Jesus Did Not Give Up on This World - Nor Can We

“I cannot give up on the world—because Jesus didn’t.”

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls his followers salt and light because he believed faithful people could make a real difference in the world.

📘 Go deeper with the full sermon text, prayer, and study guide on Substack:
👉 https://open.substack.com/pub/tomsims/p/salt-and-light-why-jesus-didnt-give

🎥 Watch the full sermon on YouTube:
👉 https://youtu.be/a1_mXyOTH2M

💬 Join the conversation:
– Where do you see the world most in need of hope right now?
– What might it look like for you to be salt or light this week?

🌍 The Fellowship of Joy
An online community connecting individuals and small groups around the world for ongoing faith, conversation, and encouragement.
👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/fellowshipofjoy/

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Writing Beyond Our Lives: Phillips Brooks and the Ministry That Outlasts Us

Voices Heard — Phillips Brooks: Writing Beyond Our Lives

Phillips Brooks (1835–1893) believed that preaching was not performance but pastoral care, and that truth only becomes transformative when it passes through a living person.

In this Voices Heard episode, I reflect on Brooks as:

A pastor first, whose preaching was itself a form of care

A voice who spoke in, with, and against the tides of his time

A preacher who understood that writing extends ministry beyond a lifetime

A hymn writer whose theology could be sung, remembered, and prayed

A leader who spoke where the human condition meets the voice of God

At the center is Brooks’s enduring prayer:

Do not pray for easy lives… pray for powers equal to your tasks.

Beyond the paywall, six extended reflections explore how writing becomes a form of leadership, how influence outlives position, and how faithfulness—not ambition—is what gives words their staying power.

This is an invitation to think about what kind of voice you are leaving behind.

Join us: https://tomsims.substack.com/p/writing-beyond-our-lives-phillips

Follow Me | Matthew 4:12–25 | Fellowship of Joy with Pastor Tom

What does it really mean to follow Jesus?

In Matthew 4, Jesus begins his public ministry in a moment of danger and uncertainty. John has been arrested. The future is unclear. And yet, on an ordinary shoreline, Jesus speaks two simple words that still carry extraordinary weight: “Follow me.”

This long-form video sermon explores that moment—why Jesus begins where he does, how calling often comes before clarity, and why discipleship is rarely a straight road but a faithful one. It is a reflection offered especially for those navigating change, uncertainty, or a quiet season of faith.

🎥 Watch the full sermon on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/rQQNyO3qEi4?si=xNvxXiSNJfWVIbdD

📖 Read the full manuscript, reflections, and study notes on Substack:
https://tomsims.substack.com/p/follow-me-when-the-kingdom-comes

Whether you watch, listen, or read, you are welcome here—wherever you are joining from.

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Don’t Drive Like Tom — Calling, Conscience, and Speaking When Silence Is...

Overcoming in the Wilderness

Overcoming in the Wilderness

A Sermon on Temptation as Formation

Matthew 4:1–11

Temptation is often treated as a moral failure in the church. Scripture treats it differently—as a place of formation.

In this message, Overcoming in the Wilderness, I reflect on Jesus’ temptation in Matthew 4:1–11 and why the wilderness is not a detour from God’s purposes, but often the place where identity, trust, and obedience are clarified.

Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness—not because something has gone wrong, but because something essential is being formed. Later, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus was “tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.” Temptation, then, is not sin itself. It is the arena in which faithfulness is practiced.

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Watch the Sermon

You can watch the full video message here:

▶️ Overcoming in the Wilderness
https://youtu.be/4BKXo4ZIZl8?si=Sr0qdhegVfH6Eobs

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Continue the Conversation

Sermons often open a door. Formation usually happens afterward—through reflection, conversation, and practice.

For that reason, I’ve prepared study guides, sermon notes, and devotional materials that accompany this message. These resources are offered freely and are suitable for:

• Personal reflection

• Small groups or classes

• Teaching and leadership contexts

👉 Request the study materials here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc37WSDaIs-0ZrJ5D_g92m67ae6NeEQ9kbee-v2F1_zupjdgQ/viewform

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For Pastors and Leaders

If you are interested in how these themes translate into pastoral care and leadership practice, I’ve expanded this reflection in a Pastoral Excellence article:

📖 How You Can Help Your Congregants Overcome Temptation
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-you-can-help-your-congregants-overcome-temptation-tom-sims-b9ekc

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An old hymn captures the posture many of us need to recover:

Tempted and tried, we’re often made to wonder
Why it should be thus all the day long…

Farther along, we’ll understand.

May this message encourage faithfulness, patience, and trust—especially in wilderness seasons.

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• Sermons

• Spiritual Formation

• Pastoral Excellence

• Temptation

• Matthew 4

• Christian Leadership

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I Gave My Birthday Away -A Simple Fundraising Idea Anyone Can Use #nonpr...