Steve Simms's Blog, page 296

The Universe is far too complex to have been produced by time & chance.

Reformers wanted:

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Reformers wanted: Learn more about the Greek New Testament concept of ekklesia at http://amzn.to/2lSpYsF.

Could a church where only 1 person speaks be like a choir where only 1 person sings? Perhaps a meeting of the body of Christ, like a choir, needs to involve many voices, not just one.

 

Fasting, rebellion, evil & the will of God

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Fasting is a spiritual discipline that can help you realign your will with God’s. In your daily war of wills, which will will usually win? Your will or God’s will? God’s will is not being done “on earth as it is in Heaven.” That’s why Jesus prayed for God’s will to be restored to earth.

To refuse to align yourself with God’s will is to embrace rebellion against Him. God didn’t create evil. Rebellion against God’s will created evil. “Repent” means “align your thoughts, words, & actions with God’s will.” Fasting helps do that.

Experience prayer & fasting & ordinary people flowing in the Holy Spirit on Sat. Feb. 18, 2017 at The Salvation Army, 225 Berry St., Nashville 37207 between 10 & 4.

Seeing the risen Jesus flowing in a group of regular people, transformed my life. It will do the same for you. Come see!

After the fast I will post a report on this blog post. I invite you to come & fast with us on Saturday & and then share your experiences in the comments on this post.

 

A refuge for church fugitives

Give me your tired church refugees, done with church as usual, and yearning to breathe free. (A paraphrase of Emma Lazarus’ words on the Statue of Liberty.)

Refugees from church: we’ll take you in & let you speak out as led by the Spirit. Church fugitives find the freedom in the Spirit that they’ve wanted for years, at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St. 37207 on Sundays at 10:45 am., where instead of a one-man talk, regular people share from their heart as they are quickened by the Holy Spirit.

 

Reflections on Jesus

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“Jesus rose,” is much more reasonable than “nothing produced everything.” A virgin birth is much more reasonable than time & chance creating the Universe. Jesus walking on water is much more reasonable than life creating itself.

The living Jesus can personally lead us. He doesn’t need surrogates but servants. We need to be servants carrying the risen Christ within us; not surrogates substituting our efforts for His presence.

Jesus’s love is so often unrequited. Requite His love–love Him back! Breathe love; give love; embrace self-denial, humility, & obedience to Christ. There’s no question that Jesus loves you. The question is “Do you love & obey Him?”

People get worked up about politics, sports, patriotism, business — why not Jesus? Perhaps Christ-followers could gather to share enthusiasm for Jesus — “Rejoice!” To present Christianity as boring is a great disservice to the Gospel!

First century Christ-followers were on fire. Then we made them sit silently & listen. Christians used to meet & rejoice. Then we made them quietly watch a presentation. Gifts of the Spirit used to flow through regular people. Then we set up clergy. Christians used to meet as a loving family. Then we turned it into a one-man program. Ancient Pentecost was overflowing enthusiasm for Jesus. Then we organized it out.

True Christianity is earth’s most exciting lifestyle–sad it’s been taught as dull. Let’s unleash the Spirit to blow like wind from within those who gather in His name. Let’s let the presence of Christ breathe His excitement into church services!

There are many gifted people in a gathering of Christ-followers — not just one! I love it when each person brings a spiritual “dish” to share in a worship meeting.

Open your heart valves & let God’s love flow from your inner most being. (John 7:38) From many comes one voice when the Spirit prompts members of Christ’s body to speak in a meeting.

Resist ungodly thoughts, feelings, & desires. Don’t let them control your life. Be cooperative with Christ; non-cooperative with evil.

Experience the risen Jesus personally leading a meeting every Sunday morning at 10:45 at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, TN 37207. Read more about it at this link.

Live it up with fervor, avidity, passion, & ardor!

Heart-felt faith

Follows Jesus with fervor,

Prays with passion,

Adores with ardor.

Maybe church could focus folks’ attention on the risen Jesus instead of on a pastor. An interactive, personal relationship with the risen Jesus is amazing.

Let God put insatiable avidity for Jesus in your heart & you’ll never be the same! Faith in Jesus produces a holy-hallelujah lifestyle — not a ho-hum one! Religion presents God’s Son as humdrum; but faith in Jesus is electrifying!

“Casual faith” is an oxymoron. Faith in Christ is all consuming! Be avid about Jesus. Don’t avoid Him. Love for Jesus is contagious & the sooner you catch it, the more you’ll enjoy life.

Jesus is the only app that can satisfy you! Install Him & let Him run your life. Like a Mexican jumping bean jumps by a life within, let Jesus do the jumping in you.

I can’t be like Jesus if I don’t stop being like me. (That’s called “repentance.”) God installed a spiritual fitbit (called a conscience) in everyone. Many ignore it.

The best leader is the one who humbly models letting the living Jesus be the Leader. The world’s greatest leader is the risen Jesus. Follow Him & you won’t go wrong.

So much preaching; so little fire.

So much preaching; so little fire. Without God’s fire continually ablaze in our heart, we won’t be what He wants us to. However, when God’s fire is burning in your heart, you have to work to find time for anything besides Him.

“The fire on the altar of your heart needs to be stirred up occasionally.” –William Booth

Caring, participatory interaction transforms people. Lecturing merely informs them. Letting people speak as they are quickened by the Spirit is a beautiful way to meet.

Jesus needs no surrogate. He’s present, active, & powerful when we meet in His name. When we’re together for worship, we can actually let the risen Jesus call the shots (like a movie director does). He can direct a church meeting without a human surrogate!

When Christ is speaking for Himself, it’s awkward if someone tries to be His surrogate. After all, if Christ is communicating for Himself, a surrogate for Him is unnecessary.

Faith-based facilitation trusts the risen Jesus to speak in & through regular folks. It releases the resources of Heaven through everyday people. It trains everyday people to hear Jesus speaking directly to them.

Preaching proclaims &

Teaching explains, but

Faith-based facilitation

Trains ordinarry people

To hear & obey

The living Jesus!

Here are a few quotes about facilitation:

“When people who attend experience that their presence is truly wanted and valuable, and that their unique gifts are necessary for the best outcome of the gathering, the possibility for authentic engagement, leading to success, is greatly enhanced.”

–Craig and Patricia Neal with Cynthia Wold

“Engagement explodes in meetings when people are listened to & acknowledged.” –Sibbet

“The participatory process liberates the members of the group & strengthens the group.” –David Lester

“The facilitator encourages full participation, promotes mutual understanding & cultivates shared responsibility.” –Sam Kaner

“Facilitation as a style of leadership is rapidly gaining ground.” -Steve Davis

Some walls need to fall. Being part of a faith-based facilitation group can help bring them down. Don’t fence Christ out of your heart.

Faith-based facilitation can turn a meeting into a gathering of “live wires” popping with Christ’s presence & power! When various people are moved by the Spirit, they all wind up on the same page — filled with God’s fire!

This will help to get and keep God’s fire going in your heart.

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“For fire we plead!” -William Booth

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Reading Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia can help you discover God’s fire!

Christ Follower’s Almanack (Poor Richard style equips)

Ben Franklin published quotes from “Poor Richard” in an “almanack” he published annually from 1732 to 1758. It contained many quotes and quips by “Poor Richard” (Franklin’s pseudonym).  In the tradition of Franklin’s Poor Richard, here are some quips & quotes for Christ Follower’s Almanack:

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Worry won’t win. Worship will.

The best explanation of God can’t compare with a simple experience of God’s reality.

Passion for Jesus can’t be taught by a preacher. It must be caught in your heart!

Preaching proclaims. Faith-based facilitation demonstrates!

Preaching without demonstration is usually forgotten.

Christ-followers are called to facilitate God’s fire in one another!

Let’s go beyond a one-man “know-show” by letting the Holy Spirit freely flow thru all.

Faith is about trusting God no matter what; not about your personal prosperity.

Is it time to remove the  centuries old ban on everyday people speaking out in church services?

Religious protocol can distract us from the presence & power of the risen Jesus.

Christ’s love, burning in your heart, makes life amazing!

Won’t let politics or tradition blow it out, I’m gonna let Christ’s light shine!

The living Jesus shows me that death’s not the end all be all.

Grace works for those who admit & repent from their sin–not for the innocent.

Many people don’t want God to keep score in their life, but He does.

got grace? Grace condemns your sin & then puts your condemnation on Christ.

No matter where you are, you can make an incredible comeback in your life if you give your all to Jesus!

Many people vote to reject church by staying away from it. Perhaps it is time to get back to the 1 Corinthians 14:26 format.

Are you experiencing Jesus like they did in the Book of Acts?

Be a jubilante! Celebrate Jesus everywhere you go.

JOY is:

Jubilantly

Obeying

Yahweh!

Perhaps Christ’s body could be a blend of people sharing & not flavored by just one.

Let’s gather together to encounter Jesus & let Him lead us.

Ekklesia is a fruit of the Spirit smoothie.

Google this: “ekklesia the lost word of the Bible”

 

The Equalizer–How Christians meet

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When Christ-followers meet as active participants, they’re involved and empowered. The gathered body of Christ, like an orchestra, needs to let all who are present, play their part. Letting people experience Christ together is often more effective than a sermon.

How Christ-followers meet really matters. A meeting of spectators can create indifference. However, a Spirit-led encounter group helps us experience Jesus in and through one another. Love flows when we let the living Jesus choreograph a gathering of His body. Then the body of Christ learns to build one another up, not put each other down!

When we continually meet to hear one man speak it can train us to be unaware of God’s voice in our own heart. To be unaware of God’s inner voice is to be lost in a sea of confusion.

A problem with a scripted meeting is God’s Spirit may not want to follow our script. However, Spirit-led facilitation  trusts the living Jesus to speak through the everyday people who are present in the meeting.

Spirit-led facilitation allows people to experience Christ together. It releases Jesus’ healing and reconciliation. A Jesus-meeting is supposed to be the real equalizer since all are equal at the Cross. There’s no need for a rigid hierarchy.

The Equalizer is more than a movie. Those two words also describe a gathering of Christ-followers meeting in the presence of the living, resurrected Jesus. Gathered humbly at the Cross, we all become equal before God and before one another.

The risen Jesus is either ignored or adored. Let’s meet to adore Him, not to ignore Him. Let’s train to be more and more sensitive to the living Jesus, meeting together to help one another learn to hear and obey His inner voice.

Experience Spirit-led facilitation at The Salvation Army Berry Street in Nashville, Tennessee every Sunday morning at 10:45 at 225 Berry St., Nashville 37207. Read more about it in the book, Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia.