Tag Archives: quotes

A Non-Charismatic Seminary Professor Speaks Out For Participatory Church

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Steve Simms

Charles H. Kraft, professor of anthropology and intercultural communication at Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, California speaks out for participatory church.  In in his book, Christianity With Power:  Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural, although he says that … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropology, California, Calvin, charismatic, Charles H. Kraft, Christianity with Power, Holy Spirit, intercultural communication, interpretation, Luther, Nashville, Nashville church, Nashville tourist attractions, non-charismatic, Pasadena, quotation, Quotations, quote, reformer, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sermon, speaking in tongues, Spirit's flow, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Tennessee, the Reformers, worldview | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bold Christian Quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. (For MLK Day)

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Steve Simms

“We need to pledge ourselves anew to the cause of Christ. We must capture the spirit of the early church. Wherever the early Christians went, they made a triumphant witness for Christ. Whether on the village streets or in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Almighty God, Christ, disease of fear, early Christians, early church, evil, fear, God, God is able, gods, Gospel, holiday, holidays, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jr., Martin Luther King Day, MLK Day, MLK quotes, moral foundations, moral laws, moral leaders, moral principles, moral reformer, moral restraints, morality, morals, Nashville, nonconformists, quotation, Quotations, quote, rare form of Christianity, relativism, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Savior, self-worth, sermon, servants, sin, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual movement, spiritual transformation, The Movement | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

Grace ain’t “hyper” — it’s humbling.

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Steve Simms

Grace is not permission to do wrong. It’s the power to do right!  Grace is mercy, forgiveness, and freedom from sin; not feeling accepted and approved in our sin.  When we admit and turn away from our sin, God’s amazing … Continue reading →

Posted in a wretch like me, extreme grace, forgiveness, gives grace to the humble, God allows U-turns, God resists the proud, God's grace, guilt, how sweet the sound, hypergrace, mercy, quotation, Quotations, quote, sin, U-turns, understanding grace | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Do You Ever Get The Hear-Another-Sermon-Blues?

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Steve Simms

Do you ever get the hear-another-sermon-blues?  Well, don’t fret.  I can’t find the word “sermon” in the Bible.  Can you? When you regularly share with others about what God is saying to you and about what He is doing in … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, blues, Darryl M. Erke, Ernest F. Scott, Nashville, Nashville church, non-church, non-church movement, non-liturgical, non-traditional church, nonconforming, open church, participatory church, quotation, Quotations, quote, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sermon, sermon-free, sermon-hearing, sermons, simple church, spirituality, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Here Ya Go — Original Organic Church Comments

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Steve Simms

When church is unplugged from programs and unleashed from sermons, people are free to obey the present moment promptings of the Spirit and God is powerfully present. Does church constantly contain God in your comfort zone or does church compel … Continue reading →

Posted in innovation, Nashville, Nashville think tank, Quotations, radical, radical Christianity, radical obedience, Think Tank | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Protestant Reformation — A Half-Way Measure?

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Steve Simms

Did the Protestant Reformation only go 1/2 way?  Two of the main Bible doctrines that were brought to light by Protestant Reformers (Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and others) were:  1) justification by faith (which was enthusiastically embraced); and  … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, doctrines, history, John Calvin, justification by faith, leaders, leaders of the Reformation, leadership, ministers, ministry, Nashville, Nashville church, ordaination, pastor, preacher, priest, priesthood, quotation, Quotations, quote, reformation, religion, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Ulrich Zwingli | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Discovery Church — Continually Discovering God & His Ways

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Steve Simms

Perhaps church should create a discovery environment, where people make ongoing discoveries about God, themselves, other people, love, joy, and truth.  Maybe we should move beyond precise explanations by an expert that take away our desire for discovery. Church is … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthur Schopenhauer, church program, church programs, church services, Daniel J. Boorstin, discovery group, Henri Poincare, Intuition, Jerry Trousdale, Miraculous Movements, quotation, Quotations, quote, spiritual church, spiritual discovery, spiritual formation, Tom Shadyac | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

If you agree with the Bible that some human behaviors are morally wrong, it doesn’t mean that you “hate” or mistreat people who do those behaviors.

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Steve Simms

After I posted the title of this post as a complete post, a book by Leonard Ravenhill that I started reading more than a year ago, but never finished, caught my eye. I felt a Spirit-prompting: “Pick it up, there … Continue reading →

Posted in bacteria, Bible, chemistry, forgiveness, Ganges River, germs, guilt, judging, judgment, judgments, moral failure, moral failures, moral foundations, moral judgment, moral laws, quotation, Quotations, quote, religion, right and wrong, right conduct, right from wrong, right living, self-will, sin, sinner, sinning, sins, values | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

God’s Spiritual Sprinkler Systems

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Steve Simms

According to the New Testament, God wants church services to be spiritual sprinkler systems where the Holy Spirit freely flows from everyone present. (See 1 Corinthians 14:26.)  This is God’s powerful “prophetic activation” (a phrase made popular by Sandy Powell … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 Corinthians:14, Christlike, church history, clergy, clergy/laity, God, Jesus Christ, laity, layman, laymen, laywomen, Martin Luther, Music City, organic church, prophesy, prophesying, quotation, Quotations, quote, reformation, reformer, round robin, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sprinkler system, Tennessee, The Salvation Army, TN, unbeliever, worship, worship gathering, worship leader | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Baptist Pastor Promotes Participatory Church

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Steve Simms

I “stumbled upon” a 1971 book by a Baptist pastor that describes a participatory style church service: “One winter morning I stopped for worship at a small East Tennessee rural church . . . The singing stopped and he (the … Continue reading →

Posted in Albert McClellan, attitude, East Tennessee, festival, mystery, praising God, pray for one another, prayer, praying, praying community, Quotations, Quotes, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, shouting in church, simple church, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army, weeping | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments