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!

God’s love can’t hatch when we’re self-attached.

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Steve Simms

If you deny yourselfAnd let God’s love hatchDeep within your heartIt will strike a matchThat will set you ablazeIn the hazeOf this worldAnd loose the latchOf self-loveThat holds you in bondage. Ego and prideTry to hideIn the shellOf self-love. The … Continue reading →

Posted in deny yourself, die to self, dying to self, Examine yourself, love yourself, self-denial, self-esteem, self-focus, self-forgetting | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If you didn’t already love yourself, you wouldn’t . . .

Posted on November 8, 2022 by Steve Simms

Humans love themselves but we’re not so good at loving God and our neighbors. You love yourself because if you didn’t you wouldn’t: Self-love is no stronger than we are, but God’s love is as powerful as He is. Self-love … Continue reading →

Posted in love your neighbor as yourself, love yourself, self-denial, self-discovery, self-esteem, self-focus, self-surrender | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Church members matter . . .

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Steve Simms

Church members matter.They’re not ornamentsIn an audience.They should meet to bePart of Christ’s bodyDirected by Him,Led by Gods Spirit,Hearing what He saysAnd then doing it. Let’s forget about self and comfort. Let’s focus instead on letting Christ live in and … Continue reading →

Posted in audience, Beyond Church, Christ in you, church, church attendance, spiritual formation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Every church needs an after-sermon-practice-session

Posted on November 6, 2022 by Steve Simms

Rituals, programs, and ceremonies? Podiums, platforms, and pulpits? Liturgy, lessons, and lectures? Be careful not to replace the risen Jesus with religion. When religious practices become routine it’s easy to do them without heart-felt involvement. A sermon that doesn’t facilitate … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative to sermon, church order, church reform, church revitalization, church sermons, interactive sermons, practice facility, sermon, shared sermon, The Practice of The Presence of God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The lures that flyfish in your mind

Posted on November 5, 2022 by Steve Simms

The moreWe allow sinTo numbOur conscienceThe more dumbThings we say and do. Beware of the temptations that flyfish in your mind with enticing lures to yank you out of the inner river of life-giving joy. When you let your desires … Continue reading →

Posted in Heaven, Hell, overcoming temptation, sin, sinfulness, temptation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Refreshing inner rivers

Posted on November 5, 2022 by Steve Simms

When you ask Jesus To enter your heart And lay down your life To His full control Refreshing rivers Start to freely flow From deep within you Streaming awareness And revelations, Inner reality Beyond your belief. I move my mouth … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian poetry, fruit of the Spirit, poem, poetry, rivers of living water | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Self-focus is confusing, not identifying

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Steve Simms

Self-denial’s notSelf-sacrifice,But a pearlOf great priceThat leadsTo paradise. Self-focus blurs everything else. Self is like a telescope. If you focus on it, you won’t see much but if you use it to look beyond it, you’ll see a glorious universe. … Continue reading →

Posted in deny yourself, die to self, dying to self, self, self-denial, self-focus, self-image | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How I realized I’m a mess without Jesus

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Steve Simms

I used to compare my behaviors to the worst human behaviors that I knew about. By that standard I believed that I was a good person with a good inner instrument panel. Then one day I had an encounter with … Continue reading →

Posted in deny yourself, die to self, dying to self, self-denial, sin, sinful heart, sinfulness | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If you know Jesus, tell the world how you met Him.

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Steve Simms

It’s an incredible and life changing thing to encounter the risen Jesus. Those who do, have an amazing story to tell. People who have encountered Jesus have a powerful tool for telling others about Him–their story about how it happened. … Continue reading →

Posted in personal testimony, story, testimony, witness, witnesses, witnessing, you shall be my witnesses | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christians at church? Passive hound dogs or obedient sheepdogs?

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Steve Simms

Should a Christians be like a hound dog asleep on a porch or like a sheepdog obeying his master? I believe that attunement to Jesus’ voice or the lack thereof (whether we’re like a lazy hound dog or an obedient … Continue reading →

Posted in experiencing Jesus, God's voice, He that has ears to hear, hearing God's voice, hearing Jesus, My sheep hear My voice, voice of God | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment