Video Messages & Important Things To Know...

CCers,

Over the course of the last month, our gathering at Centerpoint Church has continued to grow numerically because you have invited! As a result, we have experienced an explosion of life change that has been un-matched in the life of our church as people have trusted Christ, taken steps to heal from addictions, and have given their lives back to Jesus. The power of God working through His movement, the church, to radically change lives with His reckless grace is alive and well. This note from Sunday, which is one of the many stories of life change, reminds us of the fact that every person, every invite, every encounter represents someone who needs the love of Jesus.

The next two weekends are strategic times to ask someone to attend with you.

• This Sunday Bryant (@bryant_golden, lead pastor) concludes our series “The Shocking Statements of Jesus”. He will answer the question posed last week, “What does love require of me?” Our band will also introduce two new songs. It’s going to be an amazing Sunday and a great time to invite a guest to attend for the first time. You can send an e-invite at www.centerpointfl.org/invite.php, share our Facebook page at www.facebook/CenterpointChurchFL, or share our Twitter handle @CenterpointFL. The point is, if you have been waiting for a Sunday to invite, then this is the perfect time.

• Then, next Sunday, Oct. 21st, we begin a brand new series called Upgrade. Many of us have never really thought about what it might look like to upgrade our walk with God - to step into the life Jesus created us for. So for several weeks we are going to talk about what that looks like practically. We say this often, but a new series is a great time to invite someone. Don’t miss it!

Video Messages. Lastly, we have recently created a youtube channel for Centerpoint Church at www.youtube.com/CenterpointFL. We post our weekly announcement videos and now our messages. The first message posted is "The Shocking Statements of Jesus, Part 5 (Grace & Truth)". The quality of video and audio will improve in the coming weeks and it will serve as another tool to view messages and share them with others in our community.

We look forward to seeing you Sunday at 9 or 11 AM.

Bryant (Lead Pastor)

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)

Strengthen & Expand

We at CC are still a relatively new gathering…an expanding church led by a ferociously dedicated team of Bridge Builders and the best team of leaders you’ll find anywhere. Throughout 2011 and into 2012, we have sought to mirror Isaiah 54:2: Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. We started praying Sun Stand Still prayers and asking God to burden our hearts to not be able to stand the fact that there are so many people (approximately 60,000) in our area who need the message of radical grace offered by Jesus. We also prayed that God would “strengthen our stakes” by seeing Christians grow in their passion for God’s glory revealed in their lives. A little over a year ago I wrote this in one of my blogs:

"There are thousands who have never really heard the message of the Gospel in our city and every year that number grows but what if that trend turned around?  As our faith grows and 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.”  

And we have just begun to see God move on our behalf. As we have prayed and followed His leading, we have watched God expand the borders of all things CC.  Many new people have made their way to our gathering and have been rocked by the power and presence of God’s Spirit.

There are seasons within the life of every church which, according to the New Testament, is not a building but a living organism. There are seasons to strengthen the stakes and wait on God to prepare for the next season of growth. As Andrew Murray says, Waiting on God ascribes to God the glory of being all to us. When we wait, we look up, and honor Him by letting Him know that we know what He knows–that Jesus is all we need! (1)

Then there are other seasons where we expand the stakes and, prompted by God’s leading, seek to see more people rocked by the power of God. I believe we have just entered into this monumental season.

So, if you consider yourself a part of our CC family, I want to invite you into this season of expanding our stakes. Not as a consumer but as contributor. Let’s make space to remember and continue to pray big. Serve faithfully as an indispensable part of this Body; be radically generous to keep the movement moving, and take time to invite others into the growing movement that is His church expressed through Centerpoint.

This Sunday, August 19^th we launch our two service times at 9 and 11 am. This is the most strategic time to begin a second service as we start the new school year. We are looking forward to seeing both services grow throughout this fall. We have an incredible opportunity with an earlier service time as 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. I say this a lot, but a new series is the perfect time to invite. This is especially true as we start the series, “The Shocking Statements of Jesus”. Take the time to check out the series trailer and info online at http://www.centerpointfl.org/viewseries.php?id=82, send an e-invite at www.centerpointfl.org/invite.php, and hand out an invite card. Be bold! You have no idea what God will do.

Centerpoint Church is a Jesus church.  He is at the center of it all.  So, let’s fill these days with talk about Him…and believe that He will be made strong through us.

“…tearing down unnecessary barriers to the Gospel.”

Bryant (CC Bridge Builder)

(1)    Passion City

Be The Church: Two Opportunities

CCers,

We have two HUGE opportunities for you to "Be the Church" in our community and literally around the world the next few weeks...

1. Church at the Park: July 1st, we will not have any worship services on site. Instead, we are going to meet at a park from 11 AM to 3 PM for a special baptism service, live worship, food, and fellowship. We have had 20 plus adults, teenagers, and children either accept Jesus as their Savior and/or commit to baptism over the past two weeks! It has been an overwhelming move of God's power through our church and we can't wait for you to hear and see the stories of life change. We know this day is going to be an incredible glimpse into what God is doing at CC and will continue to do. Now is the time to invest and invite. We will have invite cards specifically for "Church at the Park" available over the next couple of weeks. "Church at the Park" is a great way for your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to see what we are all about in a relaxed, family friendly environment.  

2. Opportunity from China: Deon Brand is working with an organization that is bringing about 35 Chinese students (ages 10-12) to the States for three weeks. Thanks to the hospitality of families from Centerpoint and churches in the Brandon and Plant City area, he only has about 7 more boys to place in host homes! If you or someone you know is interested in hosting, stop by the info table in the lobby on Sunday. The children arrive in Orlando the 10th, and they will be going back to China July 30th. They will spend the evenings and the weekends with their host families. This is an incredible opportunity for our church and community. We get the opportunity to share Jesus with children who are from a closed country. Please be praying for the children and the host homes.

Thank you for serving, connecting and reaching to lead people into a relationship with Jesus. You are a part of the Unstoppable Movement that is the Church. I love you guys and am praying for you!

Bryant

  

Lead Pastor

Centerpoint Church

Twitter: @bryant_golden