All right, all right, it's another year.

It's another year, another opportunity.

One person's happy, thank you, Michael.

Welcome, West Coal.

Welcome, Rancho San Dimas.

I am, Michael, I am all hyped up on Mountain Dew and coffee.

So, God bless you.

Matthew 28 and 2 Corinthians chapter 9.

Matthew 28, 2 Corinthians 9.

Let me do two things before we get into this passage.

So number one.

I gotta say, I am so proud of you, man.

What you did, now I know, I want you to know, I know I hit giving pretty hard this year.

You have no idea how uncomfortable that was for me, but you delivered.

and you delivered in a big way.

And the reason that was so important and the reason that I hit it in a big way is because we took on our debt at Westco and we have ministries, as I said before, that are firing on all pistons.

And it wasn't a season, this year's not the season to push, to pull back on those.

So we needed to keep the capital to keep those ministries growing, but we were given most of the capital to, it's like when you move into a new house and all of sudden the rent is due.

So we knew that if we could...

have a strong year in that we would not have to pull back the funds for those ministries.

Now, the other thing you need to know is the staff also made great sacrifices.

We gave no raises, no raises this year, no bonuses this year.

The only raise we did give was a cost of living.

And even that wasn't really what it should be.

So we were all willing, first of all, in our own lives to say, you know what?

We believe in this so much.

If we're going to ask our people to make sacrifices, we're going to have to be the first ones to do that.

So I need you to know that they did.

They also significantly cut their budgets.

Okay, so you need to know that too.

But then we came to you and asked you to really help us.

And you delivered, man.

You delivered.

It's not all in yet, but I can tell you it's gonna be close to a million dollars.

It's gonna be close.

And that'll be three times more than we ever were able to raise at the end of the year.

So to all of you who participated in that, way to go, way to go, man.

Now, second, second, beginning of a new year, and I think most of you know by now, and Michael's included in this too, we love to preach.

We love to preach the word of, we just, I love the fact that we have elders here that give me the freedom to study as much as I study, to put the time that I, in fact, I had a great week, guys.

There was nobody here but me.

It was wonderful.

I could sit up in my office.

from early to late and nobody bothered me.

Now, I know we have other workers here, but not this week because everybody was on vacation except for me.

And this is vacation to me.

He said, well, don't you rest?

I have seasons of rest, but I love it when I can go to my office, close the door, my little lamp, and just study for about eight hours and come out of there with something that I know is going to transform your life.

So I love to preach.

I love to study the word.

And I think that every time you show up on the weekend, you should be taught and inspired.

And a pastor is supposed to give more than just a little pep talk and make you feel good.

He's supposed to teach you the Word of God.

And I want to tell you, this year, the excitement that I feel on just the topics we're going to cover that God gave me in study break, it's going to be a fantastic year of in-depth study.

Now, having said those two things...

I never get to do what I'm going to do right now because every time I write it down to do it, I scratch it at the last moment.

And so we're going to do a series called Kickstarter.

How many of you know, and I don't want to talk necessarily about your money.

Now I want to talk about you, you.

And I don't know if you're familiar with this thing called Kickstarter.

How many?

It's a form of GoFundMe, and it has produced some legendary...

Wait, what?

People have given their hard-earned cash to the most outrageous, absurd, unhinged ask.

One guy entitled his Kickstarter, Give Me Money.

He asked for $1...

from strangers to prove that strangers would give it.

No need, no great cause, no disease, just give me money.

He raised $55,000.

Another guy entitled his Kickstarter, Telepathic Spider Sense Training.

He claimed to teach psychic spider powers.

Now, I didn't know that spiders had psychic powers, but thousands and thousands of dollars people pledged and gave.

Another man...

Chicken petting zoo for adults.

It's just adults petting chickens.

Fully funded!

Fully funded!

Another category under questionable tech claim to produce Xeno mini drones.

These are tiny handheld drones capable of flying and recording HD videos.

He promised, he over-promised everything, delivered nothing, but the reason this one is famous and factually infamous, it came out of the UK, he raised 2.3 million pounds and produced nothing.

Right now, some teenagers are getting some great ideas.

Then there's the guy who invented the USB pet rock.

It's literally a rock.

With USB branding, he promised absolutely nothing and delivered it.

Now, before I move on, I was thinking maybe the Raiders should do a Kickstarter campaign.

Maybe they could fund a winning team.

I don't know.

I bet their obnoxious fans could raise a lot of money.

I'm thinking of that.

Okay.

For those Raider fans who thought it would be the end of Pastor Jeff's ridicule, it's a new year.

But I love the idea of Kickstarter.

You know, this idea of let's get this thing going.

Let's get off the runway.

Let's get out of the stands, out of the playing field.

And so you and I come to a new year, and we need to start it out right.

Because here's what I can promise you, and I only know this because it was true of my life and still is.

That is, if you don't decide right now what your priorities are going to be this year, right now, You're going to drift in and out of things that scream at you the loudest and demand your attention in that moment.

And as a result, you will be tossed about by every wind and every wave that threatens you the most.

Because this year, every single one of us, we are going to give ourselves to something.

By default, you are going to give yourself your time, your energy, your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

You're going to give it to something.

I promise you, every time I start going down this path, I think of this village in Zimbabwe called Mbari.

And Mbari is a village of millions of people that are stacked into this high-density area, and their goal every day is the same.

Make enough money to get some food.

Every day.

They don't think about next week.

They think about today.

They get up early, barter, sell to get enough for maybe some bread or maybe some suds.

They go to sleep, they get up the next day, and they do it all over again.

Now, in the West, we don't live hand-to-mouth like that.

So you and I, well, we get to choose what we're going to give ourselves to.

And make no mistake, you're going to give yourself to something.

Some of you are going to give your life to the squeaky wheel.

You're going to give your life to a person or a family member where there is extra grace required.

Some of you are in relationships with totally manipulative friends.

You know the friend who texts you, hey, can you meet me for coffee?

And you say, no, man, I can't do that.

I'm busy.

And they text you back by saying, you can't meet me?

I thought we were friends.

I thought you cared.

Excuse me for assuming that you valued me.

And they're going to get your attention because they scream the loudest.

or a family member that's put the monkey on your back that they created.

And that's a whole other sermon about relationships.

My advice to you early on is stop it.

Don't let them manipulate you because they will.

Some of you are so far in debt that you're a slave to a master that you detest.

From morning to night, you will be concerned.

You will give yourself to one thing, the worry and stress associated with paying the bills.

You just had to get this house.

You had to get this car, you had to live in this neighborhood, but deep inside, you know you didn't get it, it got you.

And now you have no life.

Others of you are going to give your lives to recreation.

Listen, Michael over here, and it's not bad, but you don't look like Michael without spending time in the gym and dieting.

Michael gives himself to that.

Now, that's not your highest priority.

I know that's not.

And some of you are going to give yourself to good things that pay great dividends.

But there's a price to be paid.

My father-in-law said he was back in Kentucky and he was playing golf.

And he went to church on that Sunday and he said to a friend of his, He said, I think I saw you on the golf course last week, but I can't remember what day it was.

And he said, well, it was either Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, because I'm there every day.

I know guys at Glendora Golf Club who are retired, retired early, and they spend every single moment of the day.

I don't know if they have wives.

If they do, I'm sure there's not much of a relationship there, but they're there all the time.

That's what you do in your retirement?

Look, I love golf, but not like that.

Not every day of my life.

You got that kind of time?

Think about the investments that you could make.

There's a guy at Coffee Clatch.

He's been sitting in the same chair since the day I took this job.

He comes in every morning.

The totality and the goal of his life is to get as many points on his Clatch card as he can, and he never spends them.

He just collects them.

If he started spending them, he would get free coffee for the rest of his life.

But that's his goal.

And his whole life, I come to Coffee Clats, I have my coffee, I go home, watch TV, I go back to Coffee Clats, have another coffee, I go home, watch TV, and I come back for one more in the evening.

That's the totality of his life for 25 years.

That's what he does.

Everybody.

gives themselves to something.

And you and I are going to give ourselves to a lot of things in 2026.

And you've got to remember, direction, not intention, determines destination.

It doesn't matter what you want to give your life to.

What matters is how you organize your life to give yourself to the things that truly matter.

Now let me say it again.

Without intentionality, you will be pulled in a thousand different directions, and you will end up giving yourself to things.

that simply scream the loudest, but with no or little value.

Now, here's the question.

And if you are a Christ follower, if you're a genuine, authentic Christ follower, listening to this message right now, you're really interested in this question and answer.

Because the question is, what does Jesus want you to primarily give your life to?

Now, if you're a follower of Jesus and you're the real deal, that's a question you want answered.

And we don't have to guess, because here's what Jesus said before he went up in his ascension to heaven.

He said, all authority, all authority in heaven on earth has been given to me.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you.

And surely I'm with you always to the very end of the age.

What intentional decision does Jesus ask each of us to make?

It's very simple.

To build his kingdom, not ours.

To teach his kingdom principles, not the world's.

And to depend on the Holy Spirit, not self-power.

Jesus asked you and me to prioritize our lives.

And his kingdom comes first.

And the irony is, when his kingdom does come first, all these other things are added to you.

My friend Mike Masterson, who's been a mentor for me for a long, long time, Told me the story for the first time this week.

I mean, I've known Mike for a long time.

And I was thinking as he told me the story at Coffee Clatch, why are you just now telling me this story?

And he said, back in the days when he attended Calvary Chapel, that he went to a men's breakfast.

And there was a speaker that told everyone in the audience, this is the time I want to give you to bow your head.

There should be silence in the auditorium.

And I want all of you to ask God, God lead me.

What do you want me to do?

What changes do I need to make in my life?

where are you leading me?

And Mike said, I bowed my head and I heard a guy behind me say, seek first his kingdom.

And I turned around and I said, what?

And the guy said, I didn't say anything.

Yeah, right.

Bowed his head again for time.

And from this side, seek first the kingdom.

And he took him and said, come on guys, I'm trying to pray here.

And the guy said, dude, we're not talking to you.

God is speaking to you.

And Mike said, he realized that it was God.

And from that day forward, he decided that he would spend a lot of his time and energies, yes, doing the things we have to do to live on this planet.

But he decided right there and then, I am going to put the kingdom of God first in every area of my life.

And now, as he's 65, you can tell that God has just opened the windows of heaven and poured out his blessings on him.

How important is this objective to Jesus?

It's so important that in Luke chapter 14, Jesus says, if you're going to follow me, you've got to hate your relatives.

Now, he doesn't mean hate your relatives.

It's a Greek word that means lesser love.

He's saying, I want you to love your mother, your father, your son, your daughter, your children, your grandchildren, less than you love me.

I want to be the ultimate priority of your life.

He says, how many of you are going to build a...

a tower and you don't count the cost, you don't consider what it's going to cost you?

How many of you are going to go out to fight a battle and you don't consider how many men you're going to need, what your strategy is going to be?

You don't plan or strategize?

In the same way he says in verse 33 of Luke 14, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciple.

What's he saying?

Everything in your life is a lesser love than the command and the objective Christ has given his church.

Which is to do what?

Go and make disciples of all nations.

Like I said, every time I've wanted to do what I'm about to do, I've canceled it because I thought, you know, people come to church to hear the word and to be challenged and to be inspired.

But I need you to know something as we start this year.

And that is that our eldership, our leaders in our church, we believe that Jesus' command is so important that we will be held accountable.

for the degree in which we set out to accomplish what Christ has commanded us to accomplish.

There's gonna be a lot of new people come to this church in January and February.

It's just like going to the gym.

How many people are gonna sign up for gym membership?

And they'll last what, four or five weeks, and then that's it.

There will be a lot of people trying to get God back in their lives.

And we welcome you and we hope you stay.

But the reality is, if you do stay, we want you to know what we're about around here.

And that's one of the reasons I'm doing this.

So the question is, and for you too, you just sacrificed.

You just gave a lot of your money, your hard-earned cash to something.

You deserve to know why and what for.

So the question is, how is one and all fulfilling the Great Commission?

How are we obeying the command that we've been given?

How are we being intentional?

How are we kick-starting our year to make sure that we remain on track to achieve the call of God and to teach you to stay on track to achieve the call of God on your life?

I don't think many of you know.

Now, I want you to sit back for a moment.

Take a deep breath.

We'll finish on time.

Don't worry.

Might even get out early.

Unless you look at the clock.

Then I extend it.

Every time I see somebody look at the clock, just go a little longer.

Listen, I don't think most of you know what this little bitty church in San Dimas, California is doing around the world.

It's time that you know.

It's time that you know.

A long time ago, about seven or eight years, I want to show you a map of the valley.

Before any of this took place, it was our goal.

We felt God was calling us to plant four campuses in this valley and to have a A care center in the middle of it called God's Pantry.

The founder, developer of God's Pantry met me at coffee class.

That's where all my meetings take place.

It's where God dwells.

And I said, you know, Tom, I think, I hear God, God wants us to surround this valley and to have a fully devoted follower of Jesus in every home.

I remember the first time I shared that vision, people laughed at me.

Pastor Jeff, you need to have a vision that is realistic.

And I was determined to tell them, dude, it's realistic.

And then we had this campus and that's it.

And God opened the door for Rancho.

Beautiful campus out there that has enough acreage to build if we needed to build.

Then right here in San Dimas, God has provided this place.

Then he opened the door to Westco.

And then along the way, we wanted our campus pastors who encountered people who needed food, clothing, who needed addiction counseling, whatever they needed, we wanted to provide it.

We got tired as pastors of saying to people, look, I know you have a need, be warm and be filled and then walk away.

We wanted to send them somewhere where their needs are met and God's pantry was born.

and now It's off the charts, what it's a club.

It's getting government aid.

It's getting grants.

It's just during COVID, it was feeding 2,500 families a week.

Amazing what God has done.

And the three campuses are there now.

I want you to think about something.

This is something that we never get to share.

And I'm sorry if you feel like this is an inform the shareholders meeting, but I'm trying to tell you what you're doing.

You deserve to know.

These campuses, firing on all pistons, God's pantry, but now something happened.

Because we were faithful to that, God sent us a bunch of young adults and Gen Zs.

I love the Gen Zs.

The Gen Zs, it's like, I knew one day you'd come.

Because they're not falling for this, give me the big houses and the big cars, I want money, money.

No, they want to make a difference in the world.

All over the world, the Gen Zs.

They are the hope of the future for the church of Jesus Christ.

Because they're on fire, man.

And they don't like the fluff.

Don't give me the fluff.

I can get fluff anywhere.

I'm out of here.

Tell me what the word of God says.

Let me go change the world.

And God has sent us on a Tuesday, if you've ever been here, to YA.

This place is packed.

It's full with young adults who want to make a difference.

So we decided God has sent us these young men and women.

We better disciple them.

So I wrote a discipleship curriculum last year.

We did leadership training all through the first of the year.

We also had this thing called LeadCon, where we look for the leaders in that group.

Now, why are we doing that?

Let me tell you why.

Because it's dawned on me.

Do you know where our fourth campus is?

Every home in the valley.

It's dawning on me that it's not a fourth campus like this or like West Coast or like Rancho.

We've got the valley surrounded.

We need to train up these Gen Zs and millennials and young adults to be tent makers.

And we need to plant a hundred home churches throughout this valley.

We need to equip young adults to go and start Bible studies in their homes and to invite their peers in.

It's already happening.

Some are already doing it.

It's amazing.

But to be evangelistic in nature.

In other words, some people won't come to a church, but they'll come to a home.

And if they come to the home, they'll be glad.

Gen Z's love together.

Even millennials love together in people's homes.

Let's have a Bible study.

Let's equip these young adults to lead these studies, to lead their peers.

in studying scripture, in praying, learning together.

And then they've got three campuses they can attend.

But we can do hundreds and hundreds of churches, home churches, home groups, whatever you want to call them.

We haven't figured that out yet.

But we can start these groups now because God sent us these leaders.

We can equip them to be tip makers, to have jobs, but to still have as their primary focus, helping people far from God come near to God.

We can have a fully...

devoted follower of Jesus Christ in every home in this valley, if we stop limiting ourselves to a building and property.

Now, here's the third part of the story that you've heard bits and pieces of, but you've not heard the whole thing.

It's been about 10 years now that a crazy man by the name of Clive Raharui walked in to Southern California.

Now Clive is a unique mold.

After God made him, he threw it away.

There's nobody else like this guy.

He shows up on my doorstep having sold his company.

He's started, created and sold many companies.

He's an entrepreneur.

And he said to me, Pastor Jeff, God has sent me here from Australia to take the good news of the gospel to the world.

I said oh that's good That's great.

He has no salary.

He has no plan.

He said, God will provide.

For the first five years, he faced opposition after opposition after opposition.

But he was determined nobody is going to tell me that God did not tell me this.

Now, speed ahead where we are now.

Clive is the managing director of One and All Media.

One and All Media takes...

The program today with Jeff Vines and distributes it all over the world.

There are millions of people every day who hear the messages that are preached from this pulpit.

Millions.

Down in Australia and New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands and the Philippines and places like Nepal, even places like Indonesia, primarily Muslim.

It's also throughout London, throughout...

the United Kingdom and the British Isles.

It's throughout most of post-Christian Europe.

All of that because one person said, God is sending me to do this.

Now, as a result of this happening, which I did not ask for, which had to almost be, actually, Clive's here.

If you want to talk to him afterwards, go over and say, did that really happen?

He'll tell you the story.

I had no interest in that.

But Clive, for him, it's not transactional.

So in other words, we're not going to pay people to put our sermons on radio.

If we're going to be on radio, it's because we have a common vision to reach people in remote places with the good news of the gospel.

And so something happened along the way that we did not think, we did not anticipate, and that is, for some reason, the radio show.

Went off the charts with its popularity.

We just got back from New Zealand where they had an event at a hotel called Christmas Dinner with Jeff Bynes.

That's where I was the first Sunday of December and it's why Dave Stone came to preach.

I had committed to this dinner and in this room, I met all of these people that came up to me and said, hey, how do we support your ministry?

Because we never ask for money.

We just get the gospel out there.

And the program is number one in New Zealand, it is number one in Australia, and as big as it is in New Zealand, it's ten times in Australia.

And now it's growing rapidly.

In fact, we've been told by United Christian Broadcasting that our program is the number one program in the British Isles, and that they've put it on drive time so that everybody can hear it.

Now what does that mean?

Well, let me show you a map of Europe.

So here's what's going on now.

So, our headquarters is up here in the United Kingdom, which is the reason I go to London once a year, to connect with all of our media people.

And now, Europe is filled with Gen Z's who are open to the gospel.

They're not closed like generations before them because they have no bad experience.

So when you talk to Gen Z's through all of these European countries about Jesus, they'll listen to you.

and engaging conversations.

Because of our popularity throughout Europe, we are partnering now with pastors who are on the ground already doing work but do not have workers.

So guess what we're gonna do?

We're gonna send them workers.

Because a lot of our Gen Zs and millennials that we're training, we're gonna challenge them, hey, if you don't go to the valley, consider going to post-Christian Europe to take the gospel back from the place that brought it to us.

because if you get Post-Christian Europe, if you get the Gen Zs on fire for Jesus, you'll get all of Europe.

So God has opened that door.

Because of our popularity in New Zealand and Australia, I can tell you right now, if we had the means, we could start planting churches down there.

The name recognition is so powerful that we could start planting churches down in places like New Zealand and Australia.

Matter of fact, if you're still here and you're wondering why we changed our name, why did we change our name?

Christ Church of the Valley was great.

One and all, what is that?

Well, it's one savior died for all people.

But the reason we changed our name is we saw this coming.

See, you can't be Christ Church of the Valley in New Zealand, but you can be one and all church.

You can be one and all church in London.

You can be one and all church in Paris, France.

You can be it in Germany, wherever you go, that name will travel.

And we saw it coming.

The other thing is because we have all of these people around the world, that are connecting with us.

We are creating an app, and that app will be alive very soon.

And when it comes alive, all the people that follow and listen around the world, that will be their gathering place.

Because here's the thing, you've probably already thought about this.

If we're going to take the gospel to post-Christian Europe, and we're going to plant churches in New Zealand and Australia and around the world, you can't fund that.

It's impossible.

But people around the world can.

And we are gathering people around us that share a common goal and vision.

Now make no mistake, our first priority, you're as only as strong externally as you are internally first.

Our first priority is not post-Christian Europe.

Our first priority is right in our own backyard.

This is what we're gonna concentrate our primary focus and attention on is taking Christ to this valley till there's a fully devoted follower of Jesus in every home.

But at the same time, God has opened these other doors and we're trying to figure out what to do with them.

My friend Clive Raharui has arranged a relationship with United Christian Broadcasters in a place called Stoke-on-Trent, about an hour north of London.

And because of this relationship, they have agreed to take our young people and train them to give them media training, theology training, a place to stay, food to eat.

I mean, you couldn't stay in London for, I mean, it'd cost you $100,000.

It's so expensive.

$6,000 is what it's going to cost.

for a millennial, a Gen Z, to go and live outside London for one year, including room, including board, and training, and we're going to start recruiting them.

And then our relationships with pastors all through post-Christian Europe, we're going to send them there, and we're going to train and develop a church planting team.

And we're going to send them into post-Christian Europe, and we're not going to build buildings, and we're not going to buy property.

No, it's organic.

It's millennials, Gen Z, sharing their faith with their peers and starting home churches.

Just like, hey, that's called Acts 2.

It's the way the early church exploded.

You don't need to spend millions of dollars on property and buildings.

Just organically teach and preach and train and give the good news of the gospel.

Now you and I, I could go on.

By the way, I need to tell you, there's so much in my head.

For instance, most of you know about what's going on in Nairobi with Chosen Children of Promise, with Stella, and all these beautiful young children that are having an opportunity to be educated, go to school, have a school uniform, eat three meals a day because of her ministry.

And most of you know about Denver Chizanga, right?

In ADMT in Zimbabwe.

Now, here's another example with Denver.

This is what?

This is the kind of thing that God is doing, and it's why I'm so fired up.

This is why I keep saying, I can't retire now.

This is what I've been working hard all my life for, this kind of stuff.

Denver was just given, given, no charge, 40 acres of property to build a leadership training school.

Now, Who's going to come to this school?

First of all, Denford ministers to the cream of the crop.

The reason I go to Africa is I go to bring all these pastors in middle, southern, central Africa together to teach, equip, train, and challenge.

Now, guess what we've learned about post-Christian Europe?

For some reason, the young people of post-Christian Europe will listen.

Much more to an African than they will an old white man.

Right, Michael?

When I talk among post-Christian Europe millennials, they see me as the old white guy.

When Michael talks, they see him as the authority.

So it started to make sense why God is doing what he's doing in Nairobi and what he's doing in Zimbabwe.

We're gonna train up.

A tribe of African preachers and teachers to take the gospel into post-Christian Europe and partner with us.

Think about all these little children that we've invested in in CCP in Nairobi.

When they grow up, they're gonna remember who it was that came into their homes and fed them and clothed them and inspired them and many of them become Christ followers where guess what?

We're gonna send them to Denver's training school and equip and train them and teach them to go into post-Christian Europe to take the gospel back where it began.

Imagine, imagine, guys, and this is moving at warp speed, but imagine hundreds and hundreds of home churches all through this valley of young people meeting and studying the scripture together.

You wanna change a country?

You're not gonna change it through politics.

If you still think that, you're living in a dream world.

You wanna change the country?

You do it one after one after one when people get serious about their faith in Christ.

and live out their faith.

And we're going to do it right here in this valley first.

Imagine in just a few years, if we do this well, and we will, equipping, training, discipling, what will happen.

And then imagine as we learn and learn more about how to do this, and God opens more doors, that we take the gospel back to post-Christian Europe.

When I think of that, I mean, I think of Ajay Law.

who has given us a property in New Delhi, India.

And he said, Pastor Jeff, we will give this property if you will come and train our Indian pastors to take the gospel up into the 1040 window, which is where most of the unreached people groups that still exist on planet Earth live.

God just keeps opening door after door after door.

So here's my message to you.

God has kick-started something.

I know you have a lot of questions, but I only have 30 minutes, and I'm going to finish on time.

I know you have many more questions, and you're free to ask me anytime you can catch me, or Michael, or one of our elders.

But God has kick-started something in us, and I want to kick-start something in you, and I want to ask you a simple question.

What do you treasure most?

What do you treasure most?

Jesus told us in Matthew 6 that don't...

Lean in now.

Do lean into this.

I'm almost finished, but lean in.

Jesus says, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

He said, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and vermin do not destroy, where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

He said, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again.

And then in his joy, went and sold all that he had and bought the field.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Is that you?

Do you know what I think?

I think it is.

I think it is you.

I think your treasure is Jesus.

But here's what I think, because it happens to all of us.

Even though you and I know that there's no greater endeavor on earth than taking the good news of the gospel to the ends of the earth, even though we know, you and I know, that the world needs Jesus now more than ever, Even though we believe that in this little church in San Dimas, we're about to make an impact all through the world, that God has called us now to move beyond a local and a regional church to a global church.

Even though I believe that we know this, the truth is that we'll get about the business of living our life and there will be all kinds of things that distract us and pull us away from what really matters.

So here's what I want to share with you, and this is the goal here.

There is a passage in 2 Corinthians 9 that goes like this.

Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Now, I've got some really good news.

Lean in now.

Short part here, but I need you to lean in.

I got good news for you.

Here's what we know about giving.

That when you get, I'm not, and get your focus off money here for a second.

You say, well, how can I?

Yours is.

No, listen, I'm talking about the entire you, all of you, you, okay?

Here's what we know about giving of yourself.

When you give, the same pleasure centers light up in your brain that light up when you're having good food or good sex.

Did you know that?

When you are giving the same pleasure centers that light up in your brain when having good food and good sex light up when you're giving, the brain doesn't know the difference.

So the brain doesn't know the difference between the giving of yourself, intimacy, and good food.

It's pleasurable unless it's not.

Notice what Paul says.

Brilliant.

Give as you have purposed.

It's a Greek word that means intentionally chosen.

You have chosen that this is what you're going to give your life to.

In your heart, not begrudgingly.

That's a Greek word that means pressure on the outside.

In other words, God does not want you giving yourself because some pastor pressured you.

Did you know that?

He does not want you giving yourself because somebody on the outside pressured you into doing it.

That's not what he wants.

I'm doing this, but I don't like it.

I'm doing this because Pastor Jeff won't stop harping on it.

Paul says, I don't want you to give like that.

Or under compulsion.

That's a Greek word that means internal pressure.

In other words, well, I really don't want to do this, but I feel guilty if I don't, so I'll just do it.

No, don't do it.

And then he says, for God loves a cheerful giver.

So here's the question.

How do you get to cheerful?

Because the others are easy, right?

How do you get to cheerful?

I'm sure there are places in your life where you give yourself to something.

They cost you something, but you're happy about it, right?

When you buy your wife, husband's a gift, you're forking out some cash, but it's interesting, you don't care.

Unless you're a bad husband.

But I'm assuming most of you are pretty good husbands.

You buy your wife something, and you know what?

You're happy about parting with that money because you love your wife.

As I said before for the thousandth time, when I go to Golf Galaxy and I buy Pro V1s, I'm not even thinking about the cash.

I'm quite happy about it.

When I buy my morning latte at Coffee Clatch, I'm not thinking about the fact that I just paid $5 for a cup of coffee, not even thinking about it because I love coffee.

We will never feel pleasure in the pleasure of giving if it's not purposeful.

If it's merely transactional, if it is internal or external pressure, we will never feel cheerful.

So the question is, how do you feel cheerful?

How do you get that cheerful giving?

And here's how it is.

If you are not purposing in your heart to give to something that you treasure, then you will end up giving to whatever pulls your heart in the moment.

Purposed giving is when you back away from giving to the requests that come in or whoever or whatever screams the loudest.

to giving to answer this question, what is the needle in the world I'm trying to move?

And if the needle in your life, in the world that you're trying to move, is to get the good news of the gospel to the world, then when you give of your life, your ministry, your work, your talents, your gifts, your abilities, and of course your money, you will be cheerful.

You'll be cheerful.

But if you give as a last minute idea, if you give out of compulsion, out of internal or external pressure, you will never feel cheerful.

It comes down to a basic question.

What gives you the greatest pleasure and the satisfaction?

And Jesus says, I want your greatest pleasure and your greatest satisfaction to be when people far from God come near.

Our lack of investment, listen now, our lack of investment is not a money issue.

It never has been.

It's a heart issue.

We are always going to give ourselves to what we love.

Nobody has to tell you to do that.

You're going to get the new iPhone because you love the new iPhone.

You're not even going to think twice about it.

Somehow over the course of your life, you've got to stop and ask, what needle do I really want to move?

And then if you fall in love with building the kingdom of God, it will be natural.

It will happen because it will get the best of your talents and your resources.

Pastor Jeff, what are you asking me to do?

Well, okay, let me be clear.

Last page, I'm asking you to make the decision up front before the world pulls you away and sucks the kingdom of God right out of you.

To make two decisions.

One, to fill in the blank.

To advance the kingdom of God over this next year, I am going to, and you fill in the blank.

What are you going to do?

Are you going to engage your neighbor in a conversation?

I'm going to walk across the room at my office and invite someone to lunch or coffee.

I'm going to volunteer at God's pantry.

I'm going to spend time in prayer every day, praying for those who are far from God.

I'm going to volunteer in our children's ministry, and I'm going to help teach the next generation the words of life.

I'm going to use my talent to advance the gospel in my church and community, and then make it a non-negotiable, make it a front burner item That's what I'm asking you to do.

Whatever it is, I'm not telling you what to do.

I'm simply saying, decide right now.

This is the part of my life I'm going to give to the thing that matters most.

And then here's the second one.

Of course, I'm a pastor.

Of course, I'm going to say this.

I am going to set aside this amount of money as the first fruits of my resources to invest in the kingdom of God.

Think about it.

Right now, categorically, I can tell you that 2 million people hear the gospel every single day, and the cost of that is about a half a cent per person.

If this is your heart, decide right now.

Because if you don't, it'll never be done.

The world's power is too strong.

Make the decision now.

You and your wife.

Okay, this is what we're going to set aside right now.

See, if every individual did this in a church, we would never have a time where we had to come out and say, please help us.

We wouldn't.

You'd have too much.

Did you know that?

The stats on mega churches in America, 20% of the people give 80% of the resources.

Man, it's been my dream since I started.

What would happen if 100% of the people, 100%.

Said, you know what?

This is what I'm going to do.

I'm going to lay, draw the line in the sand.

This is what we're going to do and nothing's going to stop us.

Whatever it is between you and God, but this is what we're going to do.

In this Christmas dinner that we had in New Zealand, there's a man that walked up to me, said, Pastor Jeff, your church has changed my life.

And you know, I was, oh yeah, well, I know my sermons are quite wonderful and you You said, no, no, no.

Michael Chisaka changed my life.

What?

Yeah, I called the church from New Zealand and I asked for help and Michael answered my call and he walked me through the struggles of my life.

There is such a need and desire for the word of God and for people.

who will love and assist people to walk through the difficulties of their life.

Our church, thank God for those who have gone before us, for the Ron Kellers and the Chuck Boers of ministry past.

But now you and I, we're going to take the gospel to the world.

Oh yeah, that's what we're going to do.

And the Apostle Paul says, and God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Can I tell you what he means by that?

Then I'll finish.

God is a wise investor.

If he knows that by sending more cattle your way, you're gonna invest it in the kingdom of God, then he will send more cattle your way.

But if he knows that your heart is somewhere else and it's all about you and your kingdom, God has no interest in sending you more cattle.

If your heart is bent toward helping people far from God come near to God, the Bible tells you that God is able to give you whatever it is you need to accomplish the task.

Yeah.

This task...

is going to be accomplished with you.

It's your move.

Father, thank you for the calling on this church.

It's remarkable.

Thank you for our leadership who loves the preaching of the word so much.

that they encourage our leaders to study and to learn and to inspire.

Father, this is not typically the way that we've kicked off a new year, but this year it seems appropriate because your people have sacrificed so much and it seems that they deserve to know what they're investing in.

And I pray that their eyes would have been opened just a little bit, that they would see what you are doing in India, in Zimbabwe, with a leadership training school.

And what we're doing in post-Christian Europe and what you're doing in our valley and what you're doing among the millennials and the Gen Zs and all these opportunities and doors that you've opened, we can become overwhelmed and we think, God, how are we going to, who's going to provide the cattle on those 10,000 hills?

And yet you start to bring people into our midst from around the world, from New Zealand, from Australia, from Europe.

You say that you're building a tribe.

And if we at one and all will be faithful here at home first, if you can trust us with a little, you will trust us with much.

I just pray that for all of us, we would decide today, this is what I'm going to give my life to.

I decide here and now.

I'm not sure about everybody else, but for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord.

In Christ's name, we are grateful everybody said, amen.