I discovered a great restaurant 5 days ago and I have already eaten there 4 times (even though I don’t even know the owner’s views on marriage). If you like a meat & 2 or a veggie plate (sometimes known as soul food) I think you will like Meridian Cafe at 1224 Meridian Street in East Nashville.
When terribly evil acts are committed like a gunman randomly shooting strangers, most everybody is deeply saddened. We are shocked and awakened to once again realize that there is real evil in the world. And sometimes we think about it and wonder why.
So what is it that motivates someone to commit such atrocities? There is no human motive. The shooter doesn’t hate his victims. He doesn’t even know them. The shooter gets no reward from his evil act, only severe punishment or death. So why would anyone do such a thing?
Perhaps evil, itself, is more than we think it is. Perhaps it is not just extremely destructive or cruel actions or thoughts. Maybe evil is an intelligent entity that seductively woos weak human nature into compliance and obedience.
Have you ever been wooed, lured, seduced, or tempted into behaviors that you personally believed to be wrongful or evil, yet you did them anyway? Everybody has.
Evil is like a magnet consistently tugging on us, trying to pull us into harmful thinking and doing. There is the outward pull of evil — the allure of pleasure through sight and smell; the peer pressure of wanting to be accepted, the persuasion of media.
There is also an inward pull of evil — the pride of wanting to have no boundaries, the hunger for self-gratification, the desire to impose our own will no matter what.
Fortunately, we live in a world of restraints — laws, police, punishment, cultural taboos, and the belief by many in a God who sees everything we do and will hold us each accountable — that help us to individually resist the desire to do wrong that lives inside of us all. We also have the inner restraint of conscience.
But what if the restraints were removed. What if we didn’t care about laws or consequences and had no fear of police or punishment. or God and His judgment. What if we had a hardened conscience that no longer told us when we did wrong.
When restraints are removed, people tend to do evil — remember the fall of Baghdad and the immediate aftermath of Katrina. Why? Perhaps because evil isn’t just in bad people, but evil also lives in me and you and is striving to take us over and run our lives.
To quote Paul of Tarsus: “I know that within me, that is within my flesh, dwells no good thing.” And: “O wretched man that I am.”
That’s why Christ came — not for good people, but for evil people — to save us from the power of evil working in our lives. That’s why we desperately need God.
A quotation from the ancient prophet, Isaiah:
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”
Was replacing Judas (who had betrayed Jesus) with Matthias a mistake? Was it a very early example of the human desire to institutionalize church? Perhaps.
The Book of Acts begins with the resurrected Jesus spending 40 days with the apostles (which is a Greek word meaning sent ones) and giving “many convincing proofs that he was alive.” He taught them about “the kingdom of God” and then told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to “wait for the gift” of the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus rose up into the sky and vanished into a cloud.
The apostles went into the city of Jerusalem and gathered in a second story room and began praying. There were about 120 people in all including Mary (Jesus’ mother) and His brothers.
At some point, Peter stood up and began to talk about Judas. He quoted two verses from different places in the Book of Psalms that said different things, and applied them to Judas. One said: “Let his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it.” The other said: “May another take his place of leadership.”
Then Peter concluded: “Therefore it is necessary to choose” a replacement. The 120 nominated two men: Barsabbas (or Justus) and Matthais. Then they prayed and asked God to show them “which of these two men You have chosen.” Finally they cast lots (which was a game of chance somewhat like dice or drawing straws). Luke, the author of Acts, writes: “. . . and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.”
A few days later a sound like a violent wind suddenly appeared in the upper room and flames of fire “came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak” in languages they didn’t know. This led to chaos and drew a large crowd of which 3,000 became Christians on that day.
So was Matthias chosen by God? Or was he picked by Peter and a game of chance because of the human need to order, structure, and program spirituality? I believe it was the latter. Here’s why:
* Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit, however, Peter went ahead and took action to turn the apostles into an organizational structure, before the Holy Spirit came. If Jesus had wanted to replace Judas, why didn’t He do it, Himself, or tell them to do it later? Instead He told them to wait for the Spirit. I believe that Peter, as he sometimes did in the Gospels, jumped the gun.
