Series: Essentials
Week 4: Make an Impact
Big Idea:
Making an impact isn’t about equal amounts—it’s about equal surrender.
Following Jesus expands our capacity, grows our generosity, and calls us to join His mission with our whole lives.
Transformation is not static. When we follow Jesus, our lives should be growing—growing in freedom, love, generosity, and impact. As we walk with Him, God increases our capacity to love and serve others. What once felt exhausting begins to feel joyful, because grace grows as obedience grows.
Jesus confronts fake spirituality that looks holy on the outside but consumes people on the inside. In Luke 20, He warns against leaders who love status, attention, and appearance while exploiting the vulnerable. God is not impressed by public spirituality that lacks private sacrifice. The church is not built on image, influence, or talent—it’s built on integrity and sacrifice.
Immediately after this warning, Jesus highlights what real devotion looks like. In Luke 21, He watches people give at the temple treasury. Wealthy individuals give out of abundance, but a poor widow gives two small coins—everything she has. Jesus declares that she gave more than all the others, redefining generosity not by amount, but by sacrifice and trust.
The widow didn’t just give money—she gave security. She didn’t give comfortably—she gave sacrificially. Making an impact isn’t about how much you give; it’s about how much of yourself you surrender.
But giving is not the finish line—mission is. God didn’t save us to be donors; He saved us to be disciples. Some people give money without joining the mission. Others serve faithfully but withhold generosity. Real surrender shows up somewhere—for all of us. Time, talent, and treasure are all part of a surrendered life.
Jesus’ final command wasn’t “stay and sit,” but “go and make disciples.” And He didn’t send us alone—He promised His presence with us always. The mission comes with power and promise.
Vertical exists because people matter to God. And if people matter to God, they matter to us. We don’t live for comfort—we live to make an impact. We don’t just fund the mission—we join it.
