Because of You - Life.Church

Because of You: Digital Missions, Generosity, and Lives Changed

Scripture References

• 1 Thessalonians 3
• Acts 17:26
• Ephesians 3:20-21

Overview

“Because of you” runs through the whole talk: because of the church’s prayers, service, and giving, the gospel is spreading worldwide through digital tools, new campuses, and radical generosity. Pastor Craig celebrates the impact, then Pastor Bobby shows how Life.Church’s digital missions—Church Online, open-handed resources, and the YouVersion Bible App—are reaching millions. The message ends with a call to deeper generosity and a clear invitation to follow Christ.

Main Points

1. Standing Firm Bears Fruit Far Beyond Our City

• Paul’s concern in 1 Thessalonians 3: would the new believers keep following Jesus after he was forced out?
• News of their faith gave him “great joy … because of you.”
• Craig echoes that joy: volunteers in LifeKids, Switch, Host Team, LifeGroups, and faithful tithers are changing lives around the world.

“Because of you, we have great joy.”

2. We Live in a Once-in-History Moment

• Bobby: more people alive than ever and technology can “knit this population together like never before.”
• Acts 17:26—God marked out our appointed time in history; therefore this technology window is intentional and missional responsibility, not coincidence.

3. Church Online: By All Possible Means

• Launched in 2006 to “gather people together to have church” on the internet when it was still controversial.
• Features: live video, group chat, private prayer, global volunteers.
• Thousands of churches now run their own online campuses because Life.Church blazed the trail.

• Story: A woman from India (Hindu background) found Church Online via Google, met Jesus, now volunteers to pray for others.
• Story: Ted in Philadelphia streams the service for his men’s group; the online tool “does the heavy lifting” so they can focus on relationships.

“We will do anything short of sin to reach people who don’t know Christ.”

4. Open-Handed Resources Equip the Capital-C Church

• Ten-year practice: every Life.Church resource is shared free.
• Bible App for Kids weekend curriculum—downloaded over 7 million times by churches in every nation.

• Story: Tiffany, part-time children’s pastor in Jacksonville, FL, discovered the curriculum, saw kids become excited about salvation, baptism, Bible reading, and even start tithing; their offerings now go back to Life.Church kids ministry.
• Story: A UK pastor used free sermon series while his small church was declining; the material rallied their people toward outward mission and growth.

• Core belief: “We can do infinitely more together than we can apart.”

5. YouVersion: Immeasurably More Than We Asked or Imagined

• First released July 2008 with the App Store launch; 83,000 installs opening weekend.
• This week passed 200 million installs across smartphones and tablets.
• Snapshot of an average second in the app:
  • 1 new install
  • 106 opens
  • 191 chapter changes
  • 53 audio starts
  • 19 highlights, 3 bookmarks, 4 verse shares, etc.

• Story: Scott from Toronto—pastor’s kid turned addict—downloaded the Bible App, began a reading plan, encountered Jesus in the Psalms, and experienced radical transformation.

• Ephesians 3:20-21 frames the phenomenon: God is doing “immeasurably more.”

6. Irrational Generosity Fuels Everything

• Campus development updates: Wichita moving into a debt-free facility next month; ground-breaking soon in Overland Park, KS, and Albany, NY; six additional projects in the pipeline—all cash-funded.
• Craig thanks consistent tithers and invites everyone else to start.
• End-of-year offering challenge: pray and obey; no pressure campaigns, only surrendered generosity.

7. Prayer and Invitation

• Corporate prayer: God, make us “even more generous, even more effective.”
• Salvation call: because God “gave” His Son, we respond by surrendering to Jesus. Many raise hands or click “I commit my life to Christ,” then pray a guided prayer of repentance and new life.

Key Truths

• God intentionally placed us in this technological era to reach a record-size population with the gospel.
• The church must leverage “all possible means,” refusing to let method barriers keep people from Jesus.
• Open-handed generosity multiplies impact far beyond one congregation.
• Engaging Scripture daily changes lives; tools like YouVersion are modern avenues for that engagement.
• Financial faithfulness (tithe, offerings) is both worship to God and fuel for mission expansion.

Response

• Recognize your moment in history and steward technology to share Jesus.
• Serve consistently in LifeKids, Switch, Host Team, LifeGroups, or other ministries.
• Begin tithing—or, if already tithing, pray about an above-and-beyond year-end gift.
• Volunteer or invite friends to Church Online; consider hosting a watch group.
• Download the Bible App (or Kids App) and start a reading plan; share it with others.
• Pray daily that God would use your time, talent, and treasure “to reach people no one is reaching.”

Closing

Craig ended by celebrating what happens “every second of every day” through digital missions and challenging the church to keep giving, serving, and believing for more. Hands were raised across campuses and online as people offered themselves and their resources to God, and many responded to the gospel for the first time.

“Because of you, lives are being impacted all over the world—and this is only the beginning.”

Prayer

A guided congregational prayer thanked God for every gift, asked for greater generosity, and invited new believers to receive forgiveness, be filled with the Spirit, and follow Jesus for the rest of their lives.