* Jesus pointed out that the apostles made mistakes in the Gospels, so why couldn’t they have made one in Acts, before the Holy Spirit came?
* When Peter told the 120 that it was necessary to replace Judas, Luke, the author of Acts, simply writes that “Peter said,” however, in other places when there were important decisions to be made, Luke makes it clear that God directed Peter by saying things like “the Spirit said to him” or “a voice told him” or he had a “vision.”
* The two verses from Psalms that Peter uses to justify his action say opposite things.
* The 120 pick two men and then assume that God has chosen one of their two choices, so they ask God to show which one He wants by a game of chance. Chance, however, is not a reliable form of spiritual guidance. When the lots have been cast, Luke doesn’t say; “And God chose Matthias.” He only states: “. . . and the lot fell to Matthias.”
* When the Spirit comes, flames of fire come on each of the 120 and all of the 120 were filled with the Spirit and spoke in languages that they didn’t know. If God wanted to confirm the choice of Matthias, He could have had the fire come only on the 12 apostles (or only the 12 speak in tongues), but instead all 120 experienced those things. This tells me that there is no hierarchy or special positions in the church — there are spiritual gifts rather than offices.
Conclusion: I think that appointing Matthias was the result of the human need to organize and institutionalize the church rather than the leading of God. What do you think?
For more of my revelations from Scripture, go to: The Joy Of Early Christianity.
Should church meetings comfort or confront? Perhaps both. Maybe church should “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
However the goal of a church meeting is not primarily to make people comfortable or to be user friendly. The goal of a church meeting should be to submit to and manifest the will, desires, and purposes of the living God (be that comfort or discomfort or something else).
But would God want to make anyone uncomfortable? Paul talks about the importance and value of “godly sorrow.” That’s uncomfortable.
When Isaiah encountered the living God, he said: “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the middle of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” That’s very uncomfortable.
Jesus said: “Blessed are those who mourn . . .” That’s extremely uncomfortable. And “Deny yourself, take up your cross . . .” Ouch! Talk about uncomfortable!
Are you willing to visit a church where God can make you uncomfortable — a sermon-free church where people passionately show and tell what God is doing in their lives? If you’re up to it, come visit The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, TN, 37207 on Sundays @ 10:45 am. and Thursdays @ 6:30 pm.
Lifestyle Christianity is faithful faith — faith that lives faithfully according to its values and beliefs. Its focus is to actually follow and obey the commands of Christ rather than to merely swallow a prepackaged belief system about Him.
Lifestyle Christianity is about an alternative lifestyle of doing God’s loving deeds rather than hiding behind man-made creeds. Lifestyle Christianity is surrounded by real world challenges and issues. It is raw and messy, not doll and dressy.
Lifestyle Christianity is driven by the inner leading and promptings of the Holy Spirit rather than by guilt, religion, or obligation. It is motivated and maintained by a passionate love for and a deep relationship with the living, resurrected Jesus Christ.
God is not looking for religious sentiment and ritualistic performance. He is longing for people to embrace lifestyle Christianity. Jesus put it this way: “If you love Me you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
Lifestyle Christianity is a team activity. Many times the New Testament commands us to help one another, such as: love one another, live in harmony with one another, instruct one another, serve one another, forgive each other, submit to one another, encourage one another, spur one another on to love and good deeds, offer hospitality to one another, confess your sins to each other, build each other up, live in peace with each other, carry each other’s burdens.
If you would like to experience a lifestyle Christianity team, check out The Salvation Army Berry Street team, where instead of sermons, everyday people show and tell what God is doing in their lives — Sundays at 10:45 am and Thursdays at 6:30 pm, 225 Berry Street, Nashville, TN, USA, 37207.
The purpose of a flag is not just to be on a stage in a building but to fly outdoors over the territory that it rules. There is an amazing, but little known flag, that has been in the forefront of the international movement known as The Salvation Army.
Catherine Booth (co-founder) presented the first Salvation Army flag in September 1878 in Coventry, England. The flag, nicknamed Blood & Fire, immediately became a tool for proclaiming the Gospel as Salvationsts around the world boldly took it to the streets in marches and openairs (outdoor evangelistic meetings) proclaiming the good news about Jesus Christ.
However, nowadays, the flag mostly stays in buildings. It is rare to see it being carried down city streets. Perhaps it is time to bring out the Blood and Fire and let the world know that the blood of Jesus Christ and the fire of the Holy Spirit are not outdated concepts to be regulated to the dustbin of religion, but relevant truths ready to release the reality of the power and presence of the living God into our contemporary, high-tech world.
Six years ago my wife and I and a few others began to carry The Salvation Army flag on the streets of East Nashville, Tennessee and pray as we go. It has been an amazing experience to see the power of a quiet prayer walk while carrying God’s powerful message on a flag.
We have been able to pray with many dozens (if not hundreds) of people. We have seen drug dealers and prostitutes with tears running down their cheeks. We have seen many lives transformed through Christ. Our flag prayer walk has even been written up in a local newspaper.
Anybody can carry a Christian flag and walk around a neighborhood, even children. All it takes is one step at a time. I challenge you to take up The Salvation Army flag or another Christian flag and prayer walk in your neighborhood.
Try it! See what God will do if you will muster up some courage and step out in faith. It will amaze you. If you live in Nashville, I’d love for you to flag prayer walk with me at your convenience. Contact me at Steve_Simms@uss.salvationarmy.org to set up a time.
If you live somewhere else, go to your church (or a Salvation Army location) and ask if you can borrow their flag for about an hour. Then take it and hit the streets praying as you go. The response and results will amaze you.
Here is a link to an article in the Nashville City Paper about our prayer walks: http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/salvation-army-leader-carries-flag-justice
Besides Tennessee Titans’ NFL games, does LP Field have a message for Nashville? Perhaps. Since I wrote this blog post, the name LP Field has been changed to Nissan Stadium. Nisan is a Hebrew word. It is the name of the first month in the Jewish New Year and is derived from the Hebrew word for miracles. It also represents a new beginning.
The big letters, LP, on the Titans‘ stadium remind me of the words Let’s Pray. Nashville has a history of prayer. During Nashville’s early days thousands of broken human beings, who were being unjustly held in forced hard labor and life long bondage, continually cried out to the God of the Bible for strength and freedom.
During the great destruction in the war that set them free, both blacks and whites prayed desperately out of great need for God’s help. After that, during the injustice of harsh racism under Jim Crow laws, the persecuted cried out to God for deliverance.
In the 1890s and early 1900s, Nashville’s Union Gospel Tabernacle (now the Ryman Auditorium) became a place of prayer for revival in Nashville drawing thousands.
Untold numbers of prayer meetings have been held in Nashville asking God to bring spiritual awakening to our city. More individuals have prayed and/or fasted for revival in Nashville than can be counted.
On July 7, 2007 (07/07/07) more than 70,000 people from around America (and the world) gathered at LP (Let’s Pray) Field (for a 12 hour meeting known as The Call Nashville) to pray and fast for spiritual awakening in America.
I believe that God is going to answer the heart-cry of the tens of thousands of people in Nashville who have sought Him for revival in our city. A mighty move of God will come to Nashville.
But we must not give up on God. We need to join our prayers with the prayers of the multitudes of genuine God seekers who have prayed since the founding of our city. LP — Let’s pray! “Pray without ceasing.”
There is a lot that God wants to do. Don’t settle for nice, entertaining church meetings, when God wants to shake our foundations, bring us to repentance, set multitudes free, and pour out His glory among us.
Let’s pray! Get together with others and intercede for our city and our nation. Are you looking for others with a heart to see God move mightily in Nashville? Pray with us at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207 on Sundays @ 10:45 am and Tuesdays @ 6:00 pm.
Guilt-free living is amazing . . .
Knowing you are forgiven,
Keeping a clean conscience, and
Living in freedom from the control of cravings and compulsions.
Guilt-free living comes through daily following and obeying the living, resurrected Jesus Christ.
“What can wash me white as snow? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
If you are in Nashville, come to a support-group style church for people recovering from guilt and sin. There is no sermon. Instead people support one another and show and tell what God has done in their lives — 225 Berry St., 37207, Sundays @ 10:45 am. & Thursdays @ 6:30 pm. — The Salvation Army Berry Street.
