Should People Who Have Left Church Come Back? Or Try Something Different?

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Steve Simms

American churches are in decline, losing members.  In an attempt to slow or stop this decline a group called, National Back to Church Sunday,  has set a day for church members to invite their friends to come back to church.  As many as 14,000 churches are expected to participate in this nationwide outreach on September 16, 2012.

However, is inviting people to come back to typical church services after they have given up on them going to have a lasting effect?  If people come back to what they have left and it hasn’t changed, won’t they probably just leave it again?

Perhaps the church needs to make some adjustments in how Sunday morning meetings are run and give people something fresh and exciting to come back to.  Instead of inviting people back to the same thing, perhaps we should offer them something different.

Most Sunday church meetings are highly programmed, structured, and controlled from the pulpit.  There is seldom (if ever) any opportunity for spontaneous participation.  People are basically expected (after singing a few songs) just to sit passively for an hour and listen to a preacher.

Can’t church be more than that?  We serve a risen Savior.  Can’t Jesus take the wheel and run a church meeting all by Himself, without human control and/or domination?  Yes He can!

Church becomes exciting when Jesus takes control because from that moment, nothing is organized by man.  Instead the Spirit of the living God takes over and begins to prompt people to show and tell what God is doing in their lives.  This is not just a wild idea — it is the way Apostle Paul told believer to hold church meetings (see 1 Corinthians 14:26).

Americans don’t like stuffy programmed meetings where they have to passively sit and listen.  That’s why talk shows like The Oprah Show are so popular.  That’s why social media has exploded on the scene.  American’s want spontaneous, meaningful participation.

So if you go back to church on September 16, don’t just go to a sit-back-and-listen type of  church like the one you left.  Instead try a different kind of church — a participatory one.  Come visit Nashville’s most unusual church — The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207 on Sunday mornings at 10:45.  (At least it won’t be the same ole same ole.)

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 2012, alternative lifestyle, American, American church, American history, Americans, Apostle Paul, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Biblical concept, Christ, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian values, Christianity, church history, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, evangelism, evangelistic meetings, followers of Christ, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Take The Wheel, lifestyle Christianity, move of God, movement, Music City, Nashville, non-church movement, non-traditional church, organic church, participatory church, popular culture, post-Christianity, salvation, Salvationists, Savior, show and tell, simple church, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, testimonies, The Salvation Army, We serve a risen Savior | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

The “Forgive Yourself” Myth

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Steve Simms

“Love yourself–accept yourself–forgive yourself–and be good to yourself.”  –a quote from popular American speaker and writer, Leo Buscaglia.  However, Jesus said:  “Deny yourself.”  Here’s why the popular idea of “forgiving yourself” is a myth:

*  You are not the judge.  If you stand in a courtroom before a judge and he asks you, “How do you plead?” the judge won’t be satisfied if you respond with the words:  “Your honor, I forgive myself.”  He will probably respond by saying:  “You are not the judge!  Do you plead guilty or not guilty?”  (If you are guilty, you need the judge’s forgiveness–if you are not guilty, you don’t need anybody’s forgiveness, including your own.)

*  You are not the offended party.  All wrong doing is ultimately against God and His moral law.  King David told God:  “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.”  You need to receive and to accept God’s forgiveness, rather than attempting to do something that you cannot do, give yourself forgiveness.

*  Self-forgiveness is not biblical.  Don’t accept my word for it.  Search the Bible and see for yourself.  You won’t find the words or the concept “forgive yourself” anywhere in the Bible.

*  Self-forgiveness is denial.  Trying to forgive yourself is the denial that your harmful, hurtful, and wrongful thoughts and actions are sins against God, not sins against yourself.  Like all denial, self-forgiveness will not produce a long-term solution to your guilt problem.

If you are feeling shame or condemnation, if you are guilty, you don’t need to forgive yourself.  However, you desperately need forgiveness from the living God.

How do you receive God’s forgiveness? Confess (admit) your sins to God.  Let your sin break your heart.  Sincerely repent and turn away from your sins.  Ask God to forgive you, then surrender your life to the living, resurrected Jesus Christ and begin to follow and obey Him daily.

In conclusion, quotations about self-forgiveness sound nice: “Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.” –motivational speaker, Les Brown  However, without the forgiveness of the living God, self-forgiveness is a false assurance, a deception.

Posted in accept yourself, Against You only have I sinned, American, belief, Bible, boundaries, brokenhearted, brokenness, change, Christ, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, comfort, compassion, condemnation, confession, conscience, conversion, conviction of sin, corrupt culture, courtroom, deception, denial, deny yourself, devotion, disciple making, evil, false assurance, gift of God, God, God calling, God-shaped vacuum, godly sorrow, harmful habit, harmful thinking, hearing God, hearing Jesus, How do you plead?, Jesus, Jesus Christ, judge, judgment, justice, Les Brown, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, love yourself, moral principles, morality, morals, motivational speaker, myths, natural laws, pull of evil, Quotations, quote, Quotes, recovery, repent, repentance, right and wrong, right conduct, right living, self-esteem, self-focus, self-forgiveness, self-image, self-will, shame, sin, spiritual formation, surrender, surrender to God, wages of sin | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Are Your Selfish Desires Evil?

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Steve Simms

Peter (who once was Jesus’ most impulsive disciple, but overcame it to become one of the most solid apostles) wrote that believers have “escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Have you? Or have you bought the brainwashing that says that your selfish desires are not evil and that it is okay to give in to them?

Are you following the world or the Word?

Here’s another quote from Peter: “They promise themselves freedom while they are slaves of depravity — for ‘people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.’ If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.” (1 Peter 2:19-20)

Posted in 1 Peter, alternative lifestyle, Apostle Peter, apostles, brain, brainwashed, brainwashing, challenges, Christ, Christ followers, Christian, Christian history, Christian values, compulsion, conscience, conversion, corrupt culture, deliverance, depravity, disciple making, disciples, escaped the corruption in the world, faith, free will, freedom, harmful thinking, holiness, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Take The Wheel, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, makes change, moral principles, moral restraints, morality, morals, obedience, pull of evil, Quotations, quote, Quotes, recovery, right and wrong, right conduct, right living, righteousness, selfish desires, sin, Spirit-led, spiritual formation, the Word, thoughts, values, wages of sin | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

All The World’s A Stage Showering Us With Seductive Sounds & Scenes

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Steve Simms

William Shakespeare wrote:  “All the world’s a stage,” yet in his day the stage was very limited.  The only way to see theatrical entertainment or to hear music was to be in person at a live performance.  Nowadays, all the world really is a stage and most humans are continually showered with programmed, seductive sounds and scenes.

Shakespeare said that people are actors on the stage of their life, however, nowadays most people are the audience not the actors, passively consuming electronic media messages and then doing many of the things that they see and hear.

So what’s on the modern media stage that fills the world?

*  Dysfunction — Rather that focusing on healthy, life-enhancing behaviors, today’s media is full of dysfunctional attitudes and lifestyles.

*  Rage on stage — Much of what is broadcast nowadays is full of underlying and/or explicit anger.  Violence and political attack ads are examples of media’s rage focus.

*  Disrespect — There is little concern or compassion in modern media.  Rather it overflows with disrespect.  It glorifies self-focus and unkindness.  It mocks morality and character.  It proclaims vulgarity.  Popular media disrespects religion by censoring faith, almost completely leaving it out of its programs, even though faith is an important part of the lives of billions of people.

*  Casual sex — Media uses casual sex as a draw, using sex to beef up their audience and their income.  However, married sex is almost unknown in popular media.  Instead they promote and glorify every twist and variation of sex that they can get by with.

All the world may be a stage for modern media, but you don’t have to be a mindless audience, passively absorbing its negative, self-destructive, and/or meaningless messages.  To quote Paul of Tarsus:  “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  And even contemporary television repeatedly warns “viewer discretion advised.”

Posted in All the world is a stage, anger, attitude, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, Bible, brain, brainwashed, casual sex, cesorship, compassion, complacency, compliance, compromise, conscience, contemporary, corrupt culture, cravings, criticism, cultural taboos, current events, destructive actions, disapproval, disdain, dishonesty, disrespect, Do not conform, electronic media, fear, hate speech, injury, lifestyles, live performance, married sex, mature language, meaninglessness, media circus, message, mind, modern myths, moral principles, moral restraints, morality, morals, myths, political attack ads, Quotations, quote, Quotes, rage, right and wrong, right conduct, right living, righteousness, seduction, seduction of self-destruction, self-focus, self-will, spiritual warfare, television, the stage, theater, theatrical entertainment, TV, TV network, unkindness, values, video, viewer discretion advised, violence, vulgarity, warning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

ABC News Glosses Over Mormon Beliefs

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Steve Simms

Tonight ABC World News With Diane Sawyer had a very shallow report on Mormonism which they called “What Do Mormons Believe?”  However, they glossed over Mormon believes by telling us almost nothing about them.

ABC didn’t tell us that the god of the Mormons is not the Creator of all that exists, but is rather a former man who got promoted to be the god of planet Earth.  They didn’t say that Mormons believe that their god has a physical body unlike the Christian God who is a spiritual being.

