The English Word “Church” is Inaccurate

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?
View all responses

The word church falls far short of describing the way the early Christians met. If you read the New Testament with an open heart and mind, you’ll see that what we call church services don’t really match up with the way the first Christians met together.

Jesus said, “Shout it from the housetops.” (Matthew 10:27) Biblical faith isn’t merely a programmed religious meeting to hear a sermon once a week. It’s also not just an individual thing. It’s heart-to-heart community. Jesus said: “Where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20)

The family that talks to Jesus together walks with Jesus together. Make your house a home where people have frequent group conversations with Jesus. When people talk with and listen to Jesus together, they grow closer together.

A group conversation with God will warm your heart with faith, hope, and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13) It will deepen friendships and strengthen relationships. It will grow your awareness of the awesome presence and power of the living Jesus. (James 4:8)

To talk to Jesus, open your mouth and let the words spontaneously flow from your heart. Why not gather with some Christ-followers, open up your heart, and have a group conversation with Christ?

The early Christians “all joined together constantly in prayer.” (Acts 1:14) They “raised their voices together in prayer to God.” (Acts 4:24) When they prayed together, they did it “earnestly.” (Acts 12:5) When the early Christians gathered to pray together it wasn’t always small groups. Sometimes it was many people talking to Jesus together. (Acts 12:12)

Every house inhabited by Christians needs to be a house of prayer. (Matthew 21:13) Many Bible verses show that the early Christians were house Christians. They didn’t build church buildings but met in homes (Acts 5:42, Romans 16:3-5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Colossians 4:15, Philemon 1:1-2) to talk to Jesus together.

House Christianity welcomes people home to the openness and informality of heart-to-heart connection with Jesus and with one another. Daily life is where faith is lived and where powerful ministry can be done. House Christianity happens when family and friends freely talk to Jesus together.

Jesus loves it when people gather in small groups of 2 or 3 or more to talk to Him together. Often having group conversations with Jesus is life changing. Find one or two or more people who you can regularly talk to Jesus with. Make your home a place of ongoing group conversations with the risen Jesus.

I believe that the body of Christ should be much more focused on having group conversations with Jesus than on sermon hearing. Sit, walk, kneel, or stand. When you are talking to Jesus with other people, it’s the posture of your heart that matters. When people have an honest, humble, open-hearted group conversation with Jesus, His presence touches them all.

Prayer meetings with Jesus are not the norm nowadays. The pattern in traditional Christianity is more for one person to recite a pre-arranged prayer while the rest of the people present listen. However, in a group conversation with Jesus everybody present takes turns talking to Jesus spontaneously from their heart. There is a huge difference between those two approaches. If you have never experienced the second one, ask one or two people to meet you somewhere and begin to talk to Jesus together. Don’t wait. Do it today. It will change your life.

For a lot more insight into the faith of the first Christians, click this link. It will take you to the Amazon page for my book: “The Joy of Early Christianity.

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Keeping Clean Gas in My Think Tank

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?
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My great challenge is to keep my think tank full of clean gas. It’s hard to keep the dirty fuels out of it. The right questions help me. What’s in your think tank?

Let good questions roam in your mental home. (Philippians 4:8) Refuse to ask yourself self-tormenting questions like, “Why did this happen?” (1 Peter 5:7) Instead ask yourself, “What good can come from this thing that looks and feels so bad to me?” (Romans 8:28)

Then active the God-given search engines (Matthew 6:33) in your think tank to seek out positive possibilities that can come from the things that bring you pain. Post those positives all over the social media of your mind and scroll them day and night. If you do that your think tank will fill up and overflow with the free gas of hopethoughts.

The fuel that you burn in your mind, little by little determines your destiny. Always keep your think tank full of premium gasoline. (Matthew 8:13)

The pure fuel of innocence often flashes in the chaos of your mind, but it’s too often ignored, resisted, and replaced with guilt producing thoughts. (Matthew 5:8) A think tank full of the clean gas of hope continually notices and delights in the simple joys that abound all around us.

To fill your think tank with hope, you don’t have to reinvent light. (2 Corinthians 4:6) Simply cultivate God’s uplifting ideas until they take flight and flood you with encouraging insights and spiritual attitude-lifters.

Power your mind with the hum of uplifting thoughts. Sift through your inner noise for sparks worth igniting. Snuff out deceitful schemes while embracing worthy dreams. (Romans 12:2) It’s vital that you know how to gas up your think thank with thoughts that glow with love’s pure light and fire you up with Spirit-led ponderings (Romans 8:14) that always lift you higher.

Make your think tank a thank tank. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Fill your mind with the free gas of gratitude and appreciation. (Ephesians 5:20)

If you fuel your thinking with encouragement, (Hebrews 10:24-25) you’ll find that’s it’s much easier to cope with the challenges and difficulties of life. If you pump your think tank full of negativity, (2 Timothy 2:20-26) you’ll walk the mental plank of confusion and sink into an inner sea that drowns your satisfaction.

Avoid religious autopilot. Be led by God the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:14) The pages of the Bible are free gas cards to fill your tank with faith. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

Fill your mind with the high-octane fuel of hope. (Romans 15:13) Overflow with joyful creativity. For a green light to inspiration and encouragement, google: Free Gas for Your Think Tank blog.

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Faith Advice

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What advice would you give to your teenage self?
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Faith’s like fire. Don’t let it be like ice.

Whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) What does it mean to believe in Jesus? Faith advice: Don’t let your faith be like ice.

If you have faith, it’s like fire. It can burst into roaring flames, or it can fade into the faintest flicker. It will all depend on how you tend to it. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.” (1 Timothy 1:6)

“Be fervent in spirit.” (Romans 12:11) Faith can be a bright light in your eyes, or it can slip away from your sight. If you aren’t careful, “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things” will slowly snuff out your faith. (Mark 4:19)

Like a fire your faith needs to be fed fuel. You need to faithfully work on it and nurture it. “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:17)

If you go all out always seeking God first, (Matthew 6:33) faith’s fire will continually blaze in your heart and spread all around. It will ignite spiritual fires in other people. However, if you focus on yourself instead of on God, your faith will little by little go out.

Ponder with never-ending awe the presence of the risen Jesus. Throughout each day keep your attention focused on Him. Then your heart will stay hot with God’s fire. (Psalm 39:3) The more you listen to Jesus speak in your heart, the more your heart will burn within you and the better you’ll understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:32)

Read the Bible over and over until God’s message becomes an all-consuming flame inside of you that you can’t hold back. (Jeremiah 20:9) Let Jesus continually live in and overflow from within you as the Holy Spirit and fire. (Matthew 3:11) Train yourself to always focus on and be led by the Spirit’s inner promptings. (Romans 8:14)

When passionate burning faith fades, churches wither away. When God’s heart-consuming spiritual fire has dimed into a faint flicker in the darkness, a church is dead. (2 Timothy 3:5)

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Beyond Church-Boredom

Posted on February 22, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What bores you?
View all responses

I believe that the body of Christ has been given the keys to the kingdom of Heaven– to the invisible government of God. Unfortunately, we have bound each other to religious tradition and casual formalism (2 Timothy 3:5) instead of losing one another into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:21)

I deeply believe that God the Holy Spirit is looking for Spirit-led leaders who will stop “lording it over” gatherings of the body of Christ and begin “overseeing.” That’s a vital and biblical key to spiritual awakening.

On his way to Jerusalem, Paul met with the elders, the older more mature believers in Christ’s congregation from Ephesus. He told them: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. (Acts 20:28-31)

In a congregation of the body of Christ no man should be allowed to rise up, distort the truth of the priest of all believers, (1 Peter 2:9) and draw and keep Christians under his power and authority. (Matthew 20:25-28) Paul rebuked the Christians in Corinthians for doing that. “What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul,” another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ another, ‘I follow Cephas,’ still another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:12-13)

Perhaps we have been drawn away from genuine discipleship. (Matthew 16:24) Observe how much attention pastors are given in churches. They are even called “Reverend.” Yet elders and overseers are set aside and made to keep silent in the congregation.

Churches need overseers, not one-man Sunday morning control. Leaders in the body of Christ are called “episkopos” in the Greek New Testament. It means “overseers” but is translated in most English Bibles as bishops. However, it’s extremely rare to find a church that allows overseers to fulfill their calling in the congregation.

When Christians come together overseers give oversight. They watch over the gathering. They don’t program it, direct it, or control it. They let God the Holy Spirit personally run the meeting as He inwardly prompts various Christ-followers to share songs, revelations, testimonies, prayers, Scriptures, short teachings, and gifts of the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 14:26)

Overseers allow the meeting to freely flow as led by the Spirit. (Romans 8:14) Should someone disrupt the flow or try to take control of the meeting; an overseer redirects it back into the hands of the Holy Spirit. Let’s restore the oversight of overseers!

When Christians gather to experience Jesus together and all be led by the Spirit, He takes control and demonstrates His presence. Christ died for you so He can now live in you, reign in you, and build His kingdom within you. Anything less isn’t biblical Christianity.

If you are a pastor, ask God to help you identify and empower the other overseers in the congregation. Then step back and rely on the Holy Spirit to take charge of the meeting. As overseers keep watch from the side you will see the priesthood of the believer gloriously demonstrated as ordinary believers open their heart to one another and show and tell what God has done. Dare to give it a try. If you need some training, I’m ready to help. Google Beyond Church Ekklesia. Contact me at: stsimms@live.com

When Christians gather
To be Spirit-led
With Christ as their Head
The kingdom of God
Will be in their midst.
They will taste and see
Heaven’s victory.
This world is a mess;
Don’t settle for less.

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What ChatGPT Says About: Beyond Church

Posted on February 21, 2026 by Steve Simms

Here’s what ChatGPT says about Beyond Church: An Invitation to Experience the Lost Word of the Bible—Ekklesia.

Steve Simms’ book argues that modern Christianity has lost sight of a crucial biblical concept: ekklesia. While English Bibles typically translate this word as church, Simms contends that the original meaning points to something far more dynamic, participatory, and communal than the institutional model most people know today.

⭐ What the Book Is About
Simms highlights that early Greek texts record Jesus saying, “I will build my ekklesia,” not “my church.”

He explains that in ancient Greek city-states, the ekklesia was a democratic, interactive assembly where citizens shared ideas, needs, and responsibilities.

The book argues that this original meaning has been obscured for centuries, shaping Christian gatherings into more passive, hierarchical experiences.

Simms invites readers to rediscover a form of Christian community that is participatory, Spirit-led, relational, and empowering.

🔍 Key Themes
Reclaiming biblical language to recover biblical practice

Interactive gatherings instead of spectator-style services

Every believer participating, not just clergy

Spirit-led community as the heart of Christian life

A critique of institutional decline in Western Christianity

📚 Why Readers Find It Compelling
Many readers resonate with the book because it speaks to a growing desire for:

More authentic community

More meaningful participation

A faith experience that feels alive rather than routine

A return to early Christian practices

The book has been well received on platforms like Goodreads and Amazon, where readers appreciate its challenge to rethink what “church” can be.

If you’d like, I can also:

Summarize the book chapter-by-chapter

Compare Simms’ view of ekklesia with scholarly perspectives

Explore how different Christian traditions interpret the term

Help you reflect on how these ideas might apply in real-life community settings

Google: Beyond Church Ekklesia.

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Drink This In

Posted on February 21, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite drink?
View all responses

People are made in God’s image . . . but. God’s image in people is faded, twisted, and distorted, but it’s not deleted. If you will diligently search for the slightest glimmer of God’s image in everyone you meet, you’ll discover an inspiring treasure inside of them. Like an archeologist’s ancient artifact deteriorated in the dust it will reveal glimpses of glory and beauty that have been left behind.

God’s image bearers are loved by Him. He wants you to love them too. (John 22:37-40)

Love isn’t the approval and applause of people’s actions and attractions. It’s compassionate concern and critical care for their wellbeing. (Philippians 2:3) When Jesus taught loving your enemies (Matthew 5:44) He wasn’t saying to blindly approve of their behaviors and beliefs. He was telling us to speak the truth (Ephesians 4:15) while patiently showing people tenderness, kindness, and forgiveness. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Christians are called and supernaturally empowered by God to be the world’s best lovers–to love one another and even our enemies. Yet for some reason, we’re not very good at it.

We Christians have so departed from Spirit-produced love (Galatians 5:22-23) that we have twisted the words “the church” into a meaningless misnomer. We have shattered the body of Christ into hundreds of thousands of independent churches and denominations world-wide, each one training people to pursue their own self-interests and beliefs, while ignoring Christ’s prayer that we all be one. (John 17:21)

The Bible plainly states that anything Christians do without love is worthless. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) It’s just empty noise like that made by a clanging cymbal–sound without substance. How can we move from self-focused divisiveness to Spirit-led community overflowing with love?

The first step is to focus on fixing ourselves before we focus on fixing other people. A country can’t be fixed-up to be great if its Christian citizens are a moral mess muddled in the middle of a mental health crisis.

True greatness begins with the wisdom of Solomon who speaking on God’s behalf said: “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) True greatness begins with the deep repentance of Christians. (1 Peter 4:17)

It’s time for leaders in the body of Christ to get out of God’s way (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and prepare the way of the Lord. (Mark 1:2-3) Church leadership should be a group of equal overseers, (Acts 14:23) instead of a one-man pastor. (Ephesians 4:11-12) Christian leaders need to step aside from being controlling levers pulling rank in a religious hierarchy. Instead, they should guide from the side, not rule from a podium. They should effectively train, motivate, and release people to freely minister to one another as the Spirit prompts, not just lecture or manipulate a congregation.

Jesus called His disciples aside and told them: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)

If you are a Christian, you are clergy. All Christ-followers are priests. (Revelation 1:5-6) Humbly step into the role that God has called you to by passionately obeying and loving God and by radiating His love to all people everywhere you go as you speak the truth with compassion. That’s true greatness!

Read the Old Testament prophets. God in His love called them to expose sin and rebellion, but they weren’t professionals. Instead of cash or even appreciation, they were paid with persecution. “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to My people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.” (Isaiah 58:1)

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Open-Hearted People

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
Who are your favorite people to be around?
View all responses

Open-hearted people welcome unguarded human connection. They spread warmth and kindness wherever they go. They look beyond other people’s words, behaviors, and appearance seeking to see the image of God in them. This hard-hearted world needs open-hearted people.

The joy and peace that open-hearted people radiate resonates in others and facilitates amazing interactions. Every person has the ability to be open-hearted, yet society has trained us to be cautious, suspicious, guarded, and closed. Instead of wearing love like a locket, we lock down our heart to protect it. That’s not what our heart was designed for.

People were created for caring community, not for cold, formalized interactions that keep us in heart-isolation. Too often we choose loneliness instead of openness. We let fear and insecurity compel us to hide what’s inside of us. We refuse to consistently walk in the light (1 John 1:7) of humility and honesty.

God calls us to open-heartedness. The Bible says: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:16) That’s simple and powerfully effective, yet scary to do. How can we be open-hearted when we’ve been taught and trained to do the opposite.

The first Christians demonstrated an incredible ability to keep their heart open even under extreme duress and persecution. They loved their enemies by blessing those who cursed them. (Matthew 5:44) Instead of responding with anger or revenge when they were insulted, persecuted, and falsely accused they radiated the fruit of God the Holy Spirit–love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) How did they do that?

They surrendered to Heaven’s appeal. They denied their own thoughts, feelings, and desires (Mark 8:34) and allowed Christ to freely live within and through themselves. (Colossians 1:27) They frequently met together to open up to each other. (1 Corinthians 14:26) They encouraged each other, (Hebrews 10:24-25) confessed their faults to each other, (James 5:16) taught one another, (Colossians 3:16) and carried each other’s burdens. (Galatians 6:2)

What about you? Is your heart mostly open or mostly closed? Start small. Find one or two people who you trust. Get together with them regularly and begin to open up and share what’s going on inside of you. Practice the Bible “one anothers” together. Soon you will notice divine connection growing among you as you gradually learn to walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16)

Here’s Heaven’s appeal:
Asleep at the wheel,
You don’t know what’s real.
Things aren’t like they feel.
Now wake up and heal.
Let Christ take the wheel
So He can reveal
HIs presence to you.

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The Path I’ve Taken Has Brought Me To This

Posted on February 19, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.
View all responses

A Fire Alarm and Trumpet Sound

Church attendance without discipleship is:
* Listening to a talk about Jesus instead of becoming more like Him, (2 Corinthians 3:18)
* A passive audience without participatory interactive action, (James 1:22-25)
* A lecture instead of a way of life, (1 Corinthians 4:20)
* Religion without power, (2 Timothy 3:5)
* Hearing without doing, (Matthew 7:24-28)
* Words without application, (Romans 2:13)
* Being mere laity instead of “a royal priesthood,” (1 Peter 2:9)
* An hour or two instead of 24/7/365, (Luke 9:23)
* Being a religious consumer rather than an ambassador for Christ, (2 Corinthians 5:20)
* Passivity instead of Spirit-led activity, (Romans 8:14)
* An assembly that doesn’t allow people to encouraging one another, (Hebrews 10:25)
* A gathering without testimonies, (Revelation 12:11)
* Focused on what happens in a building instead of on “Christ in you, the hope of glory, (Colossians 1:27)
* Being pastor-fed instead of Spirit taught, (John 14:26)
* Pastor dependent instead of allowing open sharing, (1 Corinthians 14:26)
* Religiously entertaining without hands-on “training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16)
* World conforming instead of mind reforming, (Romans 12:2)
* Sermon focused instead of mission focused, (Matthew 28:19)
* A weekly theological meeting instead of daily Christ-seeking, (Matthew 6:33)
* Obligation instead of inner transformation, (2 Corinthians 5:17)
* Merely sitting in a religious location instead of daily experiencing true heart renovation, (Ezekiel 36:26)
* Information-heavy but obedience-light, (John 14:15)
* Ever learning but unable to come to a deep, experiential knowledge of the truth, (2 Timothy 3:7)
* Stereotypical and hypocritical. (1 John 4:20)

The Pharisees, the religious conservatives of the day, wanted Jesus dead so they pressured the Roman government to kill Him. To be content with a dead, ceremonial Jesus is to walk in the self-righteous way of the Pharisees. True disciples however carry the risen Jesus within them (Colossians 1:27) and rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8) The discipleship path is amazingly rewarding but oh so difficult!

Rely on,
Depend on,
Surrender to,
And trust in
Christ Himself;
Not in self,
Religion,
Government,
Or money.

The most common question that Christians ask one another is “Where do you go to church?” A much better question is “How are you being daily discipled and trained to listen to and obey Jesus more effectively?

Thanks for asking. My answer to the second question is: I read the Bible daily as a love letter instead of like a textbook. I ask God the Holy Spirit to open my heart to understand it and to give me the courage to obey it throughout each day. I listen to the still small voice of the Spirit throughout each day and do my best to obey His inner promptings. When the Spirit points out a sin in me, I quickly confess it and turn away from it. I walk in the light and seek to always be open and honest. My wife and I open our heart to each other, pray together every day, and hold each other accountable. I have a heart-to-heart spiritual relationship with numerous men who know that I’m willing to listen to and pray about their correction if they see me off track. My wife and I frequently get together to pray and connect heart-to-heart with other Christ-followers in person, on the phone, or through other media. We both spend a lot of time worshipping Jesus and also praying in tongues. I listen to the Holy Spirit every morning and post what He tells me on Facebook and on my blog.

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True Transformation

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Steve Simms

True transformation is the best gift ever. Plastic surgery can change the body, but it can only make a superficial difference because it’s unable to literally transform the human heart. (Jeremiah 17:9) Genuine transformation empowers a person to joyfully live in self-denying, daily-cross-bearing obedience to the risen Jesus Christ. (Luke 9:23)

God the Father sent Jesus, God-the-Son, to supernaturally transform people (2 Corinthians 5:17) and to live within and through them (Colossians 1:27) so that God the Holy Spirit can freely flow out of their innermost being like rivers of living water. (John 7:38-39) King David cried out to God for that kind of transformation when he prayed: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

True trans-formation continues for a lifetime “until Christ be formed in you.” (Galatians 4:19) It begins in a moment, continues day-by-day, (2 Corinthians 1:10) and goes from glory to glory as we let God the Holy Spirit work deep down inside us (2 Corinthians 3:18) and lead us from within. (Romans 8:14)

Jesus said: Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8) It takes deep humility (James 4:6-8) to admit that your heart is impure, deceitful, (Matthew 15:19) and needs to be transformed by God. (Matthew 4:17)

What about you? Will you humble yourself and allow God to unceasingly transform you from within until you fully conform to His will instead of your own? (Luke 22:42) Are you ready for the lifelong process that the Bible calls sanctification?

If you are caught in a habitual sin, never justify your behavior. Never stop resisting it. Always let it humbly draw you closer to Christ and His mercy until deliverance finally comes. (1 John 1:5-10)

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Hope For People Who Feel Unworthy

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Steve Simms

Unworthiness is to be undeserving. Maybe you’re doing better than you deserve. Three great people in the Bible were deeply aware of their unworthiness.

Isaiah said: ““Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5) He said: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)

Peter became so aware of his unworthiness that he fell down at Jesus’ knees. Then he said: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8)

Paul was intently aware that he was undeserving of God’s love and forgiveness. He said: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells.” (Romans 7:18) He wrote: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23)

In all of history there has only been one person worthy of God the Father’s love. John wrote this about the human condition: “Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?’ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it. And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.” (Revelation 5:1-4) Then John realized that the Godman (John 1:1 &14) — God the Son — was the only one worthy to open the scroll.

How about you? Are you intently aware of your unworthiness? Will you let Jesus open the scroll for you and save you from the guilt, shame, and power of your sins? (Matthew 1:21) Will you deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and consistently obey the risen Jesus? (Luke 9:23) Christ has come and shed His blood so that anyone’s sins can be forgiven. Are you willing to always admit your sins, quickly turn away from them, and rely on God’s mercy and forgiveness? If so, there is great hope for you in your unworthiness.

Disciples daily do
What Jesus tells them to.
Let Christ live inside you
And lead you from within.

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