February 20 | Dream Big Devotional | Jamey Bridges

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Transcript

Closing The 21-Day Journey

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everybody, welcome to the last day of our 21-day prayer, fasting, our devotions. Our team has done an incredible job portraying to you what we are articulating that God is doing at Life Community Church. And as we close up, I just want to have, you know, again, more honest conversations of where we are and how we're dreaming, what that means for us as we come to this conclusion on February 20th, 2026. Again, I've not tried to overdramatize any of this to say I do believe this is a pivotal moment in our history where we will look back on just like we did in February of 2020. Just like we did in June of 2021, or just like we did on April 23rd, 2011, or January 23rd, 2011. Like these are these are moments and dates that are etched in our history of where we've seen God move. And um Matthew chapter 13 is this parable, and it's kind of tucked in to two verses, and it's real quick and uh uh some somewhat overlooked, and it says this here's another illustration Jesus used. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants. It grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches. Jesus often uses or chooses like ordinary images to explain extraordinary truth. And when he spoke about faith, he didn't speak about something impressive, he didn't speak about something grand. He held a mustard seed in his hand, almost uh invisible uh in your hand, easy to overlook. Yet Jesus said, This tiny seed reveals how the kingdom of God works. I think that's important to note. Uh faith is not measured by how big it feels, but by whether it is planted. You know, I've I've stood several times on this 57 acres of land, and it's stirred some mixed emotions from excitement to gratitude to awe, being honest, a little fearful. The land is uh it's vast, it's bold, it's um the cost is real, the future feels bigger than what we currently hold. And this is exactly the kind of moment Jesus was talking about. God rarely begins with the finished picture. Uh He begins with a seed. A seed carries promise, but it also requires surrender. It also, once it's planted, it disappears into soil. It looks like loss before it looks like life. Uh faith works the same way. We give our yes, we give our resources, we give our prayers, we give our obedience, often before we see any any visible return. But seeds don't stop working just because we can't see them. This land, um, this property, it's more than land. It's soil. Soil prepared by, man, years. In fact, we were up there one day, and somebody was on the property who's lived here for 60 years, and he said, This land has been contemplated, has been prayed about, has been talked about. This land is more than land. And I'm like, you're right. This this is soil prepared by years of prayer, sacrifice, faithful obedience. Every step that brought us here, every act of generosity, every moment of courage, every time we chose faith over comfort was a seed going into the ground. And here's the promise: God never wasted a planted seed. The mustard seed didn't grow overnight. It grows quietly, it grows slowly, it grows steadily. Roots go down before branches go out. Strength is built underground long before shade is offered above ground. What God is growing here may not impress the world at first, but one day it will provide refuge, it will provide rest and life for many in its branches. And the Bible is clear like, man, that's who we are. Jesus said the birds come and perch its branches. That's a picture of people finding home, families finding healing, marriages being restored, kids finding purpose, lost finding hope, generations finding Jesus. Like this is our prayer. God sees the tree. We see dirt right now, but God sees the tree. So we don't ask, do we have enough faith for this? We ask, are we willing to plant the faith that we do have? Big vision doesn't require big faith, it requires faithful obedience. The same God who grows seeds grows churches. The same God who brings life from the soil brings impact from surrender. What starts with a mustard seed in God's hands can become a movement that outlives us. And to me, that's that is the biggest thing. We want a movement that outlives us. Matthew 17 says, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you. Zachariah told the church, like, do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Reflection. Here it is. What seed is God asking you to plant right now? Your prayers, your generosity, your trust. Don't wait for your faith to feel bigger. Plant where you are. God will take care of the growth. Plant the seed. Trust the process. God will bring the harvest. And here's what I know: not everyone is in the same place on this journey. And that's okay. Faith grows at different speeds, but today isn't about whether you're ready to give a certain amount or have all the answers. Today is about whether you're willing to say, God, whatever you want to do through us, I don't want to stand in the way. That's what this is about. God, I don't want to stand in the way. And again, this land isn't about bigger for the sake of bigger. It's about room for the people God hasn't sent yet. Families who need hope, students who need truth, generations who aren't here yet but will be. You know, God has entrusted us with this land. And again, not to build a monument, but to make room. And we believe this land represents future stories. Again, future marriages restored. And this isn't about replacing what we love. It's about expanding the mission God has already given us. So we're dreaming beyond ourselves. We're believing that obedience today creates opportunities for generations tomorrow. And together with faith and wisdom, we step forward. Not because it's easy, but because God is faithful. And I recognize, you guys, that there are a lot of people that are categorized at Life Community Church. You know, they're vision carriers, these are people who see the opportunity. They're talking about legacy, they're talking about next generations, they're talking about community impact. They're praying about, you know, for people who don't attend yet, like they're they're pumped, they're excited. Um there's what I would deem faith stretchers. These people are excited, but they're they're a little scared. Uh you believe God is in this, uh, but the numbers, you know, feel real. Um, this is the stretching, your faith, your generosity, your comfort. You're asking, you know, can God really do this through us? Um faith isn't the absence of spirits, of fear, it's obedience in spite of it. I mean, hear that. Faith isn't the absence of fear, it's obedience in spite of it. I think there are some people that are just cautious. We just, we want to be wise, uh, not anti-vision, might be a little more anti-risk. Um, I think these people oftentimes are shaped by past church experiences or hurts and or maybe even failed projects. You have practical questions about debt and timing and um sustainability. I think those are all good. That's it's very good to be cautious. There are some people that are comfort protectors. You're saying things like, what's wrong with what we already have? You love the church deeply, just as it is. Growth feels like loss to you. You feel like it's gonna be too big for relationships, uh, less familiar. You feel like we're gonna be so big that we lose influence. Like these are some of the things that I've actually uh heard some of you say. There's concerned skeptics. These people are, you know, I've seen this go bad before. You carry like real scars from real hurt, and you fear financial strain, you feel division, you fear division, you fear burnout. Uh you're not necessarily rebellious. I think you're more wounded. There's the quiet observers, they're just kind of watching how we lead through this. Some of you, you're watching how I lead through it. You're not vocal, but you're deeply influenced by tone. You decide based on trust and unity and spiritual health, and you often move last, but but you're also the ones that when you move, you move big. Why? Because consistency matters more than hype to you. Uh and then there's the last category. Uh they're the not ready yet. Um, you're still figuring out things. Maybe you're a new believer, uh, maybe you're new to church, or I would put you in a category of like, man, you're just going through something major right now, life, a death, major life change. Uh so the building isn't really a priority for you. Um, but Jesus is. And so you're you're leaning in, and I think that's a good place. You're not resisting. Uh, it's just early in the journey for you, and uh I think it's okay. I think it's okay. And here's the thing: I just rattled off seven different types of people, and I don't know what category you feel, or if you feel like you're more like this person or this person. It doesn't matter to me. Like, here's what I want you to hear. Everyone isn't in the same place, and it's okay, but we need to be going the same direction. Like, that's important. Like when you talk about non-negotiables, it's like, hey, um, we don't have to be in the same place, but we have to be going the same direction. And uh I believe that. I believe that um I think this is this is why this is a pivotal time for us. Are we going the same direction? Um, I'm not just talking about with building, but I'm talking about spiritually, uh, with where we align with scripture, with what's being talked about, but the way we're discipling. Are you a, you know, are you a solution person? Are you like, hey man, I want to be a part of this? Uh or are we kind of sitting back going like, hey, I'm just kind of watching and uh I don't know if I'm in or not. And again, it's okay. Jesus invites us all. Uh we just know this. We know that uh everything's on the table. We're trusting the Lord. Uh this is not something that we're conjuring up. Um we're we're walking through the doors that he's opening and we're dreaming, and that's it. And I don't know what this is gonna look like. Just like if you would have said to me 15 years ago, would you be seeing yourself sitting in the seat? I I wouldn't have. I just wouldn't have. Um, but I know uh that I've served God for a long time and I've seen him do some crazy, awesome, amazing things and a lot, and so I trust him. I trust his plans. And so, yeah, I am. I'm leaning in and uh I'm responding to the invite, and I'm asking you to do that too as we continue to dream big. Uh this weekend is a big weekend for us, uh one that I believe we'll look back on and go, man, look what the Lord has done. God bless you guys. Thank you so much for being on this journey with us. We love you and uh look forward to all that God is doing, Life Community Church.