Steve Simms's Blog, page 297

Faith-based facilitation–sharing karios moments in ekklesia.

Since March of 2008, my wife and I have been sharing karios moments in ekklesia with beautiful people at The Salvation Army Berry Street in Nashville, Tennessee. The experience has been so amazing that I wrote a book about it that was reviewed in the September 2016 issue of War Cry USA. They called it “ground breaking”.

Now I have just discovered a booklet, Building Deeper Relationships using Faith-Based Facilitation, published by The Salvation Army International Headquarters. It confirms and matches much of the nontraditional way we worship at Berry Street.

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“There is therefore never a time when we do not need to be recalled to our roots as an Army, never a time when we do not need to seek a new vision of the possibilities that are open to us today.” –General John Larsson

Here are some quotes from the booklet. The term kairos will be explained in the following quotes. To learn more about ekklesia click here.

“Faith-Based Facilitation (FBF) is a way of helping people think, talk, explore and respond to their issues in the light of faith. It results in the development of healthier people and communities who enjoy deeper relationships.”

“General John Gowans, captured the need for Faith-Based Facilitation when he said: ‘We must continually review what we are doing and why we are doing it.’”

“Remember the Holy Spirit is sometimes a ‘disturber’ as well as a ‘comforter’.”

“The starting point for Faith-Based Facilitation is the appreciation of the many assets, gifts and resources that people have in themselves, their families and friends, and their community. Every person – rich or poor – has unique gifts and abilities which need to be recognized and affirmed”

“Faith-based facilitation deepens relationships, helps people care for others and transforms the world God loves. It helps people connect their faith with their actions.”

“Effective, faithful leaders have always been careful to listen, consult and encourage participation when seeking to respond to the challenges and opportunities around them”

“Salvation Army facilitation teams have learnt four important things to remember in a home/community visit – Stimulate, Appreciate, Learn and Transfer (SALT). In other words, encourage people to talk (stimulate), listen to and value their perspective and resources (appreciate), learn from their experience, situation and ideas (learn), capture their learning and share it with people in other communities (transfer).”

“Unexpected ideas can occur at any step of the FBF process but especially during the times of reflection, evaluation and decision. People of faith can often sense God at work in these moments. A ‘Kairos Experience’ is the term used to describe these occasions. Kairos is a Greek word that isn’t easy to translate into other languages – it means something like ‘God’s moment’ or ‘the right time’. Such flashes of inspiration may come when we are not actively seeking them. New insight may also happen gradually and not necessarily at a specifically defined ‘moment’. FBF understands these experiences to be the work of God. Christians find the Bible, prayer and times of reflection can stimulate and lead to a Kairos experience.

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“Being properly heard and understood helps people feel valued and cared for, and tells them that they really matter. This is one of the best gifts we can give someone, especially someone who has lost hope. Even if there is very little we can do to help in practical terms, our gift of compassionate listening can soften the pain and suffering.”

“Techniques for good listening may help but on their own they are not enough. Good listening begins in the heart!”

“There are different ways of listening to the wisdom of the Bible in relation to facilitation and reflection on ‘what we do and why we do it’.”

“AN EFFECTIVE FAITH BASED FACILITATOR • Shows interest in everyone • Listens carefully • Encourages participation • Is well prepared • Shows respect for others’ views • Is patient • Is flexible • Is open minded • Motivates others • Uses a variety of tools and approaches • Keeps the process in place without controlling the outcome • Admits and learns from mistakes • Has an ear for Kairos experiences • Encourages people to explore Bible stories.”

“A LESS EFFECTIVE FAITH BASED FACILITATOR • Likes to be in control • Demands answers • Hurries things along • Judges • Is insensitive • Talks a lot • Forces his/her opinions on others • Thinks s/he knows best • Has a fixed plan • Gives most attention to the loudest people • Ignores quiet people • Sticks rigidly to a time table • Is anxious about using faith resources.”

 

Before you bite the bait of deception check the Bible.

False teaching is everywhere. Before you bite the bait, check the Bible.  Here’s an important warning from Jesus: “Watch out that no one deceives you.” Counterfeit Christianity appears real until you check the details with the Bible. Jesus warned of “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” nice people teaching false beliefs.

A big following & being on TV doesn’t mean a preacher’s message isn’t false. Beware!

Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into the truth and away from error. If you humbly listen to Him and obey, He will steer you clear from false teachings. The Bible calls the Spirit’s guidance about truth and error “the discerning of spirits.”

The Spirit and the Bible work together. Since the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Bible, the Spirit won’t contradict or lead you contrary to the teachings of Scripture.

Right heart + wrong beliefs = deception. Right beliefs + wrong heart = hypocrisy. Right heart + right beliefs = righteousness.

Faith is about surrender & obedience to the living God. Without the risen Jesus as an anchor, it’s easy to be torn apart by life’s storms and deceived by the “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

The hymn I am Resolved puts it this way: “Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit, we’ll walk the heavenly way.” -Palmer Hartsough

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Mental apps have terms & conditions

Be careful what apps you allow to be installed in your psyche! Don’t accept everything that pops up in your mental app store. When a tormenting app pops up in your mind, don’t agree with its terms & conditions.

If you don’t like some of the thoughts that run in your brain, uninstall them. A mind is a terrible thing to fill with malware. If an app is disturbing your psyche, remove it. Don’t complain or brag about it!

Cravings, habits, & compulsions are apps that are installed on your subconscious. Don’t let self-destructive mental/emotional apps run in your life. Uninstall them! The Holy Spirit works as anti-malware, cleaning up malicious programming in our psyche. If we focused on God as much as our phones, we’d be powerful spiritual warriors. The risen Jesus can remove the tormenting apps that want to run in your heart.

As an app makes obvious an app writer; creation makes obvious a Creator. Some people deny or ignore the harmful apps that are running in their mind. Why? Because they don’t want to be accountable. That’s the same reason some people deny God — because God means accountability & limits on self-gratification.

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Humble, heart to heart connections

When you connect heart to heart with people; love looks beyond your differences. Perhaps church could meet to let people connect heart to heart and to apply what they they already know about God and His love.

The Call To Worship could be: “Instead of a sermon, say or do something from the Bible that has touched your heart.” When people gather and share their passion for Jesus with one another, love shows up! All we need to do is to create an environment where the the risen Jesus takes over. He is a living dead person who isn’t a zombie. He’s “God with us.”

Humble, heart to heart connections help release God’s fountain of wholesome & uplifting originality in our midst.

 

 

 

 

How church can grow into the mature body of Christ.

We live in a time when millions of Christ-followers are leaving church because they long to see the risen Jesus directing His body and because they are weary of complying with religious systems. Some are meeting in small groups. Others are on their on. But they have all given up on church as usual.

Ephesians 4:15 says that we can “grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” That’s exciting news (not fake news) that many have never heard. It’s a call to grow beyond church as usual into the mature body of Christ.

Will those who are leaving church develop their own religious systems and put control in one person’s hands? Will those who stay in church ignore God’s loud wake up call for them to follow the risen Jesus beyond religious programming and control? It’s too soon to tell.

However, for those who want to go beyond church as usual and grow into the mature body of Christ (whether inside or outside of the institutional church system), here are some ways to do that based on Ephesians 4:

“Speaking the truth in love,” — When people are free to speak the truth with humility and compassion, the things that are holding us back come into the light. What’s hidden and unseen can’t be easily healed; but what’s brought to light in a loving environment is often mended on the spot. Modern support groups have discovered and implemented this concept. Perhaps it is time for church to as well. The book of James puts it this way: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
“Him who is the Head, that is, Christ,” — Speaking truth without being under the Headship of Christ can trample people. Truth must be handled compassionately. When we let Christ Head up our conversation and interactions, speaking only as He prompts us, truth becomes transformational. Church often makes Christ a mere figurehead while the pastor acts as the real head. To become the mature body of Christ, we must allow the risen Jesus to be the literal Head, the Symphony Conductor, when we gather in His name.
“The whole body . . . builds itself up in love, as each part does its work,” — The whole body needs to be actively involved with building one another up. In the New Testament there are more than 50 “one another” commandments. We’ve made church an audience of spectators; however, Christ wants His body to be interactive, with every part doing its work to encourage others. And what is each person’s work? Jesus’ mother put it this way: “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
“You must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking,” — As Christ-followers we are called to be led by the Spirit; not by our own analysis, opinions, and feelings. To become the mature body of Christ, we must set aside our will and follow Jesus’ will. Will you? Getting your way blocks God from having His way.

