Tag Archives: sermons

Benjamin Franklin & Sermon Free Church

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Steve Simms

I think Benjamin Franklin would have loved sermon-free church because it gets people actively involved and transforms them from passive pew-sitters to spiritual go-getters! Ben said: “I wish it (Christianity) were more productive of good works. I mean real good … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, American Literature, Ben Franklin, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, church format, church meetings, church roles, church services, church structure, Doing the most good, good sermon, good works, history, involve me and I learn, memory, Nashville, organic church, pew, prayer, praying, preacher, preaching, quote, Quotes, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sermon, sermon-free, sermon-hearing, sermons, simple church, teach me and I, Tennessee, The Salvation Army | Tagged Benjamin Franklin, Christianity, church, quotations, sermons, tell me and I forget | Leave a comment

What Is “Effective Preaching?”

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Steve Simms

Information: A message prepared and delivered by a mind, reaches a mind. Inspiration: The testimony of a burning heart reaches a heart. God is looking for a burning heart; not for doctrinal charts. “I would rather teach one man to … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles Spurgeon, Come Join Our Army, Crest Books, doctrinal charts, early Salvation Army, exhortations, how to pray, how to preach, information, inspiration, inspirational, learning to pray, mind, prayer, preaching the Word, R.G. Moyles, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, sermon series, testimonies, testimony, USA, William Booth | Tagged church, preacher, preaching, quotations, religion, sermons | Leave a comment

Is The Church Trying To Teach People To Swim Without Letting Them Get Wet?

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Steve Simms

I heard a very good sermon today. But while passively sitting and listening to the sermon, I began to think my own thoughts instead. I pondered to myself: Which is more effective in changing lives – studied and prepared sermons … Continue reading →

Posted in attention holding, challenging, God, gripping, Holy Spirit, informative, inspirational, instructive, learning to swim, life transforming, living words, Quotations, quote, Quotes, relevation, religion, Spirit-prompted, spiritual, spirituality | Tagged Christianity, church, Nashville, preaching, Samuel Logan Brengle, sermons, The Salvation Army | 11 Comments

Learning Bible Info vs. Releasing God’s Inner Flow

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Steve Simms

The contemporary church wants people to know Bible info. God wants people to grow by releasing His inner flow. Spiritual maturity will grow only from God’s inner flow. It’s not produced by the Bible lessons you know. People aren’t changed … Continue reading →

Posted in contemporary church, go with the flow, inner coach, inner rivers, innere flow, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual flow, spiritual formation, spiritual healing, spiritual innovation, spiritual leaders, spiritual movement, spiritual power, spiritual transformation | Tagged Bible, flow, How to grow spiritually, organic church, release of the Spirit, sermons, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, spirituality | 1 Comment

Church — Spiritual Impartation Or Powerless Sermons?

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Steve Simms

Bible interpretation without spiritual impartation is a negation of Scripture. Sermons, without the active working of the living God, lack the life-transforming power they claim to proclaim. Our culture desperately needs the transforming impartation of spiritual power, not mere Bible … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, church services, church structure, organic church, relevation, religion, spirit, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual fire | Tagged Christianity, church, sermons, spiritual impartation | 6 Comments

WDJSM? What Did Jesus Say Most?

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Steve Simms

What did Jesus say most (WDJSM)? The phrase most frequently used by Jesus in the Bible seems to be: “He who has ears, let him hear.” Jesus is quoted as saying those words 7 times in the Gospels (8 if … Continue reading →

Posted in awe, Bible, Christ, Christian history, Christianity, church history, Gospels, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, Matthew, miracles, Moses, mystery, mysticism, Peter, Quotations, Quotes, religion, revelation, saints, sermons, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, spiritual warfare, television, TV ministers, Uncategorized, words | Tagged accepted, Acts, all along, an ear, Anyone who does not listen to, around the world, asked, Behold I stand at the door and knock, Bible, called her by name, Christian, common, completely cut off, converse, courageous, crucified, cultures, deeply moved, denominations, dine with him, even though, first disciples, followers, for example, from their people, Gospels, He walks with me, He who has ears, he with Me, heard Jesus speak, how many, I love you, I will come in to him, if anyone hears my voice, If you have taken Him away, immediately, it was Jesus, Jesus, language groups, let him hear, listening, man, Mary Magdalene, Matthew, millions of people, modern translations, Moses, most, most frequently used, My sheep hear My voice, nothing like, nowadays, one of his sermons, opens the door, personally, Peter, phrase, present day, quoted, quotes, realized, recorded in, referring, religious, revelation, say, saying, seriously, sermons, shown, since the beginning, song, speaking, still speaks, strange theology, sung, surprise, take, talks with me, tell me where you put, tells me I am His own, the gardener, tomb, TV shows, variation, various denominations, various time periods, voice, What did Jesus, words, zealous | 2 Comments

George Barna’s 9 Challenges For American Christians

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Steve Simms

George Barna, founder of the Barna Research Group, issued nine challenges for American Christianity in 2002. Here is a paraphrase of his nine challenges along with how a church in Nashville, Tennessee, The Salvation Army Berry Street Worship Center, is attempting … Continue reading →

Posted in Barna Research Group, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, challenges, church, East Nashville, evangelicals, Gen Y, George Barna, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Nashville, organic church, popular culture, race, racism, simple church, supernatural, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, worship | Tagged 37207, 50-50, allow peop;le to participate, amazing things, American, as led by the Spirit, asking God, attempting, attributed to, Barna Research Group, beliefs, believe, Berry St., Berry Street, Bible, bit, black and white, built-in cost, causes, challenges, changes, Christianity, Christians, church, churches, come, compete, cooperate with, cost, criticize, daily lives, different, do church, each week, eager to learn, encourage, encouraged, ethnic groups, evangelicals, exciting, expression, flow in the Spirit, follow, founder, fresh, Gen Y, George Barna, go, goal, good leaders, Gospel, I Corinthians 14:26, imput, issued, lack of, leadership, multi-racial, musical styles, Nashville, never know, nine, no matter what, non-traditional, not allowed, obey, one person, open, other, outstanding, paraphrase, power, prepared, produces, qualities, race, right in front of our eyes, sale old same old, seek, segregated, seriously, sermons, study, Sunday, Sunday mornings, supernatural, Tennessee, The Salvation Army, theological, to be involved, to meet, to share, to stand on God's word, toning down, uncomfortable, usually, visit, working of God, worship, Worship Center, worship leader, worship meeting, young adults | 1 Comment

Talk (or TV Commercials) About Pain Medication Won’t Ease Your Pain

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Steve Simms

There is so much talk about medication nowadays, especially in TV commercials. Paid actors and spokespersons boast of the results of the pill they’re promoting. (Then the voice over announcer quietly sneaks in the side-effects, but that’s another story.) However, … Continue reading →

Posted in drug commercials, drugs, God, Holy Spirit, house church, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, mysticism, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, peace, prayer, Quotations, reading, recovery, religion, revelation, salvation, self-help, What is church? | Tagged 24/7/365, actors, all you who are, another story, best pain reliever, boast, body, Come unto Me, deep down, ease your pain, hearing, heart, help, high on, hurting, I will give you rest, instead, J-E-S-U-S, Jesus, known to main, medication, merely, New Testament, no need, not on earthly, nowadays, obey, on things above, open up, paid, Paul of Tarsus, pill, pop, popping, promoting, puff, put it, quitely, reading, receive, results, sermons, Set your minds, shoot up, side-effects, singing, smoke, sneaks, snort, soul, spell relief, spokespersons, studying, surrender, take in, talk, through your whole system, to be effective, TV commericals, voice over announcer, weary and heavy laden | 4 Comments

Church — Lab or Lecture? Intellect or Votech? Academic or Epidemic?

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Steve Simms

Should church be academic or epidemic? Should it be based on the transfer of religious knowledge or on an ongoing contagion of spiritual life spreading like raging fire? Here is a quotation from Paul of Tarsus, the church planter who established … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, change, God, Holy Spirit, house church, lifestyles, mysticism, organic church, Quotations, Quotes, religion, simple church, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged 225 Berry St., 37207, academic, academic study, accepting, agreeing to, area, based on, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Biblical doctrines, book of Acts, called, Christian votech, Christians, church, church planter, contagion, contemporary church, creed, daily lives, Dear children, deed, demonstrative, disciples, disciplined, dry intelect, epidemic, established, experiential learning, first Christian churches, follow and obey, followers, formation within, gave, go and make disciples of all nations, godliness has value for all things, Great Commission, hands-on activity, hearts, holy, Holy Spirit, house church, ignored, inflaming, intellect, isn't it time, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John the Beloved, knowledge puffs up, lab, laid-back, lecture, lifestyle, like, listening, live, living love, love builds up, make this change, making disciples, mental adherents, merely, move beyond, Nashville, New Testament, not love with words, nowadays, ongoing, organic church, others, passion for God, passivity, Paul of Tarsus, Paul's words, physical training, practice, quotation, raging fire, read, religious, religious knowledge, reproduce, return, said, seeking, sermons, serve, simple church, some value, spiritual athletes, spiritual formation, spiritual life, spiritual lifestyle, spreading, Sundays, talk, Tennessee, the apostle, The Salvation Army, Thursdays, time of, tongue, train, train yourself to be godly, transfer of, transformation, turned, visit a church, votech, with actions and truth, wrote | 7 Comments

How Can Christianity Be Boring?

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Steve Simms

Christianity teaches that God loves every human being and that He showed His love through Jesus dying on the cross for each one of us. Perhaps that concept is too familiar to many of us. We’ve heard it since we … Continue reading →

Posted in apologists, Bible, church history, God, house church, Jesus Christ, life, lifestyles, mysticism, new birth, Oh my God, organic church, popular culture, prayer, religion, tears, What is church? | Tagged 9/11, agree, amazing, Amen, ancient history, babies, believe, beloved of God, big game, bland, boring, boring people, burn brightly, casually, Catherine booth, Christianity, comfort zone, concept, cry out, daily life, dance, day off, deep, depths of our being, dying on the cross, emotion, excited, excitement, express, fact, Friends, God loves, Gospel, greatest sin, human being, in the streets, in the world, Jesus, Jesus died for me, joy, most, move, moved, moved to tears, notify our face, obeying, out of, passion, people, preachers, profund, rejoice, repentance, respond, sermons, shake us up, shame, shed, should not be, shout it form the housetops, showed, sleepy, speak with passion, talk, teaches, team, tears, tell, too familia, tried everything, truth, truths, try ti fire, weather, wins, work, yank | 2 Comments

Tag Archives: sermons

Benjamin Franklin & Sermon Free Church

What Is “Effective Preaching?”

Is The Church Trying To Teach People To Swim Without Letting Them Get Wet?

Learning Bible Info vs. Releasing God’s Inner Flow

Church — Spiritual Impartation Or Powerless Sermons?

WDJSM? What Did Jesus Say Most?

Talk (or TV Commercials) About Pain Medication Won’t Ease Your Pain

Church — Lab or Lecture? Intellect or Votech? Academic or Epidemic?

How Can Christianity Be Boring?

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