Steve Simms's Blog, page 84

Firm foundations for the future city

Daily writing promptHow would you design the city of the future?View all responses

Foundations for the future city can be found in the life of an ancient man who longed for a city built on peace and justice. Three religions look to this man for inspiration and hope. He was looking for the city “whose builder and maker is God.”

Abraham left everything to go searching for “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” His physical descendants became the Jewish nation and the nation of Islam. His other religious descendants became institutionalized Christianity. However, the people with Abrahm’s vision of God’s city (citizens with hearts hungry to fully align with the will of God) became the radical Christ-followers who have been persecuted throughout the centuries for their active pursuit of God’s city in this present world.

I would design the city of the future based on the ancient Greek ekklesia — the town hall meetings in Greek cities where any citizen could speak. Jesus said that He would build His town hall meeting (ekklesia). When people come together to be led by the Spirit of Christ, deeply caring community results.

Acts 2:42-47 demonstrates that relationship with the living Jesus extends vastly beyond weekly attendance at a Christian event center. Widespread awe, sincere hearts, sacrificial community, signs and wonders, and praising God in daily gatherings was the norm for the early Christ-followers. Attending a Christian event center should never have become a replacement for having a lively heart-to-heart connection with the risen Jesus and intimate community with other believers as described in Acts 2.

Being part of the body of Christ means so much more than attending programs at a religious event center. Christian event centers provide lectures and music but Christ in you is the hope of glory. Perhaps it’s time we let Jesus take the Headship of His body and build His Spirit-led town hall meeting (ekklesia).

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Jesus “wow” me!

The Lord “wows” me!

Be ever “wowed” by Jesus,
This Jesus who God raised to life!
This Jesus who is now everywhere!
This Jesus who is the Lord and the Christ,
The Creator in human flesh!
This Jesus who is seated
At the right hand of the Father
And is One with Him!
This Jesus who God’s sent ones preached
And demonstrated with their daily lives!
This Jesus who is now building
The members of His body together
On the rock of direct personal revelation!
This Jesus who is pouring out His Spirit
On all flesh — whosoever will receive.
This Jesus who is Christ in you,
The hope of glory.
Don’t be distracted by “another Jesus.”
Adore and obey the living, present One,
Our Lord whose enemies
Are being made His footstool.

The “wow” of Christianity isn’t big numbers, big speakers, big singers, or big events. Be wowed by this Jesus!

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Stephen’s “safe” job

Daily writing promptWhere did your name come from?View all responses

Stephen, one of the first Christ-followers, was appointed to a safe job — waiting on tables and serving widows. Then Christ’s original disciples laid their hands on him and prayed over him.

Stephen, however, didn’t blandly stay in his assigned religious comfort zone. Instead, he “full of God’s grace and power performed great wonders and signs among the people.” People were amazed at “the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.” A religious group called the “Synagogue of the Freedmen” weren’t as “free” as they claimed to be and took offence at Stephen’s words and actions. They stirred up the people against him, arrested him, and produced false witnesses who testified against him. Throughout this unjust process, Stephen’s face “was like the face of an angel.”

Stephen spoke powerfully in his defense (see Acts 7) about the “living words” of Jewish history and about how Jesus fulfilled those words. The religious people were furious at him, but Stephen said, “Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Suddenly, the religious crowd “dragged Stephen out of the city and began to stone him.” As they were killing him Stephen said, “Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit. Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Then he died.

My name is spelled Steven (and I go by Steve). Although my parents weren’t church attendees or spiritual when I was young (I actually talked them into going to church when I was about ten years old), I like to think that my name was in some way inspired by the Stephen who gave his all for Jesus and loved his enemies in the process.

Stephen wasn’t content to snugly sit in a safe job! When Christians are physically unarmed and not physically cantankerous, they become dangerous to the powers of darkness. (See 2 Corinthians 10:4.)

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Here’s a heads-up. Jesus wants to head up His body. (Let Him be the Conductor.)

The Spirit will demonstrate the Word in our midst if we let Him. Dare to grow with Jesus beyond the religious status quo.

According to the Bible, Jesus is supposed to head something up (to be the CEO) of something here on earth. That something is His body — the assembly of His followers that He called by the Greek word “ekklesia,” the name of the interactive town hall meeting in Greek cities.

When we look at the Greek
We can honestly exegete
That the word “ekklesia”
Was the name of the Greek
Interactive town hall meeting
Where anyone could speak.
Since Jesus chose that word
To describe what He’s building
It shouldn’t be unique
For Christians to assemble
And let the members
Of Christ’s body speak
As led by His Spirit
And aligned to His Word.

When Jesus heads-up His Spirit-led town hall meeting people openly share from the heart as He directs them. Here’s a heads-up. Jesus wants to head up His body. It’s time we let Him. (When Christians meet but don’t allow Jesus to literally head up the meeting, they reject His headship.)

Wanting more of Jesus is a good thing. We shouldn’t let people who are satisfied with what they have spiritually, make us feel bad for wanting more of Jesus. Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for more of His Spirit. No matter how much we know the Lord we can always surrender more to Him, obey Him more, flow with His Spirit more, receive more of the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit. Blessed are those who hunger for more of Jesus and His righteousness. We mustn’t let people make us think we are judging them because we want more than the religious status quo.

I’ve never seen the term “church service” in Scripture. In the New Testament Christians gather to worship and to obey the 50+”one another” commands. Lift your head up and always keep your eyes on Jesus so you can let Him head up your life throughout each day.

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I’m a motivated guy. Here’s why!

Daily writing promptWhat motivates you?View all responses

The greatest signs and wonders are changed human hearts. If God’s other miracles don’t cut to the heart and release an ongoing sense of awe among us and within us, we’ve missed the marvel. Every day my heart is strangely warmed and burns within me as Christ walks and talks with me. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus. How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior’s love for humanity. Joyfully, joyfully I adore Him.

Christianity doesn’t start
Until it’s revealed to your heart
By the living and powerful word
Of Christ speaking inside you.

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Ten movies that move my heart

Daily writing promptWhat are your top ten favorite movies?View all responsesBrother Sun, Sister MoonGhandiArthur Blessett The CrossThe ApostleWar RoomWhat About Bob?ShenandoahIt’s a Wonderful LifeThe Jesus RevolutionThe Hiding Place[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-37090" />Photo by Martin Lopez on Pexels.com

Is church the “that” that Peter was talking about in Acts 2?

Here’s an honest question to ask in church: “Is this that?”

On the day of Pentecost Peter proclaimed: “This is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel, ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.’”

2,000 years later, is this Sunday morning “service” that we call “church” still that same outpouring of God’s Spirit where everyday people prophesy, see visions, and dream dreams? Is this programmed religious meeting the same Spirit-released celebration that made the first Christians seem like they were drunk on the day of Pentecost?

To answer honestly, I have to answer with a “no.” I searched for decades for a church service that would make me cry out like Peter, “This is that!”

I encountered the risen Jesus in a “this is that meeting” in a college dorm. We experienced His presence guiding us every time we gathered. It was Spirit-led and indescribably awesome (like the Asbury Awakening 2023). I was ruined and could never be satisfied without that again, so I searched for that in churches. I attended all kinds all around the USA and I even graduated from seminary and pastored several churches, but no matter how I tried the attendees didn’t appreciate my attempts to turn their this into God’s that.

And then one day The Salvation Army approached my wife and me and asked us to start a “non-traditional church” in a violent inner-city neighborhood. We jumped at the chance. For ten years we met on Sunday mornings with no program or agenda, just trusting the Spirit to prompt ordinary people to share testimonies, Scriptures, revelations, prayers, prayer requests, gifts of the Spirit, short teachings, etc. And wow! We went home every Sunday overcome by the “this is that” feeling and astonished by that which we had seen the living Jesus do in and through everyday people.

I’ve never understood how someone can read the book of Acts and believe that it is describing a typically arranged church service. What happened in Acts and what happens in the average church service seem totally different to me. My heart cries out, “Lord, enough human organization and lukewarmness. We desperately need that which was spoken of by Peter and by Joel!”

So, if this (a typical church service) isn’t that, where can we find that? The key to that which happened at Pentecost (and at Asbury in 1970 and 2023) is people letting Jesus give them a hungry, honest, humble, open, obedient, repentant, and surrendered heart. Without that, we’re just programming to suit our own desires.

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When I write, I bask in the freedom of joyous expression

Daily writing promptWhat do you enjoy most about writing?View all responses

In a world shut down by the pressures of conformity and compliance, I find writing to be a glorious opportunity to fully, humbly, and honestly open my heart. When I write I bask in the freedom of joyous expression and celebratory creativity.

I find the process of connecting with the inner flow of creativity to be extremely exhilarating so I’ve trained my mind not to interrupt as my heart runs with ideas and inspiration. Instead, I let them fly off the keyboard and delight me with their dances. (I can always edit later.)

Writing from the heart is a wonderful way to discover the glorious more — the part of life that we often neglect, reject, or negate — the joy hidden and dormant within us even during our saddest moments. When I’m quiet, pondering, and expecting I don’t have to find the words, the words of life find me, fill me, comfort me, and thrill me.

Contemplative writing, even if no one reads it, is a great way to discover the spiritual aspect of life. It’s one way that I connect with my Creator, the living Jesus Christ, and surrender to His loving guidance and to His beautiful gifts.

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The biggest identity problem

The biggest identity problem is the inability to identify Jesus. He’s with “the least of these,” but we don’t recognize Him. He’s present when we gather in His name, but we overlook His reality. He’s knocking on the door of every human heart asking to come in, but we seldom notice His presence. He’s everywhere, but we too often live like He’s nowhere to be found.

Use this Bible verse to help you overcome the big identity problem. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.”

Through the presence and power
Of the risen eternal One
Who loves us,
Christ-followers
Are called to do more
Than merely survive
In this fallen world.
Through Christ in us
We are empowered to thrive
From glory to glory
As flourishing branches
Abounding with fruit
Through direct attachment
And ongoing surrender
To Jesus the living Vine.
In troubles and trials
We are called to overflow
With the New Wine
Of HIs presence.

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What I love about where I live isn’t location dependent

Daily writing promptWhat do you love about where you live?View all responses

What I love about where I live isn’t location dependent. I find it everywhere I go.

I love the beauty where I live but when I travel, it shows up along the way and in every place that I visit or stay.

I love experiencing heart-to-heart connection with people in my city, but when I’m away I encounter some fresh new heart-connections with lovely people every day.

I love the joy, the kindness, the hope in where I reside, but when I leave for a while, I always find reasons to smile.

I love the presence of the living Jesus who flows through my heart at home, but when I roam around the country, He still overflows through me.

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