Category Archives: Methodists

Priesthood of the Believer Church (Church Meetings Without A Dominating Leader)

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

Can churches meet without one person dominating the meeting?  History says they can! When the Protestant Reformation broke with the Roman Catholic Church, one of the doctrines they embraced become known as “the priesthood of the believer.”  The Reformers acknowledged … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholicism, China, Chinese, church, church history, church in China, church leader, church meetings, Communists, holy priesthood, kingdom of priests, Laymen's prayer revival, laymen's prayer revival of 1857, Martin Luther, Methodism, Methodist class meeting, Methodists, participatory church, pastor, Peter Wagner, priest, Quaker meetings, Quakers, quote, Quotes, Ray Stedman, Roman Catholic, simple church, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Sermon-free church will irrigate your dry soul, flooding your heart with the power and presence of the living, resurrected Jesus Christ as everyday people, led by the Spirit, show and tell what God has done.

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

The Methodists used to practice sermon-free church. Sermon-Free church broke out across American in the late 1850s. The Quakers practiced sermon-free church. A prayer for sermon-free church from the late 1800s is being answered in Nashville.

Posted in church, church format, church history, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, church services, church structure, churching, Methodism, Methodists, Nashville, Nashville church, preaching, Quakers, sermon, sermon series, sermons, simple church | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sermon-Free Church Rocked The Early Methodists

Posted on May 12, 2013 by

The early Methodists practiced a type of sermon-free church known as class meetings.  These were weekly, participatory meetings where every person present was given the opportunity to talk about their life with God.  The first Methodist class meeting was started … Continue reading →

Posted in Nashville, Quotations, The Salvation Army, John Wesley, simple church, Christianity, church, spiritual growth, John Berry McFerrin, quote, Methodist revivalists, Spirit-led, revival, Methodists, spiritual awakening, Salvation Army Corps, Salvation Army church, spiritual movement, Christian experience, spiritual life, Nashville charity, Nashville adventure, John Bate, Frederick William Briggs, Kevin Watson, Methodism, bear one another's burdens, renewal | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Religion Is Ritual — Faith Is Fire (How John Wesley Caught On Fire For God))

Posted on December 9, 2012 by

Religion is routine ritual, faith is flaming fire.  “I set myself on fire, and people come to see me burn.”  –John Wesley The fire that burned in John Wesley sparked the Holiness Movement that changed nations and led to many … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, change, Christ, Christianity, conversion, convert, conviction, denominations, doubts, England, English, evil, faith, fire, fire of the Holy Spirit, fuel, God, godliness, having a form of godliness, hearing God, hearing Jesus, holy, I set myself on fire, inner peace, inner rivers, intimacy, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, Methodist class meeting, Methodist revivalists, Methodists, Nazarene, pentecostals, recovery, red hot, relevation, religious ceremonies, religious tradition, repentance, salvation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, saved, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Aiming For Your Heart

Posted on October 19, 2012 by

Television and movies aim to reach your desire to be entertained.  Advertising aims to for your emotions.  Negative political advertisements aim to reach your fears.  Classes, seminars, and even sermons aim for your mind.  Love, however, aims to reach your … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, alternative lifestyle, belief, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible reading, biblical, Biblical concept, burning heart, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian history, church, church history, curriculum, devotion, fire, fire of the Holy Spirit, inner peace, inner rivers, inspiration, intellect, intelligence, invisible, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, joy, kingdom of God, lecture, Methodist class meeting, Methodist revivalists, Methodists, ministry, movement, Music City, Nashville, normal Christianity, relevation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, seminars, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Non-Church — Discovered In Japan & Other Places

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

I recently read about non-church when I heard about a Japanese man named Uchimura Kanzo.  He  started meeting with a group of friends in a small Christian gathering in Japan in the early 1900s where everyone was equal and everybody … Continue reading →

Posted in burning heart, China, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church roles, church structure, congregational, East Nashville, heart-felt love, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Japan, Methodist class meeting, Methodists, movement, non-church movement, non-traditional church, organic church, participatory church, priesthood of the believer, relational church, religion, simple church, spiritual formation, support group, the way we do church, Uncategorized, unprogrammed church, What is church?, worship | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 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 Uncategorized, religion, Nashville, church history, Anabaptists, Quakers, Christianity, Christian history, spiritual, church, Acts, spiritual formation, early church, the way we do church, show and tell, religious ceremonies, Waldensians, Salvationists, Methodists, Moravians, Catholic mystics, monastics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments