Biblical Christianity / Following Christ

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Steve Simms

Following the living, resurrected Jesus Christ (biblical Christianity / Jesus’ command to: “Follow Me.”) is about:
Self-surrender, not self-assertion;
Self-control, not self-fulfillment;
Self-denial, not self-righteousness;
Self-restraint, not self-indulgence;
Self-discipline, not self-destruction;
Self-sacrifice, not self-importance;
Self-effacement, not self-promotion;
Self-regulation, not self-interest;
Self-mastery, not self-justification.

To quote Jesus:  “Deny yourself, take up your cross (your execution), and follow Me.”

(See also:  The “Forgive Yourself” Myth.

Posted in biblical Christianity, Christ followers, cross, deny yourself, Follow Me., Jesus, Jesus Christ, quotation, quote, Quotes, Real Christianity, self-asscertion, self-assertion, self-control, self-denial, self-destruction, self-discipline, self-effacement, self-esteem, self-focus, self-fulfillment, self-help, self-image, self-importance, self-indulgence, self-interest, self-justification, self-mastery, self-promotion, self-regulation, self-respect, self-restraint, self-righteousness, self-sacrifice, self-surrender, selfish desires, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual training, spiritual transformation, spiritual walk, take up your cross | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Historical Jesus Can Be The Present-Day Jesus

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Steve Simms

Study and religion tend to keep Jesus tucked away in the past, as a historical figure.  However, we desperately need Him to be living and working in the present, not stuck in the past. The world needs Jesus’ presence, His power, and His authority today, as much as ever! 

So how do we release Jesus from the past into the present? It is quite simple: 1) Ask Jesus to speak to you; 2) Listen to what He tells you: and 3) Be courageous to obey Him, even if you are scared. (Keep in mind that Christ will never tell you to do anything morally wrong, mean, or evil.)  The results will amaze you.

(What if some of the thoughts that pass through your mind are the direct voice of God speaking personally to you, but you fail to recognize them because of secular, anti-supernatural, humanistic conditioning inflicted upon you by our contemporary Western culture and world view? Is that possible?)

What would it be like if instead of meeting to listen to a human speak to us about Christ; church met instead to listen to the living, resurrected Jesus Christ, speak directly to us as individual humans, and then openly shared what we heard? (Jesus put it this way: “My sheep hear My voice.”)

Will the 1st Century Jesus of the Bible take over a 21st Century church service? You bet. 

However, only if we are willing to let Him. If we insist on our human programs and agendas, Jesus won’t push His way in. But if we get out of His way and allow Him to personally direct the meeting; we will see the glory of God in the 21st Century!

 

Posted in Bible, Christ, church format, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, contemporary, contemporary church, contemporary society, glory, glory of God, God calling, God with us, hearing God, hearing Jesus, hearing the Holy Spirit, how to hear God's voice, Western society, Western world | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

See The Holy Spirit Work A Room!

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Steve Simms

The Holy Spirit can work a room, moving from person to person, lighting faces and enlightening hearts and minds.  That’s what He wants to do when we Christians gather for worship.  All we have to do is loosen up our human control and let people respond to the Spirit’s promptings.

When the Holy Spirit is working a room, no human being will be directing the meeting or demanding our attention.  Once you have experienced the Spirit working a room, you won’t be satisfied with anything less.  Scenes on screens, or the next text, cannot compare to the amazing joy and peace that the living, resurrected Jesus Christ releases to flow through humble human hearts as He freely moves in a gathering of believers.

So, who is “called to preach”? God’s call is to all: Surrender your will to Jesus; follow and obey Him daily; consistently preach the Good News about Him with both words and actions as you show and tell what God has done!. (This is called “the priesthood of the believer” and is one of the doctrines of the Protestant Reformation. See 1 Corinthians 14:31.)

William Booth, co-founder of The Salvation Army,  put it this way:  “‘Not called!’ did you say? ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.”

pentecost8

See the Holy Spirit work a room on Sundays at 10:45 at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207.

 

 

Posted in Bible, church history, church meetings, Hell, Holy Spirit, how to, how to work a room, Nashville, not called did you say?, organic church, Protestant Reformation, Quench not the Spirit, Quotations, quote, Quotes, revival, sinner, sins, Spirit's flow, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, spiritual awakening, spiritual fire, spiritual movement, The Salvation Army, work a room | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Church — Spirit-Directed Team or Laid Back Audience?

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Steve Simms

Is church a Spirit-directed team that ministers to one another?
Or a laid back audience that watches a religious program?

(Search: “One another verses of the New Testament” and see.)

If you live in the Nashville, Tennessee area, come and see one anothering in action at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207, on Sunday mornings at 10:45.

Posted in Bible, Bible study, biblical, Biblical concept, Nashville, one another, one anothers, pray for one another, praying community, Team Church, Team Jesus, Tennessee, the way we do church, the Western church, What is church?, What is the true church?, worship, you can all prophesy | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Church — Spiritual Training Camp? Or Spectator Religion?

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Steve Simms

Like an NFL Training Camp, church should be hands-on training — not passive lecture. Through rigorous involvement and interaction, church should train believers in the spiritual skills and attitudes necessary to make a powerful, victorious, and godly impact in the daily game of life.

Perhaps a church meeting should be like dodge ball — our role is to move our will, our desires, our comfort, our control, our intellect, our traditions, our fears, our passivity, our agenda, and our programs out of the Holy Spirit’s way — and let Him do whatever He wants to on Sunday morning!

What would happen if church was an obedience lab (like a high school science lab) rather than a lecture series?  What if on Sunday mornings the congregation quietly listened for the voice of God to speak to them and then they obeyed, and they shared or did whatever God told them to?

It’s very difficult and frightening to hear God and do what He tells us to do, when we are in the everyday-world that is hostile to God. So perhaps we should let people practice hearing God and doing what He says, when they are in the Sunday morning church environment, which is supposedly much friendlier to obeying God than the world is.

Church could give people a few moments to listen to God, and then ask them to say and/or do whatever God told them to say or do. Once people learn to do this in church, they would develop the confidence to do it in the world. And we would see the book of Acts come alive in our daily lives.  Charles H. Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ put it this way:  “We have fellowship with Jesus and in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, we contend (train) for the faith.”  Paul of Tarsus said:  “Train yourself for godliness.”

This is not a theory.  It happens every Sunday morning at The Salvation Army Berry Street in Nashville, 225 Berry St., 37207 at 10:45 a.m.  Come and see for yourself  as ordinary people show and tell what God has done, as prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Posted in Bishop Charles H. Mason, COGIC, dodge ball, game of life, God, God calling, God experiment, God is truly among you, God with us, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Holy Spirit, lecture, NFL, organic church, Paul of Tarsus, prompting of the Spirit, quotation, quote, Quotes, science, science lab, simple church, Spirit's flow, Spirit-filled, Spirit-prompted, spiritual athletes, spiritual training, spiritual transformation, Train yourself unto godliness., training camp, voice of God | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Real Measure Of A Church

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Steve Simms

What if the real measure of a church is:
Not size, but surrender to God;
Not coolness, but compassion;
Not preaching, but participation;
Not programs, but the power and Presence of God;
Not bragging, but brokenness;
Not the offering, but obedience;
Not teaching, but tenderness;
Not tradition, but transformation;
Not respect, but repentance?

Discover a church that seeks to be, not the first words in this list, but the second:  The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207, Sunday mornings at 10:45 where ordinary people show and tell what God has done.

Posted in brokenness, church format, church leadership, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, church services, cool church, heart, heart of worship, heart-felt, humility, kinds of church, Nashville, Nashville church, non-church, non-traditional church, organic church, participators, participatory church, user friendly | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Frustrated With Preaching? Try Sermon-Free Church

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Steve Simms

I (the sermon-free church guy) love to preach. I miss preaching. I preached regularly on Sunday mornings for about 10 years. However, I got frustrated with preaching because I was growing spiritually, but I didn’t see much spiritual growth in the people I was preaching to.

So I became a motivational speaker for 12 years. Then, one day I realized that the reason I grew so much when I preached regularly was because I had been allowed to openly talk about my faith.

I began to wonder, what would happen if a church allowed everybody present to openly talk about their faith? Wouldn’t they all begin to grow spiritually?

When The Salvation Army asked my wife and I to start a “non-traditional” church, we decided to build it around open sharing and testimonies, rather than on a one-man sermon. It has been an amazing 5 1/2 years. Like never before, we have seen people grow and be spiritually transformed as they show and tell what God has done. Sermon-free church releases God power!

The best ministry doesn’t flow from one special person to all the rest of the people in a church service; but from all to all. “For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.” –1 Corinthians 14:31

Come, see for yourself at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207 — where ordinary people show and tell what God has done — Sunday mornings at 10;45.

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

169

Posted in alternative church, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, church format, church leadership, church meetings, church services, faith, faith-based, God's power, non-traditional church, organic church, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, spiritual, spiritual formation, spirituality, the power of God, witness | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

The Real Royal Baby . . .

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Steve Simms

The Royal Baby was born just over 2,000 years ago and grew up to become the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Savior of the world.

I was excited to invite people to surrender to The Real Royal Baby, the living, resurrected Jesus Christ, @ an outdoor positive rap concert, featuring rap artist, Viktory, at The Salvation Army Berry Street in Nashville on Saturday, July 20.

Proclaiming The Real Royal Baby!

One reason I love working for The Salvation Army is:–The Salvation Army was begun (in 1865) to proclaim the Good News about the Royal Baby and His salvation. That’s what we’re about. All of our jobs, all of our programs, all of our social services are really about one thing — showing and telling our clients, volunteers, employees, board members, auxiliary members, friends, donors, partner agencies, soldiers, corps (church) members, residents, neighbors, communities, the city of Nashville, and the whole world about the glorious love, forgiveness, and power over sin brought to us by the Royal Baby who lives and rules in the 21st Century.

May the real Royal Baby, the living, resurrected Jesus, speak to your heart.  And may you fully surrender to Him and allow Him to daily lead and guide you in all you do.

Posted in belief, British history, Christian, Christianity, Great Britain, Great Commission, Jesus, Jesus Christ, king, King of Kings, kingdom, new heir, news, rap, rapper, rapping, religion, religious beliefs, royal family, UK, United Kingdom, Viktory | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tennessee Titans & St. Thomas (From Doubt To Destiny)

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Steve Simms

The Tennessee Titans practice facility in Nashville, Tennessee (Baptist Sports Park) has been renamed “Saint Thomas Sports Park.”  St. Thomas has been known through the past two millennia as “Doubting Thomas” because he questioned the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

However, when St. Thomas actually encountered the living, resurrected Jesus Christ, he cried out “My Lord and my God!” and his doubt was turned into radical commitment and daily, sacrificial obedience to Jesus.  He eventually went to India where he started a church that has lasted to this day — the Mar Thoma Church.

Thomas went from doubt to destiny when he personally met Jesus.  Our society is full of doubt, fear, anxiety, depression, stress, worry, tension, and inner turmoil.  Why?  Perhaps because we don’t see our destiny.

The living resurrected Jesus Christ can lift people out of doubt and put them on the direct route to their Divine destiny.  It happened for Saint Thomas.  And it can happen for you!  (It can even happen for the Tennessee Titans.)

But it takes more than merely changing the name of a practice facility.  It takes spiritual hunger, surrender, and sometimes desperation.  I know an Iraqi woman who, as a Muslim, was arrested by Saddam Hussein, tortured and raped daily for nine months.  In desperation she cried out, “God, whoever You are, help me.”  When she opened her eyes she saw Jesus Christ standing in front of her eyes.

Like St. Thomas, she surrendered her life to follow and obey Jesus.  The next day she was miraculously released.  She went from doubt to destiny!

So where are you?  In the prison of doubt?  Or living out your dynamic, Divine destiny?

If you live in Nashville, come and experience the living, resurrected Jesus Christ in a sermon-free church, where ordinary people show and tell what God has done — The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., 37207, on Sunday mornings at 10:45.

Posted in angst, anxiety, Apostle Thomas, destiny, devotion, doubt, doubting, doubts, fear, India, Iraq, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is Lord, Muslim, My Lord and my God, mysticism, Nashville church, practice facility, professional football, resurrection, Resurrection Day, resurrection of Jesus, Saddam Hussein, Saint Thomas, St. Thomas, torture, tortured | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The “I’ll Fight” Black Hoodie

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Steve Simms

"I'll Fight" hoodie

As a white guy passing out flyers in a black neighborhood (Nashville’s McFerrin Park Neighborhood that has been known for drugs and violence) after the verdict of the George Zimmerman trial, I thought about Trayvon Martin.  As I put flyers on people’s doors, about a Viktory (Christian rap artist) concert coming to The Salvation Army Berry Street; I thought about how no one followed me, suspected me of wrong doing, harassed me, or was even unkind to me. In fact, everybody I saw was very friendly and open to me. Would the reverse be true?

Someone asked me if I was wearing a hoodie.  But it was over 90 degrees and I was soaked in sweat.

However, that question reminded me about my “I’ll Fight” hoodie. It features The Salvation Army “Blood & Fire” Crest on the left-hand side and this aggressive quote by William Booth on the right-hand side:

“While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight. While little children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight. While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight. While there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight — I’ll fight to the very end!”

Salvation Army Crest

Posted in Blood and Fire, Christian rap, drugs, hungry children, I'll fight!, Nashville, Nashville adventure, Nashville events, Nashville streets, prison, prisons, quotation, Quotations, quote, Quotes, racial reconciliation, racism, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvation Army Crest, spiritual warfare, streets, trial, Viktory, violence, violence in society, violent streak, While women weep, William Booth | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments