Author Archives: Steve Simms

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About Steve Simms

I like to look and think outside the box. In college I encountered Jesus Christ and I have been passionate about trying to get to know Him better ever since. My wife and I long to see the power and passion of the first Christ-followers come to life in our time. I have written a book about our experiences in non-traditional church, called, "Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible--Ekklesia." If you need encouragement, search for: Elephants Encouraging The Room and/or check out my Amazon author page. Thank you!

Why ekklesia? What’s the purpose of going beyond church to Christ’s Spirit-led town hall meeting?

Jesus had a purpose when He said: “On this rock (direct personal revelation from the living God) I will build My ekklesia (the Greek word mistranslated as church). Ekklesia was the proper name of the fully participatory town hall meeting … Continue reading →

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Greeting matters (Just look at Romans 16!)

Warmly and openly greet and connect heart-to-heart with God’s people wherever you encounter them. Take time to recognize them as spiritual family members. Find the hope of glory in them by opening your heart to encounter the presence of the … Continue reading →

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Jesus the Builder builds with “living stones”

Jesus, the Creator of the Universe who became a man, is the Ultimate Builder, but too often His living stones ignore His instructions and do their own thing. When churches deny the living Jesus an active building permit in their … Continue reading →

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Ekklesia — democracy or the kingdom of God?

Ancient Greek cities had a town hall meeting where anyone present could speak. It was called the ekklesia. Jesus, in Matthew 16, said He will build His ekklesia. It’s amazing that Jesus said that He would build His version of … Continue reading →

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Be like the world’s most famous bush

Be like a bush, but not just any bush. Be like the world’s most famous bush that didn’t even have a name. It lived in a dry and isolated place. So how did it become world famous? This bush began … Continue reading →

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There’s nothing super about being superficial.

The meaninglessness of superficial entertainment bores me. The calling of purpose thrills me! Look beyond superficiality. The fumes of superficiality will never fill up your think tank. Closed hearts are trapped by superficial things. Open hearts discover life-enriching vision and … Continue reading →

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Chruch is a confusing word

Church can refer to a building or a Christian organization or a religious program or the members of a Christian organization. But when Jesus said that He would build something that would overcome the gates of Hell, what was He … Continue reading →

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The joy and transformational power of Christian heart connection

Can contemporary Christianity step beyond the addiction to religious curriculum and pulpit lectures that doesn’t “add up to transformational living” and to begin to experience ongoing heart connection? I believe that the answer is yes! Christian heart connection requires that … Continue reading →

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God’s fishing net (the body of Christ knit together heart-to-heart)

When some of the members of the body of Christ begin to frequently gather to individually listen to and obey the Headship and Lordship of the risen Jesus, He begins to reveal Himself as present in their midst by actively … Continue reading →

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Testify! (Churches need to train people to do that!)

When Jesus people feel Jesus movement in their heart, they want to tell Jesus stories and sing Jesus songs! I woke up early today with this Jesus Manifesto running through my heart, so I got out of bed to write … Continue reading →

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