Tag Archives: Christian

Which Church Organizational Structure Is From God?

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Steve Simms

As far as I know, all the thousands of denominations and independent churches around the world claim that their organizational structure is from God. (At least, I’ve never heard of a church saying: “Our church’s organizational chart is man-made.”) Here … Continue reading →

Posted in apostolic succession, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, CEO pastor, church, church structure, congregational, Nashville, organic church, Presbyterian, simple church, Tennessee, The Salvation Army, What is church? | Tagged 100, a part of the same, action The Salvation Army, actively working, amazed, animates, apostolic succession, around the world, as far as I know, authority, Berry Street, bishop, body, by nerves, by the laying on of hands, causes, centers, CEO, Christian, church saying, churches, claim, come, congregational, congregations, continuous line, corporation, decisions, denominations, directly connected, disciples, each other, ecclesia, elected representatives, exercise, flowing through, for example, free, from God, from person to person, function, function together, functioning, give up on the idea, glory of God, going back to the first apostles, group, head of the church, hierarchy, Holy Spirit, human body, human direction, human organization, ignore, in the hands, independent churches, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keeps us together, life of God, made by vote, major decisions, majority rule, man-made, meaning, meeting, members, Nashville, never heard of, New Testament, of the body, one, one man, ordained, organization, organizational, organizational chart, organizational structure, organizational structures, passed down, pastor, Person in authority, positional authority, positions, Presbyterian, presbyters, presbytery, present, programming, rarity, reading, scattered here and there, Scriptures, see, seeks, Spirit-led church, spiritual, spiritual authority, spiritual descendants, style of church, Sunday, support, system, Tennessee, the Apostles, the Biblical, the Gentles lord it over, thousands of denominations, titles, told His, various members, voice of, voting, Worship Center | 6 Comments

Grace — God’s Righteous Attributes Continually Expressed

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Steve Simms

To “say grace” means to pray over a meal. “Grace” is sometimes a woman’s name. “Amazing Grace” may be the most popular hymn of all time. A popular acrostic says: “Grace — God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” But what does … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Amazing Grace, grace, John Newton, lifestyles, repent, salvation, saved, spiritual, Uncategorized | Tagged acrostic, all time, alternative, Amazing Grace, asking, attributes, based, both, changed, Christian, Christian lifestyle, circles, continually expressed, daily, definition, dominion of sin, earth, earthly life, either-or, final, former, future, genuine grace, given freely, go to Heaven, God, God's Riches At Christ's Expense, grace, guess, heaven, holy, how sweet the sound, involves, Jesus into your heart, John Newton, lifestyle, live a godly, lives, living, mean, means, moral, most common, most popular hymn, much more than that, must not excuse sin, no longer, not earned, obey God, opens the door, possible, power, pray over a meal, prayed, prayer, received, right, righteous, save, say grace, saying, seems, sin, sin doesn't matter, slave trader, song, supernatural, that saved a wretch like me, the question is, unmerited favor, when you die, woman's name, wretch, wretched, wroter | 3 Comments

Myth Lab — Modern Myth #5 — Race

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Steve Simms

The concept of race was developed in the Western world during the 17th Century as an attempt to justify the terrible crimes that were being committed against Africans. The nominally Christian West needed a way to ease their conscience for … Continue reading →

Posted in black history, feelings, history, human rights, lifestyles, mind, morality, myths, popular culture, prejudice, race, racism, self-esteem, self-image, social justice, Uncategorized | Tagged . ease, 17th Century, Africa, Africans, all bleed red, allows, approach, asked, Atlantic, attempty, blue, brown, c rimes, category, characteristics, Christian, committed, concept, conscience, continue, convenience store, dark complexion, descendents, developed, different, East Asians, embracce, erase, Europeans, eye color, eye slant, eyed, fill out a form, folks, forced-labor, forcibly, holding, however, human, human cpatives, human race, I'm not like them, in our time, inferior, Jesus, kinky hair, l define, last night, life-long bondage, look down on, marginalize, Middle Passage, news reporters, nominally, other, parable, peopl, personally, Pharisee, race, reality, refer, say, shade, shared humanity, skin color, skin tone, slanted, society, spearate, terrible, Thank God, think, through, to justify, torturous, truth, West, Western world, writing down | 2 Comments

