Category Archives: Christian community

Should Church Comfort Or Confront?

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Steve Simms

Should church meetings comfort or confront?  Perhaps both.  Maybe church should “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” However the goal of a church meeting is not primarily to make people comfortable or to be user friendly.  The goal of … Continue reading →

Posted in afflict the comfortable, American church, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, blessed, brokenness, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christian values, church, church history, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, comfort, conviction, conviction of sin, cross, deny yourself, godly sorrow, hearing God, Isaiah, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lifestyle Christianity, move of God, mysticism, Nashville, organic church, participatory church, Paul of Tarsus, purpose, repent, repentance, revival, revolution, salvation, self-denial, show and tell, simple church, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, those who mourn, uncomfortable, unprogrammed church, user friendly, voice of God, Woe is me | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Lifestyle (Real World) Christianity

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Steve Simms

Lifestyle Christianity is faithful faith — faith that lives faithfully according to its values and beliefs.  Its focus is to actually follow and obey the commands of Christ rather than to merely swallow a prepackaged belief system about Him. Lifestyle … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, belief system, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, challenges, change, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian community, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian values, church, church history, church programs, church roles, church structure, commands, community, confession, creeds, deeds, disciples, discipling, faith, faith-based, faithfulness, forgiveness, gifts of the Spirit, guilt, inward change, life, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, Music City, Nashville, obedience, one anothers, organic church, peace, presence of God, real world, recovery, religious ceremonies, self-denial, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual growth, supernatural, support group, team, values, witness | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

Guilt-Free Living

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Steve Simms

Guilt-free living is amazing . . . Knowing you are forgiven, Keeping a clean conscience, and Living in freedom from the control of cravings and compulsions. Guilt-free living comes through daily following and obeying the living, resurrected Jesus Christ. “What … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, addictions, alternative lifestyle, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, boundaries, brokenness, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, Christian values, church, clear conscience, community, conviction of sin, ethics, faith-based, forgiveness, godly sorrow, guidance, guilt, habit, healing, heart care, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, lifestyles, missional, moral principles, morality, morals, non-church, organic church, recovery, relational church, repent, repentance, revelation, revival, salvation, search for significance, searching for significance, shame, show and tell, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, support group, surrender to God, The Salvation Army, values | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Wireless Connection That Never Fails

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Steve Simms

“Wireless connection failed.”  Those words can be very frustrating.  Then you have to move into wireless troubleshooting and try to reconnect.  But is there a wireless connection that never fails. Yes!  The only way to break this wireless connection is … Continue reading →

Posted in apart from me you can do nothing, beeline, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, connection failed, disconnect, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, land line, organic church, out of range, presence of Christ, presence of God, reconnect, secure, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, supernatural, The Voice, voice of God, wireless connection | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

What Rube Goldberg Machines Can Teach Us About Church

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Steve Simms

Rube Goldberg machines are complex contraptions that produce a sequence of what appears to be random actions that lead to a final result.  They are fun to watch.  You can find many videos of Rube Goldberg machines on YouTube. Perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, American church, Berry Street, Bible, Biblical concept, bored in church, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian community, Christian history, Christian values, church history, church programs, church roles, church structure, East Nashville, ekklesia, good sermon, having a form of godliness, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, Kevin Brockmeier, Music City, non-traditional church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, priesthood of the believer, relational church, religious ceremonies, Rube Goldberg, simple church, soul, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, What is church? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Perhaps Church Is Much Simpler Than We Think It Is . . .

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Steve Simms

Maybe church is much simpler than we think it is? Perhaps church is just two or there or more believers gathered under the actual leadership and direction of the living, resurrected Jesus Christ in our midst? (In Matthew 18:20, Jesus … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, bored in church, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christian values, Christianity, church, church programs, church roles, church structure, disciple making, disciples, discipling, East Nashville, ekklesia, faith, gifts of the Spirit, God's government, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Holy Spirit, house church, improv, improvisation, Jesus, Jesus Movement, kingdom of God, Matthew 18:20, move of God, participatory church, presence of Christ, presence of God, relational church, religion, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, the way we do church | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sermon-Free Church Spread Across America In 1857-1858

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Steve Simms

Spirit-led, sermon-free church meetings spread across America in 1857-1858.  Jeremiah Lanphier started a prayer meeting on September 23, 1857 in New York City.  Six men showed up.  In the next few months 10,000 people began meeting daily for prayer in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, American, American church, American history, Americans, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, business men, Charles Finney, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christian values, church, church history, church structure, conversion, East Nashville, ekklesia, England, good sermon, Great Britain, history, humility, interdenominational, Jeremial Lanphier, lifestyles, missional, move of God, movement, Music City, mysticism, new birth, non-traditional church, normal Christianity, participatory church, prayer, preaching, quote, Quotes, repentance, revelation, revival, salvation, sets the captives free, simple church, spiritual, spiritual awakening, supernatural, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Ideas to Tone Down the NBA, the NFL, and the Olympics

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Steve Simms

What if they made a new rule to tone down the Sochi Olympics by requiring all Olympic athletes to have one arm tied behind their back during competition?  Would you be okay with that? What if, in order to reduce … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, Acts, American church, basketball, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, bold statements, burning heart, Christian community, Christianity, church history, church roles, church structure, current events, early church, East Nashville, England, faith-based, football, heart-felt love, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lifestyles, London, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, Olympics, open church, order of worship, participatory church, persecution, popular culture, post-Christianity, powerless, reality TV, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, repentance, revelation, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, sporting event, sports, television, the way we do church, true Christian life, TV, TV network, UK, Uncategorized, Western religion, Western world, What is church? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Video About How Church Can Be Like A Beach Party

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Steve Simms

Beach parties are fun.  Why do people love them so much?  Perhaps there are things the church can learn from a beach party . . .

Posted in beach, Beach Boys, Beach Boys songs, beach party, beach songs, Berry Street, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church, church history, faith-based, gifts of the Spirit, Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 14:26, lifestyles, Music City, Nashville, non-traditional church, open church, participatory church, relational church, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, the way we do church, What is church? | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Alternative Names For Organic Church

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Steve Simms

In the last few years, many books have been written about organic church by people like Neil Cole, Milt Rodriguez, Tony and Felicity Dale, Frank Viola, Wolfgang Simpson, Jon Zens, and many others.  I have read many of the books.  … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, American church, Berry Street, Bible, Biblical concept, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church roles, church structure, faith, faith-based, flag, Frank Viola, history, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, James H Rutz, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jon Zens, King James Version, Milt Rodriguez, Music City, Nashville, Neil Cole, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, open church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, prayer, prayer walking, Quakers, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, sermon, sermons, show and tell, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual awakening, support group, tag team, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, Tony and Felicity Dale, tradition, unprogrammed church, Western religion, What is church?, Wolfgang Simpson | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments