An ekklesia epidemic makes a wonderful life!

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Steve Simms

God is releasing an ekklesia epidemic!
–Christianity began with heart-felt community — an interpersonal spiritual awakening that was based on the Spirit freely flowing without being hindered by human agendas or by religious structures, patterns or traditions. Spiritual awakening requires “new wineskins” because “old wineskins” have trouble allowing fresh, new moves of the Spirit.
–The new wineskin that Jesus introduced was His ekklesia (usually mistranslated as church). The New Testament proclaims Jesus as the Head of the ekklesia. It is not supposed to be dominated or controlled by anyone or anything but the living, risen Jesus, Himself, and the free flowing of the Holy Spirit.
–Ekklesia can be experienced anywhere people are willing to surrender a meeting to Jesus’ direct control — in homes, businesses, bars, schools, parks, or even churches. All it takes is two or three people coming together to listen to and openly obey the living Jesus.
–The concept of ekklesia is contagious. Once it catches hold of your heart, you can’t contain it and you can no longer be content with church as usual. You become a carrier of an ekklesia epidemic!

Millions of people nowadays are obeying the biblical command to turn away from powerless religion. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:5) They have been called “Dones” because, although they still love Jesus, they are done with church as usual.

–Many “Dones” don’t realize it, but their dissatisfaction with religion is the Holy Spirit calling them to go beyond church into the Greek New Testament example of ekklesia! Perhaps my new book Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia help — check it out here!

And if you are in Nashville, experience ekklesia on Sunday mornings at 10:45 at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville 37207.

Beyond Church Wonderful Life

Posted in 2 Timothy 3:5, Beyond Church, Christian community, decline of the church, ekklesia, flow of the Spirit, go with God's flow, having a form of godliness, Holy Spirit, house church, It's A Wonderful Life, lost of the Bible, Nashville, organic chuch, religion, Salvation Army, Salvation Army Corps, simple church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Can one man fully present the risen Christ?

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Steve Simms

Church is a one-man performance. Ekklesia is a Spirit-assembled mosaic.

mosaic Jesus

The living, resurrected Jesus lives in people who surrender their lives to daily follow and obey Him. The Bible teaches that “In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” –Romans 12:5-6

In other words, it takes a mosaic of Christ-followers to fully reveal the living Jesus. “Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic in the end.” –Alice Paul

No one person can fully reveal the risen Jesus. Each Christ follower is “but a small shard in a great mosaic.” –Fred Cain

So why has the church for centuries ordained one man to be the all in all in a church service and required the rest of the members to sit still as passive spectators?  Tradition? Fear? Control?

Igor Babailov said: “Painting is a mosaic of colors weaved into a seamless whole.” That is also a beautiful description of the body of Christ assembled for worship — what the Greek New Testament calls ekklesia. According to the biblical command in 1 Corinthians 14:26, when Christ-followers meet for worship: “What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has . . .” something to share in the meeting.

When the Greek New Testament of example of ekklesia is followed, the results are always amazing. As each person shares as the Spirit prompts them, a beautiful revelation and demonstration of the presence of Christ unfolds in the meeting.

This is not just an idea or theory. It is a reality. At The Salvation Army Berry Street in Nashville, Tennessee, we have been meeting this way for 8 years. If you are ever in town, come see for yourself on Sunday mornings at 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207. Also, check out my book about ekklesia, available on Amazon at this link: Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia.

 

Posted in Alice Paul, ekklesia, Fred Cain, gifts of the Spirit, grace, Igor Babailov, Nashville, organic church, Romans 12, Salvation Army, Tennessee, Uncategorized, we though many form one body | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

8 past keys to Christianity’s powerful future!

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Steve Simms

Although Christianity appears to be in rapid decline in the Western world, it is about to break out with fresh power that will radically transform those who experience it. How?

The biblical example of ekklesia was established by Jesus Christ when He said in the Greek New Testament; “I will build My ekklesia.” (Ekklesia is the name of the city-council in ancient Greek city-states, but it is usually mistranslated as church — see more at this link). The New Testament ekklesia pattern reveals 8 keys from the past that will lead Christianity to a powerful future.

keys

  1. God’s blended family. Ekklesias were not built around race, color, class, or socioeconomic position. They contained people from “every kindred and every tribe.” Jesus tore down the “wall of partition” that divides people.
  2. Hierarchy-free equality. Jesus commanded His disciples to avoid setting up a hierarchy so that they could function as loving brothers and sisters rather than as an organization or institution.
  3. Full participation in worship gatherings. The New Testament tells us that when we meet together as a Christ-followers, everybody present has something to share.
  4. Priesthood of the believer. There is no concept of clergy and laity in the New Testament. Instead all Christ followers are called to be real ministers, not just spectators.
  5. Surrender to the literal leadership, direction, and control of the Spirit. Worship meetings were not programmed and/or controlled by men, but were under the direct direction of the Holy Spirit.
  6. Openness, honesty, and humility toward one another. Jesus demonstrated and encouraged brokenness and servanthood. The early Christ-followers did too.
  7. Conviction that leads to true character. Jesus said: “Go and sin no more.” Early Christians were trained to confess their sins to one another and to live pure and holy lives.
  8. Actual demonstrations of the presence and power of the living, risen Jesus. The first Christians didn’t just preach about Jesus, they made room for Him and allowed the living Jesus to demonstrate His presence during their meetings and in their individual lives.

It’s time to embrace the ekklesia keys! Experience these 8 keys in action in Nashville, Tennessee at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., 37207 on Sunday mornings at 10:45. Also learn more about them in the book Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia.

Posted in church, clergy, clergy laity, ekklesia, family of God, family values, Greek New Testament, Holy Spirit, house church, led by the Spirit, New Testament church, organic chruch, priesthood of the believer, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvation Army Nashville, serving others, simple church, sin, Tennessee, Uncategorized, universal priesthood, unprogrammed | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

416 unprogrammed worship meetings @ Berry Street

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Steve Simms

I am amazed and deeply moved to be a part of celebrating 416 unprogrammed worship gatherings at The Salvation Army Berry Street this Sunday! What a joy it has been to go beyond church with so many dear brothers and sisters in Christ and to see God use them, bless them, and change them in powerful ways.

I am so grateful to God, to my wife, to The Salvation Army, to all the regulars at Berry Street; to those who have visited even once or twice; to all who have supported Berry Street in prayers, working with children, finances, worship leading, and volunteering; for helping me to be a part of the Greek New Testament concept of ekklesia.

Through 8 years of Berry Street (416 participatory worship gatherings based on open sharing and testimony as prompted by the Spirit) we have seen the living God:
–Use several hundred ordinary people to share profoundly from their heart about how they love Jesus.
–Visibly transform numerous people right in front of our eyes.
–Use more than 100 different worship leaders to guide us into the Holy of Holies.
–Do too many miracles to name or even remember.
–Pour out tremendous love and acceptance for one another and even for first time visitors who come into the meeting.
–Set up an amazing children/youth ministry with outstanding volunteers who are faithful week after week to serve, love, and share the Gospel with children who are not always easy to work with.
–Release amazing manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit through everyday people.
–Lead 416 worship meetings without requiring a program or a human agenda.
–Never repeat the same pattern but make every meeting completely different from all the others.
* Come see for yourself as we celebrate our 8th birthday this Sunday with breakfast at 10:00 and worship at 11:00–225 Berry Street, Nashville, 37207. (You can also learn more about how we meet in my book Beyond Church: The Lost Word Of The Bible- Ekklesia
.) berry street family 2016

 

Posted in alternative church, East Nashville, ekklesia, house church, open church, participatory church, simple church, Tennessee, Uncategorized, unprogrammed church, unprogrammed meetings, worship | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Icons transport me beyond church

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Steve Simms

Icons in my favorite church building transport me beyond church. It’s an Orthodox church near Franklin, Tennessee. Icons are images dedicated, set apart, and anointed to reflect the glory of the living, resurrected Jesus Christ. Icons, unlike ordinary religious art, don’t just teach about Christianity. They create encounters with the living, risen Jesus. Gazing at those icons somehow moves my heart deeply, sometimes to tears, with a mystical stirring deep inside that makes Jesus, the angels, the saints, and the spiritual world imminently (almost tangibly) present.

The move of God that began with the birth of Jesus, His life, His death on the cross, His bodily resurrection and ascension into the spiritual dimension, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on 120 Christ-followers, swept the Roman world of the 1st Century stirring up both religious and political persecution. As the first and second generations of Christ-followers died and the power began to fade away; later generations felt the need to structure and institutionalize the movement by setting up liturgies, offices, titles, creeds, etc. Over the centuries those structures grew until even the concept of the present day power and movement of God became became a mostly forgotten idea. Being a member of the institution was enough. There was little or no sense of any need to actually encounter, interact with, and obey the living, risen Jesus.

Christianity as an institution is not enough! In the 21st Century, people no longer feel obligated to serve religious institutions. They long for life-changing power, not structured, spoon-fed, religious performances.

Christianity was founded, not as an institution, but as a deliberative body animated and led by the presence and power of the living Jesus. Jesus called it His ekklesia, which was the Greek word for the interactive, participatory city councils in Greek city-states.

Icons help me break out of the institutional format and enter into the presence of the risen Lord. Aware of His presence, He begins to speak to my heart. However, no icons are required to go beyond church and into ekklesia. All you need to do is be still, focus on Christ, be aware of His presence in your heart, and listen to His stirrings in your soul.

To learn more about ekklesia, check out the book Beyond Church available here.

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Posted in Christ the Head of the church, Christian history, church, church government, church in decline, Eastern Orthodox churches, ekklesia, Greek Orthodox Church, move of God, organic church, organized religion, Pentecost, revival, revival history, spiritual awakening, Tennessee, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

“What greater gift than the love of a cat?”

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Steve Simms

Cats don’t go to church, but perhaps church could learn emotional honest from cats. Ernest Hemingway wrote: “A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.” If cats did go to church, they might ask this question:

What does Jesus want to do during a church service? (He promised to be present with us when we gather in His name. So what does Jesus want to do?)
A) Sit back and watch what we do?
B) Be quite and stay out of our way?
C) Listen to the sermon?
D) Take direct control of the meeting and run it Himself?

Can Jesus lead and direct a church service by Himself? Yes? Or . . . No?
“No.” — If we say no, we must not really believe that He is very powerful, even though we may say that He is Lord of all.
“Yes.” — If we say yes, then why don’t we let Him take control of a church meeting and run it Himself?

Question? “What greater gift than the love of a cat?” –Charles Dickens
Answer: Going beyond church and experiencing the living, resurrected Jesus Christ working in and through ordinary people!

Cool cats love the new book Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia! Get your copy by clicking here.

beyond church cat

Posted in Christianity, church services, emotional honesty, feelings, new book, people and cats, Quotations, religion, sermons, spirituality, the greatest of these is, Uncategorized, What greater gift than the love of a cat? | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

9 ways to recognize powerless religion

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Steve Simms

The Bible in 2 Timothy 3:5 tells Christ-followers to turn away from powerless religion. But how do we recognize it? Here are 8 ways:
1) Nothing out of the ordinary happens in the meetings.
2) Many of those who attend are visibly bored.
3) Tears are seldom seen in the meeting.
4) There is little or no excitement, enthusiasm, rejoicing or celebrating.
5) Some people are eager for the church service to end and don’t like for it to go longer than planned.
6) God seems aloof and distant rather than intimately, actively, and tangibly present.
7) There is no opportunity for people who are hurting to receive help and healing in the meeting.
8) People leave the service the same way they came into it–unconvicted of their sin–ready to go back to life as usual.
9) The attendees can’t seem to get free from self-destructive behaviors, negative attitudes, bad habits, harmful compulsions, and other sins.
(“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” –2 Timothy 3:5 NKJ)

To learn more about going beyond the form of godliness check out my book Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia available in Kindle and paperback on Amazon by clicking here.

form of godliness

 

Posted in Bible verses, bored in church, church programming, denying the power, God's power, having a form of godliness but denying the power, keys to power, organic chruch, organized religion, power of God, Quench not the Spirit, Uncategorized, wonder working power, You shall receive power | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Talking God . . .

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Steve Simms

AND GOD SAID

In March 1912, a pharmacist named Austin Miles (1868-1946) wrote these words and later put them to music: “The voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own . . . He speaks, and the sound of His voice, is so sweet the birds hush their singing.”

Austin Miles’ experience is not uncommon. Many people in the 21st Century hear the living, resurrected Jesus talking to them, and they are the sanest people on earth. People through out history have heard the voice of God.

The Old Testament teaches that God speaks through a “still, small voice.” He speaks directly to people’s spirit — directly to the heart. God doesn’t have to go through other people to talk to you (although sometimes He does). God speaks through words that come across your mind; through mental pictures (what Scripture calls visions); through inner impressions; through intuition; through conscience.

The talking God will not contradict what He has already said. When He speaks His living words directly to your spirit, He won’t contradict His written word. So it is important to study, learn, and know the Bible, reading it every day. That way you will be able to test what you hear to make sure it is from God.

The talking God has been talking since the beginning: “In the beginning was the Word . . .” “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
–Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would come to talk to us: “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
–The talking God is talking still. He’s talking to you right now. Are you hearing Him? Are you listening?

The talking God is talking to you! Our goal at The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center in Nashville, TN is to create an environment where everybody present can hear the talking God speak personally to them. And they do! And they share what they hear. And it is amazing!  Sunday mornings at 10:45, 225 Berry St., 37207.

You can also learn more about the talking God in my book Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia available through Amazon by clicking here.

Posted in And God said 'Let there be light', And He walks with me and He talks with me, Austin Miles, God's voice, He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet, hearing God, hearing God's voice, hearing Jesus, hearing the Holy Spirit, hearing voices, Holy Spirit, how to hear God's voice, inner voice, lyrics, My sheep hear My voice, still small voice, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Come & hear the #risen Jesus (#relentless)

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Steve Simms
Come and hear the living Jesus
Calling out to one and all.
Come and hear the risen Jesus,
Let Him be your all in all.
Can you hear His call?
Can you hear His call?
Christ is with His ekklesia
When we gather in His name;
His living presence changes us.
We will never be the same.
We unleash the Holy Spirit.
We loose Him and let Him go.
We unleash the Holy Spirit
And surrender to His flow.
Shall we be relentless in the pursuit of the present risenness of Christ? Why not?
“For me the most radical demand of Christian faith lies in summoning the courage to say yes to the present risenness of Jesus Christ.” –Brennan Manning
–Ekklesia says yes to (and relentlessly pursues) “the present risenness of Jesus” by moving beyond a program and allowing the living, present Jesus to personally lead and direct the meeting when we gather in His name.
* Goal of church: The performance of a “perfect” program.
* Goal of ekklesia: Surrendering to Christ’s pervasive presence.
Church meets so that people can hear one man give a talk about God.
–Ekklesia meets to allow everyday people to hear God directly talk to them as individuals, and then to openly share what God has told them.
“The trouble is that our ‘hunger’ for God is frequently more a passing whim than a sustained longing. But still we find only what we seek; for spiritual discoveries can never exceed spiritual desire.” –General Frederick Coutts (The Salvation Army)
–Church can get by on passing whims:
However, ekklesia requires sustained spiritual desire!
Two ways to learn more about ekklesia: 1) Get my book Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia available on Amazon at this link; or 2) Visit The Salvation Army Berry Street on Sunday mornings at 10:45, 225 Berry St, Nashville, TN 37207 where everyday people show and tell what God has done.
Beyond church renlentless
Posted in Beyond Church, ekklesia, General Frederic Coutts, house church, more than church, organic chruch, Salvation Army, simple church, Uncategorized, You Wont Relent | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Race To Ekklesia . . .

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Steve Simms

berry street family 2016

Race to Ekklesia . . .
Ekklesia goes beyond race,
Loving with the eyes of grace,
Finding the glory of God in each face,
As ordinary people from “every kindred and every tribe”
Are free to open up and share testimonies, prayer concerns,
Scriptures, gifts of the Spirit, short teachings, prayers, and hurts,
As prompted in their heart by the Holy Spirit.
–A first time visitor to the ekklesia that meets at
The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center in Nashville, TN
Said: “This place is like a bowl of Fruit Loops.
You’ve got so many kinds of people here!”
In daily life we are governed by rules, laws, and traditions established by men and intertwined with systemic flaws, injustices, and racism. (You can see all this clearly portrayed in the new movie, Race, about Jessie Owens and his struggles against institutional racism.)  Ekklesia goes beyond the imperfect rule of law and moves into the direct rule of Christ’s presence.
Rather than following a program directed by one man in a pulpit, ekklesia allows every person present to hear and follow the voice of Jesus speaking directly to their heart. As each person obeys and shares what Jesus tells them, the glory of God fills the place and there’s not a trace of the human concept of race.
(In the Bible there is no concept of race based on skin tone or other physical characteristics. The New Testament divides people into only two groups — those born of God and those still held captive by their own desires. Which group are you a part of?)
Learn more about ekklesia in my book “Beyond Church” by clicking here.
And/or experience ekklesia with us on Sunday mornings at 10:45 at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, TN 37207.
Posted in Amazing Grace, Berry Street, Beyond Church, black lives matter, book, ekklesia, grace, injustice, institutional racism, justice, movie, Nashville, Nashville churches, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment