Commitment Weekend: Generosity, Faith, and Hope for Everyone

In this pivotal moment for Menlo Church, we gather to celebrate Commitment Weekend, a culmination of a year and a half of preparation and prayer. This weekend marks the conclusion of a four-week series and the beginning of a new chapter in our journey to reach 3% of the Bay Area with the good news of Jesus. Our vision is to bring hope to 250,000 people, transforming our campuses into hubs of hope for every community we serve. This initiative, "Hope for Everyone," is a down payment on that vision, aiming to unite us in our mission to spread hope and love.

As we reflect on the journey, we are reminded of the widow's mite, a story that teaches us about true generosity. It's not about the amount we give but the heart behind it. Many in our community have felt called to give sacrificially, whether from abundance or scarcity, and this generosity is a testament to the faith and commitment of Menlo Church. We are not a church that seeks to manipulate or twist arms; rather, we respond in worship to what God has already given us.

The Apostle Paul's transformation from a persecutor of the church to a leader within it serves as a powerful example of how encountering Jesus can change everything. Paul adapted his approach to reach different people, showing us that our freedom in Christ is not for self-indulgence but for serving others. His life exemplifies the call to contextualize the gospel for everyone we meet, demonstrating that true faith requires action and trust in God.

As we move forward, we are challenged to consider the cost of a life without generosity. Greed, though culturally acceptable, can hinder our spiritual growth and the impact we have on others. We are called to be stewards of all that God has given us, recognizing that everything belongs to Him. Our generosity should reflect our gratitude for the grace we have received, and it should be a joyful expression of our faith.

This weekend, we stand together, ready to commit to the mission God has placed before us. We are reminded that faith is not just intellectual assent but a trust that requires action. As we take this step of faith, we do so with the assurance that God is with us, guiding us to bring hope to everyone we encounter.

**Key Takeaways:**

1. **Generosity Beyond Measure:** True generosity is not measured by the amount given but by the heart behind it. The story of the widow's mite reminds us that God values the sacrifice and intention of our giving, not the size of the gift. This principle challenges us to give from a place of faith and trust, knowing that God sees and honors our heart's posture. [24:21]

2. **Freedom for Service:** The Apostle Paul's transformation illustrates that our freedom in Christ is not for self-indulgence but for serving others. By becoming all things to all people, Paul demonstrated that our lives should be adaptable to share the gospel effectively. This calls us to use our freedom to serve and love others, reflecting the heart of Jesus in all we do. [28:34]

3. **Faith in Action:** Faith is not merely intellectual assent but requires action and trust in God. The author of Hebrews defines faith as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. This challenges us to step out in faith, even when we don't have all the answers, trusting that God will guide and provide. [42:24]

4. **The Cost of Greed:** While generosity is easy to spot, greed is often culturally acceptable and harder to identify. A life without generosity can cost us spiritual growth and hinder the impact we have on others. We are called to be stewards of all that God has given us, recognizing that everything belongs to Him and should be used for His mission. [46:23]

5. **A Call to Commitment:** As we stand together on Commitment Weekend, we are reminded that faith requires action. This moment is an opportunity to commit to the mission God has placed before us, trusting that He will guide us to bring hope to everyone we encounter. Our commitment is a step of faith, reflecting our trust in God's plan for our lives and our community. [51:00]

**Youtube Chapters:**

- [0:00] - Welcome
- [19:17] - Vision for the Bay Area
- [20:30] - Responding to God's Call
- [21:07] - Commitment and Participation
- [22:07] - Prayer and Holy Ground
- [23:21] - Stories of Generosity
- [24:21] - The Widow's Mite
- [25:46] - Lessons from the Prodigal Sons
- [27:06] - Paul's Transformation
- [28:34] - Freedom in Christ
- [29:53] - A Heart of Compassion
- [31:22] - Bringing Hope to Everyone
- [32:44] - The Cost of Greed
- [34:08] - Generosity and Stewardship
- [35:32] - Faith and Finances
- [38:08] - Trust and Faithfulness
- [39:30] - God's Investment in Us
- [40:51] - Faith of the Mind
- [42:24] - Faith in Action
- [43:40] - Venture Capitalists and Faith
- [44:59] - Personal Faith and Trust
- [46:23] - The Cost of a Life Without Generosity
- [47:53] - Navigating Financial Challenges
- [49:08] - A Story of Sacrificial Giving
- [51:00] - A Call to Commitment
- [51:38] - Marking the Moment
- [52:15] - Prayer and Blessing
- [01:03:34] - Closing and Gratitude

**Bible Study Discussion Guide**

**Bible Reading:**
1. Luke 21:1-4 (The Widow's Mite)
2. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (Paul's Adaptability for the Gospel)
3. Hebrews 11:1 (Faith Defined)

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**Observation Questions:**

1. In the story of the widow's mite, what does Jesus highlight about the widow's offering compared to others? How does this relate to the concept of generosity discussed in the sermon? [24:21]

2. How did the Apostle Paul adapt his approach to sharing the gospel with different groups of people, according to the sermon? What was his motivation for doing so? [28:34]

3. What does the author of Hebrews say about faith, and how does this definition challenge the way we often think about faith? [42:24]

4. How does the sermon describe the potential cost of a life without generosity, and what cultural attitudes might make greed difficult to identify? [46:23]

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**Interpretation Questions:**

1. What does the widow's mite teach about the nature of true generosity, and how might this challenge common perceptions of giving within the church? [24:21]

2. How does Paul's willingness to become "all things to all people" reflect a deeper understanding of freedom in Christ? What implications does this have for how believers should engage with their communities? [28:34]

3. The sermon mentions that faith requires action and trust in God. How does this align with the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1, and what might this look like in practical terms? [42:24]

4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that greed can hinder spiritual growth and impact? How can believers identify and address greed in their own lives? [46:23]

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**Application Questions:**

1. Reflect on a time when you gave sacrificially. How did it impact your faith and relationship with God? What might God be calling you to give or commit to now? [24:21]

2. Consider the people in your life who do not yet know Jesus. How can you adapt your approach to sharing the gospel with them, as Paul did, to make it more relevant and accessible? [28:34]

3. Think about an area in your life where you struggle to trust God fully. What steps can you take this week to act in faith, even when you don't have all the answers? [42:24]

4. Identify a specific instance where greed might be influencing your decisions or actions. How can you shift your focus towards generosity and stewardship in that area? [46:23]

5. The sermon challenges us to consider the cost of a life without generosity. What are some practical ways you can cultivate a generous spirit in your daily life? [46:23]

6. How can you participate in the "Hope for Everyone" initiative at Menlo Church, and what personal commitments are you willing to make to support this vision? [51:00]

7. Reflect on the role of faith in your decision-making process. How can you ensure that your faith is not just intellectual but also active and transformative in your life? [42:24]

Day 1: Generosity from the Heart
True generosity is not about the amount given but the intention and sacrifice behind it. The story of the widow's mite illustrates that God values the heart's posture over the size of the gift. This principle challenges us to give from a place of faith and trust, knowing that God sees and honors our intentions. In a world that often measures worth by material wealth, this perspective invites us to redefine generosity as an act of worship and gratitude. As we reflect on our own giving, we are encouraged to consider how our generosity can be a testament to our faith and commitment to God's work. [24:21]

"And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.'" (Mark 12:41-43, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a time when you gave sacrificially. How did it impact your faith and relationship with God? How can you cultivate a heart of generosity today?


Day 2: Freedom to Serve
The Apostle Paul's transformation from a persecutor to a leader in the church exemplifies the power of encountering Jesus. His life demonstrates that our freedom in Christ is not for self-indulgence but for serving others. Paul adapted his approach to reach different people, showing us that our lives should be adaptable to share the gospel effectively. This calls us to use our freedom to serve and love others, reflecting the heart of Jesus in all we do. As we embrace this freedom, we are reminded that true faith requires action and trust in God. [28:34]

"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law." (1 Corinthians 9:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you use your freedom in Christ to serve others this week? Identify one specific action you can take to demonstrate love and service to someone in your community.


Day 3: Faith in Action
Faith is not merely intellectual assent but requires action and trust in God. The author of Hebrews defines faith as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. This challenges us to step out in faith, even when we don't have all the answers, trusting that God will guide and provide. As we take steps of faith, we are reminded that God is with us, guiding us to bring hope to everyone we encounter. This assurance encourages us to live boldly, knowing that our faith is grounded in the promises of God. [42:24]

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." (Hebrews 11:1-3, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel God is calling you to step out in faith? How can you take a tangible step towards trusting Him in this area today?


Day 4: The Hidden Cost of Greed
While generosity is easy to spot, greed is often culturally acceptable and harder to identify. A life without generosity can cost us spiritual growth and hinder the impact we have on others. We are called to be stewards of all that God has given us, recognizing that everything belongs to Him and should be used for His mission. This perspective challenges us to examine our hearts and consider how we can live more generously, using our resources to further God's kingdom. As we reflect on our own lives, we are encouraged to identify areas where greed may be hindering our spiritual growth. [46:23]

"Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on an area of your life where you may be holding onto possessions or resources too tightly. How can you begin to release these to God and use them for His purposes?


Day 5: A Commitment to God's Mission
As we stand together on Commitment Weekend, we are reminded that faith requires action. This moment is an opportunity to commit to the mission God has placed before us, trusting that He will guide us to bring hope to everyone we encounter. Our commitment is a step of faith, reflecting our trust in God's plan for our lives and our community. As we move forward, we are encouraged to consider how we can actively participate in God's mission, using our unique gifts and talents to make a difference in the world. [51:00]

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble." (Proverbs 16:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific way you can commit to participating in God's mission this week? How can you use your gifts and talents to bring hope to those around you?

Well, here we go, Menlo Church. Here we go.

I wonder for you, what's the last event or milestone that made it difficult for you to feel hope? What made it difficult for you to sleep the night before? Maybe it was like a celebration, or it was a presentation, or a big test. The combination of butterflies and anticipation.

I don't know about you, but this has been months, really a year and a half in the making. I'm feeling a little bit of all of that this weekend as we celebrate Commitment Weekend together. If you are new or newer to Menlo, you have chosen a really special weekend to be with us. And I'm so glad that you have.

We are finishing a four-week series, and a year and a half later, a year and a half long process to prepare for what God is calling us to do as a community over the next 10 years. We believe that God is calling us to be a part of reaching 3% of the Bay Area with the good news of Jesus. That's 250,000 people to bring hope to everyone.

And the Hope for Everyone initiative represents a down payment on that vision over the next three years to help our campuses become hubs of hope in every community that we serve. So, if you aren't sure if Menlo is your church yet, I hope that you kind of watch today as people who love you enough to invest in you, maybe without even knowing your name, in all the places that we serve, that you'll watch those people commit to the next chapter of what God wants to do in us together and through us for the next group of people that God is calling to know him, not only here at Menlo, but all around the Bay Area.

And if you are a part of Menlo Church, maybe you're in Saratoga today, Mountain View, San Mateo, Menlo Park, or online, today is the day. It's the day that you get to respond to what God has been placing on your heart over these last few weeks or months. We have time in our service after the message during a song that hopefully we'll all take a step.

I've let you know early on, our goal is 100% participation for those that call Menlo Church home, and we will share it with you. We will share that moment in a special way across all of our campuses. If you need a commitment card or you have questions this weekend, you will find Hope for Everyone stations at every campus where you will find people ready to help and provide whatever you need as you prepare to commit.

Now, some of you, you have come in today and you have already sent in a commitment or responded online, and I would just encourage you to still participate in the moment at the end of the service, maybe just by writing your name on a card and submitting it, but as a way of marking this moment for all of us together to say, God, we are in.

Now, I also know that some of you, you have cards that aren't filled out yet that you brought in or you were handed, and you have a number maybe that God has placed on your heart to write down on that card, but it feels a little scary right now. So writing it down can feel like it makes it a little too real, and I totally get that too. Feel free to continue to pray and process as we prepare to commit later on in our services.

Now, before I finish our series with one final message, I'm gonna pray for us. And if you've never been here before or heard me speak, before I speak, I pray kneeling. And part of the reason that I do that is, on a day like today, I really do feel like we share holy ground, that together we are in a room where God is gonna do something in rooms all around the Bay Area, into homes all around the Bay Area to see the first ever recorded revival by God's grace over the next decade that could change the world. That's the significance I feel as we pray today.

So, would you pray with me?

God, thank you so much. Thank you that no matter what path brought us in here today, what unique journey got us to this point, that together now we are unified with you, that we have a chance to move from here to what you wanna do in and through your people here at Menlo and around the Bay. Would you use today, use this weekend to shape our hearts, that they might be reunited with your mission and your call for our lives for the future. It's in Jesus' name, amen.

So, as I was getting ready to preach our final message in this series, I was reviewing the notes that I received, emails, messages online, text messages from so many of you, expressing really this deep personal process and prayer that honestly, in some cases, like brought tears to my eyes over the course of this last week. To just hear how God has been moving in your life and, you know, for you, about what it looked like, I just feel like it showed me a little bit again of what makes Menlo so special of men and women that have really invested in this process and believe that hope is for everyone.

There are people who have been sitting on significant financial resources that they didn't know why and they weren't even really sure what they were gonna do with them necessarily, and God as a part of this has called some of them to give towards this initiative with those resources. There are people who have never given before, but they feel deeply called by God to let him into this part of their lives for the sake of bringing hope to people.

It can be easy to compare what we feel like we have to give or commit on a day like today with other people that feel like they have so much more. But Jesus, he shares a story that we call the widow's mite. And even though at the moment Jesus is observing people who give a lot very visibly, very publicly how much they were giving, they were measuring their generosity by what they had. And Jesus was making the point that he measured generosity by what they had left.

See, when the widow put in just a few cents after people were making a show of it, Jesus reflected and said, truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty. That's a pretty powerful picture of what it means to be generous.

Last week I heard a story of a mom who wanted to give but didn't have anything to give. And unprompted, her eight-year-old approached her with money that he had saved and asked if he could give it to the church so that we could help people with it as a part of hope for everyone. That is some incredible faith. Imagine what your life would have looked like if God had gotten a hold of your heart at eight with a heart of generosity like that.

Now when we realize what we have been given, it is such a powerful motivator to live our lives with the same kind of generosity that we have already received. We aren't the kind of church that's trying to twist God's arm or manipulate you into just getting something out of you or to getting something back from God. We are simply responding in worship to what he has already given.

Over the course of the next few weeks, or over the course of these few weeks together, we have been in a teaching from Jesus about God's heart for people. And last week we finished with the story of the prodigal sons and the way that both the older and younger sons had forgotten the role of grace in their pursuit of a relationship with their father. Sometimes we can forget the same thing.

This week I want to give you a tangible example of the older brother from last week who came to this relationship with God and said, I want to give you a tangible example of the older brother from last week who came to this relationship with God and said, I want to give you a tangible example of the older brother and what it did to the way that he approached life and ministry once he discovered who Jesus really was.

The apostle Paul, if you're unfamiliar, was a religious leader in the first century church who epitomized the attitude of the older brother. He had followed all the rules of Judaism his entire life. He was a part of a group called the Pharisees. And this early movement of Jesus followers actually represented what he perceived as a threat to the established way of life. And so of accessing God. And Paul was actually persecuting that early group of followers of Jesus.

Then one day, Paul came face to face with a risen Jesus after he had come back from the dead. And Paul went from being a persecutor of the early church to being a persecuted leader in the early church. He would go on to write more letters than anyone else in the entire New Testament.

We're going to look at a couple of places where he was writing to the church at Corinth, a church that really struggled to pursue Jesus in a culture that did not look anything like the way of Jesus. In one particular passage, Paul highlights the difference between discovering that he no longer had to follow hundreds of Jewish laws, and instead of using that as an excuse to live a selfish and reckless life, to do whatever he wanted, like he was criticizing the Corinthians for, he says this.

He says, "To the Jews, I became as a Jew in order to win Jews. To those under the law, I became as one under the law, though not being myself under the law, that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law, I became as one outside the law, not being outside the law of God, but under the law of Christ, that I might win those outside the law. To the weak, I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means, I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I might share with them in its blessings."

See, for Paul, after decades of watching his food get prepared, of adhering to a different calendar than everybody else, of strictly following the religious and cultural boundaries of the Sabbath, and his entire day following a rigid pattern of religious and cultural boundaries of the Sabbath, Paul was free. He didn't have to do any of that anymore. But instead of using that freedom for himself after persecuting the church, maybe just kind of disappearing in the background, because of the realization that Jesus did all of this on his behalf for him and for others, he committed his life to living a way that would contextualize the good news of Jesus for every person that he meets and interacts with.

Paul wasn't being fake. He was being faithful. He understood that this was an expression of appreciation for the work that God had done in him. It would have been so easy for Paul to simply fade into the background now that he wasn't on the hook for all those rules. But because he realized how much he had been forgiven, he also realized God's heart for everyone around him, including those he had just been attacking.

I've been asking people to join me in a few different things. I'm just praying as we prepare for this weekend and this season of ministry here at Menlo, specifically this week as we finish our time together. I've been asking some people who have led the way in their willingness to commit financially, as well as our elders and staff, to pray that God would give his church at Menlo a heart of compassion.

Look, it's really easy to forget about the people who aren't here yet, but God never forgets them. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Peter, he puts it this way. He says, "I wonder in your life, who are the people that you are so thankful for God's goodness, his kindness, and his patience toward?"

I have sat on the bedside of many people over the years as they breathe their last breath. And I've watched people who were resistant to God their entire life in the final moments of their life finally surrender to God. I've watched people where their life was headed in one path. I just had a conversation after the last service with somebody where this just happened with. They were on one path, very far from God, and then something happened, a catalytic moment that God grabbed a hold of their life and changed everything.

Who is that in your life? Because here's the thing, God could have brought all of these global systems to a halt. All the brokenness, all the problems, all the pain of our world could have all stopped ushering in the new heavens and the new earth. But he's waiting because he's patient. Because it's not just about the new heavens and the earth someday. It's that you would be about bringing a picture of that kingdom every day, today, that you could bring that hope to everyone.

Sometimes people that are concerned with culture, they'll ask me a question that sounds something like, "Hey, is this particular thing sinful? Or is this behavior sinful?" And I've heard it described this way, that most of the time, the things that we're pointing out or asking are probably sin. But there's this bigger problem, right? It would be a little bit like talking about leaky faucets on the Titanic. Like, yeah, the faucet is leaky, but if you spend all of your time trying to get the faucet leak to stop, you may have a leaky faucet that stops, but you will have drowned in the process.

That our culture more broadly needs hope that's so much bigger than any other culture. And I've heard it described this way, that most of the time, individual thing that we can get bent out of shape about. There's absolutely a problem. But if we focus on it, all of us will drown in every individual thing. We aren't called to get comfortable with the trappings of a cruise ship. We have infinite life preservers to get people off of the ship safely. But are we using them for others? Or are we just rationalizing why those people probably aren't interested in the life preservers?

Not just about the heaven or the hell they might go to, but the hell they're going through. The context that they find themselves today is a part of what it means for you and me to bring hope every day. Throughout the series, we've talked about the generations of men and women who have recognized and responded when it was their turn to step into the act of generosity for the sake of others at Menlo. And now it's our turn to respond with generosity.

At Menlo, we have a pattern of giving away 10% of whatever we receive financially towards missions. And this initiative that we're committing to this weekend actually gives away an even higher percentage than that. But I think that sometimes, while this is a really great habit, we forget something in the act of doing it.

See, sometimes we forget that God isn't just concerned with the 10% that we give away as a church or that you give away individually. He is concerned with how we manage all of it, because all of it is God's. We are managers. We are stewards of everything that God has given us. And while 10% of what we receive may go away to missions, 100% of what we have should go to the mission. And I think sometimes we put those things at odds, but they are the same pursuit, collectively and individually.

Paul understood this powerful idea, and that's why he wasn't just spending his life trying to direct people into this new calling, but he was trying to help others discover the joy of this kind of life for themselves. Second Corinthians is a letter that he wrote to that church in Corinth, and it contains some of the most potent teachings on generosity that we have in the entire Bible.

Paul is trying to get the church at Corinth ready to meet a group of Christians who are among the most generous in the entire Bible. And Paul says this to the church at Corinth as he gets them ready. He says, "The point is this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."

I want to say it one more time. We are not a prosperity church where we're trying to put God in our debt. We are not a scarcity church where we just avoid the conversation entirely. We are a clarity church. We want to clearly highlight the importance of our generosity that Jesus said, wherever your treasure is, that's where your heart really is. Some of us, we say, I love God, but our money doesn't, and your heart follows your money. And so if we want to move our heart, we move with generosity.

Now, we all have examples of how this works in our life. It's probably not too difficult for you to think of one. If you don't save a penny for retirement, and you don't save a penny for your future, you get ready to retire, and you're surprised that no money is coming towards you in retirement, you'll probably have friends that if they were to look at your financial plan would say, how would you ever have expected to have a return on an investment for an investment that you didn't make?

Paul, he uses agricultural language of sowing and reaping because it's the world that he was speaking to. But we have an eternal investment account. And for some of us, we are just hoping that someday in the future, we're going to have a return on an investment. This will make sense. We rationalize probably at some point in our life, when I made this much, when I had this much, when I was in this place, I would be a generous person. And if we're not careful, the goalpost just keeps moving.

All of a sudden, the expectation of when I would finally be generous, when I would finally take that step, it just never actually gets there. We're just hoping that everyone settles down. When our life is comfortable, then there'll still be time to follow Jesus with our finances. Now, don't get me wrong. We are saved by grace through faith, not as a result of our works. But when we choose to follow Jesus with our lives, we demonstrate a saving knowledge of the work that he has done for us. And following Jesus includes our finances.

We talked about it a couple weeks ago. I grew up hearing pastors that I really respected and cared about use this phrase, God loves a cheerful giver. I've even been in places where every time the offering is mentioned, everyone like cheers. They clap because God loves a cheerful giver. And I always thought, this is true.

And I always thought, this is true. It's weird. Like, feel a little forced to anybody, you know? Because we just took, we narrowed into that one English word, cheerful. And it does mean positive. It does mean joy-filled. But there's a deeper connotation when we look at the word that's originally used there in the original language. And it carries the idea of being ready, of like waiting at the starting blocks to give what God is calling us to give, to live for the opportunity of generosity that God has put in front of us.

And I hope that this process over the last few weeks and months has allowed us to step into that truth for our reality, that you feel like you're at the starting blocks. You have heard from God. You have a compassion for people who don't know him yet. And you are ready to say, we are in. I hope that's how you feel today.

Sometimes we tell ourselves that we would give financially if we simply had more money. But statistically, that's actually not true. Jesus, he puts it this way. He says, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much. And whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." You know this with your kids or with your grandkids. You know, you would never give like a stack of money to a toddler, right? You see what they do with what they have. They're not ready for it yet.

Some of you, you've been following Jesus for 30 years, but you're not a 30-year-old Christian. You're a one-year-old Christian 30 times. And this area of your pursuit of Jesus just has never grown. And God has growth that he wants to give you. And you're saying, God, would you open the door for this opportunity? Would you help me take this next step? Would you move the heart of that person in relation, that I'm in a relationship with? And God is going, I absolutely want to answer those prayers. Would you be faithful with what you have first?

Sometimes we're asking for more from God. And he's asking us to be faithful with what we already have first. Here's an uncomfortable question that I've been challenged with in this conversation. Maybe it's the question God wants you to ask in your life, not just today, but in general. Here's the question. If you were God, would you trust you with more?

I know, right? It's kind of a tough one. Because while we are asking God to bring more into our lives, we can easily justify our current decision plans. But if we were God, and like you saw the way you lived, you saw the way that you learned, you saw the way that you spent your time and your money, would you give you more?

See, here's the good news. God thinks that we are really good investments. Like, really good. And if you're like, well, what has he invested in us? The life of his son. But the way we respond to that investment reveals how much we really value and treasure that investment. By how much we are living for the kingdom that it represents. Not just someday in heaven with God, but bringing heaven here right now, today. The eternal kingdom that we will live with God in forever is not just a place we go, but it's a relationship we can know.

Can I share? Can I share one more thing that I love and feel a little bit of tension about as the pastor here at Menlo Church? I love that we have a rich and deep tradition with something called the faith of the mind. I absolutely love it. For some of you, this is why you're a part of Menlo. You grew up in a faith tradition where your brain seemed optional. As a matter of fact, maybe for some of you, your mind seemed like a threat to the system of faith that you were formed in. You, like, weren't allowed to ask that question. You weren't allowed to read that book. It all represented danger.

And I love the rich tradition that we are a part of and the deep and profound thinkers that have helped shape our faith into something that has been shared by some of the greatest minds in human history. I'm so thankful for that. More than that, we can have spirited conversations about difficult topics. We can engage in contemporary discussions involving politics, the origins of life, science more broadly, and the roots even of the scriptural texts that we study every week together. I love it.

I get better responses and questions and conversations from people that are just a part of Menlo Church, men and women that love Jesus, than I have had in most of my life with pastors. I love it. But there is a tension in this approach to our faith that I just want to highlight. The author of Hebrews wrote the most technically excellent and theologically dense book in the New Testament. And a capstone portion of the book is the definition of faith that the author provides.

The author defines faith this way. Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. The chapter goes on to describe people throughout human history that did this kind of faith and the incredible steps of faith they took even without knowing all the details first, like over and over and over again. Brilliant men and women that took steps of faith where they didn't have all the answers.

And I think that sometimes faith of the mind can morph into a framework where we are willing to believe something mentally once we can prove it. And I just want to make sure you know this. That's not actually faith. Believing something once we no longer need faith to believe it isn't faith. We can be intellectually rigorous and nuanced, but faith will always have gaps where we have to choose to believe something we cannot see. Where trust is required.

Now, throughout this process, I've had lots of different conversations with lots of different groups of people about what it is we believe God's calling us to do. And my favorite group of people who have asked amazing questions and made this so much better of what we've been able to share over these last few weeks together have been venture capitalists that call Menlo Church home. Like, it's an amazing group of people that I really never interacted with like this before.

And you have coffee and you're just like, I don't know, I don't know. And you're talking about their family and you're praying with them. And then all of a sudden we would start to talk about this. And I would like watch you turn into work mode, you know, like, all right, now we're in a pitch, you know. And it was really helpful, but there was always a gap at the end of the conversation because at the end of the day, there are things in our faith and as a part of the Hope for Everyone initiative that we just don't know.

Doors that will need God to open. And we're going to have to trust that he is asking us to extend this call, to reach people with the hope of heaven, even without all the answers or opportunities. If we're going to get permanent campuses, if we're going to partner with other local churches, if we're going to create a Bay Area network, if we're going to endear ourselves to the community, if we're going to change the temperature of the way that people think about Jesus and the church throughout our region, I'm just telling you, we don't have every one of those details figured out, even if we pretended to, there is faith involved.

Now, here's the problem. If we are faith of the mind, really become the facts of the mind. The author names the problem for us. And without faith, it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. If our faith is really our facts, we drift into a version of our pursuit of God that doesn't please him.

Our faith can stand up to scrutiny like nothing else. And it is the most historically consistent, scholarly verifiable generation of faith. And it is the most historically consistent, scholarly verifiable generation of faith. Preserved and culturally shaping faith of all time. But it still requires personal faith from each of us. A trust in God that requires a testing of us through our choice to actually follow. It's not enough to believe. Jesus says, even the demons believe and they tremble.

We actually have to do something with our faith. And God's reward for you seeking him, it isn't just like a get rich quick scheme. It is the abundant and true life that Jesus came to provide. And that he is still looking to see in your life today. For some of you, generosity and committing in moments like this, it represents the biggest step you will ever take in your spiritual life up to this moment. I know that. And I'm actually so excited for what God will do in your life and through your life as you take a step you've never taken.

Maybe you're considering the sacrifice that your commitment to pray, serve, and give represents in your life. And you're determining whether or not you're going to be able to do it. Whether or not you are ready to take that step, to pay that price. A question maybe that's rattling around in your mind might be, what will it cost me to be generous? And that is a totally reasonable question.

But the opposite of generosity isn't status quo. See, generosity is pretty easy to spot. You probably know some people in your life that are really generous. The opposite of generosity is more difficult to spot. And the Bible calls it greed. And it is culturally acceptable. So maybe the better question is, what will a life without generosity cost me? What will a life where greed is directing the steps of your generosity, of your financial stewardship, of the way you spend your time, of the way you invest in people, what will it cost you?

What doors do you hope God will open that will not open? What breakthroughs do you hope God will provide that he will not provide? What impact through your life do you hope he will bring that he's saying, I just want you to take this step with me first? Maybe an even better question could be, what has a life without generosity already cost me? Because it has.

Now, here's the thing. I know that messages like this can be easily misconstrued. I have gotten the emails. But I hope you know that if this wasn't the clear and direct vision that we felt like God was giving us as a community, I wouldn't be doing any of this. Messages like this aren't comfortable for me. People sometimes ask if I get nervous. Before I speak, and on some level I do, but messages like this one, I'm definitely feeling more queasy than usual between the anticipation of what I know God is going to do and the deep desire I have to not unintentionally push someone away from God because we're having a family meeting about the future, or because maybe somebody has had a bad experience with something like this in the past, and I desperately don't want this to be another one of those.

I get it. I understand the tension that's represented in it. Bless you. Years ago, I was navigating through something as a pastor that I had never navigated before at the church we were at before Menlo. And we had grown as a church by 25% in six months. We had seen hundreds of people get baptized in that time, and we saw just stories of life change everywhere. It was incredible. But our giving was significantly behind.

We were in a situation where we were preparing layoffs as a result and the kinds of decisions that you have to make as a church staff in the midst of a change like that. But before we implemented those difficult and painful decisions, I sent out a letter to ask our church to pray about giving a special gift to help bridge the financial gap and a commitment that we would live within our means no matter what the Lord provided.

I sent the letter out, and I just trusted that God was going to do what only He can do. Now, here's the thing. I don't hear all the stories as they're happening. I'm saying, would you just talk to God and ask him to respond? But there was a couple in our church that prayed what they should give and they had this sort of routine in their marriage where they would both pray and they would give the bigger number that God had revealed to them to give.

And she had this number in her head of $1,000. And as she prayed and she felt like the Lord said, add a zero. And that represented a huge investment for their family and sacrifice. And she said, God, I don't have that money to give. And she felt like the Lord said, yeah, you do. It's right there. It was her infertility fund.

I know. As a pastor, the reason that I want God and you to do this work is because in my humanity, in my flesh, if I knew that was happening, I'd be like, are you sure? That feels like a big deal. But I didn't even know. So she honored the number that she heard from the Lord and it represented a huge step of faith for their family.

After years of infertility, they took this step and while it would still take work and help today, I'm so thankful to tell you that they have three beautiful and healthy children. Now, I know that if they were here today, they would tell you that the choice to honor God with your finances will change your life. It'll change how you view God. It changed their life. It changed how they viewed God. And it was so worth it.

Maybe you came in today ready to make a safe choice about what your involvement looks like. But God has been trying to get your attention for weeks now about making a courageous choice. Not just a choice of our mind, but a choice of our faith. Remember, without faith, it is impossible to please God. And he is asking us to take a step of faith right now.

It's our turn to stand in the gap at Menlo Church for the men and women who are going to meet Jesus in this place for the kids and students who will discover God's love for them and for the communities that we serve to be blessed because we are in them for the long haul. We're not going anywhere.

In just a second, I'm going to pray for us. And then your campus pastor, wherever you are today, is going to walk you through the experience of coming to boxes around the rooms and campuses at the same time all across Menlo to drop off your commitment cards and to mark this moment, across all of our campuses together, that at Menlo, we would remember this day as the day that not only did we commit to pray, to serve, and to give, but we said, hope is for everyone.

Would you pray with me?

God, for some of us, there are names and faces flashing in front of us right now of people that we would literally give everything to know you. For some of us, God, that's family members, that's close friends, that's spouses. For some of us, that's neighbors, that's classmates, coworkers.

And God, if that's the case for us, would you just remind us of those faces, God, that the love we have for them, you have for all. And God, as we take this step towards you, as we mark this moment as a community, would you bless this in a way that only you can, for your good, for your glory, and to bring heaven to earth right here in the Bay Area. It's in Jesus' name. Amen.

He-oh. We got a five-year-old coming. Come here, buddy. It's okay. Come see me. I got you. Come here. There you go. Spider-Man is here.

Yeah. So I asked Alyssa to join me up here, that we might be able to just say thank you to you. And as we think about the last couple of years together and the opportunity that we've had really through this process to not just say, hey, Menlo is not just a place that we're on staff. Menlo is our church. You are our church, and we are in.

We have said, like, we are all in. And so hope for everyone. It's not something we're asking you to do. It's something we've prayerfully committed to as well as a part of this community, believing that the reason we packed up moving trucks and left Colorado and came here and believe for the future here was because of what we believe not buildings could do, but people empowered by God could do, you could do.

So thank you so much. We are so honored to serve you, to serve with you, and to serve alongside as we bring the hope of heaven to everywhere that we go.

So as we go, let me pray for us.

God, thank you so much. Thank you for the gifts that you give us in this life. And I think about the biggest gifts you give us are people. And so I just thank you for the people who call Menlo Church home, for the way, God, that they love and serve you, the way that, God, they have loved and served our family.

And God, by your grace, many, many years to come, that that would be the case where your impact through this place and these people would grow even more, not just through us, God, but in us. Thank you that you do. Thank you that you tell us that hope is for everyone. Help us to embody that today, that you, the source of all life and hope, would manifest yourself through us to benefit everyone and everywhere we go. It's in Jesus' name, amen.

God bless Menlo Church.

1) "We believe that God is calling us to be a part of reaching 3% of the Bay Area with the good news of Jesus. That's 250,000 people to bring hope to everyone. And the Hope for Everyone initiative represents a down payment on that vision over the next three years to help our campuses become hubs of hope in every community that we serve. So, if you aren't sure if Menlo is your church yet, I hope that you kind of watch today as people who love you enough to invest in you, maybe without even knowing your name, in all the places that we serve, that you'll watch those people commit to the next chapter of what God wants to do in us together and through us for the next group of people that God is calling to know him, not only here at Menlo, but all around the Bay Area." [19:17] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "It can be easy to compare what we feel like we have to give or commit on a day like today with other people that feel like they have so much more. But Jesus, he shares a story that we call the widow's might. And even though at the moment Jesus is observing people who give a lot very visibly, very publicly how much they were giving, they were measuring their generosity by what they had. And Jesus was making the point that he measured generosity by what they had left. See, when the widow put in just a few cents after people were making a show of it, Jesus reflected and said, truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty. That's a pretty powerful picture of what it means to be generous." [24:21] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "Now when we realize what we have been given, it is such a powerful motivator to live our lives with the same kind of generosity that we have already received. We aren't the kind of church that's trying to twist God's arm or manipulate you into just getting something out of you or to getting something back from God. We are simply responding in worship to what he has already given. Over the course of the next few weeks, or over the course of these few weeks together, we have been in a teaching from Jesus about God's heart for people." [25:46] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "Paul wasn't being fake. He was being faithful. He understood that this was an expression of appreciation for the work that God had done in him. It would have been so easy for Paul to simply fade into the background now that he wasn't on the hook for all those rules. But because he realized how much he had been forgiven, he also realized God's heart for everyone around him, including those he had just been attacking." [28:34] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "Look, it's really easy to forget about the people who aren't here yet, but God never forgets them. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Peter, he puts it this way. He says, I wonder in your life, who are the people that you are so thankful for God's goodness, his kindness, and his patience toward? I have sat on the bedside of many people over the years as they breathe their last breath. And I've watched people who were resistant to God their entire life in the final moments of their life finally surrender to God. I've watched people where their life was headed in one path. I just had a conversation after the last service with somebody where this just happened with. They were on one path, very far from God, and then something happened, a catalytic moment that God grabbed a hold of their life and changed everything." [31:22] (63 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "We aren't called to get comfortable with the trappings of a cruise ship. We have infinite life preservers to get people off of the ship safely. But are we using them for others? Or are we just rationalizing why those people probably aren't interested in the life preservers? Not just about the heaven or the hell they might go to, but the hell they're going through. The context that they find themselves today is a part of what it means for you and me to bring hope every day." [32:44] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "We are managers. We are stewards of everything that God has given us. And while 10% of what we receive may go away to missions, 100% of what we have should go to the mission. And I think sometimes we put those things at odds, but they are the same pursuit, collectively and individually. Paul understood this powerful idea, and that's why he wasn't just spending his life trying to direct people into this new calling, but he was trying to help others discover the joy of this kind of life for themselves." [34:08] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8) "Sometimes we tell ourselves that we would give financially if we simply had more money. But statistically, that's actually not true. Jesus, he puts it this way. He says, whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much. And whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. You know this with your kids or with your grandkids. You know, you would never give like a stack of money to a toddler, right? You see what they do with what they have. They're not ready for it yet." [38:08] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9) "If you were God, would you trust you with more? I know, right? It's kind of a tough one. Because while we are asking God to bring more into our lives, we can easily justify our current decision plans. But if we were God, and like you saw the way you lived, you saw the way that you learned, you saw the way that you spent your time and your money, would you give you more? See, here's the good news. God thinks that we are really good investments. Like, really good. And if you're like, well, what has he invested in us? The life of his son. But the way we respond to that investment reveals how much we really value and treasure that investment. By how much we are living for the kingdom that it represents. Not just someday in heaven with God, but bringing heaven here right now, today." [39:30] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


10) "Faith of the mind can morph into a framework where we are willing to believe something mentally once we can prove it. And I just want to make sure you know this. That's not actually faith. Believing something once we no longer need faith to believe it isn't faith. We can be intellectually rigorous and nuanced, but faith will always have gaps where we have to choose to believe something we cannot see. Where trust is required." [42:24] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)