Someone gave me this feedback on “speaking the truth in love.” They said: “Often the truth spoken in love is interpreted as mean.”

Here’s my response: “And too often, when someone interprets the truth we speak, as meanness, and reacts in a mean way back toward us; we confirm their suspicions by stepping out of love and being mean back to them. That’s why Jesus said ‘love your enemies.’ Speaking the truth in love is not a one-time statement. It is sticking with love no matter how others respond to us. Speaking the truth in love doesn’t fail. We let people’s meanness provoke us and then we slip from speaking truth in love to speaking in defensiveness.”

Learn more about going beyond church as usual @Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible http://amzn.to/2kec6b2.

 

 

Are the Beatitudes shock words?

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1) It takes both deeply-felt humility and great courage to let God rule & run your life. (“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”) God is like a window but because of our pridefulness, we often look right through Him and don’t notice His presence.

2) The willingness to come out of the closet of denial & to become intently aware of your brokenness & sin, opens you up to God’s comfort & forgiveness. (“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”) Personally experiencing God is a lot different than hearing a Sunday sermon about Him.

3) If you let God melt, mold, & move you according to His will, He’ll lead you on earth like you’re in Heaven. (“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.) 

4) Don’t dump and bury your desire to do right. Obey it and find fulfillment. (“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”) Asserting your rights without living right is the road to much misery.

5) Those who show kindness to the guilty will be shown kindness when they don’t deserve it. (“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”) Guilt needs to be forgiven; not ignored, denied, drugged, or justified. Those who are not guilty don’t need mercy, grace, or forgiveness. I do.

6) Impure words & images will make your heart impure and make God seem far away. (“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”) A pure heart is delightful, not dreary. Try it and see!

7) When you make peace with God & surrender to His will, peace flows out of your life. (“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.) When people blow unkind words your way; don’t be uprooted. Just bend with the wind.

8) When you are mistreated for doing the right thing, it shows that you are obeying God and that you are aligned with His kingdom. (“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”)

9) When folks insult & lie about you because you love Jesus, you’re like an Old Testament prophet. (“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”) Have fun in the Son! Delight yourself in the Lord.

I believe that one reason Christians are called to regularly meet together is so that they can practice the Beatitudes with one another by learning to stream the Holy Spirit. No religious program can compare with a group live streaming the Holy Spirit. Like a symphony conductor, Jesus can conduct church services, if we’ll just let everybody present in the meeting, hear & do as He says.

When passionate Christ-followers meet unrestrained by religion, the Spirit flows and the Beatitudes manifest in their midst. When hearts hot for God come together unhindered, spiritual fire breaks out. The early Christians gathered to share their love for God with one another. Let’s do likewise and do this when we gather in Jesus’ name: “Those who feared the Lord talked with each other.” Malachi 3:16

The early Christians “went out and preached everywhere.” We meet to hear one man. The Holy Spirit is a great meeting facilitator, but we seldom give Him the chance. A gathering where all are free to speak words inspired by the Spirit will amaze you. Let’s play “hot potato” with words aflame with God and toss them around the room.

Excitedly sharing love for Jesus is contagious. We need an epidemic of it. Christianity’s about us surrendering to God’s will. It’s not about us imposing our will on others.

If you’re not full to overflowing with the Holy Spirit, what are you full of? Let’s create an environment where God is unrestrained & free to do whatever He wants.

At The Salvation Army Berry Street in Nashville, we meet to encounter God working in & through ordinary people as they demonstrate the Beatitudes. Our goal is to let Christ-followers gather & enter into the God dimension with one another. Come see on Sundays @ 10:45 am., 225 Berry St., Nashville 37207. Read more about it @ this link.

21st century proverbs: “So many words, so little love language.”

So many words; so little love language.

Hope = Having Ongoing Positive Expectations.

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Emotional pain’s an alarm letting you know that you’re ignoring faith, hope, & love.

Greatness & meanness are opposites.

