Does “the church” even exist?

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Steve Simms

Many Christians praise Luther and Calvin leaving Catholicism, but don’t like people suggesting reforming (or leaving) church today. In reality, “the church” doesn’t exist. Instead there are many thousands of denominations and independent churches that disagree. However, the body of Christ does exist and it consists of every true Christ-follower world-wide. That is the Bible ekklesia.

Christianity’s about a submissive relationship with the risen Jesus — not about a relationship with a religious organization. Sin separates us from God. Surrendering to the living Jesus Christ, reconnects us to Him.

If you’re following a living Savior, you don’t need a religious script or a program. Millions of Christian leaders claim authority from God for their differing titles and beliefs. However, calling someone “pastor” doesn’t make him/her superior, wiser, more called, or more godly than any other Christ-follower. No pastor or church leader should ever be a substitute for your listening to Jesus and following Him for yourself.

Maybe we should follow Jesus Himself. If Christians won’t act like Jesus is alive and present 24/7/365, why should anybody else believe that He is?

To confine Jesus to the past or to the future or to Heaven, is to deny the reality of His living presence right here, right now.

Too often churches have attempted to institutionalize Jesus, rather than allowing Jesus to revolutionize them. If we ignore the biblical writings of the first Christians and the inner voice of Jesus, our faith will depend on institutionalism.

The body of Christ is the worldwide family of God. Institutional churches are organizations.

“Christian laymen” is a myth. If you’re a Christian, you’re called to go all-out for Jesus with everything you’ve got.

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Do you ever cuss to be kind, polite, or humble?

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Steve Simms

Cussing is unkind, disrespectful, and arrogant. (Nobody cusses to be kind, polite, and humble.) To use profanity is to prefer bitter words instead of better words. Kindness is greatness and you can’t cuss kindness into existance.

Know and respect your audience (and your friends). If they’re offended by profanity, why not leave it out? Why insult them unnecessarily? Language needs boundaries. Insults, profanity, hate speech, etc. should be replaced by kindness and self-control.

Obscenities obscure your observations. People respond to your ideas better if you avoid immature language. Many people find cussing offensive, but are too polite to tell that to a person who uses such immature language.

Whoever first called cussing “mature language” probably had never been on an elementary school playground. When people want to sound important but can’t, they often throw around profanity.

People who feel a need to cuss and insult those who disagree with them, must not be very confident in their beliefs. I’m always amazed that many people like to sprinkle their conversation with references to private bodily processes and parts.

When you allow a thought to linger in your mind, you surrender to its influence in your life. Choose your influences well.

Biblical Christianity didn’t support arrogance, egotism, or vulgarity, but preferred humility.

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Honest history shows that greatness without kindness is counterfeit.

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Steve Simms

Perhaps it’s time for history to stop repeating itself. Let’s begin to discover the hidden or ignored events that we need to know about. For example: For many generations in American history, darker skin color was labeled as a bad thing, an inferior thing. That was a total lie! All skin colors are equal blessings from God.

People like to talk about “the right side of history” but history is often on the wrong side of truth. To ignore or deny history that is painful is to choose darkness over light. An oxymoron: Many people that history considers great, were human traffickers. Is it possible that some of your opinions aren’t based on truth?

To be faithful to your conscience, even when it’s unpopular and will get you criticized and attacked, takes courage! When loyalty overrides conscience, a culture is in trouble. We need to examine history thru our conscience. The fuller story can augment the selective American history we were taught in school.

Jesus calls us to a new perspective that sees the invisible realities like mercy, justice, holiness, love, kindness, and truth. Pride involves self-deception. Honesty and truth produce humility. “All we like sheep have gone astray . . .” (Isaiah 53:6) When caring, compassion, and kindness are rare for those who disagree, a democracy’s in trouble.

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Self-love refuses to align with God’s love

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Steve Simms

Following self-love isn’t the same thing as following God’s love. Idealism and utopia are not impossible dreams, but glimpses of how far we have fallen from the kingdom of God.

To be Spirit-led is to let the living Jesus, Himself, like a hand in a glove, move and direct you from within. The kingdom of God calls us to be daily surrendered, submissive, and obedient to the risen Jesus Christ. Without the reality of the risen Jesus, Christianity is rather humdrum.

Without the active presence of the living Jesus, Christianity morphs from a Spirit-led monument into a religious monument. When we do church like Jesus is dead and gone, people won’t believe that He’s alive and present. If Jesus isn’t living and reigning inside of you, church services, sermons, and ceremonies mean little.

Jesus says that those who hear the Word, but get caught up in “life’s worries, riches, and pleasures,” “do not mature.”(Luke 8:14) Jesus’ command to “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,” isn’t very popular today.”

You can join a church, but only the risen Jesus can make you a part of the body of Christ. Perhaps Christians need to spend less time listening to talks about what we believe and more time experiencing what we believe. Biblical Christianity wasn’t designed to be just informational, but experiential, and transformational.

Less preaching and teaching, but more obeying and doing the Word, would make modern Christianity far more powerful. Perhaps one sold-out, fired-up Christ-follower is more powerful than hundreds who casually attend meetings. Sermons without follow-thru make spectators not disciples.

The living, omnipresent Jesus doesn’t need a hierarchy. He can directly communicate to all the members of His body. When Christianity turned King Jesus into a figurehead and began to establish and trust in human authority, it lost much of its power. (I don’t think the living Jesus likes to be the figurehead in church. I believe He wants to be the literal Head.)

I find so much joy and excitement in Jesus that much of what people do to try to have fun, bores me. Jesus doesn’t enter your heart to be entombed there, but to raise you from spiritual death.

People with stony hearts refuse to rock with the risen Jesus.

Jesus’ Bible accuracy question: “If you do not believe Moses’ writings how will you believe Me?” Jesus’ command to “Love your enemies,” is simple and not dependent on our agreement.

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I prefer America the beautiful over America the bully-full. Disagreements don’t have to destroy kindness.

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Steve Simms
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Black history tries to equalize American history

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Steve Simms

Black History Month is an attempt to begin to equalize American history — to tell the whole story and not just the parts of history that have been selected to make us look good. All Americans need to know the details of the broader story of American history.

Black History is overlooked, ignored, and/or hidden American history that is both inspiring and eye-opening. Don’t stay in the dark! Black History calls us out of the darkness of denial and into the fuller light of American history.

If history’s used to make people feel proud, it distorts the past and overlooks important information. Make history a search for truth! Search for: Off the RACE Track book.

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Head full of theology or heart full of love & holiness?

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Steve Simms

A head full of theology can never take the place of a heart full of love, compassion, and holiness. Jesus is so great and puts me is such a high state, I don’t need anything else for a buzz!

There’s an amazing beauty when Christ-followers gather only as members of the body of Christ and not as members of a particular group or church.

The problem’s not that Jesus is missing from the world’s culture. It’s that too often He is missing from Christians’ words, beliefs, and actions. The Bible says that the early Christians were “competent to instruct one another” (not just sermon hearers). Romans 15:14.

If church doesn’t directly connect us to the godly, life-transforming power of the risen Jesus, we leave the way we came. The purpose of revival isn’t to get people excited about church and religion. It’s to fill people with the living Jesus.

Jesus living within
Is like sunshine
On the skin,
Releasing warmth, peace, and joy.

Think triumphant thoughts. Toss out. tormenting thoughts. There’s no reason to scorn the morning. Instead, adorn the morning with joy.

Search Amazon for: The Joy Of Early Christianity.

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Why “Fight like hell,” when you can fight like Heaven?

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Steve Simms

People like to, “Fight like hell,” and to embrace destructive conflict. However, fighting like Heaven can turn enemies into friends.When someone uses bullying, force, intimidation, and manipulation to get his way, it usually comes back at him.

Christians are called to demonstrate Christ’s supernatural love and truth to all people, not to insult or bully them.America needs spiritual weapons for political fights–kindness, mercy, forgiveness, humility, honesty, blessing those who insult. Today’s a good day to spread kindness — to refuse to take offense — to put your trust in a Higher Power than human government.

The Old Testament prophets used their access to the King to confront him with truth, not to support his political positions. It’s time to speak truth to power, not to distort truth for power.

The devil tempted Jesus to trade God’s power for human political power. Jesus turned him down.

Perhaps people should be “judged” by “the content of their character” rather than by their political viewpoint. Maybe then, we work together rather than bully each other.

Discover fresh compassion and caring. There’s far too much unkindness and cruelty in the world (on both sides of the womb). To learn more, search for: The Joy Of Early Christianity.

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Are your spiritual notifications turned on?

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Steve Simms

When it comes to God’s voice, it’s easy to have your notifications turned off. Try not to do that. Sin is what pushes the “power off” button in your spiritual life. Pride also breaks our connection to God’s power. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

When Jesus is living inside of you, He’ll guide you thru what you’re going thru. The gifts of the Spirit function in an intuitive way (inwardly prompted), instead of an institutional way (externally controlled).

If we are unwilling to listen to and be guided by the risen Jesus, perhaps our allegiance to Him is only verbal. Christians are called to make the kingdom of God their first priority–to seek God’s supernatural power and authority over man’s. Christians are called to “walk in the light” — to seek truth, humility, healing, and reconciliation, more than positional power.

If you presume yourself to innocent, you’ll falsely believe you have no need to accept and receive Christ’s forgiveness. Heaven’s not for the innocent, but for the guilty who have been willing to receive Christ’s forgiveness and deliverance.

Christians are called to be examples of God’s supernatural ability to manifest the character of Jesus in and thru ordinary people. Perhaps Christians could gather for a “new wine” tasting, until everyone present is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Before you “follow your heart,” make sure God is guiding it and it’s not on a rebellious rampage. Without love, religion can be cruel. Examples of that are easy to find. However, when Christians connect around the risen Jesus, their differences fade in His glorious presence.

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My Top Ten Blog Posts For Black History Month

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Steve Simms

Happy Black History Month 2020!

Steve Simms's avatarFree Gas for Your Think Tank -- Short Reflections, Lasting Encouragement

Would you like to know more about Black History.  Here are my Top Ten Blog Posts about African-American history:

10)  Negro Spirituals — A Message We Desperately Need

9) America’s Forgotten Freedom Fighters

8) Some Americans Suffered An Atrosity

7) Was Jesus Whipped In America?

6) Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Septima Clarck, & Miles Horton in Monteagle, TN

5) Am I Related To Heroic Runaway Slave, William Simms?

4) The Ten Greatest Americans

3) Why A White Guy Digs Into Black History

2) Black is Beautiful

1) Accepting Black History Into American History

(And one bonus blog post:  12 Years A Slave — 12 Blogs On Slavery)

Check out my book: Off the RACE Track @ https://amzn.to/2tUMAP2

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