Steve Simms's Blog, page 294

Don’t wait until Easter to celebrate!

Why wait till Easter for Jesus’ resurrection? He’s been alive 2,000 years! If the risen Jesus who lives in us can’t lead us, who can? Look to Jesus moment by moment! If you can go an hour without loving thoughts about Jesus, you may not know Him.

Plug into Jesus & let His presence flow through you like an electric current! The risen Jesus Christ wants to be a fountain of beautiful emotions flowing from within you!

Many think that Jesus can’t lead a church service all by Himself–but He can (if we let Him)! Instead of following Jesus as the living way, we often block His way with our way. Pride lives your way. Jesus calls us to deny self & then follow Him and His way. Let Jesus take over and trump your plans today, redirecting you His way!

I love it when everyday people meet as a body of equals in Christ’s ekklesia! Ekklesia is Christ’s ecosystem where His presence & power echo from heart to heart.

Let God give you His brain scan. Let His Spirit & the Bible scan your mind & heart. Without the writings of the first Christ-followers as a plum line, deception’s easy. To align with Christ and Scripture is to be set free from self-pity & self-destruction.

Avoid “another Jesus.” Follow & obey the Jesus of the Bible. See 2 Corinthians 11:4. Don’t accept “a different gospel.” Stay with the New Testament. See Galatians 1:6.

Christianity isn’t a chameleon religion. It’s a steadfast, lifelong surrender to Jesus. Grace doesn’t overlook your wrongs. It pays your sentence if you turn from your sin. Without God’s judgment there’s no grace. Innocence doesn’t need it. I deserve God’s punishment; He offers me mercy. That’s grace & I’m so grateful!

Christ’s inclusiveness doesn’t include our sin. He calls us to “repent.” (Mt. 4:17) God loves us like we are but He doesn’t want us to be stuck in self-torment, sin & misery. True love calls people away from self-inflicted danger & pain.

Happy Pi Day (3/14)

For Pi (3.14) Day (3/14), here’s Ephesians 3:14: “I bow my knees before the Father.”

Like pi, true Christianity never ends: 3.14159265359…forever.

Here are a few more pi Bible verses:

Matthew 3:14 — “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.”

Galatians 3:14 — “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

Philippians 3:14 — “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 3:14 — “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

1 Thessalonians 3:14 — “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”

Titus 3:14 — “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.”

Hebrews 3:14 — “We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.”

James 3:14 — “If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.”

1 Peter 3:14 — “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”

2 Peter 3:14 — “Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”

1 John 3:14 — “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.”

Revelation 3:14 “These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.”

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Don’t be stuck in Cold Case Christianity

Is Jesus Christ a cold case in your heart? Have you filed away His claims on your life and left them to languish until some undiscovered evidence happens to fall in your lap?

Many people have done just that. Sure, at some point in their life, they have acknowledged some degree of interest in Jesus — joined a church, walked an aisle, gotten baptized. However, for the most part, Jesus is no longer a real interest in their life. Now He’s just a cold case to them.

Cold case Christianity is really quite dry, lifeless, and boring. It is like the valley of dry bones that the prophet Ezekiel saw. However, God had so much more for those dry bones than being a cold case scattered across a valley of death! God asked Ezekiel: “Can these bones live?”

Then God told Ezekiel to cry out to the cold case of those dry bones and to tell them to come alive! And they did! They became a mighty army for God.

Cold case Christianity never gets above lukewarm; but the risen Jesus is calling out for us to come alive like those dry bones did. Jesus is offering us His spiritual fire to blaze uncontrollably in our heart and to raise us up to be elite soldiers in His Army!

Why settle for Jesus as a cold case in your heart? Why not open up and let Him breathe His Holy Spirit inside of you in a way that overcomes all your resistance and makes you a flaming torch for God?

If my words haven’t inspired you to cry out for more of God’s fire; perhaps this song, “Come Alive (Dry Bones),” will. Listen to it here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XAeyFagceQ

Smoke & mirrors & religion can never replace the reality of God’s fire burning in your heart! 

Lukewarm Christianity isn’t what God wants.

Firefighters use controlled burns, but perhaps we need to give up control and let God burn uncontrollably in church meetings. Unfortunately church services are often run by firefighters who hose down and either quench or contain Gods’ fire! Although church has often trained us to put out fires spiritual fire, Jesus wants us to get fired up!

To meet & let the Holy Spirit lead (instead of a human) releases God’s fire! Those Spirit-led worship meetings (the Greek NT “ekklesia”) produce on fire, Spirit-led people. (Learn more @ this link.)

To have the kind of fire that the first Christ-followers had, we need to adhere to their writings. To disregard the Bible is to depart from “the faith once delivered unto the saints.”

If we don’t learn to let God’s fire burn freely in church, where will we? To live in victory, continually saturate yourself with the Bible & the Spirit’s fire!

I love to see God’s fire flow out through ordinary people! Hearing a teaching or sermon about Jesus isn’t the same as actually experiencing His fire. Religious information is not enough — we desperately need God’s fire! Beyond sanctimony & ceremony Jesus has released a fire that many never see.

Paul wrote letters to small groups of Christ-followers — epistles to ekklesias. Let those letters burn in your heart as love letters from God!

Lukewarm Christianity isn’t what God wants. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord?” –Jeremiah

Is “Fire” the ignored word on The Salvation Army Flag? We desperately need the fire of God raging in our heart! William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army, put it this way: –“Send the fire! To burn up every trace of sin, To bring the light and glory in, The revolution now begin, Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!”

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“His word is in my heart like a fire, shut up in my bones, I am weary of holding it in.” –Jeremiah

“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” –John the Baptist speaking of Jesus

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” –1 Thessalonians 5:19 ISV

“Set a fire down in my soul that I can’t contain that I can’t control.” –from a Will Reagan song

“If you know a church on fire for God, tell me and I’ll go.” –Leonard Ravenhill. I wish Leonard Ravenhill could have visited The Salvation Army Berry Street — 225 Berry St., Nashville 37207 on Sundays at 10:45 am.

Does hearing a preacher = hearing God?

Has church substituted hearing the preacher for hearing the living God? Hints of God are everywhere. Why not take the hint and listen to Him? When church is led by the Spirit, not just by the preacher, it’s supernatural!

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God’s not wanting a special place; but a special environment. He’s looking for hearts open to hearing His voice!

If we won’t let the risen Jesus be active and vocal among us, church can become a meeting without power. Let’s meet around an active God who works and speaks among us, instead of trying to keep God inactive and silent.

If everything in a church service is planned; there’s no room for God to be active. In planning church services, preachers frequently forget to give God an active role.

If we don’t need God to do anything when we meet for worship, then in reality, we’re running things. Church often takes the active God of the Bible & puts Him in a passive role. Let’s allow Jesus to be the outspoken CEO in church, not just a silent partner! Don’t make Jesus a spectator in His body. Let Him be the Head.

Hearing people share testimonies about God can be more powerful than religious ceremonies. Perhaps it is time to listen to more than an preacher!

So, here’s a quesion. What % of a church service does God lead & direct vs. what % does the preacher?

Sure, God can lead through a pastor’s plans and/or a ministry team’s plans. However, a truth that church often misses is that Jesus can personally and directly lead a worship meeting all by Himself. When people come together for worship without a program and simply ask Jesus to take the meeting and lead it, He does! The problem is that Christians very seldom turn a meeting over to Jesus like that! Will you and your church?

If you need help going beyond church as usual check out Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia.

 

 

 

I don’t like the “The Snack” because God’s not a snack, but life’s main course.

Anybody can show tolerance, but the risen Jesus Christ, alone, offers transformation! Jesus didn’t come to celebrate our fallen condition, but to set us free from it!

To judge is to either condemn or to approve. The living Jesus wants to do neither. Instead, He wants to change our life by setting us free us from our sins & rebellion.

And so, ask not for God’s approval. Ask for God’s forgiveness and transformation.

 

Witnesses to truth, not approvers of error

Jesus calls us to be witness to His truth, not just to passively agree with others. Paul put it this way: “Speaking the truth in love.” Christ-followers aren’t called to give approval to others, but to lovingly and boldly speak truth.

It’s dangerous to speak approvingly about things you believe are morally wrong. Ignoring your conscience to offer approval to others is not wise.

Christ’s ekklesia produced writings that were brought together as the New Testament. Today we need to follow, obey, and proclaim the truth contained in those writings!

So how can Christ-followers grow the courage to resist the politically correct concept of approving of everything and everybody? We need to focus on the Bible & the body of Christ — the writings of the first Christ-followers and body ministry. When Christ’s body meets to be led by His Presence & guided by the Bible, miracles happen. If Christ-followers will begin to minister to one another; we’ll see a mighty move of God. The “let the preacher do it” mentality causes us to depend on one man rather than on God.

However, the body of Christ functions (according to 1 Corinthians 12:7-14) like this:  “To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” Therefore let’s meet & do what the Bible says: “encourage one another & build each other up.” (See 1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Ephesians 4:16 shows how the body of Christ grows by each person actively participating, not just being spectators. It says that Christ’s body “grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Beyond church as a one-man show is the body ministry of “one anothering.” Ekklesia asks what has God said in Scripture & what is He saying to us now? Thus, body ministry develops mature Christians by letting them hear God and then minister to one another as they are led by His voice. This begins to grow their faith and confidence to the point where they no longer conform to the world, but instead begin to speak God’s truth in love as bold witness of the risen Jesus; both living out and proclaiming the Bible. (Learn more at this link.)

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Hope from the writings of the first Christ-followers

My heart dances with excitement and hops with hope when I read the writings of the first Christ-followers. They reveal truth. Read them daily & see! Open your heart to the writings of the first Christ-followers (WFCF) & be renewed.

The WFCF (Writings of the First Christ-Followers) were gathered together as the New Testament. Regularly reading the NT with an open heart transformed my life and continues to fill me with peace and power. The WAH (Writings of Ancient Hebrews) go together with the WFCF to make up the most powerful book in the world — the Bible!

