God Used This Question to Change History

“One Small Step, One Billion Opens”

Scripture References

Primary text

• Ephesians 3:20-21

Other references

• James 2:22
• Romans 11:36
• Ephesians 2

Overview

A $25 domain purchase in an airport security line became YouVersion’s first step of faith. Seventeen-and-a-half years later the Bible has been opened in the app one billion times—and the pace is accelerating. Bobby Gruenewald traced the journey from that first idea through obstacles, a culture of radical generosity, and today’s global momentum. Dia’s story then showed why every “open” matters: one verse on her phone saved her life. Pastor Craig closed by calling everyone to take their own next step of faith and, if needed, to receive Christ today.

Context

The church gathered to celebrate the milestone of one billion Bible App installs/opens. The service mixed story-telling, testimony, Scripture, and a live salvation invitation.

Main Points

1. A single question in an airport

• Bobby felt like a “below-average Bible reader” and wondered: could technology help?
• Story: In O’Hare’s TSA line (Oct 27 2006) he named the idea “YouVersion” and bought the domain for $25.
• July 10 2008: the Bible App launched with Apple’s first App Store—83,000 installs the opening weekend.
• “We thank God that He isn’t limited by our imagination.”

2. God meets faith with faithfulness

• Early obstacle: needing licenses from Bible publishers—no contacts, no budget.
• Story: A blog post announcing a site that did not yet exist triggered a chain: Rob Hoskins → Mark Green → CEO introductions.
• Most publishers said the Christian “no” (“We’ll pray about it”), but one yes was enough to launch.
• James 2:22—faith becomes complete when paired with action.

3. Generosity is the engine

• January 2006 decision: Life.Church would give every ministry resource away free—sermons, graphics, curriculum.
• The church was financially tight, yet acted as stewards, not owners.

“We believe it’s all His.”

• That posture positioned the church to steward YouVersion.
• Romans 11:36 affirms everything is “from Him, through Him, and for Him.”

4. Momentum beyond the milestone

• Original projection: reach one billion in 2027; reality—November 2025.
• Now one billion opens occur every 39 days (≈299 per second).
• Vision: second billion in five years, third billion three years after that.
• Signs of openness: 80 % of Gen Z receptive to the Bible; campus revivals; print Bible sales rising.
• The celebration is “a billion ones.”

5. Dia’s “one”

• Story: Raised a skeptic, diagnosed with severe depression in India, felt suicidal.
• Using the Bible App’s emotion search (“overwhelmed”) she found Isaiah 54:10 (she read it, reference not cited).
• Verse became her lifeline; sermons from Life.Church streamed while she lay unable to sit up.
• Today she stands joyful, baptized this week.

“One verse for one person changed everything.”

6. Your next step of faith

• Pastor Craig: “You have no idea what God may do through one step.”
• Possible steps: share your faith, ask for healing, start a LifeGroup, give generously.
• Corporate prayer: hands raised for bold action.
• Salvation invitation followed; many responded, praying aloud for new life in Christ.
• Offering moment: every dollar given toward YouVersion this weekend will be matched (up to $1 million) to seed the next billion.

Key Truths

• God can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21).
• Faith is incomplete until it takes action.
• Radical generosity unlocks kingdom impact far beyond earthly ROI.
• Every statistic hides a person; one verse can rescue one life.
• When God entrusts resources, we are stewards, not owners.

Response

• Take one concrete step of faith this week—act on what you believe.
• Offer your resources with open hands; practice irrational generosity.
• Share a Bible verse with someone who feels overwhelmed.
• Pray daily for Gen Z and the global momentum around Scripture.
• Consider giving toward the next billion opens through YouVersion.

Closing

The first billion Bible opens prove God’s Word is alive and His power exceeds our imagination. Yet the celebration is really about “a billion ones”—lives like Dia’s transformed by a single encounter with Scripture. Pastor Craig urged every believer to act: pray, give, speak, invite, dream.

“You have no idea what God may do through one step of faith.”

Prayer

The congregation prayed together, thanking God for salvation and asking for boldness to take action, concluding with a unified surrender: “My life is not my own—I give it all to You, in Jesus’ name.”

Resources

• YouVersion Bible App