Believe Big and Multiply

Welcome Summit search all of our campuses is going to be an awesome weekend this weekend.

There are certain moments that define us and shape the trajectory of our lives. I want my favorite scenes from the movie national treasure, which stars the greatest actor of our generation, a man who is truly our national treasure Nicholas Cage cages character Benjamin Gates thinks into this bigwig party celebrating the Declaration of Independence and I he gets called on randomly in the party to make a toast and without skipping a beat. He raises his glass and he says to high treason. That's what these men were committing when they signed this Declaration of Independence had we lost the war, which seemed likely at the time they would have been paying beheaded, drawn and quartered, and oh my personal favorite would've had their entrails cut out and burned.

So here's to the man who did what was considered wrong in order to accomplish what they knew to be right yet. It's kind of staggering to think about the magnitude of that moment.

Historically, to think about the difference that our country would've taken the course if they had faltered. Encourager. You wonder what if they had taken the safe route our history as a nation would've turned out very differently would also be driving on the left side of the road we be stop every four aft at 4 PM for tea in the afternoon. That moment was a defining moment for us as a nation almost 14 years ago this church had a defining moment, it was a Sunday night January 27, 2002.

There were about 300 of us that gathered together from this church and we commented that together we were to do two things. One, we were going to prioritize the reaching of people far from God and our community. Even if it meant sacrificing a lot of what we preferred in a church and a lot of what felt comfortable to ask. And then secondly we were going to follow the Holy Spirit wherever he led the church no matter what it cost us personally. It was a defining decision for our church that has led to now over 9000 of us gathered here this weekend in nine different campuses across the triangle together with 115 churches that we planted in the last six years.

Around the world are gathered this weekend whose attendance collectively is greater than the 9000 that we have gathered here in the triangle. Why share all that today because I believe today, this weekend is good to be another defining moment for many of you as individuals as well as for us as a church. Another defining moment that we will look back on as something that shaped and reshaped the future for us. Many of you today are going to commit to reorder your life according to God's priorities and that is so incredibly exciting it is to be a defining moment for your family that you look back on your life today is going to find her future as a church is to take us into new unprecedented opportunities for ministry and what we do today is to change the shape of the triangle for decades to come.

Those of you who will look at this church is your church or how you being drawn into the ministries of the church are to be asked to fill out this card that we talked about for the last several weeks on this card is where we are going to commit ourselves to this defining moment, I am really excited about how I'm just how momentous this all is. If you are our guest today. You picked an awesome day to come and about you serious about that because you get to hear today what we are all about is a church and you get a front row seat to listen to what we were. We believe God is taking us and I'm really glad for that. I certainly don't want you to feel like you were under any kind of obligation to us. But one day we'd love for you to join up with us not only what we believe but in what we are about in the mission. We are pursuing. And maybe this weekend. If your guest will begin that journey for you. So I really am glad that you're here even though I know this applies to you in different ways. It applies to people who consider this their church, it is an exciting opportunity for you to come to get a glimpse of where who we are and were going to get your Bible this weekend and invite you to take it out and open it to Genesis chapter 18 Genesis chapter 18. During our final week of the study on the life of Abraham. Abraham, the man who whose life God multiplied for eternal significance. Let me catch you up in Genesis 18 on the story that is taking place because it is incredibly important in how we understand our lives. Genesis 18 will start in verse 16. Here's the fast-track version of the story.

There are three mysterious men that have shown up in Genesis 18 who have come to talk to Abraham. They have two purposes for their visit one they want to announce to Sarah, Abraham's wife that she's nine years old.

I want to tell her that she's pregnant surprised to they intend to destroy two very wicked cities. Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah are notorious not only for their moral lasciviousness, but also for their cruelty and their oppression of the poor to these three mysterious men meet with Abraham and Sarah and they announced to her, her pregnancy, which is the happy part of their journey.

Task number one is completed and now they turn themselves the task number two which is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Verse 16 where will begin. The men set out from there they look down toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to set them on their way and then the Lord said verse 17, so I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do now real quick. Who are these mysterious men. We know that at least one of them is God himself, because he speaks in the first-person voice of God. We assume that the other two are angels. The one that is God himself says.

