Simplicity
Life is supposed to be simple. Simple doesn’t mean easy. Simple means having clarity about our priorities. Simplicity is the result of cutting through the clutter to find what really matters. This is not something to be done lightly. As someone once said, “Simplicity before complexity is idiocy. Simplicity after complexity is genius.”
Kingdom
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing, and the main thing is Jesus. When you make Jesus your King your priorities quickly gain clarity. You were made to serve Him. When you do what He says, you will see His kingdom invade your life and your world. You will start to see people who are far from God return to Him, the sick healed, and the oppressed set free. Your chains will fall off. You will experience a hunger for holiness, love, truth, purity, and the presence of God. This happen naturally.
Simply Kingdom
Jesus taught in the parable of the sower that the reason some of the seed was choked out by the weeds. He was talking about people who became distracted by the worries of this life. Simply Kingdom is a ministry that aims to help people learn to eliminate the trivial to focus on the essential so they can see the kingdom come into their world. It exists to help the hungry grow rapidly and healthy. I want to help believers grow through theologically solid, simple, clear, healthy, deep teaching on how to follow Jesus. When you apply God’s word, you will bloom where you are planted, and see Jesus invade your life, your family, small group, church, workplace, and city. Simple is more.
“The goal is not to fill someone else’s cup, but to empty your own.”
— Andy Stanley
Elijah Stephens
I graduated from Covenant College in 2003 with a dual major in Psychology and Philosophy. While in school, I joined the Army Reserves. In 2004, I deployed to the border of Kuwait and Iraq where I checked for car bombs. After a year, I returned to marry my super hot wife, Alison. Shortly after that, I became an executive pastor at the Vineyard Chattanooga. My passion was training people how to follow the Spirit. We saw a lot of miracles during that time. I could probably share indefinitely about those amazing experiences. Later, I began serving as an executive pastor at the Downtown Vineyard, a plant of the Vineyard Chattanooga.
One night I had a dream where Bill Johnson said, “What do you want to do with your life?” I replied, “Help plant churches that see signs and wonders.” Bill said, “Then come to California.” In response to God’s voice, Alison and I moved to Redding, CA to attend Bethel’s School of Supernatural Ministry for three years.
While in school, I started investing in my classmates and coworkers to help them reach their dreams. Many lives were transformed. I loved doing it, and so I started a life coaching business.
During this time, I wrote Leading Ministry Time a book designed to train pastors and small group leaders how to teach others to move in the Spirit’s power, and how to maintain a healthy environment.
In 2014, I began working with Michael Brodeur, who began one of the fastest growing churches in San Fransisco in the 1990s, to help launch PastorsCoach.com. This is a ministry created by pastors to help serve pastors in building healthy Spirit-led churches that fulfill the great commission.
In March of 2015, I was commissioned by Shawn Bolz, a prophet and pastor of Expression 58, to make a documentary. This film is about miracles. It asks the hard questions, and seeks to corroborate testimonies with medical documentation. Currently, I teach Bible classes at Bethel, and continue to equip the church throughout the world. He is currently pursuing an M.A. in apologetics at Biola concentrating not the interaction between science and religion.
You must be logged in to post a comment.