyful assembly, enjoying Christ in one another.

Can Christians ever get on the same page?

Here’s my review of ONE: Unfolding God’s Eternal Purpose From House To House by Henry Hon

A fresh, encouraging view of the body of Christ
on August 9, 2017
Format: Paperback

If you want bold ideas based on solid, biblical theology, you need to read ONE! The author has a high regard for Scripture and the book is full of Bible quotes.

The theme of the book is that believers need to come together as one. However, the author, Henry Hon, doesn’t see that oneness as built on organizational unity but on believers learning to faithfully, follow and obey the risen Jesus, both as individuals, and also in meetings of the body of Christ.

Henry Hon begins by explaining that the Greek New Testament concept of “ekklesia” isn’t the same thing that we call “church.” He says that ekklesia “consists of all believers having equal opportunities to speak.” Hon also says, “Every believer is called to teach . . . otherwise they will remain a babe and never mature. Sharing what the believer has learned should begin as soon as a person comes to know the Lord.”

Here’s another bold statement from Hon: “The body of Christ cannot be built when the majority of the believers are dormant and not exercising their gifts.” He says: “Believers should not wait for anyone to lead them; the Spirit is leading and speaking; and they should simply follow Him.” Henry believes that the body of Christ can best function as the New Testament ekklesia by meeting in homes and by allowing every member present to hear and obey the Lord during the meeting.

Get the book here. Also check out the ONE Body Life web site that features the book.


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Another day; another miracle

Multitudes of miracles have gone unnoticed in your life. Ask Jesus to tell you about some of the miracles you’ve overlooked. I continually see Jesus do things that drastically defy the odds of probability! When things that overwhelmingly defy probability begin to consistently happen around you, you’ve begun to live in the realm of miracles.

Rationalism learns to think. Miracle-ism learns to wonder. Both are valuable

gifts from God. To go beyond the mere belief that miracles can happen and learn to depend on them in your life, is to live on a supernatural level.

Miracles in the natural world are amazing. Miracles of the heart are life transforming! Another day; another miracle. Don’t miss it! Awe begins with the recognition of a miracle!

Trying to rush a miracle usually turns into a do it yourself project. However, if you begin to daily follow and obey Jesus’ voice, you’ll find yourself surrounded by miracles.

Miracles often begin with a prompting inside the heart, but fail to manifest because we ignore the prompting. Trust Jesus enough to obey Him when He prompts you to step out into the unfamiliar, the unknown, and the uncomfortable. Courageously obeying the voice of Jesus sets the stage for miracles.

Too much self-confidence can stop miracles. The more we trust our ability, the less we trust Jesus.

Why are there so many miracles in the Bible? Because people dared to notice them and to write them down. People who don’t think they need a miracle will be oblivious to miracles. Miracle moments are easy to miss.

The belief that miracles don’t happen, keeps many people busy explaining miracles away. Some people would rather remain nestled in their comfort zone, than to see or acknowledge a miracle. Step out of your zone-of-perceived-control and watch God work. Dare to trust God so much that you stop trusting in yourself.

There is no methodology for manufacturing miracles. They’re beyond human making. Miracles happen to everybody; but many people fail to notice them. “Tiny miracle” is an oxymoron.

If things are feeling out of control, you can either panic and desperately try to fix things; or you can look to God for a miracle. If you want to see miracles; lay down your pride, acknowledge your brokenness, and open your eyes!

When we surrender control to God, He steps in and begins to manifest His presence. Jesus will direct you very specifically if you will listen to and obey Him.

Self-belief and trusting in Jesus don’t mix. “He must increase but I must decrease.”

(John 3:30)

Life becomes a series of wonders when you begin to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. The more we organize & control things, the less opportunity God has to work miracles. If you’re depending on a program, a message, or a man; you may never realize that you need God’s miracles.

The miracle wasn’t Jesus walking on water. Most people can walk. The miracle was that Jesus didn’t sink.

Some people even try to control miracles. If they don’t happen just the way they want them to, they work to explain them away.

Everyday people need to testify about the miracle’s God’s done in their lives. Church is a good place to do that! Let Christians meet to all listen to and obey Jesus, and to watch Him do miracles among them.

A well planned church service doesn’t need God’s presence. It will run without Him.

Jesus isn’t just a way maker; He, Himself, is the Way!

Sometimes people dim the light of Christ because they don’t like His brightness in their eyes. Many people block the light of Jesus with their own shadow. Then they can’t understand why their life is so dark.

Since death couldn’t hold Him down; we shouldn’t hold Him back. Let the risen Jesus flow freely in your heart! I know Jesus is alive like I know I have consciousness. There’s an overwhelming awareness inside me that can’t be denied!

Forget about finding yourself. You might not like what you find. Instead, find the living Jesus. Some focus backward on the historical Jesus; some focus forward on the soon coming King! I prefer to focus on Jesus in the now!

The best way to live life is by obedience to an inner presence, not by a procedure:

“Christ in you,  the hope of glory.” The way “we’ve always done it” may not be God’s best way! Experiencing and getting to know the resurrected Jesus will set your heart on fire!

Let go of whatever’s between you and God. It’s very easy to lay out a plan for Jesus to follow, instead of letting Him be the Way for us to follow. Jesus is the Way, but too often we want a half-way. When we refuse to bend God’s way, we’re often broken into pieces by our self-way.

Follow Jesus. He knows how to lead you. Trust Him & obey what He tells you. You’re problems won’t weigh so much when you’re following Jesus, the living Way!  If you don’t know the Way, get to know Him. His name is Jesus & He has made Himself

accessible to you. Jesus’ way is the high way! Why follow a lower way?

If you feel like you’ve lost your way, that might be Jesus calling you to His way. There’s always a more anointed & effective way to follow Jesus. Find it! The way is not religion, methodolgy, or programs. The Way is the risen Jesus! When God gave us the living Way, Jesus; He took away our excuses.

Following the majority will lead you astray & even wreck your day. But if you follow the living Way (Jesus), you’ll be okay! My way makes messes. Christ’s way creates completeness. There are many ways you can choose to live your life; but there is only one living Way. His name is Jesus. When you can’t find your way, let go and let God work His way.

The body of Christ isn’t a classroom. It’s a living, interactive organism. When God’s ordinary people are kept silent in church, their collective wisdom is fenced off from the congregation.

People forget sermons, but they remember how church made them feel. We need to help people feel Jesus’ presence. If church is always programmed ahead of time, how can Jesus demonstrate that He can direct a meeting all by Himself? Christ-followers don’t need a script to speak from the heart. Just open your mouth & let the risen Jesus speak through you.

Awe, a deep & overwhelming inner stirring, always happens when we become aware of the presence of Jesus. Jesus doesn’t always follow the road of tradition. Sometimes He blazes a new trail that’s out of the box & even uncomfortable. If you feel stuck with the way things are right now, begin to follow the risen Jesus. He makes all things new!

Don’t go astray.

Stand up for

Your right

To say no

To living the wrong way.

If nothing’s going right, perhaps you’ve left the right way.