Give What You Have to Make Room

Oct 11, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Generosity Overflows: A Leader’s Reluctant Request

The Israelites gave so abundantly for the tabernacle that Moses had to command them to stop. Their overflowing generosity wasn’t about obligation but hearts stirred by God’s vision. This mirrors how God invites us to participate in His work not through guilt or pressure, but through joyful partnership. Just as the people brought gold, thread, and skills, every contribution matters when offered freely. The real miracle isn’t the amount given but the posture of trust behind it. True giving flows from gratitude for what God has already done. [46:46]

“Moses gave them the materials donated by the people as sacred offerings. But the people continued to bring additional gifts each morning. Finally, the builders told Moses, ‘The people have given more than enough.’ So Moses sent an order throughout the camp: ‘No more gifts!’”
(Exodus 36:3–6, NLT)

Reflection: What stirs your heart to give freely—joy, obligation, or something else? How might God be inviting you to respond to His work with abandon rather than calculation?

Day 2: Building with Wings and Willingness

A man met Jesus over chicken wings in a local restaurant, his life transformed by a simple invitation. Like Bob, we carry unique stories and resources God uses to build His kingdom. The tabernacle required diverse gifts—some brought gemstones, others goat hair. Similarly, God doesn’t demand uniformity but faithfulness with what we have. Whether skills, time, or $5, He multiplies willing offerings. The goal isn’t grandeur but obedience. [38:03]

“All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing.”
(Exodus 35:21–22, NLT)

Reflection: What “goat hair” or “gemstones” do you hold—seemingly ordinary gifts God might use extraordinarily? Who in your life needs an invitation to meet Jesus in unexpected places?

Day 3: The Widow’s $5 and the Miracle of Margin

A woman named Caroline gave $5 to the building fund, obeying God’s nudge despite its seeming insignificance. Her small gift echoed the widow’s mites—a sacrifice Jesus praised above larger offerings. God measures not the size of the gift but the surrender behind it. When we release what we cling to, we create margin for Him to work. The church’s walls will rise not on wealth but on countless acts of radical trust. [44:30]

“Jesus… said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.’”
(Mark 12:43–44, NLT)

Reflection: Where do you equate “enough” with security rather than surrender? What might God do through your $5—or your $500—if released with open hands?

Day 4: Portable Churches and Permanent Faith

For 17 years, the church met in schools—a testament to God’s presence thriving in temporary spaces. Yet a permanent building isn’t about comfort but creating room for more “Bobs” to encounter Jesus. The Israelites’ tabernacle was mobile, yet it held the glory of God. Our structures are tools, not trophies. Whether folding chairs or fixed walls, what matters is hearts gathered to seek Him. [32:14]

“You also are like living stones, built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
(1 Peter 2:5, NLT)

Reflection: Have you ever dismissed your role in God’s work because it felt small or temporary? How can you invest in eternal purposes, whether in portable or permanent spaces?

Day 5: Communion, Cranes, and the Cost of Making Room

Communion reminds us that Jesus gave everything to make room for us in God’s family. As we take the bread and cup, we recommit to making room for others. The building project isn’t about brick and mortar but expanding capacity to share this costly grace. Just as Christ’s body was broken, our giving—whether funds, time, or vulnerability—joins His redemptive work. [54:01]

“For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.”
(1 Corinthians 11:26, NLT)

Reflection: How does Jesus’ sacrifice reshape your view of “sacrifice” in daily life? Who needs you to “announce the Lord’s death” through your generosity this week?

Sermon Summary

The Make Room vision begins with a simple truth: a building is not the goal. The goal is to lead as many people in Flagler County and beyond as possible into a life-changing relationship with Jesus. The building is a tool, a place that can help kids, students, families, people in crisis, and people far from God find help, hope, and a church family.

Exodus points back to the tabernacle, the place God told Israel to build so he could dwell among his people. God gave Moses specific instructions, but God was not looking for everybody to bring the same thing or give the same amount. The text says the people whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved brought what they had. Gold, silver, wood, skins, gemstones, skills, and whatever else God had placed in their hands all became part of what God was building.

The call is for equal sacrifice, not equal gifts. God does not need anyone's money, but God wants willing hearts that are ready to join him in advancing his kingdom. Pressure, guilt, and comparison have no place in that response, because cheerful giving comes from a heart that has heard God clearly and simply obeys. A five-dollar gift and a much larger gift can both carry the same weight of obedience when each is given from a willing heart.

The story of Israel becomes almost unbelievable when the people keep bringing gifts until the builders tell Moses there is more than enough. Moses has to tell the people to stop giving because the need has been met. The point is not merely reaching a dollar amount. The point is becoming people whose hearts are always ready to go when God says go, stop when God says stop, and turn when God says turn.

The mission comes alive in Bob's story. Christ met a man with a troubled past over wings at Hooligans, and Jesus began changing his life when he put his faith in him. Every number represents a person, and every person matters to God. The church's calling remains laser focused: lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus and help them become fully devoted followers of him.

Communion brings the whole thing back to the gospel. God made room for sinners by giving his one and only Son. Jesus gave his body and shed his blood so that those who believe can have eternal life. Giving back does not earn God's love. Giving flows from hearts that have already received it.

Key Takeaways

1. God wants willing hearts, not pressure. God does not ask every person to give the same gift, because he has not placed the same resources in every hand. God looks for a heart that is stirred and a spirit that is moved. Obedience becomes meaningful when it rises from love and trust rather than guilt, image management, or comparison. [28:05]
2. Equal sacrifice is not equal gifts. The tabernacle was built through many different offerings because each person brought what God had given them to bring. A small gift can be costly obedience, while a large gift can be little sacrifice. God sees the heart behind the gift and calls each person to respond faithfully to his direction. [45:43]
3. Buildings serve the mission, not vice versa. A church building is never the ultimate goal, because God's people are his living temple. Yet God can use a physical place as a tool for ministry, care, discipleship, and reaching people who need Jesus. The mission must remain bigger than the building at every stage. [30:47]
4. Christ gave everything before asking anything. Jesus did not make room for sinners through a vague display of love, but by giving his body and blood on the cross. Christian generosity is not payment for God's favor. It is the response of people who know they have already been welcomed into God's eternal family.

## [53:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:56] - A Unique Day at Epic
[22:17] - Stop Spending or Stop Giving
[23:30] - Making Room for More People
[25:36] - Israel Builds the Tabernacle
[27:38] - God Looks for Willing Hearts
[30:47] - A Building Is a Tool
[33:29] - Bob’s Life Changed by Jesus
[38:57] - The Building Opportunity
[42:51] - Caroline’s Five-Dollar Gift
[46:19] - Moses Tells Israel to Stop Giving
[48:12] - Pray, Invite, and Make Room
[52:50] - Jesus Made Room for Us
[54:20] - Communion and the Mission

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Exodus 35:4-22
“Then Moses said to the whole community of Israel, "This is what the Lord has commanded: Take a sacred offering for the Lord. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the Lord..." All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing.” [27:38]

2 Corinthians 9:7
“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” [29:58]

John 3:16
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” [53:18]

Observation questions

In Exodus 35:4–22, what different kinds of resources and abilities did the Israelites bring for the work of the tabernacle? [27:38]
What words in Exodus 35 describe the hearts of the people who chose to bring offerings?
According to 2 Corinthians 9:7, what attitudes are believers told to avoid when giving, and what attitude does God love? [29:58]
What does John 3:16 identify as God’s greatest gift, and what is promised to those who believe in Jesus? [53:16]

Interpretation questions

Why does Exodus emphasize stirred hearts and willing spirits rather than requiring every Israelite to bring the same gift? What does this show about how God sees generosity? [28:21]
How can “equal sacrifice, not equal gifts” protect people from comparison, pride, or shame when they consider what they have to offer God? [45:19]
If God does not need a physical building, why can a building still be a useful tool for the mission of helping people find Jesus and grow in faith? [30:57]
How does God’s gift of his Son in John 3:16 change the reason a Christian gives, serves, or makes room for others? [53:31]

Application questions

What is currently in your hands that God may be able to use—money, time, skills, relationships, encouragement, hospitality, or something else? Which one feels most available for God to use right now? [28:40]
When you think about giving or serving, are you more likely to feel pressure, guilt, fear, joy, or gratitude? What might it look like to bring that honestly to God and ask for a willing heart? [29:38]
Is there an area where comparison has made it hard for you to respond to God—either because someone seems able to give more or because you feel your contribution is too small? How does the example of a faithful five-dollar gift speak into that? [44:34]
Who is one person in your life who is far from God, exploring faith, or in need of a church family? What is one specific way you could pray for, encourage, or invite that person this week? [48:09]
Making room for people often requires inconvenience. What could “making room” look like in your schedule, home, friendships, serving, or usual church routines? [49:11]
Jesus made room for sinners by giving his life, not by asking people to earn their place. How can remembering that grace shape the way you treat someone whose past, questions, or struggles are different from yours? [53:43]

Sermon Clips

68s

#GiveWithLove

“We've talked a lot today about giving what we have from willing hearts, but, ultimately, the Christian life is not about what we give God. It's about what God has already given us. Jesus said in John three sixteen, for this is how God loved world. He gave his one and only son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. So God the father gave God the son. What did God the son give? His all Everything he had. He gave his life so that we can have eternal life, and that's why we give back to him. We don't give to earn God's love. We give because we have received God's love. Jesus loves you so much. He died on a cross to pay for your sins and make room for you in God's eternity, to make room for you to be a part of God's eternal family.”

31s

#WillingHearts

“Not everyone had everything, but everyone had something that god could use. And god was looking for willing hearts and equal sacrifice, not equal gifts. He was just looking for people whose hearts were moved, that wanted to to be a part of what God was doing. And here's what I want you today. You may not have what someone else has, but you have something that God can use to advance his kingdom.”

56s

#MissionOverBuildings

“So for seventeen years, we have been a portable church, and we've done substantial ministry in Flagler County in the past seventeen years. We have done projects throughout our local missions efforts, through our care and counseling ministry, through our adopt a school program, our kids ministry, our student ministry, and more. And having our own church home will help us serve our community in some more significant ways. Now like I've said throughout this series, having a building is not the goal. A building is just a tool that helps us reach the goal. The goal is to lead as many people in Flagler County and beyond as possible into a life changing relationship with Jesus. That's the goal. And you're gonna see more evidence of that goal being accomplished today as our message unfolds.”

33s

#ObeyGodsLeading

“What we're talking about is being willing and obedient to whatever god leads us to do. We aren't responsible for what someone else is supposed to do. We're just responsible for what God is leading us to do. So the reality for some of you is God might put a number on your heart, and maybe that number's $5. And right now you're thinking, I don't know that I can survive without that $5. Again, God's looking for equal sacrifice, not equal gifts.”

41s

#GenerousHearts

“So Moses, their leader, stands up and says, stop giving. You've given way too much, more than we can use. Wouldn't that be a wonderful problem to have? I would love to stand up before you one day and say that. Like, hey. Like, I really gotta talk to you about this like you're giving too way too much. Like, we just can't handle it all. I I would love to tell you that, but the goal is not about a dollar amount. The goal is about willing hearts that are always ready to do whatever god asked us to do. When god says go, we go. When god says stop, we stop. When god says turn left, turn left.”

29s

#FaithfulGiving

“And maybe God's prompting on some of you, like, you need to give 500. Maybe it's 5,000. Maybe it's 50,000. Maybe it's 500,000. Like, I I don't know. Only you know what God might be leading you to do. Again, you ask God what he wants you to do and do whatever he leads you to do because he's looking for willing hearts to join him in advancing his kingdom.”

29s

#FollowGodsLead

“and if your heart is stirred, ask God what he wants you to do, and then just do what God leads you to do. No gift is too small. No gift is too big. Again, God didn't ask the Israelites to all give the same thing in the same amount, and God's not asking that of us. I'm just asking you to ask God what he wants you to do, and then you just do whatever God leads you to do.”

44s

#GiveWithoutPressure

“God doesn't want us to give in response to pressure or to give because we we feel guilty. But if your heart is stirred to help us build a building that's gonna help more people become fully devoted followers of Jesus, if your spirit is moved, that kids and students have a place where they can connect with each other and grow in their relationship with God. If you get excited about more people being served through our care and counseling ministry. If you're passionate about there being a place where people can turn when they are in crisis, then I invite you to give and be a part of what we're doing.”

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