Let the Spirit’s wind blow through ordinary people!

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Steve Simms

Perhaps churches should let the Spirit’s wind blow!

 
The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center in Nashville, TN

There is spiritual wind within you and when released it will blow your mind. Participatory church releases the inner wind of the Holy Spirit as everyday people…

Posted in Nashville, organic church, Salvation Army, spirituality | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Catherine Booth Quotes On Being Led By The Spirit And His Urgings

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Steve Simms

How do you know if you are right with God?  Paul of Tarsus put it this way:  “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”  Are you being led by the Spirit? Are you obeying the Spirit’s inner promptings, leadings, guidings, and urgings?

Here are several comments about being led by the Spirit from Catherine Booth, co-founder of The Salvation Army:

“If people would only be obedient to the urgings of the Spirit, they would never lose those urgings.”

“Will you obey the urgings of the Spirit?  Will you give up your reasonings?  Will you give up your likes and dislikes, and obey?  If you will, then He will come to you more and more.”

“Those who are in fellowship with Jesus, those who are walking in the light, those who have the Holy Ghost; know how the Spirit is leading them.”

“God will hold you responsible for obedience to the teaching of His Spirit.”

“Those who have really been converted and have become backsliders in heart, frequently confess and bemoan their unfaithfulness to the monitions (warnings) of the Spirit.”

“Oh! see to it that you get awake and keep awake, and be willing to follow the Spirit’s teaching, in everything, at all costs and sacrifice.”

“Lord, if You will, revisit me with those urgings of Your Spirit which I used to have, I will obey.”

“Lord, speak for Yourself; powerfully work on the hearts of your people and awake them.”

“The leading, teaching, and urging of the Holy Ghost is the condition of effectual prayer.”

“God is raising up a people who know how to testify what God has done for them.” –Catherine Booth (co-founder of The Salvation Army).

catherine booth book

Posted in getting right with God, hearing God, Holy Spirit, How to be led by the Spirit, Nashville, obedience to God, Romans 8:14, salvation, Salvation Army, Spirit-led, taught by the Spirit | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Collaborative Church — Participatory Worship For The 21st Century!

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Steve Simms

Collaborative Church?

Collaborative church — a gathering of Christ-followers where everyday people collaborate with the living, resurrected Jesus Christ by sharing testimonies, prayer requests, gifts of the Spirit, encouraging words, Scriptures, songs, exhortations, etc., as prompted by the Holy Spirit; resulting in cooperative learning, spiritual growth, an overwhelming sense of God’s presence.Collaborative Church?

Collaborative church happens when Christ-followers gather together under the actual and direct leadership of the living Christ.  Collaborative church teaches trust. We learn to:
1) Trust the heart-promptings of the Holy Spirit;
2) Trust the Holy Spirit’s ability to personally lead and direct a meeting; and
3) Trust one another as we see ordinary people share and shine forth in God’s beauty.

If God can keep your heart beating without your help.
If He can keep you breathing without your following a breath-by-breath program.
–Then God can lead a church service without human help or programming!

Perhaps churches are called to be Jesus-centered (not pastor-centered) communities that empower & make disciples of all believers, not just a “select few”!

General André Cox, international leader of The Salvation Army) speaks out for Jesus-centered, collaborative church:
–“As Salvationists (soldiers of The Salvation Army), we are keenly aware that our places of Christian worship are not retreats from the world for a select few. Rather, they are bridgeheads of God’s Kingdom into the world – Jesus-centered, grace-filled communities serving others selflessly. Our churches are places in which Christ’s disciples can be resourced, empowered and enabled to fulfill the Great Commission – in word and in deed.” –General André Cox (speaking with Pope Frances at the Vatican in 2014.)

General & Pope

(The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, Tennessee, 37207, practices collaborative church every Sunday morning at 10:45.  Check it out.)

Posted in apologists, Berry Street, church collaboration, collaborative learning, God's presence, Great Commission, Music City, organic church, participatory church, simple church, spiritual growth, Vatican, Vatican City | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nashville’s “Singin’ Bell Ringer” — Curtis Littlepage

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Steve Simms

Curtis & Gnash

Our Berry Street “Singin’ Bell Ringer,” Curtis Littlepage, makin’ music with Gnash (the Nashville Predators Hockey Team’s mascot) at the Green Hills Kroger in Nashville during the 2014 Christ*mas Season.

Curtis spreads contagious joy as a bell ringer by singing Christmas songs all day long. Almost everybody who passes by either smiles or sings along with him.

Let’s all learn from Curtis and spread some joy around today!

Posted in BNA, Christmas, Christmas carols, Green Hills, ice hockey, joy, Kroger, mascot, Music City, Reason For The Season | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

(Are we inner wimps, gone with the whim?) Our culture teaches us to be inner wimps, gone with whatever wacky whim which whizzes through our thoughts or emotions; rather than spiritual soldiers standing strong and soaring in the Spirit!

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Steve Simms

Gone With The Whim?

Posted in Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, self-control, self-help, surrender, wacky, wimpy | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Room In The Inn in the 21st Century Church?

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Steve Simms

Is there room in the inn in the 21st Century church?
–Is there freedom for unprogrammed movement of the Holy Spirit?
–Are everyday people allowed to share from their heart when prompted by the living, resurrected Jesus Christ?

room in the inn2

room in the inn

The New Testament teaches that the living, resurrected Jesus Christ is present when Christ-followers gather in His name (see Matthew 18:20).  So rather than following our own programming while consigning Christ to a stable in the back of the room, perhaps we should allow Him to be the One to personally lead and direct the meeting.

Since the spiritual insights of all the people present in a church meeting are far greater than any message prepared by just one man; perhaps we should allow those present in the meeting to freely express what God puts on their hearts.

Check out this:  21 Blogs For Christmas.

Posted in Christ in a stable, Matthew 18:20, no room in the inn, organic church, participatory church, Spirit-led church, the innkeeper | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Red and yellow, black and white . . . Prenatal Lives Matter.

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Steve Simms

prenatal lives matter

Posted in abortion, antiabortion, equal rights, prenatal care, profiling, red and yellow black and white, revolution, right to life | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Volleyball is like participatory church — full of action!

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Steve Simms

church volleyball

Participatory church is like volleyball — full of action. The living Jesus Christ freely moves around the room and prompts individual people to respond to Him, releasing love, faith, passion, trust, confidence, belief, joyful smiles, and a sense of family through out the room!

We try to teach children to take turns . . .
So why don’t we take turns in church meetings?

Perhaps churches have a “duty” to let people participate in their services.  Catherine Booth (co-founder of The Salvation Army) thought they did. Here are her words:
–“Give me man, woman or child, with the Holy Ghost, full of love and zeal for God, and I say it is a great strength and joy to that convert to testify in the church, and it is the duty of the church to give him the opportunity to do so.” —Catherine Booth

see for yourself

Come and see if these things be so!
–See if the living Christ, Himself, can lead a church service (without a human program), by prompting various people to speak.
–See if participatory church releases an amazing awareness of God’s presence.
–See if people of various racial and socioeconomic backgrounds can show heart-felt love for love for one another.
* See For Yourself * every Sunday @ 10:45 am., 225 Berry St., Nashville, TN 37207 @ The Salvation Army Berry Street.  

Posted in Catherine Booth, church league volleyball, interactive church, multivoiced church, Quotations, see for yourself, taking turns, TN, volleyball league | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Joy Wells or Sad Trails (got God’s glory gushings rushing through U?)

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Steve Simms

Joy Wells or Sad Trails

Jesus said that His followers,
Would experience ongoing
“Rivers of living water,”
(Flows of His own spiritual life)
God’s glory gushers,
Pouring out from deep within us
No matter what’s going on
Around us.
But we’ve been culturally trained
To cap those wells
And let our circumstances,
Cut off His flows.
And so it goes —
Sad people with capped joy wells,
We struggle to cope,
When all we need
For radiant hope
Is waiting to be released
From within us.

rivers of living water flow

got God’s glory gushings rushing through U?

Go with God’s flow!

R U
Captured & conformed by the clamor & commotion of the culture?
Or shaped by the still, small voice of the Spirit?

Posted in faith, flow of the Spirit, go with God's flow, God's flow, Holy Spirit, hope, how to cope, John 7:38, joy bells, overcoming circumstances, practical faith, spiritual flows | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

How Do You Spell “Happy Holidays”?

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Steve Simms

How do you spell “Happy Holidays”?

happy holidays

“Christ   🙂  mas”!

A Holiday thought 4 Christ*mas . . .

–If you can’t stop doing something, you are in bondage to it. The living, resurrected Jesus Christ has the Master key 2 set you free!

The winter holidays are the season to . . .
–remember the birth of Jesus about 2014 years ago;
–experience the living, resurrected Jesus Christ everyday;
–allow the living Jesus to flow through your heart and out to others;
–go to a participatory church meeting so the Jesus in you can freely interact with the Jesus in others. (A great place to do this is The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, TN 37207 on Sundays @ 10:45 am. — where ordinary people show and tell what God has done.)

Read more in my book: Beyond Church — An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible,  available at Amazon.

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Posted in birth of Jesus, Christmas cheer, Christmas season, for the holidays, freedom in Christ, Jesus Christ, Nashville, organic church, real meaning of Christmas, Tennessee, winter holidays | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment