What If A Beach Party Was Conducted Like A Church Service?

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Steve Simms

On a beautiful, sunny day at the beach, would you rather:  1) Sit with a bunch of dressed up people in benches lined up in perfect rows while you formally sing Beach Boys songs together, then passively hear a less-than-exciting, 30 minute talk about how cool the beach is, and then go home saying it was a good beach party? or 2) Get casual and go freely experience the beach and the sunshine for as long as you want?

God is so much better and more exciting than a beautiful, sunny day at the beach.  If we wouldn’t want to structure our day at the beach by sitting in rows, formally singing beach songs, and then passively listening to a talk about the beach, why do we do that with God?

Why don’t we allow people in church to freely experience God and to openly share what God shows them?  Why do we talk about God like He’s not in the room and act like He is a million miles away?

At The Salvation Army Berry Street in Nashville, our goal is to help people to freely experience the glorious Sun-shine as they show and tell what God has done.  Our meetings begin with passionate, heart-felt worship led by a different worship leader each week.

Then we say:  “Who has something that God wants them to share?”  From that point on, the Spirit begins to lead people to share amazing testimonies, Scriptures, words of encouragement, prayers, prayer needs, etc.  It is truly a great time enjoying the Son-shine!  People don’t want to leave.

Experience God’s Son-shine for yourself — Sundays @ 10:45 am. & Thursdays @ 6:30 pm., 225 Berry St., Nashville, 37207.

Let the Son-shine in!

Posted in beach, Beach Boys, Beach Boys songs, beach party, beach songs, Christ, Christianity, church, church structure, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 14:26, joy, non-traditional church, organic church, simple church, Son-shine, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, support group, the way we do church, Uncategorized, Why be a Christian? | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.” –C.S. Lewis. Since Christianity is so important how about some all out, wide open, fired up, no looking back, unending pursuit of Christ in Nashville? Anybody interested?

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Steve Simms
Posted in Christ, Christianity, Jesus, Jesus Christ, religion, salvation, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

What Is The World’s Greatest Valentine’s Greeting?

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Steve Simms

What is the greatest Valentine’s Day greeting ever?

John 3:16

(This isn’t just written in eye black on NFL quarterback Tim Tebow’s face in pictures of his college football career at The University of Florida.  John 3:16 is a living reality that transforms human lives.)

Perhaps we should take a knee today and thank God for His great love.

Valentine’s Day is a great time to do some heart-felt tebowing.

Valentine’s Day honors one (or more) of several early followers of Christ named Valentinus who were killed for their uncompromising faith in Jesus Christ.  It is about a love for and commitment to God so great that Valentinus would rather be killed than betray it.

Posted in football, John 3:16, NFL, prayer, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, tebow, tebowing, tebowing.com, Tim Tebow, University of Florida, Valentine's Day | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Powerful Words From The Book “Viral Jesus”

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Steve Simms

Here are some quotations from the book, Viral Jesus — Rediscovering The Contagious Power Of The Gospel by Ross Rohde:

“Read through the eyes of a modern Christian, the behavior of the believers in the Book of Acts seems a bit strange, to say the least.  They seem to do things we would never think of and be motivated in ways that mystify us.”

“We need to recapture the spirituality and mind-set of our first-century brethren.”

“Christianity isn’t currently spreading rapidly anywhere in the West.  That, in and of itself, is an indictment that we are not doing things Jesus’ way.”

“We say that Jesus is the Lord of the church as a doctrinal statement, but the ones making the actual decisions are usually humans, using human logic, training, wisdom, and positional power.”

“The Lordship of Jesus must become much more than a theological statement; it must begin to control our behavior.”

“Church, as God designed it, was meant to be a demonstration of His love and His power, not merely a declaration of His love divorced from His power.”

“Business methods and institutional leadership are human substitutions for divine guidance.  Instead of actively listening to God and trusting He knows how to communicate to us, we trust our human ability to plan, make decisions, and utilize resources.’

“There is no power in technique, but there is tremendous power in listening prayer and immediate obedience.”

“The early Christians expected power to be manifest when they gathered together.  This was a normal part of life with the Holy Spirit,  This was part of having a relationship with God.”

“God wants to lead His people.  We humans want to control everything ourselves.”

“When leaders take for granted their right to decision making, power, status, and control, they unintentionally usurp the lordship of Jesus.”

“We proclaim that Jesus is Lord but live as if what really counts is our own values, effort, structures, techniques, and will.”

Posted in Acts, Christ, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, deciision making, disciple making, discipling, early church, Jesus, Jesus Christ, movement, Viral Jesus | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If we allowed the living God to do whatever He wants to do (this is called the kingdom of God) would He change the way we do church meetings or would He simply stick with the routine of our bulletin, “order of worship,” and program?

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Steve Simms
Posted in church, God, guidance, hearing God, hearing Jesus, kingdom of God, order of worship, organic church, program, simple church, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, the way we do church | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tag-Team Church — A Nashville Prototype

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Steve Simms

Exploring Tag-Team Church:

Definition of tag-team:  Tag-team is an activity where people take turns participating as team members.  The best known use of the term tag-team is in reference to wrestling where it refers to wrestlers who fight as a team, acting alternately in the ring.  One tag-team member doesn’t enter the ring until the other tags him/her and steps out of the ring.

Definition of tag-team church:  A gathering of believers where individuals listen to God and take turns saying and/or doing what He tells them to.

Operating principle:  Jesus is alive and actively present whenever believers gather in His name.  He is a much more capable leader than anybody else at the meeting.  Tag-team church allows Jesus to direct the meeting instead of following a pastor, a priest, or a program.  “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

Scriptural basis:  “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14 KJV) and “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.  All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.” (I Corinthians 14:26)

Results of a tag-team church meeting:  As individuals are tagged by the Spirit and do what He says, it becomes obvious to everyone present that what is happening in the meeting is not random rambling, but that God is actively directing the participants.  “But if everyone is prophesying, when an unbeliever or an uneducated person comes in he will be convicted and examined by everything that’s happening, his secret, inner heart will become known, and so he will bow down to the ground and worship God, declaring, ‘God is truly among you!'” (I Corinthians 14:24-25 ISV)  I’ve actually seen this happen many times in tag-team church!

A tag-team church prototype:  A prototype is a working model of a product or idea that serves as an example to illustrate its viability and usefulness.   If you would like to see an actual example of tag-team church, there is a prototype in Nashville called The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center.  It gathers every week on Sundays at 10:45 am and Tuesdays at 6:00 pm. and functions as described above.  The address is 225 Berry St., Nashville, TN, 37207.

Footnote #1:  About three years ago a sister in the Lord and I were praying together when she suddenly said:  “God is telling me that Berry Street is a prototype.”

I responded:  “Wow!  That’s exciting. ”

Then she asked:  “What’s a prototype?” (It is amazing how God spoke to her using a word that she didn’t know.)

Hopefully this brief description of tag-team church answers that question.  Come and experience this working model and you will be amazed at how God demonstrates His power and presence right before your eyes.

Footnote #2:  There are other prototypes of tag-team church around America and around the world.  They are sometimes known by other names, the most common being — organic church and simple church.

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, church, church structure, congregational, disciple making, discipling, evidence for God, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Holy Spirit, house church, improv, improvisation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Music City, Nashville, non-traditional church, organic church, proof of God, prototype, revelation, simple church, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, supernatural, support group, tag team, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, voice activated, voice of God, wrestling | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

“Race For The Cure” or “A Cure For The Human Race”?

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Steve Simms

Sin is not a wager — a rolling of the dice with uncertain outcome.  The wages of sin are certain.  Short Term:  “There is pleasure in sin for a season.”  Long term:  “The wages of sin is death.”

Fortunately there is a cure for sin.  It is not wishy-washy like Race For The Cure.  It’s a sure cure for the human race: sincere repentance and God’s forgiveness & deliverance through following and obeying the living Jesus Christ. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (It’s not “race for the cure” but “a cure for the human race.”)

Posted in Christ, Christianity, deliverance, eternal life, forgiveness, gift of God, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lifestyles, New Testament, Oh my God, Race For The Cure, rejecting Christ, repent, rolling of the dice, salvation, sin, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual warfare, Uncategorized, wager, wages of sin | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Christ is not just comfort in a crisis, but a wake-up call crying out in your complacency!

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Steve Simms

Christ is not just comfort in a crisis, but a wake-up call crying out in your complacency!

Every now and then I think about the by and by, but I prefer to focus on the here and now.  We can hear God here in the present; we don’t have to wait for tomorrow.  (After all, today is yesterday’s tomorrow.)  “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

“Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

All roads lead to roam . . . That’s because there is a deep emptiness in the human heart that creates a longing to roam for home — the place of ongoing personal encounter with and submission to the living God as He molds us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

Posted in Bible, Christ, Christianity, complacency, evidence for God, guidance, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, new birth, Oh my God, prayer, recovery, religion, repent, revelation, salvation, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, supernatural, The Voice, voice activated, voice of God, voices, wake-up call | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Legitimate Reason For Rejecting Christ

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Steve Simms

There are two ways to reject Jesus Christ.  The first is verbal and direct — to openly declare your disbelief.  The second way is more subtle — to reject Christ by the way you live your life, even though you may still verbally claim to believe in Him.

There are many reasons people give for rejecting Jesus.  Here are a few of them.

1)  People who claim to be Christians don’t live like it.  (Gandhi said:  “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.  Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”)

2)  The church has done and sponsored a lot of evil, persecution, and war during its existence.

3)  You can’t scientifically prove that Jesus is God and/or that God even exists.

4)  I want to do my own thing, follow my cravings, and Jesus would get in my way.

5)  I am not intellectually convinced that Jesus is who He is claimed to be.

6)  The historical evidence is not good enough for me.

Are any of these legitimate reasons?  Numbers 1 and 2 reject Jesus because of what some of His self-proclaimed followers have done.  But that doesn’t have anything to do with who Jesus is or what He is like.

Number 3 overlooks the fact that Jesus is now with us as the Holy Spirit.  The spiritual world cannot be disproven by materialistic science.

Number 4 is to put your feelings and desires above finding and following truth.

Number 5 is to put understanding and reasoning above truth.  For example, it is like saying, because I don’t intellectually understand the concept electricity I refuse to use it in my home.

Number 6 is usually not completely honest.  The historical evidence for Jesus is as strong or stronger than the historical evidence for many other people who we believe in without doubt.

So is there a legitimate reason for rejecting Christ?  I believe there is.

If you sincerely seek to know the truth about Jesus and to do what He says by reading through the New Testament with an open mind and heart; and if you sincerely try to live by its principles in your life, yet nothing begins to change you and to convince you of Christ’s reality, then I believe you have a legitimate reason to reject Him.

Let me repeat:  If you give Him an honest opportunity and Jesus doesn’t prove Himself to you, then I believe you have a legitimate reason for rejecting Him.  Jesus proved Himself to me!

Also, if we give Christ the opportunity, He will prove Himself in church meetings.  Read about how to have a Jesus demonstration Sunday.

 

 

 

Posted in apologists, atheism, Atheists, Bible, Christ, Christian history, Christianity, church history, evidence for God, God, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, New Testament, proof of God, rejecting Christ, religion, religious wars, spiritual formation, spiritual skills, war | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Voice! Hearing It Transforms Your Life

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Steve Simms

Have you heard

The Voice?

The Prince of Peace said:

“My sheep hear My Voice.”

Listen . . .

Hearing Jesus

Personally speak to you

Is life transforming.

I once asked God why He spoke to people in Bible times but wasn’t speaking nowadays.  Immediately this thought came across my mind:  “The problem is not that I’m not speaking, but that you’re not listening.”

Here’s a quotation I found from Alfred Hughes:  “What is important is allowing the Holy Spirit to touch the depths of the human heart.”

We have to open the door to The Voice.  We have to be quiet and listen for the Holy Spirit’s promptings.

Sometimes it helps to be in a place where a group of people are gathered, not to hear a sermon from a man, but to directly hear The Voice of God.  There is such a gathering in Nashville, Tennessee at The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center.  If you are in the area, come and listen with us:  Sundays @ 10:45 am. & Thursdays @ 6:30 pm., 225 Berry Street, 37207.

 

Posted in acts of God, alternative lifestyle, Angels We Have Heard On High, awe, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, East Nashville, evidence for God, guidance, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Holy Spirit, lifestyles, miracles, Music City, mystery, mysticism, Nashville, normal Christianity, organic church, prayer, proof of God, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, salvation, simple church, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, The Voice, Uncategorized, voice activated, voice of God, voices, Why be a Christian? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments