Are You In A Mess?

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Steve Simms

It doesn’t matter what you think or feel or if you live life with a thrill.  What matters is reality.  A life aligned with your own opinions and feelings will wilt and wallow in messy confusion.  A life aligned with honesty, truth, humility, and reality will soar on the winds of love.

A car must align itself with the road or it will crash or get stuck.  It can’t go any way it (or its driver) wants to go.  Humans are the same.  They often ignore the roads and cut across the countryside tossed to and fro and wondering why their life is so difficult.  People are not ATVs.  They need a road.

Roads have boundaries and rules, but they free us up to safely travel far and fast.  Getting off the road gets you nowhere fast.

Stuck?  Bogged down in life?  Discouraged?

Perhaps you are off the road.  Maybe you are cutting through fields and woods and over hills and don’t even realize it.

There is a road to a peaceful, fulfilling, effective life — real success.  Why not get on the road again?

Here’s a quotation for you:  “I am the way, the truth, and the life . . .”  –Jesus  Perhaps you should let Him take the wheel of your life and steer you clear of the mess you’re in.

Posted in adventure, alternative lifestyle, attitude, belief, belief system, Christ, Christian, comfort, compliance, compromise, conscience, contemplation, countryside, deception, deciision making, depression, dishonesty, feelings, happiness, honesty, humility, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Take The Wheel, love, moral principles, moral restraints, morals, obeying orders, off the road, opinion, Quotations, quote, Quotes, repent, repentance, right and wrong, right conduct, surrender, surrender to God, truth, values | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Should We Settle For Sunday Morning Mediocrity?

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Steve Simms

For generations people in the Western world have settled for church as usual — Sunday morning mediocrity (SMM).  However, this has not always been the case.

For the First Century believers, church was anything but mediocre.  Gathering with other followers of Christ could get them killed.  They met with a sense of awe and expectation that God was going to show up and show out.  And He did!  (Read about it in the Book of Acts in the New Testament of the Bible.)  Believers were free to respond to the Holy Spirit and to do whatever He led them to in the church meeting.  (See 1 Corinthians 14:26.)

However, somewhere in the 3rd Century church meetings fell into a boring pattering of religious ritual conducted by a professional clergyman.  Believers were expected to merely sit back and watch the proceedings and to occasionally repeat preplanned liturgical responses.  This quickly became rather boring and produced Sunday morning mediocrity (SMM) that has lasted for 1,700 years (even though throughout history there have been groups of believers who broke out of SMM and returned to Spirit-led meetings, however, they were tremendously persecuted by the SMM believers.)

Nowadays millions of people are leaving Sunday morning mediocrity (SMM) — they are quitting church.  Many have given up on Christianity.  Others have started house church in their homes.  This great exodus from Sunday morning mediocrity (SMM) is causing much concern among church leaders.  What to do?

One solution being presented is National Back To Church Sunday (September 16, 2012) where people are being encouraged to go back to SMM.  But if people go back to church and church is still the same thing that they left, why will they continue to attend?

Perhaps church needs to get back to our First Century foundation.  Maybe we should tear up our programs and get back to Spirit-led participatory church.  One group that has done that is The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center in Nashville.  It meets on Sundays at 10:45 at 225 Berry St., 37207.  Check it out.  There’s nothing mediocre about it.  It will challenge you, inspire you, change you, convict you, make you uncomfortable, and demonstrate the presence of the living Jesus Christ right in front of you.

 

 

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, biblical, Biblical concept, Christ, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian values, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, community, conviction of sin, East Nashville, ekklesia, evangelistic meetings, faith-based, filled with the Spirit, followers of Christ, gifts of the Spirit, house church, improv, improvisation, interactive, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, Nashville, non-church, normal Christianity, order of worship, participatory church, post-Christianity, religious ceremonies, service, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Prayer Walking With The Salvation Army Flag

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Steve Simms

Prayer Walking With The Salvation Army Flag

Check out an exciting new Facebook page about a practical and powerful way to share the love of Christ:  Prayer Walking With The Salvation Army Flag.  Just click this link:  Prayer Walking With The Salvation Army Flag.

In there early days of The Salvation Army they held many street preaching meetings — called openairs.  (It is much more difficult to gather a crowd on the street in 2012 than it was in the 1880s.)

However, by prayer walking with the “Blood & Fire” Flag you can create mobile openairs.  You can walk by people rather than waiting for them to gather around you.   Then you can tell them about Christ and pray with them.  It is amazing how effective this is.  Try it yourself.  If you need help and/or encouragement come to our Facebook page and learn more about it.  Prayer Walking With The Salvation Army Flag.

Posted in Blood and Fire, blood of Jesus, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian history, open airs, openairs, outreach ministry, prayer, prayer without ceasing, preaching, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare, street preaching, The Salvation Army, The Salvation Flag, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Have You Played The God Card (Or Is It Still In Your Hand)?

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Steve Simms

Some people have “made a decision for Christ” and they think that they have played the God card.   Others have repeated a prayer asking Jesus to come into their heart and now they believe that they have played the God card.  Many others have joined a church, been baptized, been confirmed,  received the Eucharist/taken communion, gone to confession, responded to an “altar call,” or given money to a church and/or TV preacher and are convinced that they have played the God card.

But have they?  Not necessarily.  A person can do any (or all) of these things and still be holding the God card in their hand.  Playing the God card involves much more than religious activity.  It involves personal encounter with and continual, obedient surrender to the Living God.

Many people say, “I tried God but it didn’t work for me.”  Perhaps that’s because they only thought that they tried God.  If you think that God didn’t work for you, maybe you confused religion, ritual, formulas, church, Sunday school, emotional experiences, etc. with God, Himself.

That’s actually good news.  It means that you are still holding the God card.  You have actually not yet given the living, resurrected Jesus Christ a chance to change your life.

The God card is not a quickie.  It can’t be played in an instant, but is ongoing.  It’s like charging your cell phone.  You can plug the charger in and say “Lord, help my phone to charge. Amen!” and then unplug the phone, convinced that you have played the charger card, but will your phone be charged up after 5 seconds on the charger?  Of course not.

To keep your phone charged it has to regularly spend considerable time plugged into the charger.  So it is with knowing God.

If you want to truly play the God card, you need to spend some time daily before Him.  Try this experiment:  For the next 21 days, read at least 5 minutes every day in the New Testament part of the Bible and see what happens.  You may discover that the God card pops out of your hand and into your heart.

When you’ve played the God card, you will never be the same.  You will have an ongoing passion for God that won’t let you go.

Posted in altar call, Bible reading, cell phone, charger, Christ, Christ followers, Christian, church, church meetings, church programs, church roles, communion, Eucharist, evangelicals, evangelism, evangelistic meetings, evidence for God, God, God calling, God experiment, God-shaped vacuum, hearing God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lifestyle Christianity, outreach ministry, recovery, rivers of living water, sacraments, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual walk, spiritual warfare, still small voice, Sunday school, the God card, the Lord's supper | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Watching Your “Old Man” Die

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Steve Simms

Three quotes from Paul of Tarsus:  “You have put off the old man with his deeds.”  Colossians 3:9  And, “I die daily.”  1 Corinthians 15:31  And, “I am crucified with Christ.”  Galatians 2:20

Believers are called to die to self and to live to please God.  This is not an easy process.  Here’s something I once wrote when it was especially painful for me.

Watching Your Old Man Die

 

Watching your old man die makes you want to cry,

Seeing all your hopes and dreams take their wing and fly;

And I know that old man, his name is “myself,”

But I can’t help him now, he belongs to someone else.

 

Cause Jesus, I gave myself to You.

Said You could do whatever You want to,

But watching him die is such a painful thing,

Although I know new life it will bring.

 

And it’s hard to say, “Lord, have Your way,”

My old man sticks around and says he’s gonna stay.

He moans and groans in agony till I just can’t bear to see;

Then he grabs me by the hand and says, “Save me boy, I’m your’ old man.”

 

Cause Jesus I gave myself to you,

Said you could do whatever you want to.

Jesus I give myself to you.

Go ahead and do whatever you want to, to me.

Posted in afflict the comfortable, Apostle Paul, Bible, biblical, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian values, Colossians, crucify yourself, denial, die to self, Galatians, hearing God, hearing Jesus, I am crucified with Christ, life, lifestyle Christianity, live to please God, normal Christianity, Paul of Tarsus, put off the old man, religion, repent, repentance, self-denial, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual athletes, spiritual combat, spiritual disciplines, spiritual growth, spiritual walk, spiritual warfare, surrender, surrender to God, true Christian life, trust | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A Way (Besides Politics) To Change Your Neighborhood, City, & Country

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Steve Simms

God told Joshua:  “I will give you every place where you set your foot.”  We can change our neighborhoods, our cities, and even our country (without using politics).  But how?  One way is to prayer walk with The Salvation Army Flag (or other Christian flag).

All you need to do is to carry the flag, pray, walk around your neighborhood, smile, and be friendly to people.  The results will amaze you.  Strangers will wave at you, stop and ask you questions, and even let you pray with them — and they will be so encouraged that they may even hug you.  It’s easy.  All it takes is one step after another.

(The colors on The Salvation Army Flag represent three things.  You will need to know this when people ask you questions about it:  1) Red stands for the blood of Jesus; 2 Yellow represents the fire of the Holy Spirit; and 3) Blue is to remind us that God calls all Christ-followers to live a biblical moral and holy life.)

We’ve started a Facebook page for people who want to give it a go.  Visit it at: http://www.facebook.com/PrayerWalkingWithTheSalvationArmyFlag?ref=hl  And while there, please “like” it.

This is a support page for people who want to use The Salvation Army Flag as a took in sharing the gospel. People are invited to share their experiences prayer walking with the flag. Please post any pictures of people on the streets with the flag. Also if you have any ideas, words of encouragement, quotes, stories, or historical examples of the flag on the streets, please share them on the Facebook page.

Our vision is that 100s of Salvation Army Corps and commands around the world will begin to carry their official flag on the streets in their neighborhoods for at least 1 hour per week and pray and share God’s love as they go.

Here’s a quote from Mildred Duff about co-founder of The Salvation Army, Catherine Booth’s love for the flag:   “She loved The Salvation Army Flag, and was true to its beautiful meaning. She loved to present the colors to the newly opened corps, or to parties of officers going abroad; and shortly before she passed away she begged that the dear Army Flag might be brought in and hung above her bed.”

http://www.facebook.com/PrayerWalkingWithTheSalvationArmyFlag

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Bible, Blood and Fire, blood of Jesus, Catherine Booth, Christ, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian flag, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian values, church history, commands, corps, fire, fire of the Holy Spirit, flag, holiness, Holy Spirit, I will give you every place where you set your foot, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Joshua, kingdom of God, lifestyles, politics, prayer, prayer walking, prayer without ceasing, Quotations, quote, Quotes, revival, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, The Salvation Army, The Salvation Flag, William Booth | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend.” –a quote from Doug Larson

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Steve Simms
Posted in America, American, cars, Doug Larson, holidays, humor, Quotations, quote, Quotes, weekend | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Do Americans Only Have Two Choices (Romney Or Obama) For A Better Future?

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Steve Simms

It’s the season of presidential politics in the USA.  Political conventions are in process, speeches are being made, hopes are being raised, and excitement is in the air.  On the other hand, accusations are being made and attack ads are running.

Most Americans sincerely want a better future for themselves and for our country, but are there really only two choices for a better America — Democrat Barak Obama and Republican Mitt Romney?

What if the sincere followers of the biblical Jesus Christ would put as much attention, enthusiasm, and effort into obeying Him in their daily lives, as Americans are putting into presidential politics?  What if time focused on politics was instead given to praying for spiritual awakening in America?

That would change our nation much more than the election of a president does.  This is not just a theory.  Historical examples of this are the First and Second Great Awakenings and the Layman’s Prayer Revival in the 1850s.

America needs more than politics.  We desperately need a mighty move (above and beyond institutional religion) of the Judeo-Christian God in our nation.  We need another genuine great awakening.  That is the true hope for a better American.

 

Posted in 2012, alternative lifestyle, America, American, American church, American history, American media, Americans, attack ads, biblical, Biblical concept, challenges, Christ followers, Christian, Christian history, Christian values, conventions, Democrat, faith, First Great Awakening, followers of Christ, God, hearing God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, Judeo-Christian, kingdom of God, Layman's Prayer Revival, laymen, lifestyles, meaning, missional, move of God, movement, mysticism, political ads, politics and religion, prayer, presence of God, repentance, Republican, revival, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual formation, true Christian life, USA, voice of God, wake-up call, What would Jesus do?, WWJD? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What Is The True Christian Church?

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Steve Simms

Many people ask the question:  What is the one true church?  And numerous organizations claim to be the one true Christian church.  For example, these groups make that claim:

* The ancient churches that can trace their history to the first century (the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches);

* The churches (sometimes called cults) that have drastically changed the definition of “God” and “Jesus” and claim to be a restoration of the true faith (the Mormons, also called Latter Day Saints or LDS; the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Christian Scientists);

* Some Protestant denominations such as the Church of Christ.  Most Protestant churches, however, don’t claim to be the one true church but, rather to be just one part (or branch) of the true church.

However, is the church a formal organization or institution made up of human beings?  Or is it a group of people who have been transformed by the Creator and who gather to spend time with the living, resurrected Jesus Christ?

The true Christian church is all the people, worldwide, who have been transformed by the biblical Jesus Christ, have a personal and ongoing relationship with Him, and will forever be with Him in Heaven (regardless of what religious institution or organization they belong to –or even if they don’t belong to one).  Are you a part of the true church?

Here’s a quotation from Irenaeus, one of the early church fathers:  “Where the Spirit of God is, there is the church.”

Posted in ancient history, belief system, Biblical concept, branch, Catholic, Catholic mystics, Christ, Christ followers, Christian community, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian Scientists, Christian values, church fathers, church history, church meetings, Church of Christ, church programs, church roles, church structure, community, controversy, Creator, creeds, cults, denominations, early church, Eastern Orthodox churches, faith-based, followers of Christ, God, Heaven, institution, interdenominational, Irenaeus, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jjehovah's Witnesses, kingdom of God, Latter Day Saints, LDS, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, Mormon faith, Mormonism, Mormons, movement, organic church, organization, Orthodox, Protestant, Protestant Reformation, questions, Quotations, quote, Quotes, Roman Catholic, Spirit-led, spiritual, testimony, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, thoughts, values, What is the true church?, words | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

When People Say “God” Which God Do They Mean?

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Steve Simms

For most of American history, when people used the word “God” it was assumed that they meant the God of the Old and New Testaments.  However, nowadays, in our post-Christian society the name “God” doesn’t mean the same thing to everybody.

Sometimes people who believe in a god that is drastically different from the Biblical God, let others think that they are referring to the Christian God when, in fact, they are not.  Therefore, when someone talks about “God” it is important to know if they mean the Judeo-Christian God or some other god.

The Republican Convention in Tampa, Florida is an example of that.  There will be talk of God there, however, there will be (at least) two different gods referred to.  The Judeo-Christian God is a spiritual being.  He has always existed and was not born or created.  He is the Creator of all that exists everywhere.

However, at the Republican Convention, Mitt Romney and probably others, will use the name “God” to refer to the Mormon god — a god that was once a human being and then became the god of planet Earth.  This god didn’t create the universe.  He is one of many gods, not the only God that exists anywhere.  This god has a material body and celestial wives.

Here’s a quotation taken from a Latter Day Saints (Mormon) web page.  “As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be.” (The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1984])

American’s, of course, have the right to believe in any god that they want or to believe in no god at all.  However, to lead people to think that you believe in the God of the Old and New Testament, when you don’t, is something less than honest.

So why is this important?  Here’s an example:  Suppose that two people are having a conversation about Washington, however, one of them is referring to the first US president, George Washington, while the other is referring to Washington, DC.  They may be having a nice, civil conversation, but they are totally confused.

“For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.”  –Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 11:4)

Posted in 2 Corinthians 11:4, American, American church, American history, another gospel, another Jesus, Apostle Paul, belief, Bible, Biblical concept, characteristics of God, Christian, Christian values, Christianity, controversy, conversion, cosmology, creation, creationism, Creator, DC, faith, faith-based, George Washington, God, monotheism, Mormon faith, Mormonism, Mormons, nature of God, political correctness, political issue, politics, politics and religion, polytheism, Scriptures, spirit, spiritual, theology, US president, Washington | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments