So, Jesus, we just thank You for this journey of grace that we are on. Thank You that Your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Thank You, Holy Spirit, that You are the great guide and counselor of our lives. And we want to be people who know the truth that set us free. So, Holy Spirit, would You give us ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart to respond by faith, in Jesus' name?

Welcome to Valley Creek. I am so glad you are here with us today. And today, we wrap up our series called Missional Move: Create the Future. We've taken five weeks to talk about what we see for the next five years in front of our church. Next week, you'll get the opportunity to respond by faith if you so choose. And what we've been talking about is a missional move. When we take a next step so that somebody else can take theirs, moving in a missional way to create a future that doesn't currently exist. And we talked about our story and where we've been and what God has done. And we've talked about where we're going and the vision we see in front of us. And the heartbeat of this whole thing is we've talked about how we were created to create the future with God. That God is literally waiting for His church to awaken and arise and start declaring, let there be in Jesus' name that it may be so. And there are some things you can create as an individual. Then, there's some things you can only create in a community. And so, the five things we see in front of us over the next five years, this first thing is just the Prayer Center. We want to start a sacred space devoted to God, a place of prayer and worship and intercession and prophecy, signs and wonders where the wild things grow, where anybody from any place can come and meet with God morning, noon, and night. We believe the future is built on prayer. The second thing is, we want to start a Training Center, Valley Creek College, that is helping students get their degree, their fully accredited degree, while helping develop the whole person of who God has called them to be. It will be focused on academic excellence, spiritual formation, leadership development, relational skills and missional living. And we will also start the Valley Creek leadership experience for adults of all ages who want to grow as leaders and hope carriers. We want to create leaders who can create the future. The third thing is we want to start the Argyle Campus. We want to put a Jesus-focused, spirit-filled, life giving campus on the western part of the Metroplex. The fourth thing is we want to start a University Campus right across from UNT in a very worldly, secular institution. We want to help reach and raise-up a generation. And then, the fifth thing we call the 7 continent strategy. We want to find one strategic partner on all 7 continents, great people doing great things, and resource them significantly to see an exponential return. Five things in the next five years. Biggest thing we've ever done. It's a $50 million investment. You always have to invest resources in the present if you want to create a future that does not exist. And for those of you that haven't been with us, I just want to show you what these things look like. Because you're like, "That's a lot. So what do they look like?" Well, here's what they look like. This is what the Prayer Center looks like. This is what the Training Center looks like. This is what the Argyle Campus looks like. This is the University Campus. And if you haven't guessed by now, this is what the 7 continent strategy looks like. And you say, "You're showing us a blank screen." I know. Because right now, all this is is an idea in our imagination and a dream in our heart. And if we don't go create it, this is all it will look like. Because no one else is going to create this. And God is inviting anyone else to go and create this. He's inviting us to go and create it. The only question is, will we? See, this is the journey that we've been on as a church. These are the major moments, the major chapters of our story. And it doesn't matter when you got here. We're all at the same place together. And here's what the future of our church looks like right now. Wide open. Whatever we do, however we live, is going to determine what the next story looks like. And so, the vision is clear. The mission is urgent. The only question is, will we step out in faith? And I know this has been hard for some of you to just see blank. Some of you, this just stresses you out. Just seeing blank. You're like, "Could you just give us some schematics or some architectural drawings? I mean, like anything would be great.” But it requires this sense of faith, of leaving camp, of risking the present to create a future that doesn't exist. 

But I get it for those of you that you're like, "You've got to just show me something. Give me a little bit of something." Well, I can show you one thing. What I can show you is a video from Pastor Koshy and Joycey, our strategic partners in Asia. They are part of our 7 continent strategy. In fact, the idea came from our relationship with them for the last 15 years. We've partnered with them and they've done extraordinary things. And it's been a privilege to be a part of it. And so, Pastor Koshy made you a quick video. This is raw, unedited. This is how they made it in India to share it with Valley Creek Church and what you mean to them. I only can show it live in services. This will not be online because we have to protect them and their church and their family from persecution. So, I want you to open up your heart and see a little bit of what the 7 continent strategy, of what this whole missional move create the future looks like. Pastor Koshy, our strategic partner in Asia. Check this out.

So it's incredibly humbling. If that doesn't humble you or wake you up, I got nothing for you. The fact that we can't show that video and let it live online for persecution's sake for them. So when we talk about creating and consuming, it puts it in a whole different dynamic, doesn't it? Can you see it? That's just a small example of something that has been that God wants to show you so you move forward by faith. And so the vision is clear. The mission is urgent. The only question is, so now what now? Now, what do we do? Well, there's three things I've been telling you that are required of each of us as individuals if we're going to move forward. And that's what I want to spend our time on because this is the end of the series. And this is your chance to now decide how you are going to live and what story we are going to write. And those three things that I've been telling you are required for us to create the future. They're not just things we made up or things we think are a good idea. They literally are from Jesus Himself.

And the first thing is just simply this. If we're going to create the future, we have to commit to Valley Creek Church as our church, as our home, because you can't create a future you're not committed to. And I get it. Everybody has a different view of what church is and church's importance in life. But church is really important to Jesus. In fact, one day He's talking to His disciples and He says, "But what about you? Who do you say that I am?" Simon answered, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." And what I want you to see is that the first time the disciples declare that Jesus is the Christ, His immediate response is to say, "I will build my church." First time the word church is used in the Bible, it comes out of Jesus's mouth in response to their declaration that He is the Christ. I will build my church, which means the church is Jesus's idea. It's His dream. It belongs to Him. It's in His heart. The church is not a building or a place or a service or an event. The church is the people of God united by the Spirit of God under the lordship of Jesus sent to change the world. The church is the people of God united by the Spirit of God under the lordship of Jesus sent to change the world. And Jesus says the thing He is building is not business or politics or worldliness or things. He's building the church. The future that Jesus is creating is the church. And then, the church gets to create a future of subduing darkness. Because notice, the church and only the church have been given the keys to the kingdom. In other words, the church and only the church have the authority to go and create a future that does not exist. The church is the ecclesia – the called out, set apart people of God on mission to create a future with Him. And if the church is the thing that Jesus is building, then that's the thing I want to align my life with. If this is what He's building, then I want to be smack dab in the middle of what He says is the future He's creating. So then, I can be a part of creating a future with Him in the days to come. And so, what I want you to understand in this passage is that your view of Jesus will determine your view of the church. Who do you say that He is? First time they say the Christ, He responds with the church. In other words, if I have a high view of Jesus, I have a high view of the church. If I have a low view of Jesus, I have a low view of the church. If I see Jesus as centrality to my life, I will see the church as a center point of my life. But if I say Jesus is optional, one of many things, the church very quickly becomes optional and one of a variety of things. But if I see Jesus as the Christ, then I understand that the church is His body, His bride, and His family. And all of a sudden, it becomes important to me. In fact, I love this in Psalms. It says, "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they will be fresh and flourishing." Can you catch this promise? Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish. It's a promise from God. He doesn't promise that if you plant yourself in business or in the world or in politics or in school, you'll flourish. No, if you plant yourself in the house of the Lord, you'll flourish. It's literally a promise from God. It's like God goes into your future, grabs a piece of flourishing fruit from your life, brings it back to you in the present and says, "Here, plant this. And I promise you, you will flourish. Plant yourself right in the middle of my church, and I promise you, you will flourish." Why? Because I'll be like a palm tree. I will be flexible and be able to withstand life's storms. And I will grow like a cedar. I will be a person of nobility. I will be disease-resistant and rot-resistant. I will have a weight and a gravity and be used for things of purpose and live a noble life. I will bear fruit in old age. You know what that means? The older you get, the more you create. What does it mean to bear fruit? It means the tree is creating, not consuming, and you'll be fresh and flourishing. You won't be stale and languishing. There will be this life and this vibrancy. See, what you have to understand is you will take on the nature of whatever you are planted in. You take on the nature of whatever you're planted in. So, just call it what it is. If you're planted in the world, you take on that nature. You draw it in. If you're planted in business, if you're planted in politics, if you're planted in the flesh, if you're planted in sin, you're planted in social media. Literally, if that's where your root system is, you take on the nature of whatever you're planted in. So, when I plant myself in the body of Christ, the kingdom of heaven, I start to take on the very attitudes, thoughts, perspectives, opinions, beliefs of Jesus Himself. See, this is a promise. It's a promise that I wish I could convince some of you, especially young adults and those of you who have children, that you would just plant your life smack dab in the middle of this because you grab a holding of this promise. Most of us don't have a vision for our life. We just kind of stumble our way through things, hoping it works out well. And that's okay. But if you plant yourself in this, even if you don't have a vision for your life, what you're saying is, "I'm putting myself in an environmental greenhouse that has an upward draft. And I might not have a vision for my life, but if I put myself here, I'm going to become a fruitful, flourishing person who grows into the fullness of the potential that God has for me."

I mean, this last week, even as I was praying for you, the Lord showed me this picture of a giant circle in the middle of our worship center, a giant open heaven with this vacuum upward draft, like everything was sucking up into that space. And it's a picture that in this place, in this people group that you're a part of, there's an open heaven that's an upward draft that lifts your head and your thought and your heart and your life. And it takes you to a different dimension and brings you into the kingdom and brings you into the realities of heaven and brings your life to a totally different place than you could ever be on your own. The Lord has brought you a promise from your future, and He's inviting you to plant it in your present. Will you? But it's not easy. And if you've been in church for any period of time, you're like, "Oh, no, it ain't easy." I know. Look, "The church of God, which He bought with His own blood." Listen to me. It took the cross to birth the church. It takes the cross to sustain the church. And it will take the cross to advance the church. Like there is no church without the cross. Now, we're glad Jesus did the cross, right? He birthed the church through the cross. But then, He tells us to pick up our cross and deny ourselves and follow Him. And if it took the cross to birth the church, then it's going to take the cross for us to be a part of the church. And this is where it all falls apart because we think church is comfort, convenience, and consuming. But no, it's the cross. I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I live. It's Christ who lives within me. You say, "What does that mean?" It means I'm going to have to deny myself to stay planted in this place. I'm going to have to give up my pride and my opinions and my rights and my preferences and my time and my resources. I'm going to have to give and bless and serve. I'm going to get offended and have to forgive. I'm going to offend others and have to apologize. There's a whole lot of me that's got to die if I'm going to stay planted in this place. There is no church without the cross. In fact, if the church is the body of Christ, then everything that's not of Jesus, He is actively working on purging. If this is His body, then anything that's not of Him, He is actively working on purging, pruning, sifting, purifying, which means what? Which means everything that's in you and me, that's of this world, He is actively stretching, forming, shaping, pressing. So, I tell you... I mean, if you've been here, I've said for years, you're going to get offended here. And when you do say, "Thank the Lord that He's doing the deep work in my heart. Because this is my moment to get over myself and become a person of love because this thought doesn't belong in Jesus. So, it can't belong in me. This attitude doesn't belong in Jesus, so it cannot belong in me. This selfishness does not belong in Jesus, so He won't let it remain in me.” So when we uproot because we're offended or we don't like it or it's not our comfort or it's not our opinion, and then we go to the next place and we try to root it and they do it again. While you're doing it, you're just wasting time. It's not about Valley Creek or any other church. I don't care. Just pick one and throw the roots in because you waste time that you can't get back where God's trying to do something in you. Because if you're offended, like if you're offended by whatever we're talking about here and now in this series, I promise you, whatever last church you're at, you were offended by the exact same thing. You're like, "No, it was called this." Oh, I know. But at the heart of it, it popped the same spot. So, we, with our little roots, and they go... That's called consuming.

There's no church without the cross. It couldn't start without Jesus' cross, and it can't advance without your cross. Come on. First century church, the people who created the future that didn't exist, that's the present you enjoy. "They devoted themselves," devoted, continue to do something with intense effort, despite difficulty. So, it means they continue to do something with intense effort, despite difficulty, “devoting themselves to the apostles, teaching the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayer.” The church. "And everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who are being saved." Because they were devoted, you got added to the number. They created a future that didn't exist. That's the present you now enjoy. So, what if they weren't devoted? Would you have ever gotten added to the number? I wonder who will get added to the number because you're devoted. Or who will we miss out on somewhere in this world that won't get added because we're not devoted, because we're not rooted, because we won't pick up our cross and actually become like Him. A couple months ago, my son told me he was in the atrium after service, and a kid from school was there. And they saw each other and they started talking. And the kid said back to my son, he said, "Oh, is this your main church?" Now, I'm not sure who is more startled by that statement. My son, who was literally all he's born here, all he knows is this church. Or when he shared that story back with me, my response. And I thought, "How sad it is that that's how we view it." Is this your main church? It's like saying, "Is this your main wife? Or you got a couple over here?” We laugh, but this is the bride of Christ. Can I have a “main”? I mean, can you imagine if my life, if I slept at my house, but I took a shower at this person's house and I ate breakfast at this person's house. And I got ready at this person's house and I watched TV at this person's house. And I kept my junk in the garage of this person's house. That would probably bother you. You'd be like, "This dude's weird." So, when I go from place to place to throw my roots in to take, throw my roots in to take, throw my roots in to take, just strong words, I'm prostituting Jesus' church. I'm showing up to consume, to take that which does not belong to me. I'm supposed to be there rooted in receiving but also then bearing fruit that's giving. So, the whole orchard, the whole family, the whole body begins to grow. So, this really matters. You see, when you get saved, you become a son in the family and a servant in the house. And every child needs a family and every family needs a house. This is why it says, "You are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God's very own family and citizens of God's country, and you belong in God's house with every other Christian." So, this is our family. This is our house. This is our family. This is our house. And you say, "So, why do I need to commit to Valley Creek to create a future?" Because until this is your family and your house, you don't care what happens here. But the moment it's your family and your house, you care deeply about what's happening. And so you say, "So, is there a card we need to sign or a class we need to go?" No, because we've done all that junk and it doesn't work. Your commitment is only as good as your character. I don't need to sign the card to be committed to my children. They're my children. I'm committed. It's my family. So, for some of you, there's wounds, there's things, there's excuses. Today's the day. Today's the day, in Jesus' name. I believe you're being healed, restored, and advancing because this is your church. So, I say to you, welcome home. For those of us that this is, man, there's so much to be grateful for. And for those of you, "I'm not sure," that's okay. Talk to Jesus about it. “Jesus, what do you want from me in this space?” High view of Jesus is a high view of the church even though she is a work in progress, in Jesus' name.

