The Danger of Eternal ROI: When Faith Becomes a Transaction

• Eternal ROI vs. Worldly ROI [00:10:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the world's measure of ROI (dividends and dollars) with heaven's measure (souls and eternity), asserting that the best investment is in God's kingdom.
• Kingdom Economy vs. Worldly Economy [00:12:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor outlines the differences: the worldly economy focuses on comfort, status, and self-interest, while the kingdom economy focuses on faithfulness, fruitfulness, and impact for others.
• Stewardship and Generosity [00:11:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces the 'Kingdom Logic' series, focusing on biblical principles of stewardship, tithing, and generosity, emphasizing that God wants what is best for the believer.
• Treasures in Heaven [00:08:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor cites Matthew 6:19-21 to argue that while people are wired to accumulate, they should store up treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed or stolen.
• Worldly vs. Kingdom Economy [00:15:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the worldly economy focused on profit and gain with the kingdom economy focused on faithfulness, fruitfulness, and eternity.
• Investing in People [00:20:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The first principle of EROI is investing in people rather than profits, emphasizing that people are the only eternal asset.
• Giving to the Church [00:25:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The second principle urges giving where God is working, specifically prioritizing the local church over secular causes to impact eternal destiny.
• Blessing and Multiplication [00:27:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses how giving returns a blessing and how God multiplies investments made in His kingdom.
• Divine Multiplication and Blessing [00:28:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor cites Malachi to promise that God will throw open the floodgates of heaven and prevent pests from devouring crops or breaking down possessions when believers are faithful.
• The Spigot and Hose Analogy [00:29:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > An illustration comparing God to a water spigot (source) and believers to a garden hose; the pastor notes that while we transport blessing to others, the hose itself 'gets rotten,' implying the cost to the giver.
• God's Math vs. Girl Math [00:29:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts 'girl math' (saving by spending) with God's math, where investing a small amount (like the boy's lunch) results in exponential multiplication (feeding 20,000).
• Tithing and Sowing Generously [00:30:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > A theological claim based on 2 Corinthians 9:6 that tithing is a command but sowing is a choice; the pastor argues that generous sowing leads to generous reaping and that God loves a cheerful giver.
• Eternal Return on Investment (EROI) [00:33:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that investing in the church yields an eternal return, illustrated by the story of his son buying coffee for a young man who later became his second son, Eugene.
• Legacy and Kingdom Building [00:34:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > Defining legacy as the lasting impact of one's life, citing Matthew 25:21 to show that faithfulness with 'few things' leads to being trusted with 'many,' and that kingdom builders aim to populate heaven.
• Living Like Heaven is the Market [00:35:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > A call to view every dollar and decision through the lens of eternity, contrasting stock market trading with sowing into the kingdom of God for eternal returns.
• Salvation as Eternal ROI [00:38:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story about his uncle praying for his salvation, realizing that his own salvation is credited to his uncle's account in heaven as an eternal return on investment.
• Altar Call and Confession [00:41:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > A liturgical segment leading the congregation in a prayer of confession and commitment, inviting those who do not know Jesus to lift their hands and accept salvation.
• Salvation and Atonement [00:42:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor leads a congregational affirmation of Jesus' death, resurrection, and the cleansing power of His blood.
• Dedication and Service [00:42:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > A commitment to serve God for the rest of one's life.
• Church Giving and Spiritual Reward [00:42:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects financial sowing into the local church (Freedom House) with heavenly credit for the souls saved.

• Sermon Illustration [00:05:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote from her early career in the early 2000s working in a call center. She describes a client named Leonard White who used a poor sales hook ('Do you want to make more money?') to illustrate how people are conditioned to expect a return on investment in every interaction, from telemarketing to dining out.
• Sermon Illustration [00:13:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the history of the marketing company she worked for for nearly 20 years. Initially, the culture focused on people and customers first. After being sold to a publicly traded company, the culture shifted overnight to focus on shareholders and profit, causing them to lose focus on clients and people, illustrating the bankruptcy of worldly profit.
• Sermon Illustration [00:21:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a story about interviewing a candidate named Hannah for an assistant position. Despite feeling it was awkward to ask about her faith during a job interview, he followed the Holy Spirit's prompting, shared his testimony, and led her to Jesus, later discipling her.
• Sermon Illustration [00:29:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a water spigot and a garden hose to explain how believers act as conduits for God's blessing, transporting it from the source (God) to the garden (people/church).
• Sermon Illustration [00:29:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of a water spigot and a garden hose to explain how God provides blessing that flows through believers to others, noting that the hose (the believer) often 'gets rotten' in the process.
• Sermon Illustration [00:30:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the biblical story of the boy with five loaves and two fish (John 6:9) to illustrate how God multiplies small investments into massive harvests, contrasting it with 'girl math.'
• Sermon Illustration [00:33:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > A personal anecdote about the pastor's 10-year-old son buying a cup of coffee for a young man going to UNC Charlotte, who later became the pastor's second son, Eugene, demonstrating the long-term impact of small acts of generosity.
• Sermon Illustration [00:36:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a story about his uncle, who lived in West Virginia and prayed fervently for the pastor's salvation for 20 years; the pastor realizes his salvation is his uncle's 'eternal return on investment.'

• Pastoral Charge [00:10:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > Invest time, talent, and financial resources into God's kingdom.
• Pastoral Charge [00:11:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > Engage in a neighbor interaction to affirm the sermon's main point.
• Pastoral Charge [00:27:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > Bring a tenth (10%) of household income to the local church as a tithe.
