Who's There To Help You Up?

“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

The above verse is one of the many reasons that our church is built on this principle: Small groups lead to life change (circles are better than rows). As you look back on your life or look at your current circumstances you’ll see stumbling blocks along the way (ideas, people, wealth, hard times)? Stumbling blocks are those things that cause us to stumble away from God. It’s during those times that community or lack of community with others will determine how far we stumble or how hard we fall.

Still, creating authentic community takes time, trust, and commitment. It takes a sacrifice of your time to make a small group a priority because it always seems like there is something more important. The urgent (the soccer game, paying bills, the project, Tivo) usually wins out over the long term. We always have the idea we are going to make time later.

What I know about you is that your greatest regret or pain could have been avoided or less traumatic because of caring, authentic relationships around you.  Think back on how your childhood would have been different if your parents had been in a small group with other believers on a consistent basis. How could your child’s experience be different because of the choices you make today?

Autonomy is part of the American dream but it’s not a Biblical principle. Growth, accountability, belonging, and care happen in Community Groups (Small groups) . . . in circles, not rows. It's easy to stumble away from faith when you are a nameless person sitting in a row on Sunday morning. But it's almost impossible to stumble away, or to stay away, when you're in community, doing life with a group of people. (1)

Don’t let the urgent win out over the necessary. The outcomes could make all the difference in your life and the life of those around you.

Bryant

 

(1) Stumbling Along from @northpointministries

Why is tonight's ministry orientation important?

One of my pet peeves is that churches use the term “full-time ministry” to refer to a select group of individuals. Biblically, every Believer is in “full-time ministry”. Every one of us has been called by God to minister in the market place, in our families, in our schools, and in the local church as part of the Body of Christ.

If you serve in an environment at Centerpoint Church, you have to know that you are more than a volunteer. You are a minster of the Gospel and a conduit for the power of God to change lives.

Every week first time guests show up at Centerpoint Church and many trust Christ as their personal Savior like this past Sunday. People often think that the music or the message is what  the Holy Spirit uses to lead people to Jesus. But before the band every played or before I ever preached a message, someone nervously stepped out of their comfort zone to invite a guest to Centerpoint.

When guests arrived on our campus Sunday morning, a CCer was there directing cars in 95 degrees and providing a warm welcome, quite literally. Host Team members personally greeted guests with smiles, proving Jesus is about people, not pasts. Earlier that morning, individuals were setting up signs and cones, making coffee, and getting environments ready. Earlier that week, people prepared curriculum and cleaned rooms, organized supplies and planned meticulously,  and spent hours putting together videos and songs, all so children could hear the life changing message of Jesus. Hours have been spent preparing bulletins, organizing events, shooting videos, prepping songs, and performing sound checks so that by the time guests walk into the Worship Center to take their seats, they are ready to hear from God. During the service, babies are cared for and not “babysat,” because volunteers realize they are a conduit for God’s power. Children are taught and led in small groups by volunteers who understand they are not just watching kids but laying a anchor in the heart of children that could dramatically change their lives. By the time I open my mouth to start the message, Christ has already been preached by countless volunteers who realize they are a minister of the Gospel. Guests may say it was the message that changed their lives, but the real miracle happened well before they heard a message. All because ordinary people realized they were the church and gave what they had, so God could take their ordinary and do something extraordinary in someone else’s life.

Tomorrow night is our Fall Ministry Orientation. We will provide a dinner at 7 PM. The orientation will finish no later than 8:30 PM. The ministry environments addressed will be our Host Team, Kid Zone (nursery), Promiseland Kids, Parking Team, and Ushers. The ministry orientation is for all current and brand new volunteers to Centerpoint Church.

Our commitment is to equip volunteers for the ministry God has called them to for the sake of those they serve. If you are a current volunteer and are unable to attend for some reason, please let your ministry Team Leader know. If you are considering volunteering, you are welcome to attend. If you haven’t yet, please let us know the number attending by emailing info@centerpontfl.org.

Thank you and see you tonight!

Bryant

Take 60 seconds and read about this weekend!

CC’ers,

What do you think of when you hear the word church? Your answer probably has a lot to do with your background. You might picture pews, choirs, a band, liturgy, a building or maybe you just see an obligation. The truth is, the early church really had little to do with any of the things we traditionally think about when it comes to church. Instead, it was an unstoppable movement centered on a simple message and an extraordinary event. Sunday, I will begin a new series called Unstoppable, discussing how the early, New Testament church launched on opening day and its relevance to us today.

Throughout the Unstoppable series, we will see through baptisms and personal testimonies that what Christ prophesied and promised to do through the church, He is doing in our church presently. It’s the reason we are growing numerically, lives are being changed on a weekly basis, and people are having their ideas about the local church and consequently, Jesus, changed forever. This past Sunday, I spoke with a gentleman that attempted suicide in his darkest moments almost one year ago to the day. At the time he was under the weight of addiction with the feeling he had no one to turn to and no one who loved him. He went on to describe that the people of Centerpoint changed what he thought about nobody loving or caring. They represented to him the love and grace of Jesus…they were the church. Now, he his completely free from addiction and growing in a relationship with Jesus.

I say this a lot, but a new series is the ideal time to invite a friend or a coworker. This is especially true of Unstoppable. Sunday is the unofficial launch to the fall season, since school is about to start up. New families to the community are looking for a church home, individuals are coming back to church after the summer months, and many people are open to “trying out the church thing” again. Take the time to send an e-invite at www.centerpointfl.org/invite.php or hand out an invite card. I also want to encourage you to join us this Saturday for Serve Our City. From 11 am to 2 pm, we are going to hand out water bottles with invite cards attached in front of Centerpoint Church. We want to tangibly serve our community and prove that we are more than a building with attendees; we are a movement with a message.

Thank you for being the church and not just going to church.

See you Sunday at Centerpoint as we celebrate baptisms, continue our Grace series in Promiseland Kids, and launch the Unstoppable series!

Bryant