Living Dependently: Final Thoughts on our 21 Day Fast

Did the times of angst and craving during the 21 day fast remind you of your dependence on things? It was surprising to me how much I depend on things that aren’t even essential to every day life. Those times were reminders of my ultimate dependence on the Lord.

I am seduced into believing that I have some kind of control over so many things in my life. Control financially, relationally, professionally, physically, you name it. These times of prayer & fasting help strip away the allusion that I have control over anything. The reality is I am dependent on God every second of every day.

As we conclude this 21 day journey together, I pray that this is just the beginning for us. I pray that we would live dependently on the Lord in every area of our lives. Our Sun Stand Still prayers are all about dependence. In fact, prayer in and of itself is a declaration that I am dependent – “if you don’t, it won’t” kind of prayers. Personally, I am dependent on Him to maintain my testimony even when circumstances are difficult; dependent to live my life missionally despite the constant distractions and pull of culture; dependent to go out of my way to invest in the lives of people around me; dependent to look for and take opportunities to invite people to Centerpoint; dependent to start conversations that introduce the name of Jesus; dependent to love my wife the way God intended; dependent to make a difference with the life God has given me.

I am asking God to increase our dependence individually and as a church beyond these 21 days of fasting. Make prayer a priority and not a last resort. Continue to come after the Lord with your Sun Stand Still requests and allow God to increase your passion and focus. Dependently pray for God to use us as a Body to reach the 60,000 un-churched, un-reached people in our city. Don’t quit!

It is sometimes unnerving and a little scary, but we are dependent on God for all things. What if we lived that way? What if we let go of the allusion of control? What would happen if we woke up every day to declare our full dependence on Him at the outset?

I wan to live that way.

God Possibilities...21 Day Fast

Through the course of these 21 days of fasting, we have been praying and envisioning in ways that are worthy of the size of our God. Prayers like “If you don’t come through, it will never happen!” or “If you don’t show up in this, then how do I defend it?” are Sun Stand Still prayers that cause us to be a little nervous and a little apprehensive.

As you pray that way, God will increase your dependency on Him and will increase your awareness of his agenda in the world around you. Consequently, what you view as possible with God will expand.

Through this journey, I have become more aware of “God Possibilities” as He works through us…

-          The possibility of many people looking back several years from now at how God radically changed their lives because someone had the courage to invite them to Centerpoint Church in 2011. An invite that led them to meet Jesus.

-          The possibility that men would be ignited in their faith journey in such a way that we experience a revolution in marriages, in parent-child relationships, and spiritual leadership that would change our church and impact our community.

-          The possibility that this year people will become more like Jesus: Teenagers will date differently, families will prioritize in a counter-cultural way, faith would grow through tough times, relational debts would be canceled, and the broken and the hurting would be loved. The possibility that these transformations could be facilitated through the teaching, discipleship and authentic community of Centerpoint.

-          The possibility that many years from now, analysts and sociologists that study the demographics of the Brandon area will be puzzled by what caused a dramatic upward trend in charitable giving, job satisfaction, faith, and volunteerism, while simultaneously reducing poverty, depression, and divorce in our community.  I dream that Centerpoint Church will one day be that catalyst. (1)

-          The possibility that Centerpoint Church would become a radical group of Jesus followers who have one goal in mind – God’s glory. And to that end we would make a difference in our workplace, neighborhood, PTA, schools, etc so that many would come to know the message of Jesus and receive the free gift of salvation because of our church (not the building, the people!).

As we finish this journey, I pray that God expands the awareness in you of “God Possibilities”…

Sun Stand Still Prayer: Pray today for CC to be used to reach 1,000 of the approximately 60,000 un-reached people in our community.

1. adapted from Billy Phenix and the Buckhead Church blog.

What I Can't Stand...

I love our church.

I’m not afraid to admit it. I can’t wait for each Sunday…worshipping God with Jake and the band, meeting new people, hearing someone’s story about how God has changed his or her life, witnessing a couple accept Christ as their Savior, or watching our volunteers in action as a bridge to the Gospel. To me, nothing is more rewarding.

I consistently walk away so inspired and overwhelmed by God’s grace. One Sunday in particular, new people were invited and attended, several people accepted Christ as their Savior, the worship was amazing, and God clearly moved.

Then it happened. I walked back into my office and saw this picture. I was reminded of the 60,000 people in our community who have no clue about what is going on at Centerpoint…the 60,000 who have never believed or have left the “church” at some point in their lives. And as great as the service was that morning, they were no closer to a relationship with Jesus.

I can hardly stand the thought of that. It keeps me restless and passionate for what needs done in our community.

I can’t stand the fact that this area has so many churches, many of which are reaching “church people”, while so many others have never heard the Gospel and are right outside our door. These are the people we come in contact with at the grocery store, in our neighborhoods, and at the gym. They are the people we do life with every day. So what do we do? Many of you are investing & inviting every week and people are coming and lives are being changed…but what else can we do? I believe a great place to start is by praying & fasting.

A couple of Sundays ago we looked at how praying Big Prayers…Sun Stand Still Prayers…activate our faith and move the heart of God. It’s so easy to get caught up in the immediate, sometimes small issues of life without ever thinking or praying big. We easily lose sight of what God wants to do in our world.

This is especially true in the arena of reaching unbelievers in our sphere of influence. If we’re not careful, we will drift into comfortable huddles with other believers without reaching or praying big for those around us.  Maybe we are intimidated or just caught up with life that we don’t think about it. But God has commissioned us to reach the lost and Centerpoint Church was started as, in part, a resource to help you do that.

The good news is that our church is growing. The bad news is the number of un-churched in our area is growing much faster. I can’t stand that.

But what if that trend turned around? As our faith grows and our view of God expands, I believe we will see that happen. We will be willing to pray Sun Stand Still prayers because we can’t stand what is at stake. Our trust in God will be activated and our concern for the un-churched in our sphere of influence will be ignited. What could happen in our church and community if we prayed big?

Frankly, I have no idea what will happen, but I know how to find out. It starts with “God, we know you can, we are asking if You’re willing”.  I believe this will be an incredible, life altering, church transforming journey as we get started praying our corporate and personal Sun Stand Still Prayers.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Let us know your personal Sun Stand Still Prayers and we look forward to the journey ahead!

Bryant

Three of CC’s Sun Stand Still Prayers:

1. Add a second service by the end of 2011.
2. Begin an extension campus within three years.
3. Reach 1,000 people in our community through CC.