Combativeness creates defensiveness & disunity.

As an alternative to hostility, facts can be presented with humility & compassion.

Emotional pain’s a warning that you’re eyes are on self instead of on others.

To resist temptation, tie a “not” and hold on to God!

Anybody can give in to temptation. To resist & overcome it takes faith & courage.

When you feel like being unkind, procrastinate.

You can’t impose faith on people. It must be birthed from within. Has a fresh, new life been birthed in your heart?

The body of Christ is called to meet as a family, not as a formality.

As 1 jigsaw puzzle piece needs the others, even so Christ-followers need each other.

No single Christ-follower fully represents Christ. All have some of Christ to share.

Don’t take the left side or right side of history, but God’s side – His story.

The best sports events on earth pale in comparison to experiencing God’s presence.

The “real news” is ignored by the media & that is that Jesus is living & present!

We’re all equal before God–equally guilty as lawbreakers.

You can never do enough; but Jesus has done more than enough. Login to His work.

 

Inauguration Day Thoughts: When you can’t see the light, it may be behind you.

Meanness & kindness are both boomerangs. Which will you throw? Persistent kindness melts away meanness. Try it and see. Returning kindness for hostility; is disarming.

When you don’t see much kindness; break the tread & do something kind! Kindness & joy are an incredibly powerful combination. Kindness reaches beyond resistance and touches the heart.

It takes courage & strength to be kind when you feel like being mean.  A hurting world needs healing words and loving actions.

One small step toward Jesus is a giant leap toward peace & joy. Peace comes from forgiveness; not from denial, medication or justification of sin.

When you can’t see the light, it may be behind you. Make today (and everyday) Son-day! Give your all to Jesus.

When we stop fighting God’s current, He’ll take us where we need to be. The one who plans a meeting, controls the meeting. Let’s go beyond the plans of man. If we won’t let Jesus control a church service how will we let Him control our life?

A little blessed by God is better than a lot that’s not! If we’re not working with God, we may be working against Him. People who deny themselves & radically obey Jesus are the hope of the world. Step outside of self; look up in the darkness; & experience peace in God’s glory.

God’s kingdom isn’t built by political power, but by surrender & obedience to Jesus. Jesus was like a myth, but one day I saw Him living in people & I knew He is real! Seeing Jesus, as ordinary people spoke of their love for Him, transformed my life.  If Jesus isn’t real to you, find people living out their faith & you will see Him. Making people be an audience in church can hide their love for Jesus from each other.

Christ can accomplish far more in your heart than a smartphone can in your hand. Let Jesus dismiss your dismal thoughts & fill you with delight today! It’s a great day to share some kindness with everybody you encounter.

Let’s live like Lincoln: “With malice toward none, with charity for all.” Be nice to everybody, regardless how they choose to use their God-given free will. Undeserved kindness is more powerful than justifiable combativeness.

To love is to show kindness & compassion; not to condone. My hope for the future is in the living, resurrected Jesus! I’m celebrating the risen Jesus. Life’ll work better if we focus more on God’s government than on man’s government. “We must put loyalty to Christ first.” –A.W. Tozer

“Christianity is so entangled with the world that millions never guess how radically they have missed the New Testament pattern. Compromise is everywhere.” –A.W. Tozer

The Salvation Army Berry Street might help you see the light as everyday people show and tell what God has done. Come see — every Sunday morning @ 10:45, 225 Berry St. Nashville, TN 37207.

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Google in your soul

When I Googled in my soul, I found these thoughts:

A radiant hope, riding in your chest, makes life delightful!

Catch a wave of hope rolling through your heart and ride it all the way to joy.

Don’t give up hope. Give in to the will of God.

You know more than you know you know. Listen to the still, small voice within.

If you will follow a GPS, why won’t you follow your conscience?

Your conscience can show you where you’re wrong & how to make things right.

When conscience is ignored, it slowly fades away.

We’ve been falsely taught to look to others for approval, not to our own conscience.

Guilt comes from being at odds with your own conscience; not from others.

If you wear your shirt twisted, you’ll be uncomfortable. Same with your conscience.

Overriding your conscience is like driving blindfolded.

A clean conscience is one of the coolest things there is.

Our culture has taught us to obey our feelings & ignore our conscience.

Conscience is almost never mentioned in our culture. We ignore it to our peril.

If I didn’t listen to my conscience, I’d be caught up in lots of bad behavior.

Obeying our conscience can save us from a lot of self-inflicted misery.

Align your desires to your conscience; not the other way around.

Don’t let your wait be wasted. Trust in the Lord!

Hearing God with your spiritual ears will shrink your fears. Are you listening?

When you lose yourself in helping others, you open a pathway for inner peace.

A fresh idea in an ancient book can renew the impact of church–1 Corinthians 14:26.

When Christ-followers sit silently in church, we miss hearing Christ through them.

Christianity’s not based on a weekly talk, but on hearing & obeying the risen Jesus.

Christ’s body is

Called to meet

As a community

Of mutual ministry.

The smell from Hell

Is like a yell;

“DON’T COME HERE!”

Let Heaven’s gate

Irrigate your heart

With living water,

God’s new wine.

Satisfaction begins when self-focus ends.

A “me first” attitude fumbles around in the awkwardness of self-consciousness.

Christianity should not be a blend with societal norms, but a departure from them.

Concede the need to lead and learn to humbly follow wisdom.

A discouraged heart stumbles and falls, even when the road is paved with gold.

Consumerism offers no real hope; only countless distractions that slowly disappoint.

A drug high is nothing but a momentary chemical denial of inner misery.

It’s who you are on the inside that counts–not how you appear to others.

When Jesus separates the sheep from the goats, which will you be? Why?

What’s happening around you is not as important as what’s happening in your heart.

Nothing will ever fully satisfy you, if you don’t find inner peace.

If you will ask your phone to talk to you, why won’t you ask God to talk to you?

Inner pain can only be healed by letting God change you from the inside out.

Like a wind dancer air puppet, zestfully moving around, the Holy Spirit animates me.

Others need you as much as you need them.

Is a road sign that says “WRONG WAY” judgmental?

Make a course correction. Take a step in the right direction.



Guilt denied eats at your insides. Guilt confessed & forgiven feels like Heaven.

Yes to women in ministry-not a few ordained women but let all believers be ministers.

Schools and churches lecture to dispense information. Teams train to work together.

The pulpit could be shared by all, not restricted to one man (or one woman).

Christ-followers are called to be light; not lite.

Are you transformed to be like Jesus or conformed to be like the culture? -Rom. 12:2

Go ahead and Google God on the search engine in your soul.

 

 

 

Quoting my thoughts

These thoughts went from my mind to meet you online. Sometimes I quote others, but these are some self-quotes Thanks for browsing through them.[image error]

Jesus is available to you. Are you available to Him? Jesus’ first message was “Repent,” meaning turn away from rebellion & toward God.

Everything’s moving through time, except God. Anchor to Him! If your back’s toward God, you’ll be unaware of His presence. To assume God doesn’t exist because you’re unaware of Him, is illogical. To believe God doesn’t see you, because you don’t see Him, is unfounded.

Without love life languishes. Jesus releases waves of love from within–love for God & love for man. Don’t let your heart be hacked by unkindness and hostility. Sometimes people call others “unloving” because they confuse love with approval. To approvingly watch someone self-destruct is the very opposite of love.

Faith needs faithfulness. If you really believe something, you live like it is true! Grace is transformational. When embraced, it produces Christ-like character. To think you are right with God, if you aren’t, is a great deception.

Grace without truth is merely sentimentalism. Grace doesn’t ignore sin. Like Jesus did with adultery (expanding it to include lust in the heart) grace expands the definition of sin. If we are good people we don’t need grace because we can stand on our on merit. Only bad people like me need grace. Jesus expanded the definition of adultery (and other sins) so that we would realize that we all need forgiveness. Love and grace don’t deny sin. Instead they offer forgiveness from past sin and the power to overcome present sin.

A fresh way for Christ’s body to meet will open new doors for the Spirit to work. Meetings that focus people’s attention on one man, distract attention from Jesus. Christ-followers are called to trust in and depend on the risen Jesus, not clergy. When you get an “urgie” to call on a clergy, try calling on the risen Jesus instead.