Without supernatural revelation, Christianity is just one of many religions. The first Christ-followers actually encountered the living Jesus (Emmanuel–God with us) and His supernatural revelation. They wrote their experiences down.

The Holy Spirit gives direct supernatural revelation to those who are willing to turn from self to Him. The Spirit also makes the revelation contained in the Bible come alive and burn in the hearts of those who dare to read it and obey it as a love letter from God!

To disregard the Bible is to disregard the foundations of true Christianity. To put our feelings & opinions above the Bible leads to deception.

The risen Jesus makes the Bible come to life and ignites it to burn in our heart! “They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'” –Luke 24:32

The Bible is the handbook that can train us to follow & obey the risen Jesus. Setting aside the Bible for our own opinions isn’t true Christianity.

Take this challenge. Everyday for at least 5 minutes, for 21 days, read the writings of the first Christ-followers, without missing a day. If you do this, Jesus will do amazing things in you life. Try it and see!

Learn more about how the writings of the first Christ followers can connect you with the risen Jesus and carry you beyond church as usual. Click on this link.

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Uncurriculum & God’s fire!

Heart-felt, unscrpited, Spirit-inspired testimonies are tremendously powerful. Encountering Christ together is more powerful than the best religious program. If Christ is in you let Him rise up & take over. You can’t casually look at the sun or the Son. Their light is overwhelming.

Highly programmed church services are the norm. We need some unprogrammed ones. Unscripted conversations with others are common, why not unscripted church? When we meet & let God be unprogrammed, He does amazing things!

Let’s let the risen Jesus be the director & leading actor when we meet in His name. Ekklesia lets the living Jesus chair the meeting! Wired or wireless, without a direct connection with the risen Jesus, we are spiritually offline. Having church without direct input from Jesus is like using a computer offline.

Perhaps churches need an unprogrammed, unscripted curriculum — an uncurriculum.We need “Spiriculum” – The Holy Spirit’s curriculum for your life (or for a church meeting). Jesus doesn’t want to be part of your life. He wants your complete surrender.

Christianity used to be shocking. Have we made it mundane? Today sermons often talk about Jesus like He’s not in the room ready to interact with us. Plug into God’s power source – the Holy Spirit. Let Him shock you!  Continually live stream the risen Jesus on your mental screen (your brain tablet).

God’s like an electric current. When you touch Him you know it! Let’s make room in church for the power and spontaneity of the Holy Spirit! When Christianity became a Sunday show it set aside the Spirit’s spontaneity.

Church is too focused on religious information & not enough on spiritual formation. Religious entertainment is a poor substitute for the presence of the risen Jesus. Let living Jesus Christ consume your consciousness 24/7/365!

Today’s Christianity needs virtueal reality: lifestyles reflecting God’s virtue. The risen Jesus isn’t a faint flicker. He’s an all consuming fire! “Blood & Fire” – The Salvation Army’s recipe for spiritual success! The Salvation Army was built on total trust in the blood of Jesus and the biblical truths about Him, along with the fire of His Holy Spirit blazing uncontrollably in the hearts, outreaches, & meetings of the early Salvationists!

The key to happiness: Sweep self aside and focus on following & obeying the risen Jesus. Neither denying your guilt or “forgiving yourself” can replace turning to God for forgiveness. Don’t settle for religious information. God has spiritual transformation for you.

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Dear Salvation Army: We need God’s fire more than ever!

Back in the day when The Salvation Army was young and was spreading the power, love, and presence of the living God around the world, General William Booth wrote a song that passionately cried out for God to send His fire! If Booth felt a deep need for God’s fire in the Army’s “glory days,” then we desperately need it today!

“Send The Fire,” is the prayer of my heart! That song gets me all worked up! We (The Salvation Army) have the word “Fire” written on our flag, but do we have the “Christ of burning, cleansing flame” roaring like an uncontained wildfire in our hearts?

William Booth called God’s fire “another Pentecost” that burns up “every trace of sin” and brings “the light and glory in.” How we need that fire! Read Acts chapter 2 to see what Booth says we need. If we don’t have the passion and power of Pentecost in our lives and in our meetings, we don’t have the fire that Booth was asking for! If there is still a “trace of sin” in our life, then we still don’t have the fire that Booth wanted The Salvation Army to have!

That’s actually good news. Since perhaps we don’t actually have the same fire that Booth sang about, then that fire is still available to us — to take both our lives and our work with The Salvation Army to new spiritual heights!

William Booth said that God’s fire, blazing in our soul, will “make our weak hearts strong and brave” and cause us “to live a dying world to save.” If we get that fire roaring uncontrollably inside of us, we will surrender “our lives, our all” to the living, resurrected Jesus “this very day.”

I want that fire! I yearn for that fire! I cry out for it! I want to feel it burning in me so much that others come to watch me burn for Jesus!

I dare you to listen to “Send The Fire” everyday for a week and see what God does in your heart! Here’s a link to it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgHKKLopKik