Steve Simms's Blog, page 80

Who was Stephen in the Bible?

Who was Stephen in the Bible? The apostles (sent ones) tried to put him in the role of a “table server.” But in reality, Stephen, the first Christ-follower to be killed for his faith, was a Spirit-led man of God who refused to be defined by a religious role. In spite of the assignment that he had been given, Stephen was so “full of God’s grace and power” that he “performed great wonders and signs among the people.” Even though he had been confined to the role of “table server,” the Spirit gave him wisdom “as he spoke.”

Today “layman” is a religious role that creates multitudes of passive Christian spectators. They sit in rows on Sunday mornings waiting to receive wisdom from one man’s talk. However, if they would speak up in the meeting, as they are told to in 1 Corinthians 14:26, like Stephen, the Spirit would also give them wisdom as they speak.

I’ve heard a lot of Sunday talks, but I remember almost nothing about them. However, when I have preached, the Spirit has given me much wisdom as I spoke. My wife and I have hosted hundreds of Christ-focused meetings where anyone present could speak as they felt led by the Spirit (as in 1 Corinthians 14:26). We have witnessed amazing wisdom being given to people “as they speak” and we have seen their faces shine like an angel’s.

Stephen was on to something! It’s time to step beyond any religious role that you have been assigned and to boldly speak up about Jesus as you allow His Spirit to lead and direct you. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”

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Why wait for persecution? (Break out of passive religious formalism now!)

Is getting people to faithfully attend a Sunday morning Christian meeting planned and directed by one man, and to passively listen to a sermon by him each week, effectively inspiring people to be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom? Is the word of God spreading? Are the number of disciples in increasing rapidly? Are a large number of religious people becoming obedient to the faith? If the answer to any of these questions is no, perhaps we need to change the way we present Christianity.

The traditional methods of presenting Christianity target the mind. Perhaps it’s time we aimed for the heart. Presenting church attenders with religious information isn’t filling them with wisdom. Running church people through a weekly religious routine isn’t filling them with the Holy Spirit.

We need to go beyond church as usual. We need to train people to open their heart and to “hear what the Spirit is saying to the ‘ekklesias.'” It’s time to shift from the human programming and control of church services to Spirit-led gatherings where anyone present can say and do what the Spirit tells them to.

After the apostles (sent ones) had all the rest of the Christ-followers choose 7 “table servers” (see Acts 6) who were “full of the Spirit and wisdom,” the Holy Spirit took over and two of those waiters (Stephen and Phillip) begin to boldly proclaim the risen Jesus and to do signs and wonders among the people. Suddenly all the Christ-followers (except the apostles/sent ones) were being scattered everywhere preaching as they went, and the Christian movement was launched from Jerusalem and sent to the ends of the earth.

I believe that if Christians in America and other Western countries continue to hold back and box up God’s Spirit with our religious traditions, programming, control, and comfort zones, we will begin to experience persecution that will shake us up to such a degree that we will cry out to the living Jesus like never before. Then Jesus will begin to show up with great grace and great demonstrations of His presence and power.

Here are my questions: Why wait for persecution? Why not break out of passive religious formalism now?

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Beyond the recipe

Daily writing promptWrite about your most epic baking or cooking fail.View all responses

When I try to follow a recipe, I get nervous because I feel like I’ve got to be 100% accurate with all the measurements. Then I get frustrated, and what comes out of the oven or off the stove is usually bad. It’s hard to say which cooking flop was my “most epic” failure. (It was probably when I tried to cook spaghetti sauce in a pan with no led on it and it splattered all over the wall and the ceiling.)

I’m not big on precisely measuring the things I say and do. I’m more of a spontaneous, go with the flow guy, than an adhere-to-a-method-man, so my attempts to cook by an instruction book usually don’t look like the pictures in the book (or taste like the descriptions of the dishes). Thus, I’ve never been that motivated to cook or bake.

My wife recently bought an air frier. She also bought a cookbook for it. I’ve intentionally ignored the book but experimented with the air frier. I throw something into it, push a few buttons, and then closely monitor what happens. When it looks done, I take it out and taste and see how it’s doing. I’ve been amazed at how good things taste when I do that.

That’s also my approach to life. I’m not good at following an instruction sheet or book. I prefer to follow my hunches and to see what works. If I get stuck, I like to ask someone for help.

I grew up with a misconception. I believed that the Bible was a recipe book for life, full of instructions that needed to be precisely followed. It made me nervous to try to read it, so I avoided it. Then one day I asked Jesus for help and my heart was full of joyful insight. I began to read the Bible with an open heart and discovered that it is a love letter from Jesus, not a law book to rule me in. Now I read it every day with delight and the love I receive through it guides me in Christ-led spontaneity.

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A tale of seven table servers

Jesus washed His disciples’ feet doing the job of a lowly servant. His example of frequently taking the lowest place is sometimes called “servant leadership.” However, in the book of Acts, Jesus’ first disciples were given a special title “the Twelve” and gathered “all the disciples together” to announce: “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.” That has always seemed to me like “the Twelve” were acting contrary to Jesus’ example.

Then “the Twelve” told “all the (other) disciples” to choose seven men to be responsible for the lowly job that they didn’t want to do. (Notice that the Bible doesn’t say that God told “the Twelve” to do this. It just says they did it. Also notice that “the Twelve” didn’t pray about which men should do the lowly job of serving widows. They simply told all the other Christ followers to pick them.)

What was the motive of the apostles? It was so that they could spend their time giving “attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” However, it appears that the Holy Spirit had a different intention.

One of the chosen seven “table waiters,” Stephen, rather than waiting tables, quickly began to focus on “the ministry of the word” and to work miracles among the people. His preaching was so bold and anointed that it stirred up such a storm that Stephen was stoned to death. Before he was murdered, this “table waiter” preached a powerful message that takes up almost the entire chapter of Acts 7.

Then at the beginning of Acts chapter 8 we are told that because of Stephen’s preaching a great persecution broke out “and all except the apostles (the Greek word means “sent ones”) were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” and “those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” So, the “sent ones” stayed in Jerusalem but all the rest of the Christians (including the widows) were scattered to “minister the word” around Judea and Samaria (the two places Jesus told the “sent one” to go after Jerusalem to be His witnesses. See Acts 1:8).

Acts chapter 8 tells how Philip (another man who was picked to be one of the 7 “table waiters”) went to a city in Samaria and “proclaimed Christ to them.” It says: “The crowds gave their undivided attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform. With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.” (It looks like Philip the “table waiter” was doing the job that Jesus had told his apostles/sent ones to do in Acts 1:8, but they were hiding out in Jerusalem).

I believe that this account of choosing seven “table waiters” to free up the “sent ones” is included in the book of Acts to show us that all believers are anointed to do the work of the ministry, to preach the Gospel, and to work signs and wonders everywhere. Let’s get going for Jesus, even if we have to leave church leaders behind.

The living Jesus is reliant, but few fully rely on Him. Instead, we rely on our religion, our pride, and our self-effort. Throughout the book of Acts the risen Jesus acts in and through people. Now let Him act in and through you!

Mature Christians cry. The Bible says: “Weep with who weep.”

The three lights in the picture represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit shinning in and through those who truly and humbly serve. Let God’s light shine in and through you!

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Disappointments lead to better appointments

Daily writing promptShare a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.View all responses

Disappointments are often heart-breaking. If we’re not careful they can entrap us in a lifestyle of sadness, regret, and bitterness.

However, the truth is, as long as we are still living and conscious, our disappointments don’t need to have the final word. We can leave them behind and move forward with hope and positive expectation.

I’ve spent too much time in my life wallowing in disappointment and heartbreak when I could have moved on. Instead of grieving over a closed door I could have searched for an open one.

I have finally learned that closed doors aren’t final. When I look back on my earlier life, I notice that the truth is just the opposite. I see that closed doors protected me from many disasters and directed me to amazing relationships and opportunities. The closed doors in my life were gifts to guide me to great blessings.

My favorite book puts it this way: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

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O taste and see!

Daily writing promptWhat are your favorite types of foods?View all responses

My favorite book says that human beings can be “partakers of the divine nature.” (Partake means to “eat or drink something.”) It also says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Once Jesus’ disciples encouraged Him to eat something, but He replied saying, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” His disciples asked each other: “Could someone have brought him food?” Then Jesus said: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.”

My favorite food is letting my heart partake of, feast on, and savor the amazing presence of the living, resurrected Jesus. He turns the water of my daily existence into the wine of actually experiencing Him living and working in and through me.

When I surrender to Christ in me and do His will as He prompts me, He leads me and empowers me to partake of the gifts and the fruit of His Spirit. That’s how I taste and see that the Lord is good!

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Religion is often spiritual shrink wrap

Too many Christians have been shrink wrapped by religion. To shrink wrap is to shut things up in bags and suck the air out. It entombs things and keeps them locked in place so they can be stored away with minimal inconvenience. That’s not a good thing for churches to do to with their members.

Religious things that shrink wrap Christians:
1) The clergy/laity myth,
2) Sermon dependency,
3) Pastor control,
4) Rigid programming,
5) Acting like Jesus is dead.

Let’s lose the shrink wrap! We can step beyond the shrink wrap of human-led religion into the spontaneity of being daily led by the living Jesus.

People want something to cheer.
They even brag on their beer.
But my boast is the Most High
Who causes my heart to fly.
Jesus makes my spirit soar!

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Stepping beyond counting steps

Daily writing promptHow often do you walk or run?View all responses

I go for a walk almost every day, but I don’t count my steps. I just enjoy them because they carry me along as my heart savors beauty. From a blade of grass to a flower, to a bird overhead or a squirrel on the run, to a car driving by with a person waving “Hi,” I marvel at the wonder of it all.

I haven’t always walked this way. Sometimes I still rush by and miss the glory. But when I notice the symmetry of my surroundings and the marvels all around me, it brings life to my heart, and I start to feel great gratitude.

How fortunate I am to have the gift of eyes that can daily see sights that amaze and inspire me as I walk by. My favorite book tells me to “keep in step with the Spirit.” I discovered that when I let the risen Jesus lead my steps and thoughts and feelings and desires, my ongoing walk through life is accompanied by inner peace and joy.

A shift from self-focus to a Spirit-led focus is life-changing. Amazing things happen when we step beyond the shrink wrap of self-obsession into the spontaneity of the ever-expanding glory of being daily led by “Christ in you.”

If your heart is like
A dry river bed
And inside you feel
You're almost dead,
Let fresh wind blow,
Let joy grow.
You just need to know
That Jesus will flow
When you open your heart
To Him.
Let Jesus flow.
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I need a perfect leader

Daily writing promptDo you see yourself as a leader?View all responses

I need to follow a perfect leader. Too often who and/or what I have followed has led me in ways that were unhelpful and harmful. When I’ve followed my feelings and desires, they have deceived me. When I’ve followed my mind, I’ve swollen with pride. When I’ve followed happiness, it has eluded me.

Then one day I began to follow something that was happening inside of me that I couldn’t explain. It was a sense of spiritual awareness that the Creator wanted me to become conscious of His presence and to follow Him. Suddenly, I had a strange desire to read the Bible. I picked it up and was captivated by words that were burning in my heart and introducing me to the reality and presence of the risen Jesus Christ — the Perfect Leader. The Bible puts it this way: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

For more than five decades I’ve followed the living Jesus who speaks within me and confirms the objectivity of His words by amazingly describing the realities that I daily encounter within and around me. The Bible calls that being “led by the Spirit.”

I see myself as someone who continually seeks to set aside my own desires and feelings, and instead follow the living Jesus. I believe that as I daily seek to follow and obey Jesus that I set an example that encourages other people to also follow and obey the Perfect Leader. In that way, I see myself as a leader.

Even after being tortured and threatened with death, the first Christian “apostles” (which means “sent ones” in Greek) “never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” Yet today we too easily let almost anything (from distractions to fear of being laughed at) stop us from talking about the risen Jesus and convince us that we haven’t also been sent to never stop testifying about Christ in us.

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Obvious Observations We Often Overlook (OOWOO)

Obviously, it’s important not to overlook the obvious, but we often do. Here are some obvious observations we often overlook (OOWOO).

Life is amazing.Planet earth is beautiful.Good and bad are in every human heart.Our desires and feelings are often false.It’s dangerous to ignore your conscience.Dishonesty is deceptive. Denial doesn’t change reality.Everyone needs forgiveness.Kindness is powerful.We can control our thoughts and behaviors.It takes courage to open your heart to people.Money alone can’t make anyone truly happy.Neither skin color nor eye color define a human being.Sex is about procreation.Guns make it easier to kill people.All people are the same race — human. Human life begins at conception. Divorce destroys families.Wrongful thoughts and behaviors produce guilt.Pride is often an attempt to hide insecurity.Greed is wanting more than we need. War is cruel.If human life is just a cosmic accident, it’s meaningless.Believing something doesn’t make it true.We can speak the truth with kindness.Politics can’t change human hearts. Abortion isn’t about reproduction.It isn’t hateful to disapprove of someone’s behavior.Human behaviors are harming our planet.Men don’t become women and women don’t become men.All slaveholders were human traffickers. Many nations gained much of their wealth through human trafficking.People who like to insult people are very insecure and can’t be trusted.To accuse people of cheating without solid evidence is immature and manipulative.The Big Bang can’t explain life, logic, consciousness, comprehension, communication, compassion, justice, and many other things.Religion is often superficial.[image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://stevesimms.files.wordpress.co..." data-large-file="https://stevesimms.files.wordpress.co..." src="https://stevesimms.files.wordpress.co..." alt="" class="wp-image-37345" />Photo by Pouria Teymouri on Pexels.com