The countdown the Launch Finale Celebration is drawing near, anticipation is building, and we are PUMPED for this coming weekend at Keystone Church.  This weekend, we will conclude our Launch journey with a big celebration, and I want you to know that we are praying for you as you prepare to finish strong and bring your best gift.

I love it when we journey together as a spiritual family to do the impossible.  And with everyone going ALL IN, the impossible inches closer to becoming reality.  As we each tap into the sacrificial pocket of giving, we are setting the stage for God to do amazing things in and through our church.

Check out this brief synopsis of the 3 pockets of giving that we see modeled throughout the pages of the bible…

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT GIVING?

In the early days of Keystone Church, I was most tense and uptight when I taught giving. I was petrified that our unchurched friends would brand me a ‘money-grubbin preacher’ and never give Jesus a chance. Yet, the more I dove into what God taught on money the bolder I became.

Now, I love talking about obeying God with our money.

As I have studied Scripture, I am struck by 3 types of giving:

The FIRST… and the 10

POCKET #1: FAITHFUL GIVING:
Often known as the tithe, this type of giving is RETURNING to God a FIRST PORTION of our income. The Old Testament refers to the 10%… In the New Testament, Jesus is quick to affirm the tithe, not as a means to get to God but as a good obedience en route to weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23-24). For more examples, check out Genesis 14:17-20; 28:20-22; Deuteronomy 26; Leviticus 27:30-33; 1 Corinthians 16. For a stern warning against violating this simple teaching, see Malachi 3:8-10.

The FIRST… and THEN

POCKET #2: GENEROUS GIVING:
Generosity is a thread woven throughout the Bible. We must manage our money in such a way that we are able to be generous at all times. The direct application back then was mainly directed to slaves, foreigners, widows and orphans. In our case, we must always have room to help a family member in need, a single mom, a friend who has lost their job, etc. This also includes spontaneous offerings for children in need or other great opportunities. Some samples of generosity: Deuteronomy 15:13ff; 24:19; James 1:27.

The FIRST… and the WIN

POCKET #3: SACRIFICIAL GIVING
At Keystone, we believe with all our hearts that it is God’s design for every believer to either be preparing for, participating in, or recovering from a sacrificial gift. It is in our spiritual DNA to give until it hurts. These are the types of gifts you can’t just budget… once you give it, you have to financially recover from it! For example, in the New Testament you see Barnabas sell a portion of his land as a sacrificial gift… that’s a gift you can’t replenish! That is a true sacrifice. God does not desire his children to WHINE about financial projects… if your church is constantly raising big sums of money, it means there’s a big vision driving it! That’s a GREAT CHURCH. We’re LAUNCHING a 2-year journey of sacrificial giving next weekend and WE’RE PUMPED! See Mark 10:21; Luke 19; Acts 2:42-46; 4:32; 11:29-30; Romans 15:26-27; 1 Chronicles 29:3.

It is crucial to be healthy in all three areas of giving… it’s how you’re designed! It moves you closer & closer to your God-given potential! Those Keystoners I know who give out of all three pockets are VERY, VERY happy people… they have sacrificed boats, ranch houses, new cars, and high-def plasmas to see God’s mission spread… that’s living on THE EDGE!!!

2 years ago we began a spiritual journey at Keystone Church.  We named it LAUNCH.

I love it when we journey together as a spiritual family to do the impossible.  I remember well the stress and uncertainty two years ago as we saw our campus limitations.  It was easy to imagine turning people away.

Usually, a journey like this will include a very specific vision: build a building, buy some land, or start an additional location. We didn’t have a clear direction in any of these options.

Instead, God wanted us to strengthen our faith by funding the VISION itself!  Our vision is to lead everyone to experience a passionate life in Christ.

I preached through every element of that vision and we all committed to bring over $1 million over and above our normal giving.

In just 2 weeks, we will complete this journey of faith.  We are almost 80% there!

More importantly, it’s been SO ENCOURAGING to SCOREBOARD the results:

November 5/6 we will finish this awesome journey. How we finish LAUNCH will impact how we begin the next great Keystone chapter.

Don’t miss it!  It’s going to be A-MAZING!

If you missed it… I posted HOW YOU SAVED EASTER, Part 1.  You HAVE to read it!

I want to follow up and share another way YOU SAVED EASTER this year.

You will never know the prayer and sacrifice that is invested in each weekend.  Especially a special weekend like Easter takes it to another level.

• The hours of TIME invested.
• The extra CREATIVE EFFORT required for the best ideas to bloom.
• The investment of ENERGY INVITING your friends, family, and acquaintances.

But I want to highlight one other area you might not have considered…

YOUR MONEY INVESTMENT

Keystone Church did not just give its time, energy, and reputation to pull off a historic day of life change.  The people of Keystone Church gave THEIR MONEY.

That’s RIGHT.  I said it.  I am SO PROUD to partner with a church that PUTS ITS MONEY WHERE ITS MOUTH IS.

Hundreds of people are giving to Keystone in 3 ways.

• FAITHFULLY
• GENEROUSLY
• SACRIFICIALLY

I posted an article regarding these “3 Pockets of Giving” not long ago… check it out here.

You saved Easter by giving to the LAUNCH journey.

• The TROLLEY facilitated our parking across the street, making it a fun experience for the kids.
• The REV ROOM & TINY CAMPERS rooms were CRUCIAL in our ability to handle the crowds of little kids and provide a memorable experience with God
• The OVERFLOW was ESSENTIAL in handling the crowds in our auditorium.  We were ready because we had invested in the sound & technology for our lobby.

These are just a few OBVIOUS areas of impact.  Your LAUNCH GIVING has literally EXPANDED our opportunity to ‘lead everyone to experience life change!’

What does it cost to be the biggest church in the world?  This is a question I asked myself recently.  After giving it some thought, I believe it’s one of the most penetrating questions a pastor can ask.

First of all, I believe a growing church is God’s way!  I’m shocked when church people seem offended by growth.  Are we offended by the book of Acts?  They not only grew, but were intent on counting the growth!  (See Acts 2:41)

Furthermore, I am encouraged by the fastest growing churches in America.  I have seen prominent public speakers snarl at fast growing churches.  While they frown, I believe God smiles at the life change and impact of these great churches.  Each explosive-growth pastor I have met were incredibly humble, driven, focused, and gracious.  In my experience, these pastors practice what they preach.  I am eager to discover what God wants me to learn from these men!

Yet, my question remains… What does it cost to be the biggest church in the world?

• Hard work?
• Tough decisions?
• Courageous staffing?
• Willingness to fail?
• Determination to break down growth lids?
• Being misunderstood by other christians?  Even leaders?

I believe I would pay any and all of these prices. (Easier said than done!  I’m sure there are many more costs associated with growth.)

But, what if the price was…

• Growing your church mainly by taking believers from other churches?
• Ignoring the first ministry of your home?
• A loss of biblical conviction?
• Playing politics with immature believers at the expense of the mission of the church?

These prices I do not believe I would not pay.

In order to grow, there is a price to be paid.  The question: What would you be prepared to pay?

I’ve heard it said, “If you live like no one else, you can live like no one else!”  I like to adjust it a bit…

If you live like no one else, you can LIVE & GIVE like no one else!

Often, our answer to any financial dream or need is this: MAKE MORE ‘MULA$$$!  At Keystone, we have found that the most people could immediately give THEMSELVES a raise by cutting expenses.

I want to share ONE WAY we cut our expenses in the Thomas house… BINS!  The word sends shivers down Susan’s spine.  Like a dragon that awakens 2-3 times each year, we embark on a major project and ‘recycle’ our kids’ clothes.

With four growing kids, it is an especially effective way to create money margin!

It’s a MAJOR PROJECT, but we are able to reallocate those resources toward:

• LIVING: We have several goals that have been reached because of sacrifices like this.
• GIVING: When it comes to our generous & sacrificial giving (above our 10% tithe), making margin in ways like this unlock generosity!

What are some other ways you have created margin in order to LIVE & GIVE supernaturally?