A Forgotten American Folk Song’s Powerful Message

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Steve Simms

I live in Nashville, Music City; however, we don’t hear songs like this old American folk song in Nashville or on MTV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtlxoRAAHVU Our culture has changed and the message of this song is no longer heard (or even tolerated). … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, boundaries, change, Christianity, criticism, discipling, drugs, education, forgiveness, freedom, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, meaning, mind, morality, morals, MTV, music, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, negro spirituals, Oh Sinner Man, popular culture, Quotations, Quotes, recovery, self-image, sin, soul, spiritual, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged 90%, a wretch like me, alcohol, America, American folk song, ancient, answer, aware, awareness, begins to see, believes, bit, brightness, C.S. Lewis, center, changed, chaplain, Christian, churches, clean, clotes, counselor, create, crime, culture, darkest night of the year, depravity, dirt, dirty, don't hear, drug, early days, fact, falsely, filthy, finally, first rays of light, God, God's glory, God's light, good people, good person, grow, hands, have mercy on me, hearts, hint, holier, holy, hymn, I am, I am a sinner, I'm a, increasing, interview, interviewed, Jesus Christ, Jesus prayer, John Newton, know, life, link, listening, live, living, looks, Lord, lost, managed, men, Michael McKinley, misery, monkx, more, more sensitive, nearer, new, noonday sun, notices, O, of the, Oh Sinner Man, old, Orthodox, over the horizon, perhaps, person, Peter K. Nelson, practice, presence, program, quite, rehab, rright, see ourselves, sees, self-destruction, self-judgment, simple question, sinfulness, sinner, son, spiritual darkness, story, sun comes up, surprises, tale, tell, think, Tim Chester, told, toward, ultra-conservative, used by, very far from God, watch, wee bit, what kind, Why, women, woods, word, work, wretched, writer, you, Youtube | 5 Comments

If The Chosen Are Frozen, How Can God’s Fire Rage Through Our World?

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Steve Simms

We live in a world that is fastly fleeing from traditional social and moral constraints. People nowadays uninhibitedly express their feelings and views without regard for what is decent, right, or wholesome, even when they are sober. There is no longer a need to … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Christian history, Christianity, church history, discipling, drunk, Holy Spirit, house church, Jesus Movement, morality, morals, Nashville, organic church, prayer, religion, simple church, spiritual, What is church? | Tagged 120, 225, 37207, about, agenda, allow, amazing, as ever, attitude, Berry Street, Bible, break, burn, but denying the power thereof, cast aside, celebrating, check, chosen, Christian, church, church age, church attenders, church is in decline, church-service, command, contrary, crucifixion, decent, described, die to self, disciples, drunk, dry, encourage, entertaining, enthusiasm, events, every member, experience, express feelings, expression, fastly, filled, fire, flames, fleeing, flow, follow, formal, formalism, foundation, frozen, function, gathered, God's fire, God's light, group, having a form of godliness, hidden, hiding, history, Holy Spirit, house church, inhibited, Jesus, languages, living, loudly, love, mighty, moral constraints, morally, move of God, movement, Nashville, now, obey, one reason, openly, organic church, organized, original, passion, Paul's, Pentecost, perhaps, power, praising God, praying, presence, publicly, reclaim priesthood of the believer, Reformation, rejoicing, remove, restrained, restraints, right, run, scholars, see, share, show up, simple church, sit, sober, social, society, speak, speaking, spiritual inhbitions, spirituall, spontaneous, start, street, structured, suddenly, Sundays, tear down the wall, theatrical, theory, this out, time, traditional, turn away, turn the world upside down, under a bushel, uninhibited, uninhibitedly, views, wait, we live, wholesome, willing, without regard for, wonders, works, world, years | 1 Comment

The College That Changed My Life

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Steve Simms

There is a popular book called Colleges That Change Lives. Somehow the college that changed my life — The University of Tennessee Martin — is not in the book. UTM was 50 miles away from my home and the only … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, change, Christian history, Christianity, church history, college, God, house church, kingdom of God, life, meaning, mysticism, Nashville, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, peace, religion, self-image, simple church, spiritual, What is church? | Tagged 225, Alabama, altar, amazing, Arkansas, around, asking, Baptist, Berry Street, best, Bible, book, called, changed, Christ, Christian, Christianity, church, churches, college, Colleges That Change Lives, community, corny, country, cried, daily, debate, denomination, devotion, difficult, discover, doctrine, Dorm, dozens, Ellington, encouraged, enjoyed, enthusiastic, environment, experience, family, fellow, focused, forever, Friends, full, God, Gospel, graduated, hall, hang out, heart, hooked, human beings, Illinois, Indiana, Jesus, Jesus Freaks, Kentucky, laughed, Lay Witness, leader, leaving, less, level, life, life-long, listened, llking, lobby, longing, loving, manifesting, Martin, meetings, Methodist, Missions, Missiour, Mississippi, morning, most, moved, name, Nashville, Nashville's, normal, official, one another, passion, passionate, pastored, people, popular, power, powerful, praises, prayed, Presbyterian, presence, reading, recapture, reconnect, repenting, satisfied, seminary, shared, sharing, shocked, singing, somehow, spring, stopped, strange, Sunday, Sundays, supported, take turns, Tennessee, testimonies, the, The Salvation Army, things, together, transformed, type, Union City, unique, University of Tennessee, UTM, vibrant, weekend, working, Worship Center, year | 31 Comments

Is The Denial Of God A Delusion?

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Steve Simms

In a book by Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, the author uses various arguments to strongly attack the idea of any non-material intelligence existing outside of nature as being just a myth. However, the belief in the existence some kind of intelligent … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheists, big bang, books, consciousness, creation, Creator, evolution, God, life, lifestyles, mysticism, Oh my God, religion, theory of evolution | Tagged 70, agnostic, all it contains, answer, anti-supernatural prejudice, arguments, ask for, atheism, atheistic, author, away, based, beyond all doubt, blindly believe, block, book, can never prove God, capacity, China, Christian, communicate, communication, communism, Communists, consciousness, constant companion, correcting, country, Creator, cruelly, delusion, depends on, directly, disprove, drive out, encouraging, enforced, existing outside of nature, exists, explain, exploded, faith, forcefully attack, God, hate speech, how can you, human history, humans, intelligence, intelligent, know for sure, leading, listen, mentioned, myath, natural world, neither, non-material, obvious, on the other hand, one way or the other, people, petition, physical world, presupposition. presume, proclaim, prove, question, rational proffe, reason, recently, refuse, Richard Dawkins, science, sincerely, some kind, some would say, Soviet Union, speaking, spiritual encounter, the belieff in the existence, The God Delusion, the idea, think, through out, to the point, took over, truth, universe, various, widespread, years, years later | 15 Comments

Things That Stir My Soul

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Steve Simms

Here are some things that stir my soul to sense the spiritual reality that surrounds us — that create a sense of awe in my heart. These things motivate me, inspire me, and help me be aware of the reality … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, Bible, biography, books, Civil Rights, Creator, God, history, life, lifestyles, music, mysticism, organic church, prayer, Quotations, Quotes, self-help, social justice, Uncategorized | Tagged Amazing Grace, aware, awe, beauty, Bible, biographies, books, breakthroughs, Brother Sun, children, Christian, classics, collecting, common, concerns, conserns, create, creativity, etc., experience, expressing, favorite, flowers, focusing on, Gandhi, getting, God, growth, heart, help, helping somebody, hills, His, his/her, history, holding a baby, Holy Spirit, in my heart, inspirational, inspire, interacting, It's A Wonderful Life, Jr., Les Miserables, lives, manifest, Martin Luther King, meeting, message, mind, motivate, move, movies, music, nature, needs, observing, ocean, of others, openly, partcipating, passionately, people, personal, Philokalia, presence, publicly, quotations, quotes, rainbow, reading, reality, revivals, sense, share, Shenandoah, Sister Moon, small, social justice, songs, speeches, spiritual, spirituality, squirrels, stary sky, stir my soul, stories, story, sunset, surrounded by, surrounds us, take over, the, The Arthur Blessett Story, The Cross, things, To Dream The Impossible Cream, uplifting, watching, What God is doing, William Wilberforce, within me, woods, worship, writing | 2 Comments

The Rolling Stones, Satisfaction, & Sadhu Sundar Singh

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Steve Simms

The Rolling Stones sang: “I can’t get no satisfaction ‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try I can’t get no, I can’t get no.” And the Stones are not alone. The inability to find satisfaction seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, Creator, freedom, God, history, Jesus Christ, lifestyles, music, popular culture, prayer, prejudice, Quotations, Quotes, religion, Rolling Stones, self-help | Tagged abuse, accept, across, alone, amazement, big, blood, Cause I tray, Christian, common condition, comparison, countrymen, countryside, deep, explains, failing, familiar, family, feet, fell, figure, filled, find, forced to leave, Friends, glow, gone, hands, heard, heart, heart-felt, heaven, Hindu, hometown, human heart, I can't get no, immediately, in all, inability, incarnations, increased, insults, irreverence, Jesus, joy, Krishna, light, marks, miserable, mock, mystic, native, no, not, peace, people. looking, persecuted, prayed, proclaimed, quotation, receiving, remained, remorse, rest, room, Sadhu Sundar Singh, sang, satisfaction, save, saw, secret, sense, share, Shiva, small, something, sorrow, speaking, spiritual, spite, strang, strange, strong, The Rolling Stones, the wrong places. Indian, thing, tongue, truth, unable to satisfy, unreest, Urdu, vision, voice, wander, way, widespread, wonderful, world | 1 Comment

Are We Missusing The Word “Church”

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Steve Simms

Our society has a big problem. Few people have ever asked the question: What is church? Are we missusing the word church? We think we know what church is so we don’t ask. “Here’s the church and here’s the steeple. Open it … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, Bible, Creator, criticism, English, English literature, freedom, God, history, house church, human rights, Jesus Christ, lifestyles, Oh my God, organic church, popular culture, Quotations, Quotes, religion, self-help, social justice, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 1948, 24/7, according to, America, answer is wrong, anywhere, asked, attempted, Bible, big, called out ones, came to power, can't separate, China, Chinese, Christian, Christians, church and state, church buildings, Communists, don't ask, English, famiily, family of believers, first three centuries, genuine, get rid, government, Greek, group of people, Here's the church, here's the steeple, holding on to, house church, into, invented, It didn't work, less than 1 milllion, loving relationship, makes, means, million, missusing, mistaken definitions, movement, New Testament, numbers between, only, open it u, organic church, original, out of, out of government, people, physical location, position, problem, public schools, question, right now, Roman Empire, sense, shg tied, society, spiritual family, the question, the word, translated, Twentieth Century, used, very rarely, we think we know, Wednesday night, what, What is church?, Where do you go to church, with one another, write | 1 Comment

Tag Archives: Christian

Grace — God’s Righteous Attributes Continually Expressed

A Forgotten American Folk Song’s Powerful Message

Is The Denial Of God A Delusion?

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Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible

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