• Pastoral Charge [00:24:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > Identify and perform one specific act of kindness, encouragement, or spiritual opposition this week.
• Pastoral Charge [00:36:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stand up
• Pastoral Charge [00:39:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > Close eyes and bow heads
• Pastoral Charge [00:39:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > Put hand on heart
• Pastoral Charge [00:40:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > Lift hand to accept salvation or return to faith
• Pastoral Charge [00:41:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > Repeat a prayer of salvation and commitment

[00:01:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
What's up, Freedom House?
[00:01:05] How's everybody doing today?
[00:01:06] Good to see you guys.
[00:01:09] Turn to somebody and say, you, you looking good today.
[00:01:12] Yeah, you got to say it like that.
[00:01:14] Ooh, you're looking good today.
[00:01:15] If I haven't had a chance to meet you yet, my name is Diana Henderson.
[00:01:20] My husband and I hail from our South End campus.
[00:01:24] And if you didn't know, yeah, the dirty South.
[00:01:27] If you didn't know, here at Freedom House, we are one house with many rooms.
[00:01:31] So in addition to the central campus where you are,
[00:01:34] We are launching our Ballantine campus next year, as you heard.
[00:01:45] And we have our online campus.
[00:01:49] And listen, that's important because if you're ever traveling,
[00:01:52] you don't have to miss church you can tune in live from wherever you are we live stream our services every weekend and we've got our online family joining us today welcome from north carolina virginia pennsylvania california south carolina florida west virginia come on somebody new jersey new york and tennessee welcome online family glad that you guys are with us now we do things a little differently here
[00:02:20] Our senior pastors don't preach from one campus and broadcast to each of the other campuses every weekend.
[00:02:27] We always have a live communicator, a pastor, a teacher from our church that rotates around every campus so that you always get a live word of God.
[00:02:38] Now this is a vision that comes from our senior pastors, Troy and Penny Maxwell, who can we just give it up for them?
[00:02:45] Come on.
[00:02:48] You know what's really unique?
[00:02:50] They don't have to share their platform, but yet they choose to.
[00:02:54] You know why?
[00:02:55] Because they recognize that the house of God is not built on the personality of one, but on the faithfulness of many.
[00:03:04] And at this church, we're an equipping church, so we raise people up to use their gifts for the house.
[00:03:11] Y'all, I wanna give it up for your campus pastors, Pastor Aaron, Pastor Stephanie, y'all stand up.
[00:03:16] Listen, if you guys have not met these people, you need to.
[00:03:20] Yeah, come on, you can shout for them.
[00:03:22] They are truly shepherds like nobody's business.
[00:03:26] If you've not met them, make sure you go introduce yourself after service because they wanna make sure you get plugged in here at Central Campus.
[00:03:34] And guys, listen, we are not a Sunday-only church.
[00:03:38] We do life together at Freedom House.
[00:03:41] So if you're a lady, where my ladies at?
[00:03:44] Yeah, we have our authentic ladies ministry.
[00:03:48] Get plugged in at your campus because we've got something going on every month.
[00:03:52] Where my strong men at?
[00:03:55] yeah the octave goes really low our strong men just got back from what i hear was an incredible trip at the lodge yeah fires and guns and four-wheelers and all the hiking all the men things so if you're a man make sure you get involved with our men's ministry we're my movement 18 to 29 year olds
[00:04:17] Yeah, okay, all right.
[00:04:20] Wait, first we got pastors Morgan and Adam.
[00:04:23] Y'all stand up.
[00:04:24] The Mulcahs, they're our young adults and youth pastors.
[00:04:29] If you don't yet know them, you need to meet them.
[00:04:31] We host a service every Wednesday night, 7 p.m.
[00:04:35] I wish I could go, but I'm way too old.
[00:04:37] 18 to 29 here at the Central Campus.
[00:04:41] And if you're a student, seventh grade to 12th grade, where you at?
[00:04:46] Yeah, they're not gonna say anything, right?
[00:04:49] But they're here, you know that they're here.
[00:04:50] They're like dying inside that I would even dare call them out.
[00:04:54] But listen, if you're seventh grade to 12th grade, we have our vertical youth ministry.
[00:05:00] They meet every Sunday night here at this campus.
[00:05:03] So truly, we have something for everyone.
[00:05:07] Don't just come to church on Sunday, guys.
[00:05:09] It's important to make sure that you get plugged in and do life, all right?
[00:05:14] Y'all ready to dive in today?
[00:05:16] Okay, I wanna start by telling a story.
[00:05:18] A few years ago, well, let's be honest, it was a lot more than that.
[00:05:22] At the beginning of my career, almost 20, I got the opportunity to run a 100-person call center.
[00:05:30] Now, this was in the early 2000s, y'all.
[00:05:32] This is when people had landlines.
[00:05:35] Anybody in here still have a landline?
[00:05:37] It's a phone line.
[00:05:38] Okay, there's like two people.
[00:05:41] So this is when everybody still had home phones.
[00:05:44] This is when people would answer their phone.
[00:05:47] And I worked for a marketing company and we would market our customers' products and service over the phone.
[00:05:53] Y'all can call it telemarketing if you want.
[00:05:55] That was like a bad word for us.
[00:05:57] But we had mastered the art of the conversation.
[00:06:02] How to engage with somebody over the phone and not make them feel like they were being sold.
[00:06:08] Because we were promoting, we weren't selling them.
[00:06:12] Now I would work with the customers in drafting what we called the call guide so that it sounded very natural and conversational.
[00:06:20] And I had this one client, we're gonna call him Leonard White.
[00:06:23] and man Leonard was like I got this down and I'm gonna write the call guide I said okay Leonard and he spent hours working on it calls me and was like all right this is something too good for me to just send over to you we've got to role play it I was like okay Mr. Leonard let's role play and he goes you ready I said sure he goes ring ring ring I was like hello
[00:06:47] He says, this is Leonard White.
[00:06:48] I'm calling for Diana Henderson.
[00:06:50] Can I speak to her?
[00:06:51] I said, she's speaking.
[00:06:52] And he said, Diana, I have one important question for you.
[00:06:56] Do you want to make more money?
[00:06:59] And I was like, oh, Leonard, dude, you missed it.
[00:07:04] That is not the way to engage with somebody on the phone to make them feel like they are not being sold.
[00:07:10] And he's like, what do you mean?
[00:07:11] It's the best hook in the world.
[00:07:13] If you think about it, nobody is going to say no to that question.
[00:07:19] I started thinking about that and I mean I guess if all of us in here were genuinely asked the question do you want to make more money you might go okay yeah I would like to make more money I mean think about it we are wired to want to multiply
[00:07:40] to want to increase.
[00:07:43] I mean, God did design us to try and create more, to multiply, didn't he?
[00:07:49] I mean, think about the world that we live in.
[00:07:52] We've been conditioned to expect a return on our investment.
[00:07:57] I mean, who in here goes to work every single day investing your time and your talents out of the goodness of your heart?
[00:08:05] No, you expect something in return, right?
[00:08:09] A paycheck, some sort of a benefit.
[00:08:12] I mean, who in here goes to a five-star restaurant paying a premium expecting crappy food and terrible service?
[00:08:22] Nobody.
[00:08:23] I mean, who spends time teaching your kids how to mow the grass with straight lines?
[00:08:31] just to find there's squiggles or overgrown grass.
[00:08:36] None of us, because we expect a return on investment.
[00:08:41] I mean, isn't that the American ambition?
[00:08:44] We're supposed to store up, stockpile.
[00:08:48] We're supposed to multiply, increase.
[00:08:51] I mean, didn't Jesus himself even say, lay up for yourselves treasures?
[00:08:57] Well, let's read it.
[00:08:58] It says in Matthew 6, verse 20, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
[00:09:07] where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal.
[00:09:14] Jesus said, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
[00:09:19] And this scripture comes from one of his most famous sermons, the Sermon on the Mount.
[00:09:26] And I even think that the verse right before this might be even more impactful.
[00:09:31] He says in verse 19, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal.
[00:09:42] And then he goes on to say, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
[00:09:49] You see, God bankrupted heaven.
[00:09:52] He sent Jesus to die on a cross for every single sinner in here, you and me included, to show us that there was a greater return on investment
[00:10:07] and eternal return on investment that far exceeds anything that we have ever known in this world, y'all.
[00:10:15] It's a return that never loses value, never depreciates, never falls short of expectations and it always
[00:10:27] You see, the world measures ROI in dividends and dollars, but heaven measures ROI in souls and eternity.
[00:10:40] That's eternal ROI.
[00:10:44] And y'all, the best return on investment is eternal ROI.
[00:10:49] You know, the best investment you could ever make is in God's kingdom.
[00:10:54] With your time, with your talent, and with your treasure.
[00:10:58] And all month long, we're in a series called Kingdom Logic.
[00:11:02] We're gonna be unpacking principles from the Bible about stewardship and tithing and generosity.
[00:11:09] We're gonna be hearing about things like what Pastor Troy talked about last week, that 90 is greater than 100.
[00:11:15] In other words, God can do more with the 90% after you tithe than what you can do with 100% on your own.
[00:11:23] We're going to be hearing about things like God owns it and we steward it.
[00:11:29] And today I'm going to unpack for us what it means that the greatest return on investment is eternal return on investment.
[00:11:39] Wait a second, Pastor, do you mean this message is about money?
[00:11:42] Yep.
[00:11:45] and your time and your talent.
[00:11:48] And listen, this is not about what God wants from you.
[00:11:52] It's about what God wants for you.
[00:11:55] Turn to somebody and say, eternal return on investment.
[00:12:02] Now I wanna first start by unpacking this contrast between a worldly economy and a kingdom economy, because it's really important that we understand the difference.
[00:12:14] Y'all know as believers in Jesus Christ, we are in the world, but we are not of the world, right?
[00:12:21] but I don't know about you, we still have to transact in this worldly economy, don't we?
[00:12:27] So we're gonna unpack the difference between worldly economy and kingdom economy so that we understand the difference.
[00:12:34] The world says invest to get ahead.
[00:12:36] The goal is comfort, status, and success.
[00:12:43] The measure is profit, followers, possessions.
[00:12:48] It's all about treasures here on earth.
[00:12:50] The world's economy is built around me.
[00:12:54] How can I get more, protect more?
[00:12:56] How can I show more?
[00:12:57] And y'all, let me just spoil this for you.
[00:13:00] When we die, the worldly economy ends for us, right?
[00:13:05] I mean, how many hearses have you seen pulling a U-Haul?
[00:13:10] Not many.
[00:13:11] You can't take it with you when you go.
[00:13:13] Mark 8, verse 36 says, For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?
[00:13:22] You see, the greatest failed investment is winning everything that looks valuable
[00:13:29] but losing what actually is.
[00:13:33] You know, that same company that I mentioned I worked for, I got to work for them for almost 20 years.
