Category Archives: early church

3 Bold & Radical Martin Luther King Quotations

Posted on January 21, 2013 by

3 bold, radical, and ignored quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “God has a way of standing before the nations with judgment, and it seems that I can hear God saying to America, ‘You’re too arrogant! And if you … Continue reading →

Posted in America, arrogance, Be still and know that I am God, bold, change, change agent, Christ, Christ followers, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, church history, colony of heaven, commitment, contemporary church, disturbers of the peace, drunk, early church, gladiators, God calling, God-intoxicated, hearing God, hearing Jesus, ignored, infanticide, Jesus, Jesus Christ, judgment, MLK, mores, obey God rather than men, outside agitators, persecution, popular opinion, power, powerful, quote, Quotes, radical, radical obedience, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spirituality, thermometer, thermostat, voice of God | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

12/12/12 — 12 Out Of The Box Thoughts About Church

Posted on December 12, 2012 by

Here are 12 out-of-the-box thoughts about church on 12/12/12. 1)  Church is not God in a noose, but God on the loose! 2)  Church is not spectators sitting, but believers battling the forces of darkness! 3)  Church is not a … Continue reading →

Posted in agenda, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christian community, church meetings, church program, church programs, creeds, denominations, do church, early church, followers of Christ, freedom, furnace, gifts of the Spirit, God on the loose, godly sorrow, guide, hype, ice maker, idealism, improv, improvisation, inner coach, lecture, message, miracles, moral failure, move of God, movement, non-church, people of God, power, powerhouse, preaching, Protestant, repent, repentance, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, seduction, sermon, sermons, service, shocking statements, sin, soul food, speaking out, spectators, Spirit-led, spiritual fire, spiritual training, spiritual transformation, spiritual warfare, still small voice, submission, supernatural, surrender, surrender to God, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army, theology, thoughts, tradition, two or more, Western religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Is The True Christian Church?

Posted on August 30, 2012 by

Many people ask the question:  What is the one true church?  And numerous organizations claim to be the one true Christian church.  For example, these groups make that claim: * The ancient churches that can trace their history to the … Continue reading →

Posted in ancient history, belief system, Biblical concept, branch, Catholic, Catholic mystics, Christ, Christ followers, Christian community, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian Scientists, Christian values, church fathers, church history, church meetings, Church of Christ, church programs, church roles, church structure, community, controversy, Creator, creeds, cults, denominations, early church, Eastern Orthodox churches, faith-based, followers of Christ, God, Heaven, institution, interdenominational, Irenaeus, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jjehovah's Witnesses, kingdom of God, Latter Day Saints, LDS, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, Mormon faith, Mormonism, Mormons, movement, organic church, organization, Orthodox, Protestant, Protestant Reformation, questions, Quotations, quote, Quotes, Roman Catholic, Spirit-led, spiritual, testimony, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, thoughts, values, What is the true church?, words | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Awesome Power Of Spiritual Interaction

Posted on August 17, 2012 by

*  One of the most powerful tools for personal transformation is spiritual interaction, openly sharing your faith, spiritual experiences, struggles, and concerns with others in a loving and compassionate environment.  (I have personally seen spiritual interaction produce life-changing results both … Continue reading →

Posted in AA, addiction, addictions, Alcoholics Anonymous, Berry Street, Christ followers, Christian, Christian history, Christian values, church, church history, church meetings, church programs, church roles, early church, His story, history, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, inspiration, Methodist class meeting, Methodists, missional, move of God, movement, NA, Narcotics Anonymous, Nashville, Neil Cole, non-church movement, open church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, pentecostals, Quakers, religious ceremonies, Revelation 12:11, revival, sermon, sermons, simple church, sobriety, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual interaction, support group, the 12 Steps, The Salvation Army, the Walk to Emmaus, tradition, Tres Dias, unprogrammed church, When you come together | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

A Brief (Alternative) History Of Western Christianity

Posted on July 6, 2012 by

An alternative history of Western Christianity . . . The early Christians were passionate and obedient followers of the living, resurrected Jesus Christ.  The government didn’t like them and put many of them to death. However, the love, lifestyle, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 95 theses, alternative lifestyle, Castle Church, church, Constantine, downline, early church, ekklesia, empire, Germany, heretic, house church, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, lifestyles, love, Martin Luther, mullti-level, Muslims, mystery, mysticism, non-church, non-traditional church, open church, organic church, Orthodox, political issue, politics, Protestant Reformation, reformation, religious ceremonies, religious wars, Roman Catholic, simple church, true Christian life, turned the world upsidedown, values, Western religion, Western world, What is church?, Wittenburg Door | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Is church an hour’s perch on a pew or an interactive search for more of God? Check out what the New Testament says about church meetings in I Corinthians 14:26.

Posted on June 19, 2012 by
Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, American church, Bible, Biblical concept, bored in church, Christianity, church, early church, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, New Testament, perch, pew | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

An Ancient Way To Change Your Life (Almost Unknown In The 21st Century)

Posted on June 15, 2012 by

There is an ancient way to change your life that was first developed and used in the Middle East in the early Fourth Century.  It produced amazing results and helped to start a movement in the Roman Empire and beyond. … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian history, Christianity, church history, early church, faith, faith-based, God, habit, hearing Jesus, His story, history, inner rivers, insight, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Movement, lifestyles, monastics, mysticism, non-church movement, non-material reality, Orthodox, Philokalia, prayer, prayer walking, prayer without ceasing, presence of Christ, presence of God, religion, religious ceremonies, self-control, self-denial, self-esteem, self-help, self-image, self-will, sin, sinner, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual warfare, The Jesus Prayer, the way of the pilgrim | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 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

Good Sermon Or Burning Words?

Posted on May 7, 2012 by

When people hear a sermon they often go up to the preacher and say:  “Good message,” or “Good sermon.”  However when the early disciples heard the word, they said:  “Didn’t his words burn in our hearts!” When Peter preached on … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, burning heart, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, conviction of sin, early church, East Nashville, gifts of the Spirit, good sermon, inward change, language, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, organic church, preaching, religion, sermon, sermons, spiritual formation, teaching, Uncategorized, Western religion, words, words on fire | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments