Why Wouldn't We...?

So we are five weeks into the launch of our second service and, honestly, I have never seen our gathering more passionate about carrying out our mission at Centerpoint: “To lead people into a relationship with Jesus Christ…” and our strategy: “To partner with culture to tear down unnecessary barriers to the Gospel”.

I specifically want to encourage you to be bold and ask someone to join you for one of our services this Sunday at 9 or 11 AM. This is one of those talks that is perfect for those who have been turned off by the church or “Jesus followers” as well as for those who consider themselves “Jesus followers”. Seriously take advantage of this opportunity Sunday as well as the remaining couple weeks of this series. You have no idea what’s at stake with a simple invite! That was never more evident than this past Sunday (one of my all time favorites at CC).

A couple stories…

• A college student invited five friends from her college campus in St. Pete. She came up after the second service to tell us about her Agnostic friend who was in tears during the service and immediately began asking questions about God.
• Another CCer shared with us that his openly Atheistic father-in-law, who’s been hostile toward the church, came to the 11 am service after years of being invited (so don’t give up on who you’ve been inviting). He was extremely impressed by our volunteers and, in a positive way, his experience was nothing like he thought it would be– high praise from an Atheist who’s been hostile to church! It has opened the door to several conversations since Sunday.
• A high school girl came last Wednesday and told one of our leaders she has a lot of questions about God. She came again Sunday WITH her parents! That’s why we constantly tell people it’s safe to come and to have questions.
• We also had the privilege of talking to three men Sunday who either had questions about Jesus or a desire to follow Jesus: One man is struggling with an addiction, one told us his story of running from God, and the other is currently on probation from a recent arrest!
• Dang, that reminds me of Jesus eating with the sinners & tax collectors…and if the church is the representative of Jesus’ body on earth, then maybe we are on to something! Maybe there is something to this grace & truth thing! ☺

Last Sunday reminded me again what’s at stake EVERY week. Stories like the above are represented in our services every Sunday; so why wouldn’t we give our lives to seeing people’s view of the church and consequently Jesus change forever? Why wouldn’t we pray for boldness to invite people whose lives may change forever as a result? Why wouldn’t we invest in the lives of these children & students who are looking for answers and hope? Why wouldn’t we give generously to Jesus’ church to see this happen?

You have to understand this doesn’t happen by accident. People are giving sacrificially & generously, passionately serving, and INVESTING & INVITING like crazy. So to those people we say “THANK YOU” and to others who are on the fence, I want to encourage you to step into being a part of this unstoppable movement that is the church.

This past Sunday was also our largest non-holiday attendance ever. HIS church continues to grow. The number of people in both services is very even, which gives us a great opportunity to continue to reach more people in both time slots this Fall.

As a pastor friend of mine says, “we can’t lead anyone to fall in love with Jesus but we can keep setting up the dates!” And that’s what we plan to do – everything short of sin to remove unnecessary barriers to the Gospel, preach grace & truth, invite EVERYBODY in and keep settin’ up the dates.

Love you all! The best is yet to come!

Bryant (fellow bridge builder & lead pastor)

Chasing The Invisible

Momentum is a difficult thing to define. You know when you have it, and you certainly know when you don’t. It is that “It” factor that gives energy to your work, unity in your family, success in your marketplace, and passion for God. You can’t manufacture momentum. It just seems to happen.

In Spiritual terms, it’s an act of God’s grace (God’s undeserved favor) in your circumstances and life. However, there are some things that contribute to gaining and sustaining momentum. I like Dave Ramsey’s definition of momentum: “Focused intensity over time multiplied by God equals unstoppable momentum”.  The multiplication and supernatural power of God are what only He can do, but the focused intensity (on the right things) is what we can do to position ourselves as candidates for unstoppable momentum. Throughout this past year and into the launch of our second service three weeks ago, we have seen incredible momentum surge through Centerpoint as Jesus has faithfully built His Church. It is more than numerical growth, we have witnessed life transformation week after week. People are accepting Jesus as their Savior, going public with their faith through baptism, healing from generational sin, restoring broken relationships, and falling more in love with Jesus. It’s easy to simply say that the Holy Spirit is working (and He is); but like the churches in Revelation, we can invite or discourage the kind of supernatural momentum we seek. I think there are a couple things that require our focused intensity as we move forward. 

1. Focus on others. In Matthew 28:19-20, we find our marching orders as the church. As we obey the commands to make disciples and to baptize, God promises to manifest His Spirit in a unique way. Right now is the best time of year to invite a coworker, friend, or neighbor. We’ve seen God do unbelievable things as we have collectively invested in our relationships and invited people to our church gathering. Lives have been transformed! As a friend of mine likes to say, “We can’t make people fall in love with Jesus, but we can set up the date.”

2. Focus on being open handed. Jesus instructed Christ-followers to leverage their time, gifts, and wealth for their good and His glory. Jesus also made the promise that we could re-direct our passions when they are in the wrong place, specifically with our wealth. As a church, the basis of our message is the generosity of Jesus. So when we are generous to give toward those coming to know Jesus, He changes our hearts (Matt. 6:21). Now more than ever it is crucial for us to be generously giving regularly and systematically toward all that God is doing through Centerpoint in order to keep the momentum alive.  So much is happening to create powerful children and student environments, life-changing weekend services, and opportunities for college-age adults. Thank you for your continued generosity to  make this happen!

3. Focus on playing our part. We are all joined together as “supporting ligaments in the house of God”, which means we have been made a part of God’s Church by His grace. Your part is indispensable. Serve where God has gifted you; find a place where there is a need. We have seen so many CCers step up to serve well every single week. If you haven’t yet, join us in being a Bridge Builder in one of our ministry environments. It will change some one's life, not to mention yours. 

4. Focus on recognizing nothing happens without Jesus. See the negative side of momentum is this,  “our pride and complacency repels the special presence of God” – Matt Chandler.  Prayer is where we surrender our will and declare our dependence on Him. We can do nothing without His power. Continue to pray with us and join us on October 3^rd at 7 PM for our next corporate Night of Worship and Prayer.

I am so excited about all that God is doing at CC as He continues to reach the 60,000 unchurched in our immediate area. I am passionate that Centerpoint always stays in a position of focused intensity so that we do not hinder the momentum God has so graciously multiplied and sustained over the past year. Thank you for being a conduit to the Gospel week after week by inviting, serving, giving, and praying.

Love you guys!

Bryant (CC Bridge Builder)