World News neglected to point out that Mormons believe that there are many gods ruling their own planets across the universe.  They didn’t tell us about the belief that good male Mormons will get to be the god of their own planet after they die and that they will then begin to sexually procreate children with their celestial wives who they married in a Mormon Temple while on earth.

They failed to point out that Christians believe in only one God, while Mormons believe that there are many gods.  Christians are monotheistic, Mormons polytheistic.

ABC stated that “After Jesus’ resurrection, according to the Book of Mormon, he visited America.”  However, they failed to tell people the difference between the Mormon Jesus and the Christian Jesus.  Christianity teaches that Jesus is the Creator of the Universe in human flesh and that He was conceived by a virgin.  Mormons believe that Jesus is the son of the local god of planet earth and that He was conceived when their god had sex with Mary.

These Mormon beliefs are not difficult to discover.  Most Mormon missionaries will admit to them if directly asked.  So why didn’t ABC tell us about them?

Posted in belief, belief system, celestial wives, Christ, Christianity, cosmology, faith, Heaven, heirarchy, human body, Jesus, Jesus Christ, monotheism, Mormon faith, Mormons, polytheism, testimony, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Experiences Prayer Walking Around Dickerson Road In East Nashville

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Steve Simms

My wife and I have been regularly prayer walking with The Salvation Army Flag in the McFerrin Park Neighborhood of East Nashville and along Dickerson Road for 6 years.  We’ve had some amazing and exciting experiences.  Today she couldn’t come with me, but here’s what happened . . .
I met a woman named Michelle whose son was shot and killed right in front of her. I got to listen to her story and then to pray with her and comfort her.
I met 4 men standing in front of Vernon Winfrey’s Barber Shop (Oprah’s father) and got to answer several questions they had about the Lord.
I got to pray with a woman named Florence and then was surprised when she began to pray for me. The Holy Spirit fell on us in power and we praised God and rejoiced together.
Thank You, Lord, for the way you show up when we step out of our comfort zone and obey you in faith!

Why not step out of your comfort zone and come visit a multi-racial church in East Nashville based on open sharing and testimony instead of a sermon?  The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207, Sundays @ 10:45 am.

 

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Biblical concept, Christian flag, Christian values, church, church programs, comfort, compassion, contemplation, East Nashville, evangelism, faith-based, God calling, Gospel, hope, intercession, interview, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, meaning, message, missional, Music City, Oprah Show, organic church, participatory church, prayer, prayer without ceasing, salvation, sermons, simple church, spiritual, spiritual combat, spiritual formation, spiritual walk, spiritual warfare, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Obama can’t fix it, no, no. Romney can’t either. So who can fix it? Jesus will fix it, if we will follow and obey Him with all our heart!

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Steve Simms
Posted in alternative lifestyle, belief, belief system, Christ, Christian, devotion, disciple making, disciples, faith, faith-based, faithfulness, followers of Christ, hearing Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is Lord, Jesus Movement, Jesus Take The Wheel, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, meaning, miracles, mysticism, Obama, prayer, race, race for President, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Footprints Of Mystery (Fill The Natural World)

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Steve Simms

Footprints of mystery, spread across nature, baffle the best brains of mankind.  There is so much about our world and our universe that we humans (even those of us with the best scientific minds) cannot understand or explain by natural causes.  Much mystery rings out in these footprints:

*  The language in DNA, that contains the plans (down to the smallest details like nose structure) of the most complicated living organisms (including people).

*  The intricate complexities of structure, function, and design displayed in earth’s amazing array of living organisms.

*  The strong physical evidence of a beginning to the universe at a specific place in space and time and yet, a complete lack of natural evidence as to what could have caused such an incredible beginning that leaves us no explanation, so science calls it “the big bang” and accepts it by faith.

*  The mystery of life.  We don’t know what it is or how it came into existence.  We can reproduce it (clone it) but we cannot create it.

*  Invisible, intangible realities are full of mystery — justice, love, knowledge, freedom, choice, good, evil, wisdom, morality, human rights.

*  Human intelligence and consciousness, the ability to comprehend, measure, care, analyze, predict, choose, sacrifice, deduct, conclude, communicate.  What a mysterious footprint we humans are!

There is so much that we don’t know, so much that baffles us, so much mystery that try as we may to explain it, that even the most intellectual, naturalistic oriented people have to accept it by faith.

Will all my heart, I believe these footprints of mystery were left across the natural world by its Creator, who most people call God.

 

Posted in atheism, awe, belief, big bang, burning heart, Catholic mystics, conscience, consciousness, contemplation, Creator, devotion, evil, evolution, faith, faith-based, footprints of God, free will, freedom, God, How Evil Works, human body, human life, human nature, human rights, inspiration, intellect, intelligence, justice, majesty, mind, miracles, moral principles, morality, morals, mystery, mysticism, natural laws, nature, non-material reality, proof of God, real world, relevation, right and wrong, right conduct, right living, supernatural, voice of God | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Life’s Biggest Problem? Self!

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Steve Simms

Life’s biggest difficulty isn’t overcoming negative circumstances.  It is getting free from bondage to self.  Self-interest, self-promotion, self-fulfillment, self-esteem, self-protection — these things get in our way and hold us in bondage to the torment of our own thoughts, feelings, opinions, and insecurities.

Self has a meter and like a thermometer it is always measuring our personal comfort level.  How happy am I now?  How satisfied, fulfilled, pleased, and/or worthy am I?

The only problem with our self-a-meter is that it never rates us high enough for long-term happiness and contentment.  Even by our own self-measurements we don’t make the grade.

So what can we do about our dissatisfied self?  Deny it!  (Self-focus will never make you happy.)  Forget about self and instead focus your life on something else — a purpose, a cause, other people’s needs, and God.

If you have the courage to do that, an amazing thing will happen.  Peace, joy, love, and a flood of other fulfilling emotions will overflow you.  It’s a proven fact, people are happiest when they get their mind and emotions off of self and intently focused on something else.

Is this new information.? Not by any means.  Jesus said it 2,000 years ago:  “Deny yourself, take up your cross (electric chair), and follow me.”

Posted in anxious thoughts, brain chemistry, brokenness, Christian values, Christianity, comfort, crucified with Christ, denial, feelings, followers of Christ, harmful habit, harmful thinking, immaturity, ineffectiveness, inner peace, Jesus Christ, lifestyles, making decisions, morality, obedience, obeying orders, personal pleasure, philosophy, right conduct, right living, self, self-control, self-denial, self-destruction, self-discipline, self-esteem, self-help, self-image, self-produced, self-will, Spirit-led, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, surrender, surrender to God, thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Awesome Power Of Spiritual Interaction

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Steve Simms

*  One of the most powerful tools for personal transformation is spiritual interaction, openly sharing your faith, spiritual experiences, struggles, and concerns with others in a loving and compassionate environment.  (I have personally seen spiritual interaction produce life-changing results both in my life and in the lives of many hundreds of other people.)

*  Spiritual interaction inspires, encourages, challenges, heals, and fosters tremendous spiritual growth  It sets people free and empowers them to live a godly life.

*  Without spiritual interaction people wither within.  They become cold, insensitive, hard-hearted.

*  Testimony, the open sharing of spiritual experience, overcomes the power of temptation and breaks the bondage of bad habit and evil.  (google Revelation 12:11)  Open testimony and sharing is the thing that has made the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) the world’s most effective programs for overcoming addiction.

*  The church was designed to be a place for honest spiritual interaction (see 1 Corinthians 14:26) but as church slowly institutionalized over the first three centuries of Christianity, it began to settle for programs, sermons, structure, ritual, liturgy, and even entertainment.  The church lost the biblical concept of Spirit-led interaction.

*  Some churches and parachurch groups, however, have at times rediscovered the New Testament idea of interaction:  the early Quakers, the early Methodist class meetings, various persecuted groups of Christians, the early Salvation Army, the early Pentecostals, the house church/organic church movement, Tres Dias, The Walk To Emmaus, and several spiritual awakenings during the past 2,000 years of Christian history.

*  You owe it to yourself to see spiritual interaction in action (at least one time in your life).  A Nashville church practices spiritual interaction every Sunday morning at 10:45 — The Salvation Army Berry Street — 225 Berry St., 37207.  Come and see the awesome power of spiritual interaction for yourself.

Posted in AA, addiction, addictions, Alcoholics Anonymous, Berry Street, Christ followers, Christian, Christian history, Christian values, church, church history, church meetings, church programs, church roles, early church, His story, history, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, inspiration, Methodist class meeting, Methodists, missional, move of God, movement, NA, Narcotics Anonymous, Nashville, Neil Cole, non-church movement, open church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, pentecostals, Quakers, religious ceremonies, Revelation 12:11, revival, sermon, sermons, simple church, sobriety, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual interaction, support group, the 12 Steps, The Salvation Army, the Walk to Emmaus, tradition, Tres Dias, unprogrammed church, When you come together | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments