Category Archives: Acts

Did Sermon-Free Church Begin At Pentecost?

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

Sermon-Free Church — Did It Begin At Pentecost?  Thoughts for Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2013 On Pentecost Sunday (May 19) the church in the Western world celebrates the beginning of sermon-free church. The events are recorded in Acts, chapter 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 2013, Acts, Apostle Peter, bishops, Christ followers, church, church history, church leader, church leadership, church meetings, coming of the Holy Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Jerusalem, New Testament, non-church, non-church movement, non-liturgical, non-traditional church, one anothers, open church, open mike, openairs, organic church, origin of the church, overseers, participatory church, Peter, Peter preaching on Pentecost, praise, praising God, pray for one another, prayer, praying, preaching, preaching the Word, Roman, Roman Empire, sermon, sermon-free, sermons, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, spiritual church, the Western church, This was that., Western world | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Spirit-Led Church — Makes You Want To Say: “Oh, My God!”

Posted on February 9, 2013 by

Church is not about what I want or what you want.  Church is about what God wants!   His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Church is not a place to sit and be told what … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts, Acts 2:43, alternative church, alternative lifestyle, anointed, anointing, awe, Bible, Bible type revival, church meetings, church structure, everyone was filled with awe, fire, fire of the Holy Spirit, first century, First Century Church, freedom, Heaven, impact of church, jump up and shout, preaching, religion, religious innovation, revelation, Spirit's flow, spiritual flow, waves of the Spirit, what God wants, will be done on earth as it is in Heaven | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Men Gone Wild (Or Are They Just Free In The Spirit?)

Posted on February 6, 2013 by

Recently six men gathered in Nashville, Tennessee and were overcome by  spontaneous praise, worship, celebration, dancing, and prayer; for more than two hours.  Had these men gone wild?  Or were they just free in the Spirit? They were experiencing a … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts, Acts of the Apostles, Bible, New Testament, praise and worship, praying, praying community, radical, radical obedience, rare form of Christianity, real presence, religious ceremonies, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Was Matthias A Mistake? — The Human Need To Institutionalize Spirituality

Posted on July 22, 2012 by

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in 120 in upper room, Acts, acts of God, Bible, choice, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christian values, Christianity, church, church history, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, disciples, ekklesia, empty tomb, faith, fire, gift of God, gifts of the Spirit, God's authority, God's government, Gospel, Gospels, Greek word, guidance, hearing God, hearing Jesus, heirarchy, His story, history, Holy Spirit, house church, insight, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus' mother Mary, Judas, kingdom of God, life, lifestyle Christianity, Luke, Matthias, missional, move of God, movement, mysticism, non-church, organic church, Pentecost, pentecostals, presence of Christ, presence of God, quench the Spirit, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, revelation, revival, rivers of living water, Scriptures, speaking in tongues, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual warfare, supernatural, The Voice, tongues of fire, tradition, unprogrammed church, voice of God, voices, What is church?, words on fire | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Ideas to Tone Down the NBA, the NFL, and the Olympics

Posted on June 25, 2012 by

What if they made a new rule to tone down the London Olympics by requiring all Olympic athletes to have one arm tied behind their back during competition?  Would you be okay with that? What if, in order to reduce … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, Acts, American church, basketball, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, bold statements, burning heart, Christian community, Christianity, church history, church roles, church structure, current events, early church, East Nashville, England, faith-based, football, heart-felt love, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lifestyles, London, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, Olympics, open church, order of worship, participatory church, persecution, popular culture, post-Christianity, powerless, reality TV, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, repentance, revelation, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, sporting event, sports, television, the way we do church, true Christian life, TV, TV network, UK, Uncategorized, Western religion, Western world, What is church? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Does Western Christianity Disengage God

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

As an avid reader of church history, I’ve noticed a consistent trend in Western religion.  It seems to disengage God — treating Him as a figure to occasionally honor rather than as a living power source. Let me explain.  A … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts, Anabaptists, Catholic mystics, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, early church, Methodists, monastics, Moravians, Nashville, Quakers, religion, religious ceremonies, Salvationists, show and tell, spiritual, spiritual formation, the way we do church, Uncategorized, Waldensians | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Can The Contempory Church Say “This Is That”?

Posted on May 5, 2012 by

Can the contemporary church say, like Peter did in the Book of Acts, “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel,” as we point, like Peter did, to something supernatural that God is doing in our midst? It … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, Acts, acts of God, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Biblical concept, church, church structure, denominations, discipling, early church, evidence for God, eyewitness, gifts of the Spirit, house church, Jerusalem, lifestyles, missional, movement, Music City, mystery, mysticism, New Testament, non-traditional church, order of worship, organic church, Paul of Tarsus, Peter, popular culture, priesthood of the believer, proof of God, prophesy, prophet, prophet Joel, relational church, religion, show and tell, speaking in tongues, spiritual growth, supernatural, testimonies, the way we do church, this is that, tradition, which was spoken by the prophet Joel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Hey Church, We Are Family . . . (Do We Act Like It?)

Posted on April 26, 2012 by

Perhaps the church can learn from family . . . The Bible teaches that church is family — a body of believers bound together in spiritual kinship.  Church is hearts connected in love for Christ and for one another.   The … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Biblical concept, children, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church, community, disciple making, discipling, early church, family gathering, formal, funerals, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, improvisation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lecture, lesson plans, marriage, modeling, New Testament, non-traditional church, organic church, parents, participatory church, religion, religious ceremonies, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual kinship, support group, teaching, the way we do church, thinking, tradition, unprogrammed church, weddings, Western religion, What would Jesus do? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Words

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

When I was a boy my dad had a book called:  Eloquence in Public Speaking: How To Set Your Words On Fire by Kenneth McFarland.  It was about how to put sparks in human hearts and it helped to create … Continue reading →

Posted in a hunka hunka burnin', Acts, alternative lifestyle, apologists, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, burning heart, change, Christian, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, early church, Jesus Christ, Kenneth McFarland, message, Music City, Nashville, organic church, participatory church, religion, revival, riot, simple church, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare, testimonies, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, turned the world upsidedown, witness, words on fire | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jesus Christ — Dead Or Alive?

Posted on April 9, 2012 by

Easter celebrations are over — the traditions, the religious ceremonies, the decorations, the egg hunts, the dress-up, the family gatherings, the greeting cards, the candy.  So what do you do after Easter?  Here are two choices: 1)  You can send … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts, adventure, alternative lifestyle, Bible, celebrations, challenges, choice, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian history, Christianity, church, dead man walking, deciision making, early church, East Nashville, God, greeting cards, hearing Jesus, holiday, holidays, jail, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, meaning, Music City, mysticism, non-material reality, non-traditional church, opportunity, organic church, participatory church, presence of Christ, religion, religious ceremonies, spiritual, spiritual growth, supernatural | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments