You Can Make a Difference

Because of You

Overview

Pastor Craig spent the entire message saying a heartfelt “thank you.” Twenty-eight years after Life.Church began with 40 people in a garage, he walked the church through story after story that proves one thing: because of you—your prayers, serving, giving, and inviting—God is changing lives locally and around the world. Testimonies from three campus pastors, a Zambian church-planter, and a Bible-app coordinator painted a vivid picture of lives rescued, families rebuilt, and nations reached. The morning ended with a fresh call to serve even more boldly and an invitation for people to surrender to Jesus.

Context

• Anniversary week: 28 years since the first Life.Church gathering.
• Central refrain introduced from Paul’s words to the Thessalonians and echoed all morning:

“How we thank God for you… because of you we have great joy.”

Main Points

Ongoing Gratitude & the Jerome + Shanena LifeGroup

• Life started with 40 people; today a single LifeGroup led by Jerome (former drug dealer, now software engineer who has memorized 58 Bible chapters) and Shanena hosts 85 people from seven nations.
• Group composition: engineers, architect, veterinarian, lawyer, accountants, two former prostitutes (one baptized, one taking steps toward freedom), ex-gang members, former strippers, men just released from prison, and people who were once homeless.
  Illustration: Pastor Craig joked that at this group you can get free from addiction, design your house, spay your pet, and finish your taxes.
• Point: Life.Church is a place where “everyone is welcome, everyone is needed, and everyone can be changed.”

Springfield, MO — Steve’s Story (Pastor Brian Franco)

• Steve cared for his wife Kristen (lifelong muscular dystrophy) and expected to stay online only.
• After Kristen died in 2021, Steve plunged into in-person worship, serving, and a LifeGroup; rediscovered his identity: “I am Steven, a follower of Jesus.”
• 361 days later he was diagnosed with stage-4 melanoma yet testified on his 62nd birthday:

“I’ve learned that God is enough.”

• Host-team friends drive him to treatments; LifeGroup is his life support.
• Brian: “When you give, serve, and invite, you create space for people like Steve to find that God is enough.”

Mustang, OK — Alex’s Story (Pastor Zane Rowlen)

• Alex became pregnant six months after high-school graduation, felt shame, and left her lifelong church.
• First visit to Life.Church South Tulsa: Pastor Tommy greeted her—simple words she heard as God saying, “I see you. I love you.”
• Worship song lyric “Your love never fails” washed away fear and shame.
• She and husband Derek were baptized in 2020; now take their kids to LifeKids where volunteers know their names.
• Zane thanked every volunteer: “Your simple, ordinary actions create extraordinary, eternal impact.”

Global Reach — YouVersion & Church Resources

• Vision: “God’s word to everyone, everywhere, every day.”
• YouVersion now on 700 million devices and climbing toward one billion—always free because a free Gideon Bible led Pastor Craig to Christ.
• Mastin, Zambia: treks by boat and on foot through crocodile-infested waters to bring audio Bibles to remote villages; app + speaker lets people hear Scripture in their own tongue.
• Dani Núñez, Oaxaca → Oklahoma: Earthquake relief led her pastor-father to plant a church. Life.Church Open Network supplied every sermon, kids curriculum, and small-group resource—“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in ministry anymore.”
• Message: your generosity lifts crushing weight off leaders and puts reliable, gospel-centered tools in their hands.

Fresh Call for 2024

• Life.Church is “big enough to impact the world and small enough to care for the one.”
• Pastor Craig rejected the label “megachurch”: “We will never stop lifting up the name of Jesus.”
• Report: more than 43,000 people said yes to Jesus this year—each one a story that matters to God.
• Raised hands across the room signified willingness to pray more, serve more, give more, and invite more.

Salvation Invitation

• Clear gospel: Jesus, the sinless Son of God, died and rose so anyone can be forgiven.
• Many responded, typing online or raising hands in-person to surrender to Christ.

Key Truths

• Gratitude itself is gospel ministry: saying “thank you” reminds the church why it exists.
• Ordinary acts of service become extraordinary when empowered by the Holy Spirit.
• The local church, functioning as family, is still God’s primary vehicle for hope in suffering.
• Irrational generosity—resources given with no strings attached—opens doors no strategy can force.
• One person’s decision to volunteer, give, or greet can alter the trajectory of generations.

Response

• Step into a serving role—host team, LifeKids, Switch, Ops, worship, or a home LifeGroup.
• Give financially with irrational generosity, believing God multiplies every dollar.
• Pray bold prayers for healing, provision, restoration, and salvation this year.
• Invite someone who feels far from God to experience church and the grace of Jesus.
• Use YouVersion daily and share it so “everyone, everywhere, every day” can access God’s word.

Closing

Pastor Craig reminded the congregation that the mission is far from finished—there is always “one more” in need of hope. He challenged everyone to let the Holy Spirit draw out “more in us” for the coming year and celebrated every hand raised for salvation:

“My life is no longer my own—I give it all to You.”

The service closed with loud praise for 43,000 salvations and the countless stories still to be written—because of you.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me for all of my sins.
I step into Your grace, Your love, Your forgiveness through Jesus.
Jesus, save me, change me, fill me with Your Spirit so I could know You.
My life is no longer my own; I give it all to You—my past, my present, and my future.
Thank You for new life; You have all of mine. In Jesus’ name, Amen.