It's Better Over Here | Generosity is Our Joy

I invited us to lean into an interactive moment with God—hearing the Word and immediately practicing it—because faith grows when we speak and act on what we believe. With Abram’s call in Genesis 12 as our guide, I pressed the simple truth: it’s better over here. Faith isn’t certainty; faith is obedience to a word before the map is clear. God promised, “Go…and I will show you.” He puts the pressure on Himself—“I will bless… I will make you…”—while He invites us to move. And when we move, we don’t just receive; we become funnels so His promises can travel from there to here, from God’s heart through our hands to people He loves.

I celebrated how that’s happening among us. From kids memorizing John 3:16 to a 17-year-old preaching Jesus with power; from men committing to mentorship that saves marriages, to a church that didn’t wait to “arrive” before acting like a blessing. We didn’t raise what we hoped to start, yet God provided. Two years later, He’s made us the kind of house that invests in counseling, local partners, church plants, global missions, and soon—through God Behind Bars—into prisons where many feel forgotten. It’s better over here because generosity enlarges our world. It pushes us past comfort and certainty into the adventure of trust.

But motives matter. In Acts 8, Simon wanted to buy power; Peter exposed that hunger as self-seeking. You can’t buy a blessing—but you can build one. Exodus 20 shows us how: build altars where God causes His name to be remembered. Altars are the practices and places that keep our lives tethered to God—spaces for relationship, remembrance, repentance, and revival. Abram built altars at the promise, not just after the payoff. That’s our rhythm too: we build now so we won’t forget later. When we invest our time, talent, and treasure in what God cares about, we create places where we and others meet the living God.

We’ve seen hundreds say yes to Jesus and many go through the waters of baptism. That’s why we give, serve, and go—so others can see the light. Today, the invitation is simple: build the altar you need. Reprioritize your relationship with God. Remember His faithfulness. Repent where your heart has drifted. Ask for fresh fire. It’s better over here.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Faith moves without full certainty Faith isn’t the opposite of fear; it’s the opposite of control. God’s pattern is “Go, and I will show,” inviting us into dependence rather than detailed plans. Obedience creates the space where God reveals next steps we could never script. The adventure is not reckless; it’s relational. [09:16]
• 2. Be a funnel, not a lid God routes His promises through people; blessings are meant to pass through us, not terminate on us. When we hoard, we cap capacity; when we release, God trusts us with more. Someone else’s answered prayer may be waiting on our obedience. Don’t be the reason a river turns into a reservoir. [11:52]
• 3. You can’t buy blessing—build one Simon wanted power without surrender, attention without alignment. God’s gifts resist transaction but respond to transformation. We “build” blessing by forming altars—habits, places, and priorities that keep God at the center—so His presence rests on our lives in ways money can’t manufacture. [33:28]
• 4. Altars sustain relationship and memory Abram built at promise-time, not just at payoff-time. Altars are practices of relationship, remembrance, repentance, and revival that keep us awake to God’s work in us. With altars in place, gains don’t become idols, and losses don’t become devastations—because God, not outcomes, anchors us. [36:39]
• 5. Generosity enlarges our world now Proverbs declares that the generous world gets larger, and we’ve watched that become visible fruit. We didn’t wait to feel “ready”; we decided to be a blessing, and God multiplied impact—counseling, local partners, church plants, global missions. Joy follows obedience, not surplus. [07:44]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:37] - Word before worship
• [01:55] - Faith comes by hearing
• [06:39] - It’s better over here—generosity benefits
• [07:44] - The world of the generous
• [09:16] - Faith is obedience without certainty
• [10:32] - Be a funnel, not a lid
• [12:32] - Wins: kids and students stories
• [15:40] - Mentorship and marriages restored
• [19:45] - When fundraising fails, God provides
• [22:56] - Planting churches and kingdom partnership
• [24:18] - God Behind Bars vision
• [25:59] - Year-to-date generosity impact
• [33:28] - Build an altar, don’t buy power
• [41:44] - Salvations, baptisms, and response

1. What does God command Abram to do in Genesis 12, and what promise does God attach to that command? [01:55]
2. What examples were given of people or ministries acting as funnels—passing God’s blessing onward rather than hoarding it? [11:52]
3. The sermon listed four purposes for building altars. What are those four purposes and how were they described? [36:39]
4. What specific ways did generosity “enlarge the world” in the stories and numbers shared? Name at least two examples. [21:19]

1. What does Abram’s quick obedience suggest about the relationship between faith and certainty? How does “go and I will show you” reshape expectations about knowing the whole plan before moving? [09:16]
2. Why does God place the call to move on us while He promises to carry the outcome? What does this tell us about human responsibility and divine initiative? [10:32]
3. How does Simon’s attempt to buy spiritual power expose common temptations in giving, leadership, or ministry service? What heart attitudes is this warning addressing? [31:17]
4. What does it mean to “build an altar at promise-time” rather than waiting until after a payoff? How does that practice guard against idolatry of outcomes? [36:39]

1. Where is God asking you to “go” right now without a clear map? What one obedient step can you take this week to move in that direction? Be specific about timing and action. [09:16]
2. Who in your life might be waiting for God’s blessing that needs you to be a funnel (not a lid)? Identify one person and one concrete way you will release time, attention, or resources to them in the next month. [11:52]
3. Examine your motives for giving, serving, or leading: are you seeking God’s glory or your own recognition? What concrete indicator will you watch for to tell the difference, and how will you correct course if motive drifts? [31:17]
4. Which of the four altar-types (relationship, remembrance, repentance, revival) do you most need right now? Name one simple, measurable practice you will begin this week to build that altar (where and when will it happen?). [36:39]
5. What time, talent, or treasure can you invest this season to expand others’ access to the gospel or practical care? List one specific commitment you will make for the next 30–90 days. [27:44]
6. If you decided to begin giving, serving, or going now instead of waiting to “arrive,” what first practical step will you take in the next 30 days (who will you contact, what form will it take, how much time/money will you commit)? [25:59]