[00:13:39] And in the early days, I got to lead the revenue growth for the company.
[00:13:44] And we started out as a small, like two and a half million dollar company.
[00:13:48] And the owners would always say to me, Diana, we wanna grow but never at the expense of our customers or our people.
[00:13:57] In other words, people first, our customers first, and then if the prophets follow, that's a good day.
[00:14:03] And it was a good business.
[00:14:07] It was all about people.
[00:14:08] And then we ended up growing this business to 250 million.
[00:14:14] And we sold it to a publicly traded company.
[00:14:17] And I stayed on with the new company after the exit.
[00:14:21] And we changed, the culture changed overnight.
[00:14:25] It was all about shareholders expectations.
[00:14:28] It was all about profit.
[00:14:30] It was all about top line revenue growth.
[00:14:33] And we lost the focus of our clients and our people.
[00:14:38] You see, when the goal is worldly profit or personal gain, you end up bankrupt in what really matters.
[00:14:47] Where are you investing today?
[00:14:50] What's getting the best of you?
[00:14:54] Now let me contrast the worldly economy, now that we kind of have an understanding of that, with what the kingdom economy looks like.
[00:15:01] And you know, I love, like I said a moment ago, Jesus was praying about us in John chapter 17 to the Father, and he said, God, they are of the world, but they are not, they are in the world, but not of the world.
[00:15:12] And it's important for us to understand that even though we are transacting in a worldly economy, we are citizens of heaven.
[00:15:21] And so we operate very differently.
[00:15:23] We've gotta operate based on a kingdom economy.
[00:15:27] The kingdom economy says invest to make impact for others.
[00:15:31] The goal is faithfulness, fruitfulness, and eternity.
[00:15:36] The measure is souls, obedience, and legacy.
[00:15:41] It's all about treasures in heaven.
[00:15:44] 2 Corinthians 4, verse 18, it says, We fix our eyes not on what is seen,
[00:15:53] but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.
[00:16:00] You see, in the kingdom of God, it's not about a return in our bank account or our homes or our cars.
[00:16:10] It's about a return in our impact account.
[00:16:14] In other words, it's about who, not what.
[00:16:18] And now I wanna show you an image here just because sometimes y'all will text me later and you're like, show me the difference between the two.
[00:16:24] So I just wanted to describe for you here, worldly economy, get all you can.
[00:16:29] Kingdom economy, give all you can.
[00:16:31] In the worldly economy, our security is in our wealth.
[00:16:36] But in a kingdom economy, our security is in God.
[00:16:40] We have to understand the difference between these two economies.
[00:16:45] And I can just sum it up for you this way.
[00:16:46] The world says get all you can, keep all you can, protect your assets.
[00:16:52] Whereas the kingdom says give all you can, sow all you can, store up eternal assets.
[00:17:02] You know, when you invest in God's kingdom, we get to capitalize on heaven's dividends.
[00:17:09] Things like a peace that can't be bought, a joy that can't be shaken, and a treasure
[00:17:18] that can't be stolen.
[00:17:20] You know, I had an opportunity to talk with a young girl this morning.
[00:17:23] I think she's middle school, maybe high school.
[00:17:26] And she asked me if I would pray for her.
[00:17:28] And she said, I don't wanna look like my classmates.
[00:17:32] I wanna pray that I stand out and look like Jesus.
[00:17:36] I was like, come on, somebody.
[00:17:39] In the heart of a student, powerful, right?
[00:17:43] That wrecked me.
[00:17:44] The scripture says in Luke 12, verse 33, provide purses for yourselves that won't wear out.
[00:17:52] a treasure in heaven that will never fail where no thief comes near no moth destroys.
[00:17:59] First Timothy chapter six verse 18 Paul was encouraging Timothy how to lead his church and he said command them to do good to do to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share in this way they will lay up for themselves treasures
[00:18:18] A firm foundation for the coming age so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
[00:18:27] Who?
[00:18:28] What names will show up on your impact account?
[00:18:32] That's eternal investing.
[00:18:36] That's E-R-O-I.
[00:18:39] Now maybe you're sitting here going, wait a second.
[00:18:42] So Pastor D, if I do things kingdom-wise, does that mean I can't have wealth?
[00:18:48] No.
[00:18:49] Jesus doesn't have anything against wealth, but he has everything against waste.
[00:18:55] And waste is when we spend it all here on earth, but we forget about heaven.
[00:19:02] The scripture that I highlighted earlier, Matthew 16, verse 19 and 20, says we are not to store up our treasures here on earth, but we are to store up our treasures in heaven.
[00:19:14] Jesus wasn't condemning treasure, he was redirecting it.
[00:19:18] In other words, he was saying, be smart.
[00:19:21] Don't invest in what rusts, invest in what lasts.
[00:19:27] Think about it.
[00:19:28] Earthly return on investment relies on markets, companies,
[00:19:35] Things that can crumble.
[00:19:37] Y'all remember 2008.
[00:19:38] Man, I lost a whole lot in 2008, probably some of you in here, because the market is unstable.
[00:19:47] But kingdom, the eternal return on investment invests in the King of Kings, who I can promise y'all, 30 billion years from now, he will still sit on the throne.
[00:20:02] The kingdom of God is unshakable.
[00:20:06] It's recession-proof.
[00:20:09] So, all right, Pastor D.
[00:20:12] How do we live a life of eternal return on investment?
[00:20:15] What does that look like?
[00:20:16] How do we do that?
[00:20:17] Well, I wanna unpack for you today six principles of what it looks like to live for eternity.
[00:20:23] And y'all, I'm so passionate about this because for me, I don't wanna stand before Jesus and say that there was anything in my hands that I didn't use to build his kingdom.
[00:20:37] So y'all ready?
[00:20:38] let's unpack these number one living a life of eroi looks like investing in people not profits people not profits because people are the only thing that we can take to heaven we can't take our stuff we can't take our homes our cars we can't take our money we can't take our retirement accounts y'all
[00:21:01] But we can sure take people.
[00:21:03] And every time you love, every time you serve, every time you share an encouraging word, imagine you're literally building an eternal portfolio.
[00:21:16] Powerful.
[00:21:18] Years ago, I was interviewing a new assistant.
[00:21:21] My job had gone from national to global, and I needed to add to my team somebody who knew how to do international travel.
[00:21:27] And my HR team posted for the requisition, and people from across the country applied, but there was one person in Charlotte.
[00:21:34] And I was like, come on, somebody.
[00:21:36] I'd love to have a colleague here, because I was working from home.
[00:21:38] I'm like, I need humans.
[00:21:41] And so I scheduled this interview with her.
[00:21:43] We're at a coffee shop.
[00:21:44] I'm asking all the questions.
[00:21:46] Y'all know the behavioral-based questions, right?
[00:21:48] Tell me about a time when.
[00:21:49] Give me your past experience.
[00:21:52] How do you handle this situation, right?
[00:21:55] And in the middle of this job interview, I kid you not, the Holy Spirit whispers to me, ask her if Jesus is her Lord and Savior.
[00:22:05] And I was like, awkward.
[00:22:10] I mean, seriously, y'all.
[00:22:12] We're in the middle of a Starbucks, and I'm interviewing her, and if I'm honest, can I be honest in church?
[00:22:21] I was like, God, I just need to interview the woman to make sure that she can do the job.
[00:22:25] I can get her saved later.
[00:22:28] But he pressed me, and I was like, all right, this is gonna be a hard pivot.
[00:22:32] Okay, so I've got a question for you.
[00:22:37] Do you know Jesus?
[00:22:38] And she was like, what?
[00:22:40] I was like, you know Jesus, like the Messiah?
[00:22:45] She kinda does the head turn, and I was like, well, the reason I ask, I said, I met him years ago, and he wrecked my world in the best way.
[00:22:56] And I said, so I've committed my life to serving Him and Him alone.
[00:23:00] And then I got to share with her my testimony, the rest of my story.
[00:23:04] And at the end of it, she's got tears in her eyes.
[00:23:07] I said, are you okay?
[00:23:08] And she said, I want what you have.
[00:23:12] And right there, y'all, in the middle of the Starbucks, I got to lead Hannah to Jesus!
[00:23:18] Come on!
[00:23:20] Isn't God good?
[00:23:21] Y'all, that is not about me, because I had a worldly agenda, if I'm honest, right?
[00:23:27] I was trying to get the position filled.
[00:23:29] But the Lord cared that Hannah's eternal address was not hell, but was heaven.
[00:23:36] Powerful!
[00:23:38] Now, I hired the woman, because it would have been weird had I not.
[00:23:42] And here's the cool thing.
[00:23:45] Because she was in Charlotte, she would come over to my house in the mornings and I bought her a Bible and I taught her how to read the Word of God.
[00:23:53] I got to disciple her, not just lead her to the Lord.
[00:23:56] Isn't God good?
[00:24:00] 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 19 says, For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?
[00:24:12] Is it not you?
[00:24:13] In other words, y'all, our reward, the whole reason we're doing what we're doing is for people.
[00:24:21] It's for the people whose souls will last in eternity.
[00:24:25] Indeed, you are our glory and our joy.
[00:24:30] You see, success is adding value to me, but significance is adding value to others.
[00:24:36] And I don't know about you, but I don't wanna be known for success.
[00:24:40] I wanna be known for significance.
[00:24:43] So my question for you is, what's one thing that you can do this week
[00:24:48] Maybe share an encouraging word.
[00:24:51] Maybe just notice somebody.
[00:24:54] Maybe it's do something kind for someone, or maybe it's even oppose an evil in your workplace.
[00:25:02] I wanna challenge you that those acts are literally gonna echo in eternity.
[00:25:08] All right, number two, living a life of EROI, give where God is working.
[00:25:12] Give where God is working.
[00:25:14] Listen, we are prompted every single day to give to what's popular, aren't we?
[00:25:19] But I wanna give to things that are only eternal and will last forever.
[00:25:23] I've had the pleasure of meeting some of the most incredibly generous philanthropists here in Charlotte.
[00:25:29] They give millions of dollars to great causes, but not to their local church.
[00:25:36] They are giving to causes that are good, things like medical research, which, I mean, that's great, prolongs life.
[00:25:47] but it's not changing eternal destiny.
[00:25:50] They give to things like animal rights organizations and y'all I'm the first one to stop on the side of road and help an animal in need.
[00:25:57] But who is it making sure that they get to heaven?
[00:26:01] How about public broadcasting, NPR?
[00:26:04] Listen, great to share knowledge but I wanna make sure I'm giving to things that are sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
[00:26:14] Now hear me y'all.
[00:26:15] These organizations, I thank God for them.
[00:26:18] Because they are literally bringing comfort here on earth.
[00:26:21] But the church of Jesus Christ is ensuring that eternity is populated with every single soul that we come into contact with.
[00:26:31] And y'all, I'm not telling you not to give to those other organizations.
[00:26:35] But I am telling you, don't give to them and not to your local church.
[00:26:41] The scripture tells us Ephesians 3 verse 10, God's intent was that now through the church, y'all say through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[00:27:03] In other words, the church was God's chosen vehicle.
[00:27:08] The church is God's chosen vehicle.
[00:27:11] Are you giving to what lasts?
[00:27:15] Are you giving where God is working?
[00:27:18] Number three, E-R-O-Y.
[00:27:21] Giving returns a blessing.
[00:27:23] And y'all, this is a good one.
[00:27:25] Yeah, giving returns a blessing.
[00:27:28] It's pretty incredible that when you give to God's house, when you give eternally, it returns a blessing.
[00:27:36] Now, is this why we give?
[00:27:38] No, but it sure darn well what happens when we do.
[00:27:44] When we give, we get a blessing.
[00:27:46] In fact, the scripture says, Malachi 3.10, my favorite scripture, bring the whole tithe, everybody say whole tithe.
[00:27:53] Tithe means a tenth, 10% of what comes into our household.
[00:27:58] We're to bring it back to God, to the storehouse.
[00:28:01] The storehouse is what?
[00:28:03] The local church, that there may be food in my house.
[00:28:06] And God says, test me.
[00:28:11] Test me.
[00:28:11] Y'all think we should test him?
[00:28:14] Yeah, because that's the only place in the scripture where he says test me and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven, pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
[00:28:26] Anybody want so much blessing there's not room enough to store it?
[00:28:30] Oh wait, it gets better.
[00:28:32] He says, I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, your washing machine, your car.
[00:28:38] They're not going to break down because the Lord says, I'm going to put my hand on it and I will bless it.
[00:28:43] He goes on to say, then all nations will call you blessed.
[00:28:48] Come on, somebody.
[00:28:49] That's a promise straight from the Word of God.
[00:28:53] He promises blessing and protection.
[00:28:58] You know the spigot on the side of your house?
[00:29:01] Maybe you live in an apartment, the water spigot.
[00:29:03] Yeah, right?
[00:29:04] Well, what happens?
[00:29:05] You plug up a hose, turn the spigot on, water goes through the hose, and then what do you do?
[00:29:10] You can water your plants, your garden, your flowers, right?
[00:29:14] Right?
[00:29:15] Okay, just making sure.
[00:29:17] I'm like, that's what I thought happened.
[00:29:19] That's what happens at my house.
[00:29:22] Well, imagine the spigot is God.
[00:29:26] He's the source.
[00:29:27] He's the provider.
[00:29:28] And we're the garden hose.
[00:29:30] And when we plug up to the source, we transport blessing from God to the garden, to his people, to his church, to the widows, to the orphans.
[00:29:42] And guess what happens to the hose in the process?
[00:29:45] It gets rotten.
[00:29:47] Guys, listen.
[00:29:49] Blessing comes when you live a life of EROI.
[00:29:52] Number four, EROI looks like God multiplies whatever you invest.
[00:29:58] That's a promise.
[00:30:00] You bring something to God, He's gonna give it back to you a whole lot bigger.
[00:30:04] Come on.
[00:30:05] I like that math.
[00:30:06] That's like girl math.
[00:30:09] Right?
[00:30:09] I didn't spend $100, I saved $50.
[00:30:15] I like God's math.
[00:30:17] You bring it to him and he multiplies it.
[00:30:20] John chapter six verse nine, little boy brings his lunch.
[00:30:24] Number three, Captain D's lunch.
[00:30:26] He brings it to the disciples.
[00:30:28] Five loaves, two fish.
[00:30:29] What happens?
[00:30:31] The disciples bring it to Jesus and it's multiplied to feed upwards of 20,000 people with leftovers.
[00:30:40] I don't know how that works in the natural, but thank God I don't have to find out because I serve a supernatural God.
[00:30:48] 2 Corinthians 9 verse 6, I love this because this is the part where we get choice.
[00:30:55] God asks us to tithe.
[00:30:57] Quite frankly, y'all, that's a command.
[00:31:00] But this is where he says we've got choice.
[00:31:02] 2 Corinthians 9 verse 6, he says, remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.
[00:31:10] So if you wanna sow sparingly, cool.
[00:31:13] You're gonna reap sparingly.
[00:31:15] Then it says whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
[00:31:19] So if you wanna sow generously, you're gonna reap generously as a result.
[00:31:24] And then he says each of you give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly, not under compulsion, not out of obligation, for God loves a cheerful giver.
[00:31:37] And then God says he's able to bless you.
[00:31:39] Does it say out of the bottom of the barrel?
[00:31:42] No.
[00:31:44] abundantly y'all say that word abundantly so that in all things at all times having all that you need that's a whole lot of all y'all you will abound in every good work every seed that we sow in faith every act of generosity is going to grow into something eternal
[00:32:11] And maybe you're sitting here going, yeah, but Pastor D, I don't have much.
[00:32:17] You know what I'll say to that?
[00:32:19] Good.
[00:32:20] Because my God specializes in taking the not enough and turning it into more than enough.
[00:32:28] It doesn't matter how much you have.
[00:32:31] The seed that's in your hand, heaven sees a harvest.
[00:32:35] and I pray right now that God would give you the eyes to see what he's given you the eternal impact that it will have not in dollar signs but in pictures of faces and lives guys I just want to challenge you for a minute pastor just consider me your pastor for a minute I want to challenge you Mark said this in the video but we can't limit God
[00:33:01] We cannot limit Him.
[00:33:02] You might have only a little, but I know that God wants to do something radical with it.
[00:33:07] And if you bring it to Him willingly, imagine the hearts and the lives that'll be changed as a result.
[00:33:14] Four years ago, my 10-year-old son got a birthday check in the mail.
[00:33:18] He cashed it, put that money in his wallet, brought it to church, and he bought a cup of coffee for a young man who was going to UNC Charlotte.
[00:33:27] That young man is now my second son, Eugene.
[00:33:31] That cup of coffee changed his life.
[00:33:35] And years later, we were praying as a family, and Eugene said, thank you God for that cup of coffee.
[00:33:42] Powerful.
[00:33:43] You never know what your generosity is doing.
[00:33:47] You never know the impact.
[00:33:49] You could invest $1,000 today in the market, and if you multiply that threefold, y'all, that's a good day, right?
[00:33:58] But if you invest $1,000 in God's church and one hand raised to make a decision for Jesus, whew, priceless.
[00:34:11] That's eternal return on investment.
[00:34:13] Number five, E-R-O-Y is legacy that lasts.
[00:34:17] Legacy lasts.
[00:34:18] In God's economy, faithfulness is fruitfulness.
[00:34:22] And I pray that you guys, we all get to hear this from the Father one day.
[00:34:26] Matthew 25 verse 21, the Master replied, Well done, good and faithful servant.
[00:34:33] You've been faithful with few things.
[00:34:35] I will trust you with many.
[00:34:37] Come and share in your master's happiness.
[00:34:41] You see, legacy lasts.
[00:34:45] Legacy is the lasting impact of our lives.
[00:34:49] Legacy is what's still around in the room when you no longer are.
[00:34:54] Legacy leaves a mark that hell can't erase.
[00:34:59] And when you're a kingdom builder, like you heard in the video, kingdom builders are going above and beyond their time because they're saying, I wanna see as many people populate heaven as possible.
[00:35:11] That's legacy.
[00:35:12] And listen, when you and I stand before Jesus, he's not gonna say, how many followers did you have?
[00:35:20] He's gonna say, how many did you bring to follow me?
[00:35:23] Psalm 112 verse five, it says, good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.
[00:35:33] Surely the righteous will never be shaken.
[00:35:36] They will be remembered forever.
[00:35:39] Come on, last one, E-R-O-I, live like heaven is the market.
[00:35:46] Live like heaven is the market.
[00:35:48] Every single dollar, every single decision you make has an opportunity to move a temporary resource into an eternal result.
[00:36:01] Think about that.
[00:36:03] You know, my husband loves to trade on the stock market and quite frankly, that's all way above my head.
[00:36:08] He's got Bitcoin and crypto and he sits there with his black screens and he's like trading and he'll get the smile on his face and I'm like, do you just make some money?
[00:36:17] And he's like, yeah.
[00:36:18] But you know what's even more powerful is when he's like, I can't wait to sow this into the kingdom of God because that invests for eternity.
[00:36:29] Powerful.
[00:36:31] Will you all stand at your feet?
[00:36:34] Colossians 3.2 says, set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
[00:36:43] A few weeks ago, my family had a chance to go back to Virginia where I went to high school to see my nephew play in one of his senior football games.
[00:36:53] I mean, we're cheering on the sidelines, it was awesome.
[00:36:56] And then my sister-in-law's father, who I don't see often,
[00:37:02] He was like Diana I'm like oh good to see you it's been years and he said he just gets this grin on his face and y'all from the south hopefully you know this phrase when somebody's grinning like a possum you know like that like ear to ear grin I mean I was kind of like were you up to something here he gets that smile on his face I said what
[00:37:26] And he says, you've been saved now for what, 20 years?
[00:37:30] And I was like, yeah, it's been about that.
[00:37:34] I said, thanks for remembering.
[00:37:37] And then he looks at me and he points and he says, I prayed for you.
[00:37:42] I fervently prayed for your salvation.
[00:37:47] And then he says to me, man, you were a hot mess.
[00:37:51] I was like, yeah, I was.
[00:37:54] He's like I mean you are a wild child like running around and some days I wasn't sure you were gonna make it and I was like okay where are we going with this and then he said but man you look a whole lot like Jesus now you know as I watched that grin on his face grow you know what I realized I am his eternal return on investment
[00:38:23] My salvation is credited to His account in heaven.
[00:38:28] And what's more, this man, Mark, late 70s, he lives in the backwoods of West Virginia, y'all.
[00:38:35] He doesn't see many people.
[00:38:38] But you know, every single person that I've led to the Lord will also be credited to His account in heaven.
[00:38:46] Isn't that powerful?
[00:38:51] Think about that, church.
[00:38:53] Every decision that we make has an opportunity to make an eternal difference.
[00:39:00] Will you close your eyes and bow your heads just right where you are?
[00:39:05] Maybe something in today's message.
[00:39:10] Maybe God was putting something, his finger on something in your life.
[00:39:16] Or maybe you've withheld something.
[00:39:19] Maybe for you it's your finances.
[00:39:22] maybe it's your gifts maybe you've got a gift that you've not yet brought to bear fully for the Lord and he's saying come on I want to use that too
[00:39:33] Maybe it's your time.
[00:39:35] Maybe you didn't think you had enough, but he's saying, if you'll just give me a little bit of it, I will do wonders in multiplying it.
[00:39:42] If that's you, just between you and the Lord, will you just put your hand on your heart?
[00:39:47] Just you acknowledging that, God, I know there's more.
[00:39:49] I see your hands.
[00:39:50] Yeah, I see your hands.
[00:39:51] Hands across all over the room.
[00:39:54] Listen, mine was on my heart this morning as I was praying, because I know there's places and things
[00:40:00] that I can bring to bear even more fully for his kingdom.
[00:40:03] It's powerful.
[00:40:05] My prayer for you is that you would literally get a vision of yourselves walking on the streets paved with gold and people running out of their mansions saying, hey you, I'm here because of you.
[00:40:19] I pray right now that your sacrifice with your time, your talent, and your treasure would literally populate heaven.
[00:40:27] Lives would be changed, marriages restored, babies to be born because you said yes.
[00:40:36] Now maybe you're in here and maybe you didn't realize that a man by the name of Jesus paid the ultimate price for you.
[00:40:44] He literally shed blood for you on the cross.
[00:40:50] And in exchange, your eternity in heaven was the return
[00:40:58] and if you don't know without a shadow of a doubt if you were to die tomorrow that you would spend eternity with a father in heaven I want to give you that opportunity right now maybe you've wandered off course that's okay he's saying come on home if that's you just lift your hand just right where you are I want to pray with you nobody's looking around just lift your hand right where you are thank you Jesus I see your hands I see your hands thank you thank you Jesus
[00:41:23] Man, he is so good.
[00:41:25] Come on, church.
[00:41:26] We can celebrate that.
[00:41:27] Thank you, Lord.
[00:41:28] So good.
[00:41:31] So good.
[00:41:31] Come on.
[00:41:33] And church, I just want to lead us in a prayer.
[00:41:35] The scripture says if you confess with your mouth and you believe in your heart that he is Lord, you will be saved.
[00:41:42] So church, all together, whether your hand was on your heart, whether your hand was in the air, or whether you wanted to, church, everybody repeat after me.
[00:41:49] Say, Heavenly Father, thank you.
[00:41:53] for your generosity in giving your first and your best in Jesus.
[00:42:03] Thank you that Jesus died.
[00:42:06] Thank you that Jesus rose again.
[00:42:09] Thank you that His blood washes me clean.
[00:42:17] From this point forward, I will serve Him
[00:42:22] all the days of my life in Jesus name and all God's people shouted amen amen come on somebody listen heaven got a little bit bigger today and i can say with confidence that if you are sowing into your local church if you are sowing into freedom house as your church man those salvations will be credited to your account in heaven isn't that powerful
[00:42:51] Man, this stuff never gets old, y'all.
[00:42:55] And I pray that it never does.
[00:42:57] And listen, I just wanna share last week, we invited new families to start their generosity journey, to join in on the giving journey.
[00:43:08] And you know, we had 25 families take that step and start their giving journey.
[00:43:13] Come on, church, let's celebrate that.
[00:43:16] 25 families.
[00:43:18] said God I'm gonna trust you God I want to be part of your economy I want to have a hand in populating heaven 25 families powerful and listen if that's you and you'd like to start your giving journey today I want to encourage you to do so now you can unlock your phone tap the button right in front of you you can go to freedomhouse.cc give if you're online feel free to join in with us
[00:43:46] you can also go old school because listen y'all cash and checks still work even in the kingdom of God can I get an amen there's envelopes in the seat back pockets in front of you you can use those and there's giving boxes outside the auditorium that you can drop those in as you leave but listen church I want to encourage you in something maybe you're in here and you've given
[00:44:10] Maybe after hearing an inspiring word or after hearing a message that you're like, yeah, I can get behind that.
[00:44:16] But maybe you're not yet consistent in your giving.
[00:44:21] I want to encourage you today in the scripture Paul encouraged he comforted and he urged that we would all live a life worthy of the kingdom of God I don't know about you but I want my life to be considered worthy because my heart is for the kingdom and I want to encourage you today
[00:44:44] Maybe you've started your giving journey, but you've not yet been consistent.
[00:44:48] Start that today.
[00:44:50] Whatever that looks like, give something, give it consistently.
[00:44:55] Because the kingdom of God is everlasting.
[00:44:59] And God wants to teach us a principle of stewardship that recognizes that He's first,
[00:45:06] He's given it to us, and when we sow it into His kingdom, it always generates a return on investment, one that far lasts beyond our lives.
[00:45:17] Church, will you just stretch out your hands right now?
[00:45:19] I wanna pray over you.
[00:45:20] Heavenly Father,
[00:45:22] God I thank you so much for every single heart in here God I thank you that they showed up today with their time they wanted to serve you first and Father I pray that you bless the rest of their week God I thank you for every single person in here that served with their time Father I thank you that as they use their gifts for your house that you would multiply those radically that you would use them to generate an eternal return on investment
[00:45:48] and Father I thank you for these tithes and these offerings that we bring to you willingly
[00:45:56] Father I pray that you would bless every single person in here richly as a result it's not why they're giving but God I thank you that it's what happens when we do God I pray that you take the little and you multiply it into much Father I pray that you make mighty stewards out of the hearts that are in here and God I pray dreams and visions over the hearts in here that they would see the kingdom of God here on earth
[00:46:24] Populated with women and men and children coming back to the Father.
[00:46:31] Thank you God that you give us an opportunity to play a hand in your kingdom.
[00:46:37] You could take care of it without us.
[00:46:40] but yet you choose to use us and we thank you for that we love you Lord we trust you we honor you and it's in Jesus mighty precious all-powerful peace-giving name that we all shouted amen