Should we really hide what were about to be from Abraham verse 18 Abraham Shirley to become a great and powerful nation and all the nations on the earth will be keyword blessed through him because I've chosen him, so that the Lord can bring about for Abraham what he has promised them, which is to use him as a blessing so they tell Abraham what they are going to do. Verse 22 and then the men turned away. The two men went toward Sodom.

But Abraham remained standing before the third man the Lord not if you remember a lot who is Abraham's nephew lives in Sodom with his family and so we assume that Abraham is now thinking about Lot and his extended family, and not wanting then to be destroyed in the destruction of Sodom. That's why he's still there in front of God rights within Abraham. Verse 23 approaches the Lord that word approach in Hebrew. By the way, is a very technical word that means approaching the bench like you are approaching the bench in a court of law. In other words, Abraham is about to go to court with God. And here's what Abraham says will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked, God, what if there were 50 righteous people in the city. Would you sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous far be it from you to do such a thing to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the white righteous and the wicked alike.

Far be it from you when the judge of all the earth the right melanoma sound a little less gutsy right that's presumptuous.

Would you agree like it's better verse 26 the Lord said okay if I find right 50 righteous people in the city of Sodom. I'll spare the whole place for their sake, for the sake of those 50 verse 27 and Abraham spoke again now that I've been so bold as to speak to the Lord with the member. The righteous is five less than 50 more of it's only 45. Surely God you will not destroy the whole city for lack of five surely the difference between destruction salvation is not just five people. Abraham is haggling with God when you would haggle over the price of bananas at a street fair in Mexico City.

God plays along about 545 berries that I will not destroy it. Once again he spoke to him what one of our finally 40 there is ever the sake of 40.

I won't do it when he said okay. May not the Lord be angry. I realize I'm pushing it one of only 30 can be found there there there to give you that is a moneymaker.

Together they did it get you out here this heat ease-auctioneer he answered all mold autobahn 30 there. Abraham said now that I've been so bold as a speaker, the Lord, one of only 20 can be found there is over the second 20 I will destroy it is a one-man novelty angry, but let me suggest one more time one of only 10 can be found there answer for the sake of 10, I will not destroy it.

Verse 33, when the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham.

He left and Abraham returned home, your weight know what happened, why did he stop at 10.

I find two intriguing passage through intriguing questions in this passage that will unlock for you not only the meaning of this passage, but also its incredible application to mine in your life. Here is questionable one. Why is Abraham praying for the city. In the first place. I used to think he was just doing it for the sake of his nephew Lot. He didn't want Lot and his family to be destroyed. So is in God's care. Sodom's a lot doesn't get destroyed. But think about it.

Abraham could've just asked for that directly they could disown him said he got it, you know, I know you want to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and hourly like them either. Once you give me some time to get lot out first then you compel those disgusting Canaanites with heavenly road tar get rid of them on the earth for good. That would be much easier and honestly would've made more sense because not only were the people of Sodom and Gomorrah really wicked. They had been especially unkind to Abraham. Personally, if you remember they were the ones who attacked Abraham in Genesis 13, they were the ones we did not lot. These are bad people. They have been very unkind to Abraham. So it would make sense of the be excited about God's justice. Coming on the but instead of asking for that Abraham stands before God and ask for mercy.

The whole city and even put himself at risk in doing so matters that we keep saying God, please don't be mad. He knows he's pushing it with God.

He knows he's putting himself on the line for people that it may cruelty him. It would almost be something like the families of the victims in the Paris tragedy, praying for God to withhold judgment and pour out blessing and mercy on the families of the Isys killers. Why is Abraham doing this. Why is he doing this because evidently Abraham understood that God had chosen him to be a channel of blessing and mercy to the nations, and the reason that God is revealing to him, his plans is because God wanted him to ask for mercy on their behalf to see their verse 18, where God says I've chosen Abraham. Why so that all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through him and other courts is so important. Abraham knows that God shared the plan with him so that he could ask for them to be blessed instead of destroyed, and in that moment Abraham rose above his feelings of injustice and his feelings of hurt and he rose up to fulfill his divine destiny you sale but they been unkind Abraham and they did not deserve that blessing or Abraham's mercy and you are correct, but Abraham understood that he had been unkind to God and he did not deserve God's blessing either.

But God bless them anyway. Even though he had failed God. Time and time and time and time again as wicked as the people sought more to him. He was more wicked than God to now the God showed him mercy just makes sense that he asked for a similar mercy to be shown to Sodom and Gomorrah.

I think it makes sense. It doesn't make sense unless you see yourself as a recipient of great grace.

But when you do see yourself as the recipient of unfathomable grace and showing grace and forgiveness and generosity to those around you becomes an instinct that you want to know why it is that Christians develop this insane ability to forgive is not because they're great people. It's because they are overwhelmed with the forgiveness and the grace of God is shown toward them. Abraham prays for these people because he sees himself as the recipient of great and unfathomable grace fairly smoothly through the second question why does he stop at 10. What he saw. The negotiations attend as far as negotiations go, Abraham seems to have been on a roll is God's got God down from 50 righteous to tan so I stopped there any negotiator nosily since an opening when you see weakness when there's blood in the water. You press as far as you can go until you come to the lowest price if you got a friend who is getting ready to sell his two-year-old Mercedes-Benz. You know it's worth $50,000, and one I casually get over coffee or like, I'll give you $10,000 for your friend says. I would love to give it to you for $10,000 then you should be will since you're so enthusiastic about the end of the 2000 why don't I give you five in it.

They say I would be nothing that would give me more joy than to give you my car for $5000, then you should save about $1000 and if they say that just thrills my soul to give it to your $4000 used to say, why don't you pay me to take the car off your hands that's that's intuitive for the negotiators. Why doesn't Abraham do that. Why does any haggle God down to the one righteous person.

Evidently he recognized that there was not even one righteous in the city or one righteous enough to have the city spared on that ones behalf, so he just leaves off negotiations and Sodom is destroyed thousand 10 because he knows it. No matter how low he goes you the guy down the one there would not be one righteous has a personal favor to Abraham. God warned Abraham's nephew Lot 1st so that he and his family could get out with and he poured out fire and brimstone on Sodom to gussy what you see this story leaves the question that only the New Testament will answer. Is there no one righteous enough.

Who can plead on behalf of the wicked earth and stay the wrath of God on his behalf because of his righteousness when I was a missionary to Muslims.

I am once a year. Many Muslims take what they call Baha'is which is their pilgrimage to Mecca and AC in international always you show you the highlights of it and everything. It's almost like a sporting event, all I had seen in international at the house I lived in so all the guys that I knew would come over much sporting events and light we need to watch the house together so we popcorn wings and we watch the heart and so I there.

There's this one moment Baha'is is like the climatic moment where a million Muslims are in that temple square and there circling this big black rock called the Cobb and the combine big black square rock you probably seen it circled like a pinwheel getting closer and closer to it, hoping to touch it and I so I asked my friends about what's going on right here, they say, well, they're all right now is there circling this black brother all asking God for forgiveness of their sins and they say these are a million of the best Muslims in the world because of the ones who you care enough to take the highs we figured that out of the million best Muslims in the world all praying simultaneously for forgiveness of sins that there's got to be at least one in that million who is righteous enough that God will hear their prayer for forgiveness and on that ones behalf will forgive all the sins of all the Muslims on the high and I said I think I know the guy that you're looking for except the one circling a black rocker blog will black rock in the desert behind and across 2000 years ago, not just asking God for forgiveness but purchasing forgiveness with his blood, you see 750 years before Jesus came to the earth. The prophet Isaiah foretold in great detail the horrors of the Messiah was going to go through on the cross and Isaiah presents his the cross. He concludes his presentation of the cross with these words at the end of Isaiah 53 that are important to me. The whole passage because everything through 11.

God will see the suffering of his soul and be satisfied. In other words, Jesus righteousness was so great in his sacrifice so immensely satisfying to the father that on Jesus's behalf. Even the most wicked of sinners could ask for forgiveness for their sins and God would give it to them and so we who have been forgiven can ask in Jesus name for him to extend his mercy to even the most wicked of sinners, and God the father will be disposed to hear it because he is so satisfied. The one righteous who not only stood in the place of the wicked, but actually suffered and died in the place of the wicked.

Here's what that means for us. Here's what that means for us for our lives. You and I have been placed in a nearly identical situation to Abraham nearly identical. Here is number one. Each of us is been placed into a community to pray and sacrifice on its behalf. God put you into that family was his sovereign choice he put you into that community. He put you in that dorm room. He put you in that classroom. He put you in that unmet hospital staff. He put you in that workplace so that you could ask for blessing and mercy for them. You say, but there wicked but the hardhearted they don't want to elicit.

Yes, neither did Sodom. God. Abraham knew that. That's why God had put in there. So we asked for mercy.

We know that there hardhearted, but we also know the sovereign God placed us there so that we could pray and sacrifice for them. That was his intent to have been thinking a lot recently about acts 1726 of verse that the apostle Paul is explaining some things to the people there. I'm at the Mars Hill in Athens on Paul explains exiting 26 that God is predetermined. Listen to this. The allotted periods and the boundaries of people dwelling places so that they might learn to seek God. In other words, your divorce God sovereignly arranges were certain people live so that they might seek him, my neighbors, my neighbors think they just moved here to get a job with sass, but I know that God brought them down here to the triangle and move them into my neighborhood because he wanted them to hear about Jesus. He was seeking.

They may not know that I knew that that's what I 70 26,000 innovators this week is the first week come the Summit search.

Now you know okay do you see your neighbors that way. Do you see even your own children. That way, that God put you in their family as a way of saying I plan to use you to extend my blessing to mercy to them and are you praying for them to that in. I even think this when I sit down next to somebody on a plane of all the people that I could've set down next to God had me sit next to you.

God must be seeking you since he determined beforehand are allotted periods in the boundaries of our dwelling which certainly includes the sea that occupied the blame.

That usually is not my opening line to them when we sit down, but I do think it's true God placed you in that family that community that airplanes see the parade given sacrifice on their behalf cemeteries.

This is why God placed us in this community. It is our divine destiny. He put us here to bless the triangle and to ask God for Jesus sake to extend mercy to waive our placement here is proof that God wants to extend mercy and blessing to the peoples of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and everywhere in between.

You see, that means Summit search that we owe to the triangle and we owe to these unreached people groups our labors in our faith and our sacrifices on their behalf is not that they deserve it any more than Sodom deserved Abraham's grace and his blessing. If not, they were obligated to the peoples around us. Personally, it's that we owe it to Jesus. You see, Romans 114 Paul describes his life this way. He says I am a debtor to all those people who've never heard about Jesus that were debtor means in Greek is what it means in English means you owe somebody something, I would always they wanted Paul over to them. He never even met most of this people.

How do you owe a bunch of stuff to people you never even met with because there's two ways to be a Debtor Way, #1 was called the traditional way is when you know I borrow money from you and so I owe you on your on your debt.

But there's another way that you can become a debtor and that is I say that you are broken you were starting and you are hopeless and some rich generous person says you know what I meant to give you enough money that it will take care of you throughout the rest of your life. In fact, he would take care of you in 10 lifetimes.

