3 Ways To Increase The Power Of Your Prayers

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Steve Simms

Prayer walking with the Blood & Fire Battle Flag at The Salvation Army Kentucky & Tennessee Division’s annual Prayer & Fasting Retreat at Camp Paradise Valley, Kentucky, USA, November 2nd & 3rd, 2012.

Do you ever feel like your prayers “don’t get past the ceiling?”  Well, they don’t have to.

God’s not “past the ceiling;” He’s right here with me and right there with you.  Jesus said that “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”  That means “right here.”  We don’t need our prayers to travel far; we just need them to connect with the ever present God.

Here are three ways to help you connect your prayers with the living God:

1)  Add fasting to praying.  The Bible frequently talks about “prayer and fasting.”  Fasting is going without eating any food so that you can focus on seeking God.  You can fast for one meal, one day, or multiple days.  I just returned from a prayer and fasting retreat led by The Salvation Army.  It was powerful.

However, you can also fast alone.  When you do fast, spend time in prayer and in Bible reading.  Also take time to be still and listen to God.  He will speak to you.

2) Add walking with a Christian flag to praying.  Here’s a Facebook page called Prayer Walking With The Salvation Army Flag:  http://www.facebook.com/PrayerWalkingWithTheSalvationArmyFlag.  When you walk and pray with a Christian Battle Flag, you proclaim that the area you are walking belongs to the living God.  It is bold and powerful.

3) Add  intensity, focus, and passion to your praying.  Pray with your heart on fire.  The New Testament says:  “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16).

Prayer is always important.  In difficult times, prayer is vital!  Why not do all you can to seek God in prayer?

Posted in Bible, Bible reading, Blood and Fire, blood of Jesus, Christ, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian flag, Christian values, Christianity, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom, kingdom of God, New Testament, prayer without ceasing, prayers don't get past the ceiling, spirit, Spirit-filled, spiritual, spiritual combat, spiritual growth, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, The Salvation Flag | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Unprogrammed Church

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Steve Simms

When a Christian meeting is controlled by Christ, without human programming and agendas, the Holy Spirit takes over and the glory of God is on display for all to see.  However, when a meeting is directed and run by a human being, God’s direction is overridden.  The meeting feels more like a human performance than like a movement of God’s Spirit.

I have seen this happen many times.  A human leader opens a meeting up to a time a testimony or prayer and lets people spontaneously participate.  The Spirit begins to move and to stir people up.  Everyone begins to sense His presence.  Then the human leader redirects the meeting back to his/her agenda and the sense of God’s presence gets weaker.

That’s what the New Testament means when it says:  “Quench not the Spirit” or “Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire.”  God wants to, personally, lead His people when they gather in His name.  That’s what happened in Acts chapter 2 when the Holy Spirit moved on the first Christians — man’s plans and agendas were overridden and the Spirit took over.  Joy flooded the disciples.  A huge crowed gathered to watch them spontaneously celebrate and praise God.  And 3,000 people’s lives were transformed by Christ that day.  Wow!

Perhaps we should set aside our Sunday morning methods and instead allow the Spirit to flow freely in our midst unhindered and unhampered by our prearranged programs.  Why not give God a chance this Sunday.  If you are a pastor and lead a church service, why not step aside?  Stand up on Sunday morning and say:  “We are going to let the Holy Spirit lead the meeting today, so I am going to sit down.  Then, each one of us is going to listen to the Spirit and do whatever He tells us to do this morning.”

Some people say:  “That won’t work!”  “It would be chaos!”  “Someone might say something off the wall.”

However, after 5 years of participating in unprogrammed  church, I can say, it does work!  The results are truly amazing.  God really does show up and take control.

Come and see for yourself.  Visit us this Sunday at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207 at 10:45 am.  Experience what God will do when we set aside our program and let Him lead.

 

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christ, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, church structure, comfort zone, Holy Spirit, spirit, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual growth | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

All Saints’ Day (November 1) — Celebrating The Jesus Team!

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Steve Simms

November 1 is All Saints’ Day.  It’s a day set aside to celebrate The Jesus Team.

all-saints-day

The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches have reserved the name, saint, for men and women who gained great victory over spiritual enemies and consistently followed and obeyed Jesus.   They have to be officially recognized by the church hierarchy to be called saints.  Sainthood is seen as a special calling for special people.

However, the New Testament teaches that all believers in Christ (all members of The Jesus Team) are called to be saints (spiritual athletes) — to be holy, mature, and mighty men and women of God.  Of course, as everyone who has ever tried to live a godly life knows, there is much resistance to that lifestyle — distraction, self-focus, cravings and compulsions, self-will, anger, peer pressure, evil, self-pity, greed, negative thoughts, fear, lust, persecution and mockery, the seduction of the world, etc.

Many enemies have to be overcome in order for the members of The Jesus Team to live up to their potential.  Christians need to train, not just be taught theology and religion — to be doers, not just hearers.

Jesus wants His team members to choose action over distraction — to train to be strong, not to wane and go wrong.  Being part of the body of Christ is not a spectator sport — there are no bench warmers — Christ, the Coach, wants every member to be in the game (see 1 Corinthians 14:26).

Why not train to be a player in God’s game?  Experience spiritual training at The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center, 225 Berry St., Nashville, TN 37207 — where every member is allowed to show and tell what God has done — Sundays @ 10:45.
“‘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. 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.” –General William Booth

Read about how we worship at Berry Street at this link.

Posted in alternative lifestyle, anxious thoughts, athletes, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, biblical, Biblical concept, call to preach, canonization of saints, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian community, Christian organizations, church, corrupt culture, denominations, East Nashville, evil, faith-based, followers of Christ, house church, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lifestyles, ministry, missional, movement, New Testament, recovery, religion, sainthood, saints, salvation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, self-will, simple church, spirit, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual athletes, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, Team Jesus, The Jesus Team | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What Will It Take For A Bible Type Revival To Happen In America?

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Steve Simms

At The Salvation Army Berry Street last Sunday we passed out paper and pens and had everybody who was willing to write out a question for God and then to listen to God for His answer to their question. Then several people shared their question and God’s answer. It was powerful!
My question was: “What will it take for a Bible type revival to happen in America.”
The answer I got was: “It may take terrible disaster, but I hope not. It will take those of you who know Me, turning from your sin and seeking Me with your whole heart and doing whatever I tell you — no matter how silly or foolish it looks to others or seems to you.”

If you live in Nashville, come visit us at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., 37207 on Sundays at 10:45 and see what God will say to you.

Posted in alternative lifestyle, American, American church, American history, Americans, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible type revival, Christ followers, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, Christian values, church, church meetings, church programs, conviction of sin, devotion, die to self, disaster, disasters, disciple making, disciples, discipline, guidance, guide, hearing God, hearing Jesus, heart care, inspiration, institution, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, meaning, meaninglessness, message, movement, mystery, mysticism, Nashville, normal Christianity, participatory church, praise and worship, relevation, religion, repent, repentance, revolution, rivers of living water, salvation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, society, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual formation, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

How To Bring Back The Glory Days Of The Salvation Army

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Steve Simms

5 Keys To Bringing Back The Glory Days Of The Salvation Army

1) Get back to the streets. (Prayer walking with the Blood & Fire flag is a great, non-threatening way to do that.)

2) Get back to bold, public proclamation. (We can use social media and blogging to lovingly and boldly share the Gospel — see my blog at https://stevesimms.wordpress.com/)

3) Get back to holiness. (We must live, think, and act differently than society does. We should not “like” ungodly internet groups and posts!)

4) Get back to Spirit-led, testimony-filled, unprogrammed holiness meetings. (Open sharing and participation by those present was a vital part of early Salvationist meetings.)

5) Get back to spontaneous, heart-felt passionate prayer meetings. (The early Salvationists openly poured their hearts out to God in regular “knee drill” and we should, too!)

If you live in Nashville, Tennessee come help us pursue these five keys at The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center, 225 Berry St., 37207 on Sundays at 10:45 am.

The early Salvationists knew how to go beyond church. 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 Blood and Fire, blood of Jesus, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian flag, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian values, church history, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, church structure, glory, glory days, Holy Spirit, joy, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, move of God, movement, Music City, Nashville, Nashville projects, open airs, open church, openairs, order of worship, organic church, organization, outreach ministry, outside the box, participatory church, people of God, prayer, prayer walking, prayer without ceasing, preaching, Protestant, recovery, relevation, religion, religious ceremonies, repent, repentance, revelation, revival, revolution, salvation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual walk, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, The Salvation Flag | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

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Posted on October 26, 2012 by Steve Simms

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Posted in Donelson, fund raising, Hermitage, Music City, Nolensville Road, nonprofit, program, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Tennessee, The Salvation Army | Leave a comment

Is Evolution The Solution To How Life Developed?

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Steve Simms

If you were walking through the woods on a large, uninhabited island and came upon a place where hundreds of apple trees were perfectly arranged in rows exactly 8 feet apart, what would you conclude?

1)  That evolution on the island had progressed to the point that apple trees could plant themselves in rows and keep other species of trees out?  Or . . .

2)  That you had stumbled upon an orchard that must have been planted and maintained by an intelligent being (probably a human or group of humans)?

Would anybody choose answer number 1?  Of course not.  Answer 1 is illogical and irrational.

So if evolution can’t develop apple trees that can plant themselves in their own, well laid out and maintained orchard, why do rational people (sometimes called scientists) boldly proclaim that the entire ecosystem of earth was laid out and maintained by evolution?

Posted in answer, apple orchard, apple trees, belief, belief system, creation, creationism, creativity, Creator, debate, life, logic, meaning, meaninglessness, miracles, mysticism, reasoning, scientific debate, species, theory, uninhabited island | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Contemporary Science Dogma # 1

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Steve Simms

Has contemporary science moved from fact to faith — from experimental demonstration to dogma?  Here’s a dogma of our present day science:

Nothing produced something and then something somehow exploded and slowly transformed itself into everything (including you and me).

There is no proof of this statement, but if you don’t believe it you are considered to be unscientific and irrational.  Perhaps the truth is, however, the idea of time (nothing plus time equals everything) producing everything is what is unscientific and irrational.

Posted in creationism, creativity, Creator, dogma, experiment, faith, faith-based, proof, supernatural, theory of evolution, time | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Question That Won’t Be Asked During The Foreign Policy Debate

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Steve Simms

Here is one question that won’t be asked by Bob Schieffer of CBS News, the host of tonight’s foreign policy debate (the third US presidential debate of 2012) between President Barak Obama and Governor Mitt Romney:

“How can the United States apply the Sermon on the Mount in its foreign affairs and international relationships?”

Posted in 2012, America, American, American history, attack ads, Bob Shieffer, CBS News, Christ, Christian, Christianity, foreign affairs, Governor, international relationships, President, religion, Sermon on the Mount, third, United States | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Society That Flaunts Casual Sex Creates Continuous Problems

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Steve Simms

A society that flaunts casual sex creates continuous problems:

An epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases.

Increase in health care costs to treat those diseases.

Increase in sexual addiction.

Fatherless children.

Deadbeat dads.

Increase in adultery.

Widespread and popular promiscuity.

Broken homes and broken marriages.

Loss of self-control and self-respect.

Widespread pornography.

The popularization of ending prenatal life as a birth control method.

Increase in single moms.

Increase in human trafficking.

Loss of intimacy and decrease in sexual fulfillment.

Increase in welfare rolls.

Unwanted, rejected, neglected children.

Increase in poverty.

Increase in prostitution.

A pattern of passing many of these problems from generation to generation.

Anger, hurt, guilt, and/or resentment in many people who experience these problems.

You reap what you sow (both as a society and as individuals).

Posted in abortion, addictions, adultery, brainwashing, broken homes, broken marriages, casual sex, choice, contemporary, contemporary society, controversy, cultural taboos, current events, deadbeat dads, depravity, destruction of the family, destructive actions, disease, epidemic, epidemics, fatherless children, guilt, habit, health, health care costs, life, marriage, meaninglessness, media, media circus, misery, moral principles, moral restraints, morality, morals, philosophy, political correctness, popular culture, pornography, pre-natal, pro choice, pro life, problems, prochoice, promiscuity, prostitutes, prostitution, reaping what you sow, resentment, seduction, self, self-control, self-respect, selfish desires, sexual addiction, sexual fulfillment, sexual problems, sexually transmitted diseases, single moms, tolerance, values, vulgarity, welfare, Western world | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments