About Centurion Christian Church
Centurion Christian Church was founded in the year 2000 by Pastors Bert and Charné Pretorius. The very first service, held in a local primary school hall, was attended by eighty (80) people and set the stage for the promise of multitudes. The Church has grown to over eight thousand (8000) members to date.
Fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19) is achieved by winning, consolidating, discipling and sending people through the G12 strategy. The one cell that was started in 2000 has multiplied to over six hundred (700) cells in 2007.
The love for God and His people is evidenced in the many welfare and social development projects of the Church, with the Compassion for Children project feeding seven thousand (7000) underprivileged children on a daily basis.
Through television and radio broadcasts “A New Life, A New Beginning” shares the Good News to over forty seven million (47M) people across the African and European continents every week. A dedicated team of prayer warriors pray daily for the many requests received in response to these broadcasts.
Through various youth events the young people (Delta Y - it's a lifestyle) are making inroads in the surrounding schools. Not to mention the impact of the excellent team at 3C Kidz! on the leaders of tomorrow.
Bert & Charné Pretorius (Senior Pastors)
Centurion Christian Church Vision
The Great Commandment - Matt 22:37- 40
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
- Love the Lord your God with all your heart - Ministry to God (Worship)
- Love your neighbour as you love yourself - Ministry to Man (Evangelism/Edification)
The GreatCommission - Matt 28:19- 20 (how to love your neighbour!)
HIS VISION: Because of His love for us, Jesus' vision was to redeem humanity from condemnation. Apart from Him, there is no other hope for mankind.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." LUKE 4:18,19These verses describe in essence what God wants us to do:
- preach the gospel to the poor
- heal the broken-hearted
- preach deliverance to the captives
- preach recovery of sight to the blind
- set at liberty the oppressed
- declare the blessings of the Lord
Jesus had a vision of saving us by paying a very high price: shedding His blood and dying on the cross of Calvary.
Our work is to take this vision of Jesus and reproduce it in others, sharing the message of salvation.
Identify with the Vision: We need a revelation of what His vision is and the qualities that identify it as God's vision. It is important that you also know that the vision of God is related to leadership and ministry. If you have a pure heart and correct attitude, God is going to bless you and He will prosper the work of your hands. The burning desire of your heart should be to win your city and your nation for Christ by making every believer a leader able to reproduce the work of God.
You must enter in the Vision: To enter the divine vision means to remain in the spiritual realm, so that we can see from that position what we desire to happen in the natural realm. We need to understand that the only way we are going to make a change in our lives and our ministries is through divine intervention, which comes from entering into His divine Vision.
We need to understand that the vision is: To win souls and make disciples- Reaching people for the gospel is not enough, they must be formed into disciples of Jesus and reproduce fruit that lasts.
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
The goal is: To make every believer a leader. We need to: win, consolidate, disciple and send, as Jesus did with His twelve.
Rom 10:14-15 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!"
How do we implement His Vision?
The New Testament Church
Acts 2:40-47 The NT church had no NT Bible. They were simply driven by love. They were not professional Christians. Continued steadfastly in the following: the apostle's doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. They were also together, had everything in common and attended to the needs of the people
How did they do this? They continued daily in the following:
- With one accord in the temple - celebration
- Breaking bread from house to house - they daily had communion/fellowship in their homes
Their attitude: Gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God.
The result: Favour with the people. God added to the church daily.
Purpose statement
To evangelise and bring people to Christ into the fellowship of His family, developing them into mature disciples for their ministry in the church and mission to the world, in order to glorify God.
Our motivation
Our motivation behind our purpose is God's love for us (John 3:16), which has been poured our into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5).
Because we are supernaturally motivated by Godly love, it is our nature to love! We love by witnessing and winning the lost, and discipling them. It’s all about loving!!!
The gospel is also a practical gospel. Faith and love speaks of action. Proclaiming the true love of Jesus without demonstrating it is hypocrisy. You cannot proclaim the gospel to the hungry without first feeding or clothing them physically. Jesus declares the following :-
"for I was hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.....inasmuch as you did not do it for the least of these, you did not do it to me." MATT 25:42-45
Therefore our aim in doing as God has commanded is to do the following:
- feed the hungry
- clothe the unclothed
- assist the needy
Our goal is to break through all barriers and needs of society, i.e. destroying the works of the Satan, and establishing the kingdom of God by demonstrating His love through the power of the Holy Spirit and teaching and instructing people to do the will of the Father, as Jesus did.
