"Blood and Thunder" with Levi Lusko - Week 2

Ride the Lightning

Scripture References

Primary text

• Luke 2
• Matthew 2

Other references

• Leviticus 12:8
• 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

Overview

Revival requires both heaven’s power and our practical obedience. Pastor Levi calls this living like a “snake bird”: surrendered as a dove yet shrewd and active like a serpent. Generosity is one of the clearest ways to raise a lightning rod for God’s power—offering our “blood” (sacrifice) and then watching Him send the “thunder” (supernatural supply). By tracing two post-Christmas scenes—Mary and Joseph’s humble offering of two turtledoves and the magi’s extravagant chests of gold—Levi shows how every believer can ride the lightning of God’s provision when we give beyond convenience.

Context

• Week 2 of the “Blood & Thunder” series on the recipe for revival.
• Key metaphor introduced: harmless as doves + cunning as serpents = “snake bird” living (Matthew phrasing referenced by speaker, no citation).
• Aim of the message: call Life.Church to an above-and-beyond offering that funds further campus launches and digital outreach.

Main Points

Contribution and Capacity

• God never asks for what we do not have; He measures our gift against our capacity.
• Mary and Joseph could not afford the required lamb, so they brought “a pair of turtledoves” (Luke 2).
• Illustration: Two balloons—one small but stretched to bursting, one large barely filled—demonstrated that sacrifice, not size, is what impresses heaven.
• Even the smallest financial seed matters when it represents real stretch.

Sacrifice and Supply

• Their turtledoves cost them, yet they still honored God; that sacrifice set the stage for heaven’s supply.
• Not long after, magi arrived with gold, frankincense, and myrrh—provision that funded the family’s escape to Egypt (Matthew 2).
• 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 promises that God “supplies seed to the sower” and enriches us so we can be generous on every occasion.
• We cannot coerce God’s lightning, but generosity makes our lives conducive to it.

“You’ve got to worship like it’s all up to Him and work like it’s all up to you—you’ve got to be a snake bird.”

Price and Privilege

• Reaching people is costly—buildings, technology, staffing—but the privilege of seeing souls saved outweighs every expense.
• Over 300,000 people have trusted Christ through Life.Church; each salvation is worth any price.
• Refusing to give “robs” God—not of money He lacks, but of the chance to bless us and use us (Malachi referenced without chapter).
• The wise men’s generosity literally preserved Jesus’ life; today our giving decides where Jesus will be preached next.

Call to Generous Action

• Expect obstacles (broken appliances, unexpected bills) right before you give; push through—faith should make your hand tremble.
• First step for some is simply to begin tithing; others are called to sacrificial, over-and-above offerings.
• When we release the “blood,” God releases the “thunder,” and we get to ride the lightning of His provision.

Key Truths

• God measures gifts by stretch, not size.
• Sacrifice precedes supernatural supply.
• Generosity places a lightning rod for revival in our lives.
• We can’t out-give God; He enriches us so we can give again.
• The privilege of funding the gospel always exceeds the price we pay.

Response

• Examine your finances and identify a stretch amount to give above your tithe.
• Begin tithing faithfully if you have never started.
• Prepare for spiritual resistance and determine to follow through.
• Pray for every dollar you give to translate into changed lives.
• Celebrate each story of salvation as “credit to your account.”

Closing

Levi reminded the church that someone else’s sacrifice paid for the seat we now enjoy; it is our turn to fund the seat for someone still far from God. As Mary and Joseph’s small gift triggered a wave of provision, our obedience will unleash heaven’s thunder for others.

“If the wise men paid for Jesus to go to Egypt, where will your generosity allow Jesus to go?”

Prayer

“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner.
I can’t fix myself.
I ask You to come into my heart, give me new life, save me from my sins, and fill me with Your Spirit.
Thank You for new life; I give You mine.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Resources

• Books by Levi Lusko: “Through the Eyes of a Lion,” “Swipe Right.”
• Levi Lusko reading plans on the YouVersion Bible App.