3 Mindsets for a Better Year

Three Mindsets for a Better Year

Scripture References

Primary text

• Acts 2

Other references

• Acts 4:33
• James 1
• James 2
• James 3
• Isaiah 54:10

Overview

Reading Acts 2 convinced the pastor that Jesus envisioned a church far bolder, freer, and more sacrificial than the cautious religion he had grown up with. Twenty-seven years ago Life.Church began to chase that vision, and today’s message lays out three mindset shifts the whole congregation must embrace to keep living it. An Acts-shaped church is (1) intensely devoted to Jesus, (2) irrationally generous, and (3) unapologetically evangelistic. When those priorities govern a people, God adds to their number daily.

Context

• The pastor’s “problem” began when the Bible’s depiction of Jesus—touching lepers, befriending outcasts, loving enemies—clashed with the safe routine he saw in church.
• In 1996 he and a handful of friends launched Life.Church in a two-car garage with the single mission: “to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.”
• Twenty-seven years later the same mission drives every decision, tool, and expansion.

Main Points

1. An intensely devoted church

• Acts 2: “They devoted themselves…”—the Greek prosekartereo means a constant, relentless pursuit.
• Everyone already “devotes” themselves to something (kids, career, hobbies, shoes, pickleball, Taylor Swift tickets). Followers of Jesus redirect that devotion to Him.
• Story: Jerome, a former drug dealer with part of a finger missing, met Christ in the garage church. He attended every service, served anywhere needed, memorized James 1, then James 2 and 3, and has now memorized 57 books of the Bible, adopted three children, leads mission trips, and has personally led well over a thousand people to Christ.
• Challenge: one simple act of devotion can redirect an entire life.

2. An irrationally generous church

• Early believers sold possessions so “there were no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:33).
• First weekend offering: people were invited to take money out if they had a need—modeling Acts-style generosity.
• Decision to give all church resources away when debt was highest birthed Open Network: 20 million free resources to 620 000 churches worldwide.
• Result: today 44 Life.Church locations exist with zero mortgage debt.
• Principle: “You cannot out-give God.”

• “We will lead the way with irrational generosity because we truly believe it’s more blessed to give than to receive.”

3. A church that unapologetically shares Jesus

• In the garage’s first service seven of forty people surrendered to Christ—one for every day of the week. Since then, far more than seven respond every week.
• Life.Church will “do anything short of sin” to reach people nobody else is reaching: online church, free resources, YouVersion Bible App.
• Illustration: Dia from Bangalore, India, found Isaiah 54:10 through the Bible App’s “Emotions” feature while overwhelmed at a mall. Repeating that verse kept her alive.
• Vision: translate Scripture into every language and eradicate Bible poverty in this generation.
• Rally cry: > “We are faith-filled, big-thinking, bet-the-farm risk-takers. We will never insult God with small thinking or safe living.”

Key Truths

• The church flourishes when its people pursue Jesus with relentless, obstinate devotion.
• Radical generosity eliminates need, opens doors for ministry, and invites God’s provision.
• Sharing the gospel daily is normal Christianity; God still “adds to their number” when we speak up.
• One person’s transformed life (like Jerome’s or Dia’s) validates every sacrifice.
• We are not spiritual consumers; we are spiritual contributors—we are the church.

Response

• Redirect one area of daily devotion (time, talent, or treasure) toward Jesus.
• Begin or deepen a habit of Scripture reading—start today.
• Join a serve team or life group and use your gift for the body.
• Practice the tithe or another stretch-step in giving.
• Pray daily for God to save people and for boldness to share the gospel.

Closing

The pastor invited everyone to move from comfortable attendance to active identity: “Don’t just go to church—be the church.” Hands raised across the rooms and online as people committed to deeper devotion and others surrendered to Christ for the first time. The message ended with a declaration that as long as even one person remains unreached, the mission continues—because Jesus promised, and still promises, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

Prayer

The congregation thanked God that Jesus builds His church, asked for the Holy Spirit’s power to live devoted, generous, gospel-sharing lives, and interceded for every new believer to grow strong in faith.

Resources

• YouVersion Bible App
• Open Network (open.life.church)