Be like the world’s most famous bush

Posted on July 29, 2023 by Steve Simms

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 to burn with God’s supernatural fire. As it burned it didn’t burn up. It caught the eye of a lonely shepherd who was tending his flock deep in the desert and God began to speak from within the bush. “Do not come any closer. Take off your shoes, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

The shepherd was a broken man who had been raised in a palace as an adopted family member of the world’s most powerful king. He had killed a man and as a result lost his power and prestige. He had to flee into the desert to save his life and now many decades later was on holy ground hearing God call him by name, “Moses! Moses!” Moses asked God His name and God said: “I AM THAT I AM.”

As the bushed burned with the presence of God and God spoke from within it, Moses was told to return to Egypt and to set the children of Abraham free. Moses’ encounter with the living God changed world history by setting Egypt’s Hebrew slaves free and establishing the nation of Israel on the foundation of honoring and obeying the great “I AM” — the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.

From that nation came a man named Jesus, the Creator of the Universe in human flesh who said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” His people wanted to kill Him for making Himself equal with God and eventually they got the Romans to crucify Him.

Then He rose from the dead and today He lives within His followers as “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Be like the bush. Let the risen Jesus, God in human flesh, burn inside of you and speak through you. Surrender fully to His presence and be continually led by His Spirit. Refuse to hinder His fire within you and let His voice flow through you day and night!

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” If Christians aren’t allowed to share testimonies about Jesus in church, how will they ever get the courage to share them in daily life?

Would you rather hear your favorite band live or go hear a lecture about them? That’s how I feel about Jesus. I want to hear Him personally, not just hear about Him!

It is continual awareness of the presence of Jesus that empowers a person to follow and obey Him. Sermon-hearing is a poor substitute for conscious awareness of Jesus.

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Posted in ancient Israel, Bible stories, experiencing God, Messiah, the burning bush | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

There’s nothing super about being superficial.

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Steve Simms

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 purpose.

You’ll never learn to dive into a life of meaningful purpose if you spend your time in the shallow wading pool of superficiality. The more you fish for the superficial, the more you’ll catch discouragement and despair.

There’s nothing super about being superficial. Superficiality is an attempt to hide the trouble that is raging in your heart in order to protect your pride. If you will humbly listen with an open heart, criticism from other people can be a superhero that rescues you from superficiality.

If we don’t open our heart to God and to other people, religious activities do us little good. Whenever “two or three gather’ in the name of Jesus and humbly open their hearts to Christ and to one another, there will appear “the love of the Spirit” — “the love of God shed abroad in human community.

Love that’s superficial
Is merely artificial.
True love connects deeply
Because it’s sacrificial!

Superficiality
Tries to dodge reality
By embracing triviality
And artificiality
But here’s a technicality.
It lacks the capacity
To erase actuality.
Its denial and irrationality
Are full of ineffectuality
And release dysfunctionality.

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Chruch is a confusing word

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Steve Simms

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 referring to? It helps to know the meaning of the Greek word used in that Bible passage. That word was the proper name for the participatory town hall meeting in ancient Greek cities where there was no hierarchy, all were equal, and everyone present could speak up in the meeting — the ekklesia. Jesus said that He would build His ekklesia — His interactive town meeting that belongs and is directly led by Him. Now is the time for Christ-followers to go beyond church as usual and to let Christian gatherings be Jesus-led ekklesias again!

I think understanding the Greek word ekklesia is essential to understanding what Jesus wants to build. I don’t believe that Jesus wants to build a religious building, a religious program, a religious organization, or to recruit people to join a religious organization. I believe He wants to build a body of Spirit-led believers who function like the ancient ekklesia in Greek cities. After all, that’s the word He is quoted as using in the book of Matthew. That’s also the word used throughout the New Testament to describe the body of Christ.

Perhaps Jesus was serious when He said He wanted to build His ekklesia — His participatory town hall meeting of equals. Maybe we should let Him. Indeed, it’s now time for citizens of God’s kingdom to gather and to share what’s in their heart with each other like the citizens of ancient Greek cities did in their ekklesia. Let’s allow the risen Jesus to build His ekklesia in our time.

Search for: Beyond Church Ekklesia.

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The joy and transformational power of Christian heart connection

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Steve Simms

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 we train ourselves to frequently open our heart to other believers and to God.

My heart opened to God and to people when I first heard someone humbly, tenderly, and publicly tell how they first encountered and surrendered to the risen Jesus. At that moment a vail was torn inside of me and I’ve never been the same. I began to attend a Spirit-led meeting in a college dorm where people opened their hearts to one another. I was being beautifully led into transformational living and became so hungry to be among open hearts that I have sought them out all of my adult life by intentionally opening my heart to people and making them feel welcome to open theirs to me. I discovered that when I humbly and honestly open my heart to people, they begin to reciprocate and suddenly I am banding and bonding with them at a transformational level.

I frequently experience Christ-centered heart connection with both friends and strangers, both as individuals and in groups. When I sincerely open my heart to them, they open theirs to me. They show me love and compassion and they share their struggles and joys with me in ways that touch me deeply.

An open heart is the key. If you want more Christian heart connection, open your heart to God and ask the Holy Spirit to prompt you when He wants you to verbally open your heart to people. Then courageously obey when He prompts you to testify, to pray, to confess, to cry, to sing, to show compassion. to forgive, to prophesy, to humble yourself, to quote a Scripture, etc. A band is a good place to begin, but there’s no need to only open up to a few. Open your heart in all you say and do and let Jesus connect your heart with people in every area of your life.

O that the body of Christ would begin to gather like the ancient Greek ekklesia that met like a town hall meeting as a group of equals where everyone present could openly share and testify. Perhaps it’s time to make church ekklesia again.

Let the Creator of the Universe connect you heart-to-heart with people and begin to experience the joy and transformational power of Christian heart connection. (In order to avoid taking the name of God in vain, the ancient Jews called Him Lord. To proclaim, “Jesus is Lord!” is to say that the Creator of the Universe became a human being.)

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Posted in heart care, heart connection, heart monitor, heart of worship, heart religion | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Steve Simms

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 directing the meeting through the things that He leads them to say and do, and by assembling their hearts together in the beautiful unity of the Spirit as He reconciles them to Himself and to one another. God knits their hearts together with gentle knots of love creating a net that draws people into heart-felt surrender to the kingdom (the direct leadership) of God. The body of Christ needs to continually gather as a network of Spirit-led heart-connections, not as a bulwark of religious formalism.

In 1 Corinthians 14: 24-25 Paul describes the net of Christ’s body in action. He says: “If an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So, they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’”

That happened to me when as an agnostic freshman in college I saw a group of Christ-followers openly testifying with tender hearts full of love for Jesus. In an instant the living Jesus became real to me, and I’ve never been the same. A few minutes later I openly exclaimed my gratitude to God for showing me that Jesus is real and present today! Ever since that time I’ve searched for Christians who will freely open their heart to Jesus with me and with others. In those settings in dorms, Sunday school classes, homes, phone calls, conference rooms, restaurants, Zoom calls, and street corners, I’ve seen the net of testimonies from heart-knitted believers cause people to exclaim “God is really among you!” as tears come from their eyes and their face fills with peace.

Let Jesus make changes in your life. Click the allow button in your heart! Hard hearts don’t heal. They hide their hurt and deny it. When a church service provides a place for hurting hearts to hide, it does people a disservice by keeping them isolated from the healing power of Christ-centered, open-hearted community.

Allow Jesus to be the search engine for your heart. Open the links He shows you and let Him take you to supernatural sites. The “C” in Christianity stands for Christ not for church!

When Jesus pops up at your heart’s door, click allow. Let Him surround you with His net of compassion and pull you from the waves of misinformation that threaten to drown you in despair. Don’t blame God for the disruptive cookies that you allow in your heart.

Neither call to worship,
Nor praise band,
Nor responsive reading,
Nor one-size-fits-all-message,
Nor beautiful benediction,
Can turn closed and silent people,
Who aren’t free to verbally express
Their inner sensitivity to God,
Into a group of people
Connected heart-to-heart
In Christ-controlled community.

If you want to grow
Strong in the Lord
You can’t live like
Hard-hearted Pharoah
And pretend you know
More than God.

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

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Steve Simms

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 it down. I went to check out a blog I follow and noticed that it is a perfect match for today’s post. Jesus is always amazing!

There’s an invisible unity
In the Jesus community.
Jesus-followers are connected
Through Jesus who’s resurrected.
May the name of Jesus
No longer be neglected,
But spoken and thought,
Written and taught
Everywhere.

The blog quoted this Scripture: “Have the same mind in you that was in Christ Jesus,” The Greek word translated as “mind” is “nous.” It means more than “intellect.” It means “perspective” or “viewpoint.” God wants us to see from Jesus’ point of view, not from our own — as Paul put it, to “look not at the things that are seen but at the things that are unseen.”

Most of what Jesus is doing (and has done) in the lives of His followers is unseen because it happens inside of them, in their innermost being. In order for us to “see” the incredible things that Jesus is doing in one another’s heart (and have the mind/perspective of Christ Jesus) we must be open, venerable, honest, and transparent with each other. Churches are full of miracles that Jesus has done and is doing in people’s lives, but we’re mostly unaware of those glorious miracles because of the silence of the sheep. It’s time to remove the religious vail of privacy that gags believers and hides Jesus’ inner miracles from brothers and sisters in Christ.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” in order that they can overcome the devil by “the word of their testimony”! Any and every church service or Christian gathering should be a place that allows and encourages open-hearted sharing and personal testimony. May testimonies that will overcome the devil and reveal the miracles of Jesus no longer be omitted from worship services and Christian meetings!

The anonymity of being assembled as a passive audience annuls people’s freedom to testify when they gather for church services. Instead, lost in the crowd, they listen to a lecture and leave without experiencing the unity of the Spirit that is revealed through the transparent heart-to-heart connection that flows from hearing and sharing personal testimonies.

What Jesus is saying and doing inside of you is too important to keep secret. The light that God is shining in your heart should be shared, not kept to yourself. Tell your God stories so people can see His reality!

Come testify and hear testimonies on Saturday night, August 26, at 6:00 pm. at Storytellers Hideaway Farm and Museum in Bon Aqua, TN (just off the Dixon exit of I-40 near Nashville) at 9347 Old Highway 46, Lyles, TN,

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Follow the expert called Jesus the Christ

Posted on July 24, 2023 by Steve Simms

True Christianity is more about Spirit-led experience than about expert explanations. Direct personal revelation from God Is much more powerful than the opinion of a religious professional. The only expert who can truly understand, encourage, heal, and empower you is the resurrected Jesus Christ.

According to Jesus, listening to religious experts often hinders people from entering into a heart-felt relationship with Him. “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

In the Bible the experts of God’s law wanted the living Jesus neutralized so He couldn’t interfere with their plans and prestige. That history often repeats itself.

Direct interaction with the living Jesus is far more powerful than an inspiring talk about Him. When we ignore the living Jesus, we abandon the only expert who can guide us from guilt to glorious inner peace. If you’re not being transformed and thrilled by the stagnant waters of mainstream Christianity, open up and let God’s inner rivers of living water sweep you into Christ’s glorious presence!

The religious expert syndrome has falsely convinced many people that they aren’t qualified to read and understand the Bible by themselves. However, the only true Bible expert is the Holy Spirit. Open your heart to Him as you read the Bible and light will rush in!

The expertise of professional pastors is greatly exaggerated. I know. I’ve been one. But the expertise of the Holy Spirit can never be exaggerated! What happens inside of me when I listen to and talk with Jesus is so amazing, I can’t get enough!

“Expert opinions” about the Bible have held Christians back for centuries! The Bible is its own commentary. God’s Spirit is the only spiritual expert. If you allow the expertise of God’s Spirit to work in and through you day and night you’ll be “transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

A spiritual sleepyhead who hits the snooze button and resists waking up to God’s Spirit hinders God’s work in both himself and others. Try not to do that! I have friends who are excited about Jesus. I love to hear the thrill in their voice when they talk about Him!

I’ve learned much more from libraries than I have from lecture. My favorite library is the 66 books of the Bible! No matter how much I think I know about the Bible, I read it as a beginner, not as an expert!

Awakening to God’s Spirit!

God’s direct and personal revelation
Produces heart-to-heart connection
Called “the unity of the Spirit.”
God’s still small voice is speaking.
If we will humbly hear it
In the Scriptures and in our heart,
Rivers of love will flow
And all animosity will go,
As we daily grow
More excited about Jesus!

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The power of consistent Christ-connection

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Steve Simms

“The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” is the grace-filled fountain of life that will flow like rivers of living water from deep within Christ-followers who through ongoing humility and surrender train themselves not to hinder or hold it back. They work to remove every obstacle in their life and to prepare the way for the Lordship of the living Jesus so that He can manifest His grace by ruling and reigning in and through their innermost being and by setting them free from “the law of sin and death.” (See Romans 8:2.)


By cultivating and maintaining consistent, inner Christ-connection (abiding in the Vine) the power of sin and death is broken and replaced with the “glorious liberty of the children of God.” (As many as are led by the Spirit are the children of God.”) Abide!

The more you cultivate direct inner connection with the risen Jesus, the more real He will become to you! The comfort of direct inner connection with the living Jesus releases immeasurable joy! How’s your Christ-connection?


Make the selection
To always receive
A fresh injection
Of Christ-connection.

The best protection
For your heart
Is Christ-connection,
Surrendering your will
To His Lordship!


After posting this, I went to Twitter and had a new follower who I don’t know. He has this posted on his home page: “For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.”

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Heart cultivation

Posted on July 22, 2023 by Steve Simms

Cultivate thoughts, feelings, and desires that align with your conscience, encourage you, and give you peace. Weed out the rest!

The habits, attitudes, and desires that you daily cultivate will either open the gate to joy or shut you up in despair. Bring your heart out of the shadows and let the sunshine in.

An uncultivated heart is a undercurrent of emotional anarchy, but a heart that’s been cultivated to align and grow with God is a fountain of joyous life! The human heart isn’t designed to be a closet that you clutter with cravings and compulsions that cause you to violate your conscience. It’s an inner prayer closet where you can live in continual connection with the compassion and caring of Jesus Christ!

The fruit of God’s Spirit is gifts of grace that grow as you cultivate them within you. The fruit of God’s Spirit won’t grow in a hard, uncultivated heart.

If you won’t cultivate your heart to grow compassion, humility, and beauty, it will overgrow with tormenting feelings and desires that will overpower and control you. To grow inner peace work hard on heart cultivation so God’s seeds of grace can flourish within you.

When Christ-followers gather to cultivate open-hearted sharing, God’s light begins to brightly shine among them as they experience Christ’s town hall meeting (ekklesia) in action. If you will open your heart and let people see your brokenness, the brokenness in them will respond with compassion and your hearts will connect in caring community.

An untended heart
Grows anxiety
And insecurity.
They take over like weeds
Choaking out good seeds.
Cultivate your heart
As long as it takes
Until all weeds are gone
And it flourishes with
High hopes and beauty.

There's no debate.
Your life will gravitate
Toward whatever state
You cultivate
And allow to grow
In your heart.

You heart is designed
To be God's garden.
Not a plot
That you harden
Until it grows
Only weeds.
Open it up
To receive
God's pardon
And let Him grow
His dazzling garden
Within you.

Fill your heart with delight.
You can't cultivate your heart
If you hide it from your sight.
To grow a heart full of delight
It's essential to
Step beyond your fright,
Walk in the light,
Embrace unwanted insight,
Look honestly at the blight,
And work to make things right.
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Ministry naming rights belong to God!

Posted on July 22, 2023 by Steve Simms

21st century Christians need the revelation that it’s extremely misguided for God’s ministry to be named after yourself. Ministry naming rights belong to God.

So many “ministries” are named after ministers. Perhaps it’s time for “Deny Yourself Ministries.”

Be careful! It’s dangerous for someone to follow a minister who has a ministry named after himself.

Here’s why I believe “self-named” ministries are dangerous. True Christian ministries belong to Jesus, not to any individual. Putting our name on God’s work can cause people to give us credit for what God is doing. It can inflate our ego and make it more difficult to “humble yourself.” It can distract people from the name of Jesus. It’s much more powerful to operate in the name of Jesus than in my own name.

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