Category Archives: spiritual formation

Pentecost — A Holy Spirit Takeover Of A Church Service!

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Steve Simms

Pentecost — let’s not just talk about, let’s experience it!  We need Pentecost to be more than a distant, religious memory.  We desperately need it to be a present, ongoing reality in our individual lives and in our churches! Pentecost … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian church, Christian holidays, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit flow, Holy Spirit promptings, Pentecost Sunday, pentecostal experience, pentecostals, Pentecostialism, spirit, spirit fire, Spirit of Truth, Spirit's flow, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-led church, Spirit-led interaction, Spirit-prompted, spiritual, spiritual adventure, spiritual awakening, spiritual discovery, spiritual drunkenness, spiritual experiences, spiritual fire, spiritual flow, spiritual formation, spiritual hunger, spiritual movement, spiritual power, spiritual prompting, spiritual transformation, spiritual walk, spiritual waves, spiritual worship | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Living Water Surge Protectors Limit Pentecostal Power

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Steve Simms

Religious surge protectors can suppress (quench) the flowing of the Holy Spirit both in churches and in individuals. Paul of Tarsus put it this way: “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away.” A … Continue reading →

Posted in Apostle Paul, Bible, Bible concepts, Bible quotes, denying the power thereof, flow, flow of the Spirit, flowing of the Holy Spirit, from such turn away, godliness, having a form of godliness, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit flow, John, John 17:38, John the Beloved, New Testament, New Testament quote, out of your inner most being, Paul of Tarsus, rivers of living water, spirit, Spirit of Truth, Spirit's flow, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-led church, Spirit-prompted, spiritual, spiritual flow, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual healing, spiritual innovation, spiritual life, spiritual listening, spiritual movement, spiritual presence, spiritual training, spiritual transformation, spiritual walk, spiritual worship | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

What IF God Is Speaking To You, But You Don’t Notice It?

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Steve Simms

What if God is speaking to you but you are unaware of His voice because: 1) You’ve been taught that God doesn’t talk to people nowadays; 2) You think His voice is nothing but your conscience; 3) You’re afraid of … Continue reading →

Posted in discernment, experiencing God, God calling, hearing Jesus, hearing the Holy Spirit, how to hear God's voice, listening prayer, listening skills, listening to God, spiritual formation, spiritual hearing, spiritual listening | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Hot. Cool. Yours.” Sochi’s Silly Olympic Slogan — What Does It Mean?

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Steve Simms

“Hot. Cool. Yours.” (It’s not just a silly slogan for the Sochi Olympics.) * “Hot.” — Heat up God’s fire in your heart and spread it everywhere until you become an ever-burning, flaming torch for God. * “Cool.” — Cool … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, cool, courage, faith, fight the good fight of faith, holiness, Hot, Olympic events, Olympic slogans, Olympic spirit, self-help, self-improvement, spirit, spirit fire, spiritual formation, spiritual warfare, Train yourself unto godliness., training, Yours | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

What if Sunday morning church had less infrastructure and more networking? It could be transformed from a Sunday morning love lecture into a group of people actively living love with one another!

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Steve Simms
Posted in church format, church meetings, church program, church services, life, life together, one another, one anothering, open church, open forum, open sharing, participatory church, participatory sermons, share, simple church, Spirit's flow, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, spiritual church, spiritual formation, spiritual gifts | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Conversermons — Spirit-Led Conversations About God

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Steve Simms

The concept of conversermons is based on the idea that you can hear talk after talk about God; but you will never really know Him until you experience Him for yourself.  Transformation is more important than theology. Rather than a … Continue reading →

Posted in church format, church meetings, church services, conversermons, internet, Louis L'Amour, participatory church, participatory sermons, preach without words, preacher, preaching the Word, quotation, quote, Quotes, radio, sermon, sermon-hearing, sermons, spiritual formation, TV, Yaholo Hoyt | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

What The Church Can Learn From A Muppet Movie

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Steve Simms

One animated Muppet with all the other Muppets immobile and neatly placed in rows, would not make much of a Muppet movie. Instead, all the Muppets need to be animated and participating interactively with one another. No one Muppet dominates … Continue reading →

Posted in animated, animation, Berry Street, Bible, Bible concepts, church format, church leadership, church program, church programs, church roles, church services, church structure, faith, faith in God, faith-based, freedom, Nashville, Nashville church, open mic, open mike, organic church, participation, participatory church, puppets, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, soul, speaking, speaking out, spiritual formation, spirituality, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Open Church / Open Hearts

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Steve Simms

Traditionally church has been . . . –One special man weekly instructing a passive group of ordinary people. Biblically church seems to be . . . –A Spirit-led group of ordinary people actively teaching and ministering to one another in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, college, college experiences, college students, one another, one anothering, one anothers, open church, perfume on Jesus' feet, pulpit, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, spiritual formation, tradition, traditional church, University of Tennessee Martin | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Discovery Church — Continually Discovering God & His Ways

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Steve Simms

Perhaps church should create a discovery environment, where people make ongoing discoveries about God, themselves, other people, love, joy, and truth.  Maybe we should move beyond precise explanations by an expert that take away our desire for discovery. Church is … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthur Schopenhauer, church program, church programs, church services, Daniel J. Boorstin, discovery group, Henri Poincare, Intuition, Jerry Trousdale, Miraculous Movements, quotation, Quotations, quote, spiritual church, spiritual discovery, spiritual formation, Tom Shadyac | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rigid Intellectualism Is The Demise Of Spirituality

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Steve Simms

Rigid intellectualism is the demise of spirituality.  You can’t intellectualize spiritual life. When analyzed and categorized and neatly filed in the back of the brain, spiritual life dies on the vine. Spiritual life freely flows from God through humble human … Continue reading →

Posted in analysis, Harry Blamires, heart, heart care, heart connection, heart of worship, Heaven, Hell, Howard H. Brinton, mind, quotation, quote, Quotes, rationalism, rigid intellectualism, Samuel Tuke, secularists, spirit, Spirit of Truth, Spirit's flow, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual life, theology | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment