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When to multiply?

I thought this excerpt from the book The Rabbit and The Elephant by Tony and Felicity Dale was helpful when addressing the question of, “When and how should our simple church multiply?”  I think it also speaks to how someone (I’d recommend a couple of believing families) might possibly start a simple church…   How do we multiply our church? The first church we started grew to more than fifty before we split it down the middle into two groups. For a year after that, people told us that the split felt like a divorce. Because of this, we no… Read More »When to multiply?

A Roaring Lion

I had a great opportunity today to speak to 100 or so basketball campers at Asbury University. Even more, this afternoon I have had the privilege of speaking with the parents of sixteen campers and share with them that their child responded to the Gospel message.  Certainly we cannot know exactly what God is doing in the hearts and minds of these sixteen young men and women, but I have to believe that it pleases God anytime someone says “Yes!” to Jesus with child-like faith in front of their peers!  Will you join me in praying for these campers and… Read More »A Roaring Lion

Mission Possible? (Audio)

This past Sunday I had the privileged to speak during both services at First Alliance (Lexington, KY).  The message I shared was in many ways a summary of the main truths that God has shown me so far in the simple church journey. Click the link below to download to your computer or listen online to the message.  The audio quality is not the best but hopefully it will be a blessing to you… Click to Download:  Mission Possible:  Six Truths That Will Make the Mission Possible Message Points: 1.  It’s Mission Not Missions 2. God Desires To Release the… Read More »Mission Possible? (Audio)

Charles Spurgeon On Simple Church?

I have to think Alan Knox for first bringing this excerpt to my attention.  Alan’s blog is found here and is very insightful. These are excerpts from Charles H. Spurgeon’s sermon entitled “Building the Church” (or “Additions to the Church”) concerning Acts 2 which he gave on April 5, 1874. I want you to notice this, that they were breaking bread from house to house, and ate their food with gladness and singleness of heart. They did not think that religion was meant only for Sundays, and for what men now-a-days call the House of God. Their own houses were… Read More »Charles Spurgeon On Simple Church?

Simple Church Alliance Video

This is the short video that I put together for last weeks Sunday Service at First Alliance.  Hopefully someday soon we’ll be able to put together something more in-depth, but for now I think that this does give a good peek into what a simple church gathering can look like.   [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nmTPykfGIM]  

A.W. Tozer on Simple Church?

This quote was recently brought to my attention by @Neil_Cole and Margaret Feinburg who posted this quote on her blog.  It is so encouraging to me to see Tozer, a man so central to the history of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, penning these thoughts some 60 years ago.  If Tozer thought we had “religious complexity” in 1948, I wonder what he would make of the “nervous activity” found in our Christian world today?  Lord, help us to “proceed in the way of simplicity!” Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity.… Read More »A.W. Tozer on Simple Church?

APEST

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. – Ephesians 4:11-13 In the passage, Paul is writing to all believers (not just the church leaders) and states that Christ has gifted His body with people equipped to function in different roles.  Alan Hirsch, author of The… Read More »APEST

Stages In The Simple Church Journey (Thurman)

1. Letting go of old paradigms of church life. This stage is described in a variety of ways from “taking the red pill,” to frustration with old wineskins to discovering what the Bible teaches about church life to…

Guest Blog: Simple Giving by Matt Wheeler

by Matt Wheeler How does the Bible inform our views on giving? God owns everything and everything that we have comes from him (1 Chron. 29:11-12): “Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.” We see examples of giving as a personal expression of worship (even before any laws were given… Read More »Guest Blog: Simple Giving by Matt Wheeler

A Mother’s Day Prayer

Heavenly Father, on a day like Mother’s Day there are so many different emotions that we bring to you. Some of us bring emotions of deep gratitude and joy for the mothers you have blessed us with, mothers who have   loved us, cared for us, walked with us and taught us how to live well.   We praise you for such love shown to us through our moms and we pray for all those who are moms, that you would give them:   strength where they are weak, wisdom where they are unsure, patience with the many demands placed… Read More »A Mother’s Day Prayer