Brick by Brick | Pastor Mike Frisch | Active Church Yucaipa

Active Church is not a me first church. Active Church is an others first church because Jesus, the King of its heart, “did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus sets the standard for putting others first, whether people look, sound, vote, or live differently. The way of Jesus draws big giant circles in a world that loves hard lines, enemies, and us versus them.

Acts 15 shows that this way of Jesus has been tested from the beginning. Jewish followers of Jesus carried the covenant practices given through Abraham, while Gentiles were meeting Jesus and being changed without first carrying those same requirements. Paul and Barnabas brought stories of signs, wonders, changed hearts, and Gentile lives transformed by God. The whole assembly fell silent because God’s work was too clear to dismiss.

James then named the conviction that shaped the church’s response: “We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” James did not erase holiness or accountability. James called people to honor God with their bodies, words, and lives while considering how their freedom affected others. The church’s job was not to stack requirements in front of people before they could receive forgiveness, truth, and the love of Jesus. God made a way, so don’t get in the way.

Grace makes that conviction personal. Jesus forgives the sin that produces shame, reconciles people who could not reconcile themselves, and redeems what could never be earned. Ephesians declares that salvation comes by grace, not human effort, so nobody gets to boast. The church therefore makes a way for every story, every struggle, and every broken piece of life because Jesus made a way first.

Generosity becomes the first habit for building that future brick by brick. Jesus teaches that treasure reveals the heart, not because he needs money, but because he wants the heart. Collective generosity opens doors, turns on lights, creates places for hope, and gives people room to find and follow Jesus. Baptism numbers matter because every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story belongs to God.

The invitation is to own a brick through consistent giving and an additional gift, then pray, process, and plan as a family. A literal pathway will stand as a picture of a deeper reality: generosity makes a way for people, including people whose names may never be known on this side of heaven. God knows every name. The future stays bright when God’s people choose to make a way and not get in the way.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God made a way first. Grace does not begin with human effort, religious polish, or proving worthiness. Jesus forgives, redeems, and reconciles people who could not make their own way to God. The church honors that grace when it refuses to become an obstacle between broken people and the hope of Jesus. [58:18]
• 2. Jesus makes others-first disciples. Jesus did not come to be served, and his people cannot follow him while treating their own preferences as supreme. Love becomes real when it crosses lines of appearance, politics, background, and comfort. The way of Jesus forms friends where the world keeps trying to manufacture enemies. [43:10]
• 3. Holiness considers another person’s path. James does not trade truth for permissiveness, nor does he turn holiness into a pile of entrance requirements. Holy living learns to ask whether personal choices help or hinder someone turning to God. Love for God is authenticated by care for the people God is drawing near. [57:46]
• 4. Treasure reveals the heart’s king. Money exposes what receives trust, devotion, and first priority. Generosity is not payment for God’s love but a response to the generosity already shown in Christ. Giving becomes a concrete way to place the kingdom above the smaller kingdoms competing for the heart. [62:55]
• 5. Generosity makes hope accessible. Every open door, baptism, meal, and ministry opportunity exists because somebody chose to give. Faithful generosity serves people who may never know the giver’s name and can never repay the gift. God sees both the giver and the life changed through that quiet act of making a way.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [39:05] - There Ain’t Nothing Like Active
• [42:45] - An Others First Church
• [43:10] - Jesus Came to Serve
• [45:57] - Drawing Bigger Circles
• [47:26] - Building the Future Brick by Brick
• [47:59] - The Tension in Acts 15
• [52:20] - Paul and Barnabas Tell God Stories
• [55:22] - James Says Do Not Make It Difficult
• [58:18] - God Made a Way
• [61:43] - Generosity Changes Lives
• [67:47] - Own a Brick
• [72:07] - Pray, Process, and Plan
• [76:21] - Generosity Is a Response to Grace
• [78:42] - Trust and Financial Integrity
• [81:41] - Make a Way for the Future

1. In Matthew 20:28, what two purposes does Jesus give for his coming, and how do they describe his leadership?
2. What tension brought the believers together in Acts 15, and what reports did Paul and Barnabas bring about the Gentiles? [50:32]
3. What does James say the church should not do to Gentiles who are turning to God, and what kinds of holy living does he still encourage? [55:33]
4. According to Matthew 6:21, what is the connection between a person’s treasure and their heart? [01:02:55]

1. Why would Jesus’ choice to serve and give his life as a ransom challenge a church or a believer that is focused mainly on personal preferences and comfort? [43:26]
2. James refuses to make faith in Jesus difficult for Gentiles, yet he still calls them to honor God with their lives. How can a church hold together open-armed grace, truth, and accountability without confusing any of them? [56:12]
3. What are some modern “requirements” Christians may unintentionally put in front of people before they feel welcome to meet and follow Jesus? [58:18]
4. If treasure reveals what rules the heart, what does generous giving communicate about a person’s trust in Jesus and desire to participate in his mission? [01:03:25]

1. Jesus puts others first regardless of whether they look, sound, vote, or live differently. Who is someone outside your usual circle whom you may be tempted to avoid, dismiss, or treat as an opponent? What would it look like to take one step toward them with the love and truth of Jesus? [44:02]
2. “God made a way, so don’t get in the way.” Is there anything in your words, online presence, attitudes, or behavior that could make it harder for someone to see Jesus through you? What might repentance or a changed approach look like? [58:18]
3. Think about your own story of receiving grace. Where have you seen Jesus forgive shame, reconcile brokenness, or provide what you could not earn? How could remembering that grace change the way you treat someone who is still struggling? [59:31]
4. Take an honest look at where your money, time, and attention go. What “kingdoms” are currently receiving the most of your resources, and what do those patterns reveal about what has first place in your heart? [01:17:49]
5. Generosity makes hope accessible for people whose names may never be known to the giver. How could your household pray, process, and plan together about a faithful next step in generosity—whether starting, growing, or recommitting? [01:13:04]
6. If everyone in the church gave and served with the same priorities you do, what kind of future would it create for people who need hope? What is one specific step you sense God inviting you to take? [01:12:48]