Category Archives: 1 Corinthians 14:26

My Personal Search For Ekklesia (And I Still Long For More)

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Steve Simms

I have always had a longing for God. My parents who were non-religious and didn’t attend church told me that as soon as I learned to talk I began to talk to them about God and to ask them to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Adult Rehabilitation Center, Calvary Chapel, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, ecclesia, multivoiced church, open church, participatory church, Salvation Army, Vineyard | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Spiritual Leadership Doesn’t “Lord It Over”

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Steve Simms

Jesus came to establish spiritual leadership in His church that is based on humble example, godly character, and personal power; not on human control, institutional authority, or positional power. Jesus wants his leaders to facilitate His meetings, not to dominate … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 Corinthians 2:4, Bible quotes, Christian leadership, demonstration of the Spirit's power, doers of the word, each one has a psalm, God-gatherings, James 1:22, Matthew 20:25, not hearers only, not with enticing words of men's wisdom, Paul of Tarsus, Quotes, When you come together | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Millennial Town

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Steve Simms

Millennial town Unmoved for 1,000 years, Longest continually inhabited Multi-family dwellings In the entire world; Sitting in a beautiful valley On both sides of a roaring river; Resisting terrorism For hundreds of years, Surviving disrespect, persecution, Abuse and genocide; Containing … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1000 years, alternative lifestyle, bombed church, building with adobe, Christ, community building, Indian village, Indians, Millennial generation, Native American, oldest city in America, reaching Millennials, world heritage sites | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“This is That” 4 the 21st Century!

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Steve Simms

“This is that,” vs. “This is what that means.” –Today preachers like to take a Bible verse and proclaim “This is what that verse means.” –The early Christ-followers experienced and demonstrated the Bible and then proclaimed: “This is that which … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 Peter, Acts 2, Apostle Peter, church programs, Confess you sins, James 5:16, James the Lord's brother, Jesus, John the Beloved, joy unspeakable, Paul of Tarsus, prayer, prayer of a righteous man, Quotations, Revelation 12:11, the Comforter, the word of their testimony, you don't need anyone to teach you | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is a one-man sermon like one-man soccer? (Getting a kick out of soccer.)

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Steve Simms

Getting a kick out of soccer . . . While watching a soccer (football) game, I noticed that no one person kept constant control of the soccer ball. Instead the ball was being headed, kicked, passed, run, and rolled all over the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, church meetings, church program, creativity, Desmond Tutu, French horns, get a kick out of soccer, goalies, goalkeepers, interactive church, lessons from soccer, open church, organic church, participatory church, players, popularity of soccer, Richard Foster, sermon, simple church, soccer ball, soccer game, Tiffeny Milbrfett | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Secret 2 releasing the power of the 1st Century A.D. Christ-followers

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Steve Simms

NBC’s new miniseries, A.D.–The Bible Continues, airing on Sunday nights, is focusing attention on the early Christ-followers. Would those first Christ-followers recognize what we call “church”? Did the first Christians start recovery groups? –The first Christ-followers met in Christ-led recovery groups where they … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 12 step group, AA, back to the future, celebrate recovery, Christ-centered recovery, Christian recovery, church history, NA, Nashville, organic church, recovery groups, Salvation Army, support groups, The Bible Continues | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Origin of Obligatory Oratory in Church Meetings (Let’s Get Back To The Future)

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Steve Simms

In the new church, ordinary people (not the Apostles) spoke about Jesus wherever they went. “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Aristotle, book of Acts, Cicero, Edwin Hatch, ekklesia, participatory church, public speaking, rhetoric, Spirit-led | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Meeting Not Only 2 Hear About The Bible, But Also 2 Do What It Says

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Steve Simms

We can meet to hear about the Bible and/or we can meet to do what the Bible says.  For example: “Blessed are the peacemakers . . .”  –We can hear a talk about the meaning of the word “peacemakers” and/or … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 2 Timothy 1:6, ancient Israel, beattitudes, interactive church, James 1:22, James 5:16, John 13:34, Luke 9:23, Matthew 11:28, Matthew 5:9, organic church, Psalm 100:1, Salvation Army, simple church | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Power of Spirit-Led Potluck!

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Steve Simms

The Power Of Potluck! I love a spiritual potluck Where everybody’s free to share something — A prayer, a Scripture, an insight, A short teaching, a prayer request — (Without any one person having to do it all) And it … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Christianity, church potluck, Nashville, organic church, potluck, Salvation Army, simple church, spiritual formation, spiritual potluck, Tennessee | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

From “Attending Church” to “Doing Church” to “Being the Church . . .”

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Steve Simms

Some people say that we don’t need to go to church.  We need “to be the church.” To “be the church” implies action rather than passive watching. But before we can get up the courage to “be the church” in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, attending church, church attendance, going to church, New Testament church, obeying the Spirit, Spirit-led, When you come together | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment