August 2026
Dear Friend in Christ:
“[I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me, as well as for my family and the ministry of CSM. I’m three months into what is projected to be a year-long recovery from a kidney transplant and subsequent heart attack. Praise God, though my recovery is long, doctors tell me I am on track.
While I was in the hospital, and in many subsequent return visits, I’ve realized again that no matter where I am or what is happening to me, I am still called to be on mission, in ministry, as an ambassador of Jesus Christ. That’s something I’d like to talk about with you this month.
Did you know that you and I share the same high calling? We are members of the same body; different functions sometimes, but with one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one mission. Have you thought about your calling lately? Is God calling you? If so, what is He calling you to do? Are you walking in His calling for you? These are some of the most important questions in life.
We began this Pastoral Letter with words from chapter one of Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. This next reference is what Paul continued to write to the Christians there in chapter three:
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:14-21).
Notice how Paul emphasizes that everything we are receiving is rooted and grounded in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, given to us by His grace and received by us through faith in Him. Paul prays for us that we might truly and deeply know this love of Christ. Sometimes, God provides for us in ways we may not understand, or that we forget. How has God demonstrated His love for you? Is He with you as you step out by faith in His calling for your life?
God—and I cannot stress this enough—is big. His mind spans the galaxies; He is omniscient. His strength is omnipotent, without fetters or chains. At this very moment in time, God is in Tokyo, Japan, Santiago, Chile, the second moon of Jupiter, and also Micanopy, Florida. God is omnipresent. His love has no limit; His grace has no measure. And, in Him, we have a very high calling:
Also, I’ve learned that if God considers something important, well, its really important for us to pay attention. He made us; we didn’t make ourselves, and He knows best how He created us to walk in love, joy, and peace. Your calling is important, not only for yourself, but for everyone your life will touch. Do you know that? Do you cherish it? Let’s continue in Ephesians 4 …
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:1-6).
One way that God reveals His calling to us is through fellowship and community with other believers. Paul exhorts us to endeavor to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Sometimes, unity is hard work! But God’s calling for us is not simply individual, but also corporate, together with others.
The Lord is building us together as a healthy, functioning body. We are strengthened and encouraged in relationships. Sometimes, it feels like we’re failing, and we become discouraged. All I can say is, don’t simply give up; don’t burn bridges if you can avoid it, and seek God for healing and restoration. If others simply choose to be repeatedly and maliciously toxic, then it’s time to separate yourself from them in lament and humility. Those times are grievous. But our redemption and unity are important to God.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians focuses primarily on three things:
The only way we can build covenant relationships with one another is by meeting and kneeling together at the foot of the Cross. One thing that will bind us together is our common desperate need for Jesus and His grace and forgiveness.
Perhaps more altar time in humility, lament for our own sins, prayer, repentance, and Communion would be a better use of our Sunday mornings than weekly rants about culture war battles and performative heckling of “the heathens out there.” Remember, 2 Chronicles 7:14 applies first to those who call themselves God’s people.
Paul makes it clear in Ephesians 4 that every member of Christ’s Body, the Church, has a ministry…a valuable function in the Body.
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Write this on your heart: “Every member a minister.” If you are a believer in Jesus, you are called into His ministry. You may be a minister working as an accountant, programmer, homemaker, plumber, restaurant server, first responder, nurse—or as I was for years, a janitor. Whatever you’re doing, be alert to the voice of the Holy Spirit. You are on mission! Ask Him to show you who to reach next; what to do; what to say; how to serve.
Believers with enlightened eyes and hearts can recognize whatever they are doing through Christ is a ministry and mission for God. Perhaps the Blues Brothers were really onto something!
But what about the pastors, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and apostles? Just exactly what are they up to anyway? Their job is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry! Who are the saints? YOU ARE! The job of Christian leaders is to equip all believers to function effectively in their individual callings and ministries. I’m not trying to make people in my sphere of care look more like me. I want to equip and encourage them to look to Jesus and look more and more like Him. Paul wrote “till we ALL come to the unity of the faith.”
God is pursuing you so you might pursue Him and His purpose. Paul’s letters weren’t written to an elite few “super Christians.” Paul was writing to men, women, and children who were all new Christians, coming together as God’s family in the midst of a very difficult, often dangerous, and hostile environment. Paul was writing to people who had been deluded idol worshipers, cultists, violent rioters, prostitutes, patrons of prostitutes, greedy grifters, and kidnappers. They had been saved and delivered by God’s grace in Christ. The success of the early Church was spurred by all of the saints getting engaged in their God-given tasks. The success of the 21st Century Church will be spurred by the same thing. It’s time to get off of the sofa seats and into the game. Our task is no less urgent or vital today than it was in Paul’s day.
Pastors and leaders, particularly here in America, must get back to the basics of proclaiming Bible-based, Christ-centered, faith-strengthening, fruit-bearing truth. Somehow, we as the Church must get away from “me-centered” vanity and back to Cross-centered Christianity. That’s the only way restoration and revival will happen. We are not called to create consumers but to make disciples of Jesus.
Would you please pray for and support CSM this month and beyond? For three years at least, we’ve faced unprecedented challenges and transitions. Spiritual attacks, health battles, and financial shortfalls have been frequent. But despite opposition, opportunity remains as we seek to restore the generational bridge to the next generation of Christ followers. We continue to expand our video and audio presence on social media, You Tube, and Spotify. Please give us a follow online! Many of these resources are FREE … but none are cheap.
The new Covenant and the Kingdom app is a work in progress. All of the primary writing on more than 120 lessons and 7 thematic volumes is done; editing and formatting continue. We are so excited about the day when we can share this with you. CSM seeks to honor the legacies of my father, Charles Simpson, and many of his closest friends and ministry allies. At the same time, CSM is also producing dynamic new ministry resources. Thanks to everyone who is standing with us by using the card enclosed, our website, and our online giving platforms.
May the Holy Spirit continue to lift and sustain you in these days, and always!
In Jesus,
Pastor Stephen Simpson
President