My only requirement you'll pay me back you can't pay me back only requirement is that when you find somebody that is similarly destitute similarly starving you share some of what I've given to you with them. At that point you owe those people there starving people, not because you owe them personally, but because you owe your benefactor just a couple days ago I was eating breakfast the restaurant with my wife and some friends and and and I go pay the bill them and the waitress says a lot, you know, I'm sorry how your bills were even taking care of what he means you say yes somebody pay I was like who is he, he, she said I can't tell you they told me denies like that. They just leave us all the looking rod just enough like time ran out the door just to see what and other guys going and ability for people to bark a lot like that guy was generous and salt until method did you pay for my any kind that you tried any assorted chemical moiety is a gas and pay for your fellow man enough to do that. It wouldn't just be my family was in France a limit on that little me pay you back is no man because I know you are and I just wanted to bless you. I said no and I insisted he said look, is that if you piggyback just next time you see somebody in your restaurant to go to church or we just pay for them. That'll be the way that you pay me back up.

Which means, by the way, if suddenly, randomly, your bill gets paid for and I'm in the restaurant. It's not because I love you. Okay, it's time to pay just to think I see there's a way that you owe a debt to somebody else because of somebody else's generosity to you and that's what Paul is talking about with the gospel. Paul knows there was no reason that God chose him for the blessing of the gospel is not like Paul was more worthy than other centers. When Mike Paulson was not that bad to God chose him. Paul said there really was no reason about me.

The God choose me and what that means is that I now under obligation of people who have never heard the gospel. You understand that you and I are under similar obligation. Do you think it was something about you that may God choose you for the blessing of the gospel you think you look at, she was at owe that one special yes she's got real potential persons not that bad. She's just a little confused so I'm going to share the gospel with her know that is not why God chose you for grace.

God did not choose you because of something special about you he chose you.

Just because. And because of that, because it comes with an obligation where you say I am going to consider myself under obligation every person in my life and in the world who has not heard about Jesus. Here's how my friend David Platt who now leads the international mission board always says it every say person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every unsaved person this side of L every say person decided heaven owes the gospel to every unsaved person. The Cytomel me tell you, your life will look different when you are a debtor we Summit search because were under obligation to the triangle because we are under obligation to unreached cities in unreached people groups in the world our lives and our ministries have to look different. I told you throughout this series. The question is no longer how much do I have to give. That's not a question that somebody that considers themselves under obligation would ask when you're under obligation. The question you start to ask is, what am I'm not giving and why am I not giving I'm under obligation never to South African pastor say the other day. He wore a blue capacitor, the mission statements in their church. The goal is to be the most creative, the witty, the plenteous, here's our mission statement of mine runs all orders awful to the same letter to Scott South African pastor. The large church there said our mission statement. Our church as well every unsaved person goes to hell. He said that's pretty much the sum of our mission. What more needs to be said is not creative but it is the substance of why we do what we do. So you and I've been placed in a place we've been given grace were we been given blessing and God's purpose in doing that was for us to extend and the people around us. Which leads us number two. We can pray and give expectantly because of the worthy sacrifice of Jesus. We can pray and give more expectantly than Abraham because of the worthy sacrifice of Jesus. Unlike Abraham, we know that there is one counted righteous enough to spare the city and no matter how wicked the city is on his behalf. We can plead for God to extend mercy to the city. We know that there is one righteous and there's only one name we can bring up and it's a name that is so fully sufficient that we bring it up before God. God is disposed to give mercy. That's what the father says to the sun. In Psalm 28 ask of me just ask and I will give you the nations as your inheritance. I am so satisfied with the suffering of your soul.

You could ask for the ends of the earth, and I would give it to you as your possession. That is a promise that was given to Jesus. It is a promise that he handed to us.

That is a promise you to memorize and you ought to pray back to God. I'm going to ask Hyman ask not for Rich's noggin asked for earthly kingdoms. Hyman asked for the nations of the world because I want them to be my inheritance because Jesus purchased them with his blood and he is worthy to receive their worship in their praise so much earth you realize the potential to God's place in our hands. We have one so worthy of that on his behalf. God will extend mercy to our neighbors into our city. I am not discouraged when I look into the future.

You know why I because I know that God has a promise to fulfill that when I was a missionary over is a mentor with miles and I would get so discouraged sometimes because it's in my people just want to listen in their hearts, and so confused and harden and ice to walk outside at night and I will look up into the sky, the stars and I would remind myself that those are the same start that Abraham looked at several thousand years ago when God made a promise and signified it to Abraham to their stars. Some of their stars represented the Muslim people that I was working among how Mike assures the stars were shining is the surety that God is going to keep his promise and fulfill his word, which is why I have such confidence looking into the future.

A lot of Christians really talk, especially in our day as if they're just so discouraged. We lost the culture it's getting so bad if you watched your good TV lately words get more close to mission one day can be illegal for us to be a Christian in all the schools are so bad and I'm like A Jesus is got a promise to fulfill. And I can promise you that Jesus did not die so a group of scared Christians could cloister together and hang on until the rapture.

I know that he didn't die so we could get in here and play church and sing sentimental love songs to each other about Jesus.

He died so that we can go boldly in his name until every people group in every place on the planet has a thriving gospel witness in his name.

That's why die. He died to the people in your college campus will go from atheist to missionary.

He died so that your professors would come to faith in Christ, and we don't presume upon God by asking them too much. We insult Jesus by asking too little.

That is a verse that is guided our church for the last few years and I'll share with you again because I thought it so important and what were about to do here. Amos chapter 5, verse four is confusing. I wanted to be a second.

I'll explain it thus says the Lord of the house of Israel do not see Bethel do not, in the Guild down.

Do not cross over to Beersheba seek the Lord and live night and that's good. Now you're without me. Okay Bethel Gill gal and Beersheba are three random cities to you there, not three random cities Jewish people. Bethel was a place where God appeared to Jake with the latter deal. It was a place that haven't touched earth Gill gal that was the place for the children of Israel emerged out of the wilderness after wandering for 40 years, and God renew the covenant to them and were removed the reproach with the Jordan River and not down. Jericho was a sign that he was serious Beersheba. If you are paying attention and you get extra credit in this course you will notice that Beersheba was a place where God gave Abraham the covenant through Abimelech for the promised land.

So were talking three huge places where heaven touched earth and it was signs that God had done something powerful which is awesome right.

Oh it's good until you do with the Jewish people and Amos as they had done which is they love to sit around and talk about the good old days with Gill gal and Beersheba and the other place of Bethel and I do this all would have been nice would've been like the been there with Jake and had that drink imagine what was like a Gill gal will miss all the Jordan River split and we talked mentor was awesome. Dear Sheba and God in heaven is sitting there doing would you shut up about Gill gal I'm not a God who just work yesterday.

I'm a God who needs to work in your generation and tomorrow and quit talking like I'm a God that worked in the past and not in the present and the future.

You see I wonder what the Holy Spirit of God would think about us the way that you and I often talk all we love don't we love talk about the good old days O press is not Gill gal Beersheba Bethel it's the great awakening Oya or the Reformation or even the days of the early church and Peter and Paul, Martin Luther and Jonathan Edwards and Billy Graham for God in heaven is able to shove about Billy Graham now like Billy Graham. I use Billy Graham Martin Luther and usage often important ever to name one more time, upon somebody in the mouth. Peter and Paul yeah they were okay were there were there. I didn't just work yesterday I went to work in your generation because your sons and daughters need to be saving so to their friends. The greatest works of God. All are ahead of us, not behind us. You know, I know that I uprooted 6400 unreached people groups still exist in the world without a witness to Jesus name 6400 families. The greatest works of God has to be in front of us because we need to see a movement of God that not only saves her sons and daughters that it transforms the world. So I repeat do you some inserts God put you and me in this church here at this time for this purpose, to reach people far from God to raise up leaders in the multiply all over the world with the gospel. We need to ask and dream big. Because Jesus's sacrifice for world demands that we do. Like I told you to pray and dream big is not presumption on God to not pray and dream big is an insult to the sacrifice of Jesus to the plans and the dreams and the prayers of this church to the sacrifices of this church measure up to the worthiness of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ you'll get this God even invites us to hideaway them to plead Jesus is perfect merits at the bench of his throne of grace, to put down before him that one name that God cannot turn down any says just ask.

Just ask of me and I'll give you the nations as your inheritance summit church.

What we are doing in the season matters. It matters because by believing God. We literally change the eternities of people in this community and we change the destinies of nations around the world. I want you to think about that.

That's not grandiose that's not rhetoric that's not ambitious what we're doing is going to change eternities because that's what Jesus died to do and when we ask in his name were simply living out the destiny that God has purpose for us because Abraham followed the because he followed and obeyed. You and I are sitting here who can appoint to you one day and say because they followed I'm now in the kingdom of God because Abraham trusted God because he prioritize God. You and I are here because he laid his Isaac on the altar.

You and I get to sit here and enjoy the blessings of the gospel can appoint to you one day and say because they believe that because they surrendered because they prioritize God. I'm here because Abraham believed God for impossible things you and I sit here in this church listening to the blessings of Abraham that he been extended to us.

Who is going to point to you and say because they believe God for impossible things. I am sitting here in the kingdom of God which leads us to this card.

This card is an expression of our offering ourselves to God like Abraham with one part of our life, but it represents us offering our whole selves to God to be multiplied.

Jim weeks one, two and three in the series I gave you something to fill out that had to do with engagement and serving the community or volunteered in the church are getting a small group or get engaged in mission that was her first three weeks this week were going. This is about how we are financially committing to the mission of God. Here the summit church but it's my joy to be able to tell you that there's a lot of a lot of summit members have already gone before the rest of us in this you have herby mentioned this last week, but a couple of Fridays ago we gathered together leaders and volunteers for what we call our advanced commitment night I'm here's why we do that, it was while we do it in advance on there's a story in the Old Testament. First Chronicles 29 where King David is about to build the temple and John before he collects all the things from the children of Israel, is offering to build the temple. He had the leaders he had his own household go first and so they in front of the whole nation of Israel bring down their offerings and lay them on there so that they could say to the rest of Israel.

We want you to join us in what we are already doing was to that's what happened. A couple of Fridays ago, is 400 nearly 500 families in the summit church. The leadership and volunteer community came together just to say we want to go first and I want to tell you that the level of sacrifice that they showed is staggering. Just couple things I'll share with you. I mentioned we had 500 servicer families represented that that evening, 81 of those families made a commitment to give to the mission of God to the summit church for the very first time.

81 families out of the leadership community made a commitment that night to give to the mission of God to the summit search for the very first up that's a huge face tougher than.U joint because there's enough financially get engaged in the chemo God and trust God.

We put our heads together for there's anyone family.

That's a huge deal. I would venture to guess that there are probably hundreds of you but today are to be taking a similar step of faith that you've never taken before and that is to trust God with your finances in a way that you never have your to join those 81 two went before. We also had 16 families from the summit church step out that evening with a six or seven figure gift 16 families for some of you that's what your first and best means because, for then they realize that simply typing and while that's no good practice for them. I didn't represent the first in their best to then represent trust in God, then represent something that represents sacrifice of them and I want you to know that these men and women in these families have grown first to pave the way and I invite you to join them on these. It was 488 commitments total represented these amazing steps of faith were people I knew of one young professional who told us that over the last two years are the summit church is only given $20 of the entire two years is committed over the next two years to get $7200 to the mission of God was one family that went from just under 10,000 over 50,000 over the next two years, until you summit church. What I'm sensing God do in our leadership community here lets me know that he is getting ready to do something big in this church. We have been praying and I am praying that 100% of the people that either call this church their home or being called in drawn into the ministries of the summit church will take a step together, we say. The primary goal is that 100% of us participate.

Our primary goal is not a financial goal because we know that God doesn't have money needs what God looks for from his people is for them to like Abraham say all that I am all that I have all that I ever hope to be belongs to you. I surrendered to you. You get the first and best, I want it to be used as seed to be multiplied.

This is about offering not to got her money, but ourselves. That's why the goal is not a number, the point is the heart that is represented behind that number, which is why the woman who gives to mites in Jesus story, which is about half of a penny. Jesus is greater than the rich person who gives thousands of dollars, but it is not the number. It's the heart represented behind that number