That's the first thing. You've got to commit to the church. Second thing is to give to your commitment above and beyond what you already give because it takes resources to create a future that doesn't exist. And I know for a lot of people talking about money in church is like the worst thing that they want to hear, which is actually a total work of darkness. Because how sad is it? I mean, think about this. If we're disciples of Jesus and we live in His kingdom, then I should want to know how He wants me to live my life and to use the things He's given me. And money is one of the greatest tools that God gives us to advance His kingdom. It's a tool that He gives us to advance the kingdom within us into the world around us. And so, as disciples, we should be like Jesus. I want to know, you're my teacher, how do I live my life. A man can receive only what is given from him from heaven. I know nothing I have has come from my hand or my effort or my good works. It's all a work of grace in my life. So, how do you want me to use it? In fact, a great question for you is this, “What is the purpose of money?” Do you know? It's probably an important question to answer since so much of our life revolves around it. What is the purpose of it? Well, the world would tell you it's for control and its significance and influence and independence and being able to do what you want and when you want and how you want it. But what does Jesus say? Well, Jesus would say there's three main things you see in the Bible why God gives us money. First is just to meet your needs. He gives you money to meet your needs. My God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Christ. He wants to give you your daily bread. He wants to give you food and water and shelter and clothing for you and your family. The needs that you have in life. Jesus gives you resources to meet those needs. The second reason He gives you resources money is to enjoy the life He's given you. You say, "Wait a second. Is that in the Bible?" Watch. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant or put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. God gives you money to enjoy your life. He wants you to enjoy this earth. Notice I said earth, not world. He wants you to enjoy His creation. He wants you to enjoy friends and family and have experiences and encounters and moments and have good food and enjoy your hobby and enjoy this life that He's not independent of Him but with Him. He's given us resources to enjoy the life that we have. And then, the third reason is to create a future that doesn't exist. First time resources are talked about in the Bible. God blessed them, us, and said, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it using all its vast resources in the service of God and man. God's given you resources to serve men with the purposes of God, to use your resources to accomplish God's purposes in the lives of men, not to use God and man to get resources, but to use it as a tool to create a future that doesn't exist. And this is the one we forget about, that God's given you money to create a future that doesn't exist. And He's waiting to see what you're going to do. I mean, remember the parable of the talents, Matthew 25 and Luke 19. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a master who is going away. And so, he gives each of his servants a sum of money and he expects them to do something with it. And he gives them this money and he leaves. And in Luke 19, Jesus says, "This is what the master does. So, he called his servants and gave them minas, a sum of money. "Put this money to work," he said, "until I come back." Put this money to work. In other words, "I've given you the money to create a future that doesn't exist." Now, here's what's interesting. He doesn't tell him what to do. He doesn't tell him how to do it. He doesn't tell him where to go. He doesn't tell him what to do. He just gives them resources and says, "Create. Dream. What's in your heart? What do you see?" This parable is very reminiscent of Genesis 1:18. God saying to Adam and humanity, "Let's create a great future together. Put this money to work. It's meant to be used to create a future that does not exist. And when I come back, we're going to talk all about it." And he says, "So, the master leaves, and the first guy gets to work and he doubles his. And the second guy gets to work and he doubles his. And the third guy is afraid so he buries it." And when the master comes back, the first guy steps forward and says, "Look, sir, I've created this." "Well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful with a few things. I will entrust you with many things. Come share in my happiness." Second servant steps forward, "Look, sir, this is what I created with your resources." "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share in your master's happiness. I will entrust you with greater things." This third guy steps forward and he says, "I was afraid so I buried it in the ground. Here's what's yours back." And the master looks at the man and says, "You wicked and lazy servant." Wicked, evil, bad will, lazy, unwillingness to live with all your heart. Take what is his and give it to the man who has 10. Why? Because to whom much is given, much is required. And he who has will be given even more. In other words, the man was never supposed to bury what was supposed to be used to create. And when we take all our money and we bury it in the world and we bury it into stuff and we bury it into debt and we bury it into mortgages and we bury it into retirement, what we're doing is out of fear, we're taking that which God has given us to create and we're consuming it and burying it in the ground.

Listen to me, if more of your time, money, and energy is being buried in this world than is being used to create in the kingdom of God, you're missing the purpose of your life. Look at what Jesus says. "Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Don't bury it in the world, but store up for yourself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, where thieves do not break in and steal." Like, take it, create a future that doesn't exist. Pass it on to the next age so it'll be waiting for you in all eternity. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be." Your heart follows your treasure. So, if you bury it in the world, you put it into retirement and stuff and all these things back here, your heart is always drawn after that. You use it to create a future for God and His people. Your heart is now drawn that way. And then, Jesus, not John, everybody say Jesus. Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Mammon, the love of money, the spirit that rules over that. Jesus isn't saying you're not allowed to do this or that He is rebuking you for doing it. He's just telling you, you can't. Like, it's not possible to actually serve God and money at the same time. Like, if you're actually serving God, think about this. You would never be upset about talking about money. Because if God is my God, then money is a tool. He's my treasure, this is my tool. Teach me how to use my tool to serve my treasure. But if money, the spirit of mammon is my God, I will always be upset about talking about money. Why? Because I see God as a tool to be used to get more treasure. Think about this. Kings rule with words and actions. I've been trying to teach you this for years. A king rules his kingdom with words and actions. And when the king speaks and acts, it creates emotion and response in its people. So, if God is your God, Jesus is your God. When He speaks and acts, it creates an emotion and a feeling of faith, hope, love. But if the spirit of mammon is your God, then when he speaks and acts, it creates the emotion and the feeling of fear, anxiety, stress, offense, pride, anger. So, as we've been talking about this missional move, if you found yourself having emotions and feelings of offense, anger, reaction, justifying, that's the spirit of mammon at work in your life, creating those emotions and those feelings. If you care more about what happens in the stock market than in the church, if you look at your bank more than you look at the Word, if your emotion rises and falls based on gaining and losing money over the gaining and losing of souls, what is that teaching you about who actually your God is? Stay with me on this. This is really... if you can catch this, it's going to be so helpful. Listen to me. Money is a tool and a test. It is not a treasure and a trust. Money is a tool and a test. It is not a treasure and a trust. So, what does that mean? Money is a tool God gives us to create the future that does not exist, to accomplish His purposes on this earth. And it's a test. He gives you money. Money is literally like the lowest common denominator He can give you to test the character of your life. He gives you money to see how you're going to respond, to see if He can entrust you with real things, like spiritual riches, spiritual revelation and authority over people's lives. Do you realize in the Luke 19:10 parable, the guy who is faithful with a little is entrusted to rule over 10 cities? However you use money in this life will in part determine what you rule over in the age to come. However you use money here and now will determine, according to Jesus, what you rule and reign over with Him in the age to come. It's a test. It is not a treasure, something we hold on to, nor a trust, something that we rely upon. This is why tithing is such a big deal. Now, if I'm a disciple of Jesus, I want to know what that means. Tithe, 10%, first and best belongs to God. And a tithe is not an Old Testament thing or a New Testament thing. It's a kingdom thing. It's a human thing. You see it in Genesis 4, Adam and Eve's son tithe. Then, we see Abraham tithe hundreds of years before the law. Then, God gives Moses and the Israelites the law and puts the tithe in there. Then, the prophets validate the tithe. Then, Jesus confirms the tithe and the gospels. And then, the New Testament ups the ante by talking about the grace of giving. We think grace of giving means I give what I want when I want. No, grace empowers what the law demands. And it actually raises the standard. The law tells me, "Don't murder." Grace teaches me to bless my enemy. The law tells me, "Don't commit adultery." Grace teaches me to love my spouse. The law tells me to tithe. The grace of the New Testament giving is I give above and beyond that willingly and joyfully. And if you can catch this, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden, in a sense, was Adam and Eve's tithe. It was what belonged to the Lord. And when they consumed that which belonged to Him, they opened their life up to the devourer. Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He says, "All of this, 90% of the garden is yours. This 10% is mine." And when they consumed that which He said belonged to Him, they opened their life up to the devourer. And when we consume that which God wants us to use to create, we open our life up to the devourer. "Will a man rob God?" How do I rob God? By taking what belongs to Him. "Yet you rob me." But you ask, "How do we rob you?" In tithes and offerings. You're under a curse, the whole nation of you, because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe, not a partial tithe, not what you feel like, not what you got. The whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. "Test me in this," says the Lord, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruits," says the Lord Almighty. "And all the nations will call you blessed." He says, "When you bring the tithe into my house, the world around you will notice the favor of God on your life, and I will prevent the devourer from taking over you." Satan has no authority in your life except that which you give him. And when I try to consume that which God has asked me to use to create, I open myself up to darkness. And He says, "Bring the whole tithe into my house." Why does God want the tithe to come to His house? For the same reason He gives you money to take care of His family's needs: to make sure His family is enjoying life, and to make sure His family has all the resources to create a future that doesn't exist. Ready for this? I believe the Bible shows us, and I don't have time for it today, but that if every person in a local church who calls themself a disciple would tithe, tithe, not give what they want, actual tithe, that the amount of money we all make as individuals, if we would tithe on that amount, is exactly the amount that we would need as a church to take care of our needs, enjoy life, and create the future that God has in front of us, which means you would never have to do missional moves. God gives all of us individually exactly what He has decided. And if we would all do what He's asked us to do, we would have everything we need, always. This is why churches should never, ready, never go in debt. Why? Because if the people are walking with God, everything that we need comes through each individual into the house to create that which doesn't exist.

Okay. So, if you're still with me, I know I've lost some of you, but if you're still with me, here's what I want you to think about this. If you save for retirement, but you don't tithe, what does that teach you about what you believe? About what you believe. Forget me, what do you believe? If I save for retirement but I don't tithe, what am I doing? I'm disobeying God in the present to try to secure my own future. I'm literally saying, "I trust God to provide for me today. I do not trust that He will provide for me tomorrow." And it is impossible to create a future with God while disobeying Him in the present. And so, it's an orphan spirit. It's a poverty mindset. It's a scarcity. It's like, "I got to hide. I got to hoard. I got to bury it out of fear. I got to bury it in the ground when I'm supposed to be using this to put it to work." And think of the concept of retirement anyways. Do you understand American retirement is a demonic thought process? You say, "Oh my." I know. You're like, "Stop." I'm giving you all I got today. You decide what you want to do for next week. It's a demonic thought process. Why? Because God created you to work with Him. That's the only reason you're still alive. You can retire from a job. You cannot retire from your purpose. So, my whole goal in life is to gather up a bunch of money, bury it in the ground so I don't have to work anymore and just do me that completely misses the entire purpose for why you were created. You can retire from your 9:00 to 5:00 job. You can never retire from gardening with God. That's why you're here. That's why you're alive. The whole demonic thought of, "I want to own my own time." You understand time is a resource God's entrusted you to steward. You can never own it. It belongs to Him and you know it. You say things like, "I wish I could go back in time. I wish I had more time. I wish I could slow down time. I wish time would speed up." You can't do it, can you? No, the only reason you're still alive today is because there's still purpose in your life. When David served God's purpose in his generation, then he took his last breath and died. And I get it. This is wrestle. You have to wrestle. We all start here, not interested. And then, we move to first time we do it. Then, we occasionally. And then, I intentionally give. Then, I moved tithing. Then, I move to sacrificial. Here's my question for you. Where are you? It's not subjective. You know it's not. Where are you? That's okay. Just put yourself where you are. And here's my question. What would it look like to take one step up? What if this whole missional move was you moving one step up? Because every time you move one step up, ready? Money moves from a treasure in your heart to a tool in your hand. Every step up. Until I get to here and I live here, and now it is only a tool in my hand that is serving Jesus, the treasure in my heart. See, the world wants to get you to come back down here. How much can I make? How much can I have? How much can I acquire? What if your life vision was, how much can I give away? I've been thinking about this for the last couple of weeks. Like, how much can I give? What's the most amount of money you've ever given away? In a shot or in a commitment or something. What's the most amount you've ever given? Not an inspiring question. Oh, we know super how much we've made and what we've acquired. How much have you ever given? See, we think tithing is the standard. Tithing is not the standard. Jesus didn't tithe His blood. He gave His whole life. The cross is the standard. "For God so loved the world that He gave." Ready? So, if you've been here, check with this. So, to love is to create and to create is to give. To love is to create and to create I have to give. I have to give up what? I have to give my ideas, my imagination, my dream, my energy, my breath, my resources, my time. I have to give up my present to create your future. To love is to create and to create is to give, and it's actually a work of God's grace in our life. Just as you excel in everything, in faith and speech and knowledge and earnestness and your love for us, see that you also excel in this grace of giving. Do you excel in giving as much as you excel in everything else? And it's a grace. It's not by your effort and your might. It's God's working in your life, and the gift is acceptable according to what you have. It doesn't matter if you have a lot or a little. To whom much is given, much is required. If you're faithful in the little, you'll be entrusted with much. The boy gave five loaves and two fish. The widow gave her two coins, and the Israelites gave all the gold of Egypt to build the tabernacle. And David gave billions of dollars to build the temple. Some of you can give a hundred, some of you can give millions according to what you have. You realize the temple in the Old Testament was not God's idea. It was David's idea. David literally said to God, "God, I want to build you a house." And God says, "I'm good. I never lived in a house. I'm good." David said, "I want to create a future for you." And God says, "Because you wanted to build my house, I'll build your house and there will always be somebody of your family on the throne." In other words, create a future for others. It's the best way to create a future for yourself. And when he goes to buy the place where the temple would ultimately be built, his friend says, "You can just have it. This is for the Lord. Take it." And look at what David says, "But the king replied to Araunah, his friend, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." David says, "I can't take it. Because if I take it, it doesn't have value anymore. I'm going to give what it's worth because that's how much God is worth to me." See, people who walk with God don't want to give God tips and scraps. They don't want a deal. They don't want a sale. They don't want the leftovers. They want to give God something that costs them something because that's how much they see the value of God in their life. And if you can catch this, David spent the rest of his adult life accumulating a fortune to create the temple to build a future that didn't exist, and he left it as an inheritance to his son Solomon to create a future. He didn't give the inheritance to his son Solomon to consume. Ready? Some of you, your season of life, what is the point of an inheritance? Ask yourself these questions, man. We act just like robots, ""Because the world tells me I have to." What is the point of an inheritance? The point of an inheritance is to leave resources to the next generation to create a future with God. So, I can't spend my whole life stockpiling resources to give them to biological children who are living a life of consuming. I've actually just damaged them. We call it, "No, it's love. It's pride." It's pride. It's not love. It's pride. Rich, young ruler means he got an inheritance. He would have been better off being a poor, young servant because he would have had a greater chance of grabbing a hold of God. Money is not meant to pass on to consume. Money is meant to be used to create that which doesn't exist. That might be worth thinking about. Okay. And I get it. Listen, I get it. Just hang with me. Just give me five more minutes. But that's really seven because this is it. I'm giving you everything I got because this is our future. It's your future. Listen, when Moses had the staff in his hand and God tells him to go free the Israelites, biggest missional move, maybe in all of the Old Testament. And Moses says, "Who am I? I can't do it." God says, "What's in your hand?" He says, "The staff." God says, "Throw it on the ground." He throws it on the ground, it becomes a snake. Moses jumps back. God says, "Pick it up." He had to face his fear and pick it up, and it turned back into a staff. In other words, while it was a treasure and a trust in his hand, God asked him to give it to the Lord. And he had to face his fear of doing that. And when he did, it went from being a treasure and a trust in his heart to being a weapon of warfare in his hand that set millions of people free and destroyed the empire of darkness. When I will face my fear, the treasures that God has given me that are actually tools become tools that become weapons of warfare that create a future that does not exist.

And the third thing, and I don't have time for it, is to take one next step every year over these next five years as we go on this journey. Why? Because as we follow Jesus, He makes us. We must be disciples. We can't create a future that we can't steward. You have to decide who you're going to be five years from now. Most of us, if I asked you that, you wouldn't have a vision for it. So then plant yourself in the house of the Lord and just decide, "I'm going to take a step." In a step, in this family, you say, "What are the steps?" In this family, not at other, I'm not going to that house for breakfast and I'm not going to sleep in that house. In this house, I'm going to take a step. What does that mean? I'm going to get on a serve team. I'm going to join a circle. I'm going to be a leader. I'm going to do the reading plan. I'm going to do the practice plan. I'm going to come to every Tuesday night prayer for the year. I'm going to make a commitment to the missional move. I'm going to decide this is my church. I'm going to go to Valley Creek College. I'm going to do a leadership experience. I'm going to put my kids in the student or kids leadership experiences and we're going to be committed to it. Any of those things, one every year. Why? Because who are you going to be five years from now? Who cares what we've built if your life is a disaster? I mean, Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, got to deny himself, take up his cross, follow me, for whoever wants to save his life will lose it. Whoever loses his life will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul?" What good is it for you to consume the world the next five years and lose your soul? Ready? Here's a question. Five years from now, what's your soul going to be like? Five years from now, what's your soul going to be like? If you don't take intentional, measured, marked next steps by faith, I can tell you what your soul will look like. Withered, decrepit, angry, worldly, bitter. But if you just say, "I'm going to pick up my cross and follow Him," my soul will be vibrant and alive and free. See, here's what I want you to understand about these three things. This whole missional move is not about raising money. So, for some of you that that's kind of your instant MO is like, "Oh, they're doing the money-raising thing." It's not about raising money. This is about attacking the three prevailing spirits that live in the city in which we live, the love of time, the love of money, and the worship of self. If I'm going to commit to this church, it's going to require me to deal with time. And all of a sudden, the God of time gets defeated in my life. If I'm going to give money, guess what? That's going to deal with the spirit of mammon, the poverty mindset, the love of money that can only be broken by giving. And then, the third thing is my will. I want to do what I want, when I want, how I want. The five steps is God, not my will, but yours be done. Not my kingdom, but yours be done. So, this isn't about raising money. This is about helping you find freedom of the three things that you got to figure out how to deal with in the region we live because those are the powers and principalities that reign over us. The worship of time, the worship of money, and the worship of self. So, in Jesus' name, may you be free. And I feel like here's the thing. You get to decide whether or not that's true. I feel like the Holy Spirit showed me just this morning as even I was praying for you, Holy Spirit working through the room, working through the room, working through the room. And the God of money and the God of time and the God of self sitting on people's hearts, and the Holy Spirit can't rebuke him and make him flee if you're giving him permission to stay. We want to see the Holy Spirit deliver us. He would love to, but my will has to start by saying, "Okay, Lord, I don't want to love money anymore." Then, He'll come. "Okay Lord, I don't want to love time anymore." Then, He'll come. "Okay Lord, I don't want to be the god anymore." Then, He'll come. It's up to you. See, this is the journey we've been on. And so, online in Gainesville, you were created in the last missional move. If there wasn't the last one, you wouldn't be. So, maturity is now creating that which doesn't exist for others. Louisville, you were created in the one before by the Flower Mound at Denton Campus. If they wouldn't have, you wouldn't exist. Hey, Denton, you were created by Flower Mound when there was a lot of good things happening in Flower Mound and if they didn't, you wouldn't exist. And hey, Flower Mound, if a couple wouldn't have got up and gone to a place that they didn't know to plant a seed that's become what we enjoy, you wouldn't exist. None of us have created our own future. We're all right here. And what I want to say to you is safe is selfish. We must go create that which does not exist together. And I believe that as you go, you will be miraculously healed. The miracles are found in the going. Some of us play our lives so safe, so controlled, we give no room for God to show up and surprise us. If you will go, the miracles will be found. If you will go, God will show up and surprise you. If you will go, the healing and the cleansing that you long for in the deep places of your life, you will experience. As they go in, the miracles are found in that space. And so, I bet everyone in this room that's older than a student – students, just go with it – you could tell me the map of your life, of your personal life. "I graduated this. I got this job. We got married, had these children, built this house, did this business, went to this place, took these vacations." That's awesome. My question for you is, "Do you have a story like this of what you've done in the kingdom of God with God's people? Do you have a map of a history with God and His people?" Because that's the real legacy. The win is, we're all right here together and you get to decide five years from now, do you want to tell stories of what you've created or stories of what you've consumed? You get to decide. You get to align your life with God and His people and go create something that doesn't exist and, in the process, create a great life for yourself or you can consume. You see on that little video, as it goes by and these little arrows just spinning. I don't want you to be the little spinning person. I don't think you want to be the little spinning person, but it's going to require you to take a step of faith in Jesus' name. Hear me, you don't have to do any of this. You don't have to do any of this, and you are so welcome next weekend. You don't have to do any of this. This is an invitation from the Lord and you don't have to be afraid. God loves you. You don't have to be afraid to move forward because He loved you, He created you. And because He created you, He gave to you. And we get to love and then therefore create. And out of our creativity, give of our present to create a future that that does not exist. The question is, what are you going to do? The vision is clear, the mission is urgent, and this is all about lordship with Jesus. It is not about raising money. This is about breaking off the god of time, the god of money and the god of self to say, "I'm created for so much more." Just all of it for a second. Don't miss what God wants to do in your life at this juncture. I don't care about all of the other stuff. Don't miss what God wants to do in your marriage, in your parenting, in your children, in your family, in your friends, in your heart, in your mind, in your soul, in your life, in your future. Don't miss these junctures because they don't come around often. And when they do, jump, baby, jump. Get in the river and go with God. And five years from now, you will be a different person and you'll have a great story to tell. 

So, Jesus, give us faith to follow You into a place we've never been before. I just pray for every person this week as they battle with the prevailing spirits of our region. As they think about what they're going to do and how they're going to respond and what you're saying to them, I just pray that they would know that they're loved. I in Jesus' name rebuke the spirit of fear that is just crippling people. That your love would cast out that fear, and because we know we're loved, we can move forward into the unknown with You. Jesus I'm believing that you're doing something great in us as you've invited us to do something great with you through us in the days to come. May we respond in faith. In Jesus' name, amen.