Tag Archives: Christianity

Spirit-Prompted Words Are Better Than Any Teleprompter!

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Steve Simms

Spirit-prompted words are better than any teleprompter!  Politicians, public speakers, and even some preachers use teleprompters. However, as Christ-followers, we have something far superior to a teleprompter. We have the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit that will release words … Continue reading →

Posted in church, he that has ears, hearing the Holy Spirit, inner coach, inner Light, inner prompting, inner teacher, listening prayer, listening skills, listening to God, listening to the Spirit, Open your mouth and I will fill it, organic church, Quench not the Spirit, quench the Spirit, quenching the Spirit, Salvation Army, teleprompter, wifi, witness of the Spirit | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Should Church Meetings Be Choreographed?

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Steve Simms

We think of surrendering to the Holy Spirit as an individual thing, but perhaps it is also something that we need to do when we meet together as a church. Perhaps we need to yield our program and our agenda … Continue reading →

Posted in church leader, church leadership, church program, church programs, church roles, house church, how to do church, how to get involved in church, open church, order of worship, organic church, scholarship, simple church, worship, worship gathering, worship innovation, worship service, worship styles | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Beyond Spectatorship To Discipleship

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Steve Simms

Every Christ-follower is called to preach. Every believer is a minister ordained by God. The clergy/laity concept is not in the New Testament. Instead all believers are expected to minister to one another, to openly testify about their faith, and … Continue reading →

Posted in André Cox, called to preach, calling, clergy, clergy/laity, clericalism, layman, laymen, laymen preaching, laywomen, ministers, ministry, ordaination, ordained, priest, priesthood of the believer, Protestant, Protestant Reformation, quotation, Quotations, quote, salvation war, universal priesthood | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Right Way To Have Church

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Steve Simms

Is there only one, correct way of doing church?  Sometimes it seems so. For five hundred years there has basically been only one, right way of doing church. Regardless of denomination or doctrine, church has almost universally contained a central, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 Corinthians:14, Bible, biblical, Biblical concept, church history, communion, denominations, doctrine, doctrines, Fresh Expressions movement, homiletics, homily, house church, Lord's supper, Martyn Atkins, Methodism, Methodist church, open church, organic church, participation in church, participatory church, preacher, preaching, preaching the Word, Protestant, pulpit, pulpit ministry, sacrament, sacraments, sermon-hearing, sermons, the right way to do church, UK, ways of doing church, worship, worship gathering, worship service | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Have We Silenced God’s Lambs (Keeping Them Silent With Preaching)?

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Steve Simms

Have we silenced God’s lambs with a gag rule for church?  Perhaps. I believe that many people have powerful messages from God burning in their heart, but they are too intimidated to share them because: 1) They are never given … Continue reading →

Posted in lay preaching, laymen preaching, multi-voiced church, Music City, Nashville, Nashville charity, participation, participation in church, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Nashville, shared sermon, speaking up, Who can preach? | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Worship Wars — Make Room For Sermon-Free Church

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Steve Simms

Is There Room For Sermon-Free Church?  (Of course there is.) Worship wars, a popular name for disagreements in church about how to conduct the Sunday service, have been going on for years. But there is no need to argue. There … Continue reading →

Posted in answer to worship wars, Ben Franklin, contemporary vs. traditional, do away with the sermon, Kierkegaard, Layman's Prayer Revival, Laymen's prayer revival, laymen's prayer revival of 1857, Methodism, Methodist class meeting, Methodists, preacher, preaching, Søren Kierkegaard, see a sermon, sermon, sermon-free, sermon-hearing, sermons, sharing | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Karaoke Spoken From The Heart (Lay Witness Missions)

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Steve Simms

Before people in the USA sang karaoke, they spoke it spontaneously, from the heart as they told how the living, resurrected Jesus Christ had changed their life.  It was called Lay Witness Missions.  This spoken karaoke began in United Methodist … Continue reading →

Posted in a shout out, Ben Johnson, can I get a witness, Christian history, church history, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, evangelism, evangelistic meetings, Frank Billman, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lay evangelist, lay speakers, lay testimonies, lay witness coordinator, lay witness movement, lay witness team, layman, laymen, laywomen, Methodism, Methodist class meeting, Methodist revivalists, Methodists, Music City, Nashville, Nashville church, non-traditional church, open church, open forum, open mic, open mike, open sharing, religious karaoke, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, sharing, sharing Christ, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-led church, spiritual experiences, spiritual karaoke, spoken karaoke, team, testimonies, testimonies in church, testimony, witness, witnesses, witnessing, worship, worship service | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Let Jesus Lead Us! (Quotes About The Need For Organic/Participatory Church)

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Steve Simms

“How can you have a dead service with a living Christ?” –Leonard Ravenhill “What did first-century believers do in their worship meetings? Paul gives a description in 1 Corinthians 14:26: ‘When you come together, each of you has a hymn, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, David Walters, experiencing God, experiential worship, experimental church, Garth Lean, house church, Korea, Liquid Church, living Christ, Mark Batterson, Michael Morrison, open church, open forum, open mic, open mike, open sharing, Oxford Group, participation, participation in church, participatory church, participatory culture, Pete Ward, quotation, Quotations, quote, Robin Parry, spiritual prompting, spiritual training, spirituality, Sun Chae Hwang, worship, worship gathering, worship service | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Kingdom-Come, King-God-Ruled Meetings

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Steve Simms

Through out the night I was thinking about “the Kingdom of God.” A kingdom is where a king rules, so the Kingdom of God is where God, Himself rules. God’s rule doesn’t happen much on Earth, because of man’s rebellion. … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher Gorton, church, Matthew 18:20, Matthew 6:33, order of worship, organic church, quotation, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religious tradition, righteousness, Roman Empire, Roman history, Romans 14:17, seek ye first, simple church, the Kingdom of God is at hand, Whatever He says to you | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sin will seize us and freeze us as hard as ice. Only Jesus melts our hard heart and frees us!

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Steve Simms
Posted in born again, change, change agent, Christ, Christ in you the hope of glory, Christ's presence, confession of sin, conversion, convert, converts, convicted of sin, conviction of sin, deliverance, Jesus, Jesus Christ, presence of Christ, salvation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment