Because of You

Because of You

Scripture References

• Romans 9
• Matthew 25

Overview

Pastor Craig and several team members dedicated the entire service to thank the church family and to remind everyone, “you matter more than you realize.” Repeating the refrain “because of you,” they traced how God is using the church’s worship, giving, serving, and prayers to spark life-change—from a formerly homeless addict in Austin, to inmates finding Christ behind bars, to a suicidal teenager discovering purpose, and to hundreds of millions engaging Scripture through the YouVersion Bible App. The gathering ended with a fresh invitation to step into serving and with many people surrendering their lives to Jesus.

Context

This was a special gratitude weekend across all Life.Church locations and online. Instead of a typical sermon, multiple pastors shared real-time testimonies that illustrate the impact of the church’s generosity and faithfulness.

Main Points

> Because of you

• Pastor Craig opened with Paul’s words to the Thessalonians about the joy that comes from believers who “remain strong in your faith.”
• Refrain repeated throughout the service: “Because of you…”—highlighting that every story shared is the fruit of the congregation’s obedience.

You matter more than you realize

• Your presence in worship, your prayers, your giving, and every invitation you extend are significant.
• Even in a world full of trouble, a faithful church brings encouragement and “new life” to others.

Curtis’ story: from near death to new life

• Story: Pastor Josh (Life.Church Austin) recounted meeting Curtis—born with fetal alcohol syndrome, raised in neglect, jailed for armed robbery, and later trapped in 17 years of drug addiction.
  • At 100 lbs and ready to die, Curtis cried out, “God, if You save me, I’ll give You everything.”
  • A Mobile Loaves & Fishes food truck (local mission partner) fed him and connected him to help.
  • Curtis surrendered to Jesus, celebrated one year of sobriety on the very day Life.Church Austin opened its doors, joined the host team, and became a Switch small-group leader.
  • He was the first person baptized in the new Austin building—by his brother Kevin, a Life.Church Derby youth pastor whose story mirrors his own.

• “What are the odds?” moments underscored God’s orchestration and the church’s role through generosity.

God’s Word: everyone, everywhere, every day

• Life.Church stewards the YouVersion Bible App—the largest Bible engagement tool in history.
  • Live map displayed constant global openings of the app.
  • Last 12 months: 130 million new installs; on track for 1 billion by late next year.
• Vision statement (spoken together): “We have a vision to get God’s Word to everyone, everywhere, every day.”

• Story – Sydney: Adopted from a Nepali orphanage, Sydney struggled with identity until Romans 9 spoke directly to her: “her who is not called beloved I will call beloved.” God used the free Bible app to affirm her new name and life in Christ.

Ted’s story: hope behind bars

• Story: Pastor Britain (Life.Church Online & LifeKids) read Ted’s letter.
  • Abandoned by parents, Ted spiraled into crime and has served 20+ years.
  • In utter despair he found a Life.Church message on a secure prison tablet titled “Does God still love me?”
  • Ted accepted Christ, wrote, “Thank you for saving my life,” and longs to be part of the Life.Church family.

• Through the God Behind Bars partnership:
  • Life.Church messages stream to over 500,000 secure devices.
  • 2,750 inmates have given their lives to Jesus this year.
  • 100+ volunteers correspond with inmates for 16-month letter cycles.

Irrational generosity & mission partners

• Life.Church supports 158 local mission partners by sending “financial resources and human resources.”
• Motto repeated together: “We will lead the way with irrational generosity because we truly believe it’s more blessed to give than to receive.”

Open Network: resourcing other churches

• Story – Pastor Jeff (Restore Church, Yankton SD):
  • Exhausted church planter found the Life.Church Open Network banner “Don’t let sermon prep steal your ministry.”
  • Free sermons, kids videos, and blueprints helped the church grow from 80 to a record 470 people.
  • Over 1 million pastors and leaders worldwide now use these resources.

Kate’s story: rescued from despair

• Story: Pastor Heather (Lenexa) received anonymous letters from a student who felt worthless and planned suicide.
  • Staff matched handwriting, prayed, and discovered “student” was Kate.
  • The church became her safe place; she served in multiple ministries and found a mentor.
  • On a Sunday morning Kate raised her hand to accept Christ, was later baptized, and now encourages other students—three years self-harm free.
  • Kate stood on stage and declared:

    “Because of you I am alive—physically, spiritually, and eternally.”

Invitation to step into the mission

• Pastor Craig asked anyone not yet serving, giving, or praying to raise a hand and commit: “I want to be even more faithful.”
• Reminder: “We don’t just go to church; we are the church, and we exist for the world.”

Call to salvation

• Clear gospel presented: Jesus, the sinless Son of God, died and rose again so anyone can be saved.
• Many raised hands and prayed aloud:

  “Heavenly Father, forgive all of my sins… I surrender to Jesus… Fill me with Your Spirit… My life is not my own; I give it all to You.”

Key Truths

• God uses ordinary faithfulness to accomplish extraordinary life-change.
• Every act of generosity echoes in real people’s stories of redemption.
• Scripture remains God’s primary tool for identity, freedom, and hope.
• The church is called to lead with “irrational generosity,” partnering rather than competing.
• No one is beyond the reach of Christ—whether homeless, incarcerated, or suicidal.

Response

• Recognize that you matter; believe God can work through you.
• Step into a serving role—host team, LifeKids, Switch, missions, or prison correspondence.
• Give consistently and sacrificially to fuel local and global outreach.
• Pray daily for mission partners, inmates, church plants, and Bible-app users.
• Invite someone far from God to church this week.
• Share the YouVersion Bible App and help someone start engaging Scripture.

Closing

The service closed with loud celebration over 45,473 people who have said yes to Jesus this year. Pastor Craig reminded the congregation that every number represents a name, every name a story, and every story matters to God. One last refrain summed it up:

“Because of you, people all over the world are thanking God.”

Prayer

The congregation prayed a corporate salvation prayer, asking God for forgiveness, surrendering to Jesus as Lord, and requesting the Holy Spirit’s power to know, serve, and share Him.

Resources

• YouVersion Bible App
• Mobile Loaves & Fishes (Austin, TX)
• God Behind Bars
• Life.Church Open Network (free ministry resources)
• Life.Church Mission Partners – 158 local organizations worldwide