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!

Preachers interesting & ordinary people boring?

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Steve Simms

Church acts like preachers are interesting & ordinary people are boring. (It could be the opposite.) Protestants made church a classroom. Perhaps church would be more effective as a prayer closet! The body of Christ is a team ministering together; … Continue reading →

Posted in Beyond Church, church reform, church refugees, ekklesia, house church, preachers, simple church, social media, testimony, Uncategorized, unprogrammed church, unprogrammed meetings | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Holiness: restrained from bad or inspired to be good?

Posted on June 11, 2017 by Steve Simms

Holiness anyone? Although some Christian groups are built around the concept of “holiness,” I’ve had trouble understanding it. To me holiness has always seemed like legalistic adherence to outward appearances, and not really a matter of the heart. However, as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Blessed are the pure in spirit, Christian spirituality, church, ekklesia, Holy Spirit, obedience, obedience to God, purity, spiritual formation, spirituality, Uncategorized, worship | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Keepsakes of the heart (inner connectedness)

Posted on June 10, 2017 by Steve Simms

Connection happens when people meet up with one another in a Christ-led environment. To collaboratively hear & obey the Spirit with others, is an incredible experience! If people are kept silent about their faith while attending church, they’ll have little … Continue reading →

Posted in experiencing God, faith, faith in action, faith stories, hearing God, hearing the Spirit, heart-felt, heart-felt worship, I am the way, let the redeemed of the Lord say so, living water, telling their stories, testimonies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Content that can make a heart content

Posted on June 10, 2017 by Steve Simms

Human hearts are very relatable & connect in community when they are drawn out of hiding by authentic content. To be content is to step beyond torment, anxiety, & turmoil & let peace settle in. Quantity & contentment are unrelated. … Continue reading →

Posted in buzz words, community, content of their character, discontentment, how to create community, inner peace, Martin Luther King, myths, power of words, Quotations, releasing creativity, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Maybe church gets the altar call & the call to worship backwards!

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Steve Simms

Christianity’s greatest ministry resources are ordinary people, not just ordained ministers. All Christ followers are called to let God transform us from within & make us like Jesus. Christ came not just to get you into Heaven, but also to … Continue reading →

Posted in changes in worship, contemporary worship, experiential worship, heart of worship, heart-felt worship, leading worship, new ways to worship, pattern of worship, planning a worship service, praise and worship, public worship, spiritual worship, types of worship, Uncategorized, Worship City, worship innovation, worship leader, worship leading, worship styles | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pentecost defined

Posted on June 4, 2017 by Steve Simms

Pentecost — to be so overcome with the Spirit that people think you are drunk. (“These people are not drunk, as you suppose.” Acts 2:15) Without spiritual fire burning in people’s hearts, Pentecost is just a religious word. Peter used … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts 2, another Pentecost, dreams and visions, drunk in the spirit, Feast of Pentecost, God demonstrations, I will pour out my Spirit, old men will dream dreams, Pentecost Sunday, These are not drunk, this is that, This is that spoken by the prophet Joel, Uncategorized, with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, Your sons and daughters will prophesy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

False prophets & fake news confuse

Posted on June 3, 2017 by Steve Simms

We need clear reception of God’s perception so we can be an exception to deception. Reading the Bible with an open heart filters out the impurities in your thoughts. The Bible keeps our faith anchored to the objectivity of the … Continue reading →

Posted in art of listening, back to the Bible, Bible quotations, Bible reading, Colossians 3, conscience, ekklesia, I am the way, Jesus, listening skills, Luke 24:32, Scriptures, Spirit-led, the way the truth the life, truth and error, Uncategorized, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blind man seeing!

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Steve Simms

Bible reading — blind man seeing.

Posted in back to the Bible, Bible verses, doers of the word, doing the Word, how to learn the Bible, New Testament, Old Testament, Scriptures, sola Scripture, staying faithful to the Bible, the Word, Uncategorized, what the Bible says about, word of God | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Take time to align

Posted on May 27, 2017 by Steve Simms

Unless we align with God, we’ll be forever off course. Francis Grimke (an early American Civil Rights leader in 1919) put it like this: “The great spiritual need of man is to get rid of sin, to get out from … Continue reading →

Posted in atonement, Bible, called out ones, deception, ekklesia, Follow Me, I am the way, justice, Nashville, original innocence, punishment, repentance, spiritual need, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What the world needs now is truth & love . . .

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Steve Simms

Truth without love is unkind. Love without truth is unreal. Our growth, both as individuals and as an expression of Christ’s body depends on our being both truthful and loving at the same time. Paul of Tarsus wrote: “Speaking the … Continue reading →

Posted in agape, compassion, Crazy Love, deception, dishonesty, Ephesians 4:15, God's love, heart-felt love, honesty, radical love, Salvation Army, soup, soap, and salvation, the way the truth the life, true love, truth, Uncategorized, what is truth | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment