Category Archives: repentance

No Shades Of Gray (Or Grey)

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Steve Simms

Truth is not about fifty shades of gray.  It doesn’t grade on the curve — accepting shades of gray that are closest to white. In the area of ethics and morality, all gray misses the mark of truth.  Gray contains … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, belief system, Bible, Biblical concept, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, conviction, conviction of sin, corrupt culture, darkness, faith, faith-based, forgiveness, God, God's authority, grace, gray areas, harmful thinking, Heaven, holiness, holy, Jesus, Jesus Christ, judgment, judgments, justice, lifestyles, moral principles, moral restraints, morality, morals, mystery, Oh my God, Oh Sinner Man, pride, religion, repent, repentance, right and wrong, right conduct, right living, righteousness, salvation, saved, Savior, soul, spiritual awakening, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

The Judgment To Come / What Goes Around Comes Around

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Steve Simms

Here’s a shocking truth:  The full story of faith in Christ involves human accountability (also known as: what goes around comes around, reaping what you sow, payday someday, and the judgment to come). Let’s step back into history and listen … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts 24, alternative lifestyle, American, answer to God, Apostle Paul, authority, Bible, Biblical concept, choice, Christ, Christian, Christian history, church history, clear conscience, conscience, conviction, conviction of sin, corrupt culture, cravings, criticism, deciision making, deny yourself, discipline, Felix, God's authority, God's government, Gospel, grace, guilt, harmful habit, harmful thinking, hate speech, having a form of godliness, hearing God, hearing Jesus, heart care, history, Holy Spirit, inward change, Jesus, Jesus Christ, judgment, judgments, justice, kingdom of God, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, moral principles, moral restraints, morality, morals, normal Christianity, Oh Sinner Man, payday someday, phobic, political correctness, pride, reaping what you sow, repent, repentance, right and wrong, right conduct, right living, righteousness, Roman governor, Savior, self-control, sin, soul, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, the Gospel, voice of God, wages of sin, what goes around comes around | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Where Is Evil? In Bad People Or In Me?

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Steve Simms

When terribly evil acts are committed like a gunman randomly shooting strangers, most everybody is deeply saddened.  We are shocked and awakened to once again realize that there is real evil in the world.  And sometimes we think about it … Continue reading →

Posted in atrocities, Baghdad, boundaries, Christ, Christian, compliance, conscience, corrupt culture, cravings, cruel, cultural taboos, destructive actions, freedom, harmful thinking, hate speech, human nature, idolatry, judgment, Katrina, magnet, meaning, meaninglessness, moral principles, moral restraints, morality, morals, motivation, Paul of Tarsus, persuasion of media, political correctness, popular culture, pride, pull of evil, punishment, Quotations, quote, Quotes, repent, repentance, salvation, saved, Savior, seduction, sets the captives free, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare, temptation, thoughts, Uncategorized, values, victims, wrestling | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

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

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

Stormy Weather

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Steve Simms

It’s not easy to weather stormy weather.  Dark clouds, wind, hail, floods. There is a story about a man who built his house on sand.  When the rains came and the winds blew his house collapsed into ruble. However, another … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Bible, built his house on a rock, change, change management, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, dark clouds, faith, faith-based, floods, God, hail, hearing God, inward change, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, lifestyles, normal Christianity, Oh my God, peace, rains, repentance, salvation, self-help, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, stable, stormy weather, thundeer, training camp, values, voice of God, wages of sin, wind | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

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

Explaining Sin In A Post-Christian Culture

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Steve Simms

Post-Christian can be defined as:  the culture that emerges as the Christian faith loses influence in a society that has been somewhat shaped by Christian values.  The Western world is fast becoming post-Christian and popular culture has little understanding of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christian, Christian history, Christian values, Christianity, conviction of sin, current condition, current events, faith-based, God, God-shaped vacuum, Gospels, injustice, inward change, moral principles, morality, morals, New Testament, Oh Sinner Man, popular culture, post-Christianity, recovery, repent, repentance, right and wrong, right conduct, salvation, Scriptures, search for significance, self-denial, spiritual awakening, spiritual disciplines, tolerance, Uncategorized, values, wages of sin, Western religion, Western world | Tagged , , , , , , | 46 Comments

Good people don’t need Jesus. Sinful people desperately need Him.

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Steve Simms

To fall short of the glory of God is to sin. (“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” –Paul of Tarsus) Here’s another quote from Paul of Tarsus:  “The wages of sin is death . . … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Apostle Paul, Christianity, corrupt culture, gift of God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Pharisee, prayer, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, repentance, resurrection, Romans 3:23, salvation, sin, sinner, soul, spiritual awakening, The Jesus Prayer, wages of sin | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 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