Here To Stay 2.0: Generosity

Here To Stay 2.0: Trust Fund

March 22nd, 2026/Seventh Day Adventist

Story:

There was a husband and a wife. His name was Jake and her name was Martha.

Every year they would go to the state fair, and every year Jake would see that antique biplane. And every year he would think to himself, “Man, I really want to take a ride in that airplane.” And every year Martha would say, “Well Jake, it costs $10 to ride in that airplane… and $10 is $10.” And so they never did it. That was the recurring conversation.

Well one year, at the state fair, Jake said, “I’m 81 years old now, and if I don’t take a ride in that airplane now, I’ll probably never take a ride in it.” And Martha replied, “Well Jake, it costs $10… and $10 is $10.”

The pilot overheard this conversation and said, “I see your dilemma, let me help you out. I’ll tell you what… I’ll take you up in the airplane, and if you can make it through the entire ride without saying a single word… not one word… then it’s free. But if you say anything at all, it’s $10.” They said, “Okay, you’ve got a deal.”

So they get in the plane, they take off, they get up to altitude, and the pilot decides he’s going to try and break them. He starts doing dips and dives and turns and rolls, trying to scare the mess out of them. Nothing. Not a word. So he goes harder—steeper dives, sharper turns, full-on chaos in the air and still, not a word.

They land the plane, the pilot turns around and says, “I’m really impressed. I tried everything I could to get you to yell or say something… and you didn’t say a word.” And Jake looks at him and says, “Well… I was going to say something when Martha fell out of the plane after the first roll… but $10 is $10.”

Intro:

Now that’s funny, but it hits a little close to home. Because money has a way of doing something in us. It reveals what we value, it exposes what we fear, and it often shows us what we actually trust.

For a lot of people, money isn’t just a practical issue, it’s an emotional one. It creates tension in marriages, stress in families, and anxiety about the future, because money carries weight.

And here’s the truth I want you to see right out of the gate: money is never just about money. It’s about trust. And the way we handle it reveals what, or who, we trust most.

Transition:

The challenge is that most of us have been shaped by a certain way of thinking. We’ve been taught to hold on tightly, to protect what’s ours, and to make sure we’re secure first. Then, if there’s anything left over, we might consider giving. That’s the natural way people operate.

But the Kingdom of God works differently. In the Kingdom, we don’t give because we have extra. We give because we trust God. Generosity is not the overflow of comfort; it’s the expression of trust. It’s not about having more than enough, it’s about believing that God is more than enough.

And that’s exactly what Paul is getting at in the passage we’re looking at today. He’s not trying to get something from them; he’s trying to form something in them. He’s teaching them that generosity is not about pressure, it’s about trust.

So if you have your Bible, go with me to 2 Corinthians 9.

Passage: 2 Corinthians 9:6–15 (CSB)

6 The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. 9 As it is written: He distributed freely; he gave to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.

10 Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the proof provided by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone. 14 And as they pray on your behalf, they will have deep affection for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Background:

Paul is writing to the church in Corinth about a specific situation, but it reveals a much bigger principle. There was a group of believers in Jerusalem who were going through a season of real need. Persecution, famine, and economic hardship had hit that church hard. So Paul is traveling among the Gentile churches, places like Corinth, inviting them to participate in meeting that need. This was not a random offering. This was a moment of connection between churches. You had a predominantly Gentile church being invited to support a predominantly Jewish church, which shows the gospel breaking down barriers and forming one unified people. This is about more than money. It is about shared mission and Kingdom unity.

What stands out is how Paul approaches it. He does not pressure them or manipulate them. He does not use guilt to get a result. Instead, he spends two full chapters teaching them how to think about generosity. He points to other believers who gave sacrificially, he points them to Jesus who gave Himself fully, and then he invites them to respond willingly. Not out of obligation, but from the heart. When we read this, we are not just reading instructions about giving. We are stepping into a moment where Paul is forming a theology of generosity in the early church, helping them understand that generosity is about participating in what God is doing.

And here is what is important for us to see. This was not just about people giving to people. This was an offering to God that flowed through the local church to meet real needs and advance the mission. God was the source, the church was the channel, and people were the participants. And that same pattern is still how God works today.

Transition:

So with that in mind, what Paul is doing here is not just talking about an offering. He is helping shape the way believers think about generosity at the deepest level. He is moving them beyond surface-level giving into a life that is marked by trust in God.

And that is what I want to do with the next few minutes we have together. I want to walk you through what this passage shows us about generosity, not just in what we do, but in how we think and how we trust.

Because if we miss this, generosity will always feel like pressure. It will feel like something we have to do instead of something we get to be part of.

But if we understand what Paul is teaching, it changes everything.

Main Point 1: Generosity Begins with Trust, Not Surplus

Passage:

6 The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. - 2 Corinthians 9:6

Explanation: Paul is using a picture that everyone in that culture would immediately understand. This is agricultural language. It is the rhythm of sowing and reaping. But what he is pointing to is not just farming, it is trust.

A farmer does not sow based on what they can afford to lose. They sow based on what they believe will happen next. When seed goes into the ground, it looks like loss in the moment. You are taking something you have and letting go of it. You are placing it into the soil where you cannot see it, control it, or guarantee the outcome.

But the farmer does it anyway, because they trust the process. They trust that what is sown will produce something greater.

And Paul is saying that generosity works the same way. It is not about having surplus. It is about trusting God with what you have now. The size of the sowing is not just a reflection of your resources, it is a reflection of your trust.

Illustration:

Think about how we naturally think.

“If I give this, what if I don’t have enough later?”
“I need to hold onto this just in case something happens.”
“Once I get ahead, then I’ll start being generous.”

That sounds normal to us, but no farmer would ever think that way.

Imagine a farmer standing in his field with a bag of seed saying, “I just don’t know if I can put this in the ground. What if I need it later? What if I don’t have enough? I think I’ll just keep it in the barn where it’s safe.”

We would look at that and say, “You’re not protecting your future, you’re preventing it.”

Because seed was never meant to be stored. It was meant to be sown.

Unused seed doesn’t stay neutral, it slowly loses its ability to produce.

The only way it multiplies is if it leaves your hand.

And the same thing is true in our lives. When we treat everything like something to hold onto, we end up holding onto the very thing God intended to multiply.

Application:

This is where it becomes real, because this is not theoretical. This shows up in everyday decisions.

It shows up when you get paid and you immediately start calculating what you can keep instead of asking what God is asking you to release. It shows up when generosity feels like a risk instead of an act of trust. It shows up when your first instinct is to hold instead of to open your hand.

Jesus reinforces this in Luke 6:38 when He says, “Give, and it will be given to you… For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” He is not describing a transaction. He is describing a posture. A life that is open and trusting God versus a life that is closed and trying to control everything.

You see it again in the story of the widow in Mark 12. Everyone else was giving out of their surplus, but she gave out of what she actually needed to live on. And Jesus highlights her, not because of the amount, but because of the trust behind it.

So the question for us is simple, but it is not easy. Where am I holding onto something that God is asking me to trust Him with?

For some, that may be starting to give consistently. For others, it may be increasing what you give. For others, it may be shifting your mindset from leftovers to first and intentional.

But for all of us, it comes back to this. Generosity begins when we stop waiting for more and start trusting God with what we already have.

Main Point 2: God Supplies Seed AND Multiplies Impact

Passage:

8 And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. 9 As it is written: He distributed freely; he gave to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. - 2 Corinthians 9:8-10

Explanation: Paul now shifts the focus from what we do to who God is. He wants us to see that generosity is not sustained by our ability, it is sustained by God’s provision.

He says that God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, at all times, you have everything you need for every good work. Paul is not saying that God gives us everything we want. He is saying that God provides everything we need to live and to participate in what He is doing.

Then he reminds us that God is the one who provides seed for the sower. That means even what we give did not originate with us. God is the source of it all. And not only does He supply it, He multiplies what is released.

This shifts the entire perspective. Generosity is not about us trying to sustain ourselves while giving something away. It is about trusting that the God who provided in the first place is able to continue providing and even multiply what is placed in His hands.

Illustration:

I heard a story about a scientist who decided he didn’t need God anymore.

He said, “We’ve made all these advancements. We understand the human body, we can clone cells, we can create life in a lab. We don’t need God to create anything anymore.”

So he looks up toward heaven and says, “God, we don’t need You anymore. We can do what You do.”

And God responds, “Okay. Show Me.”

So the scientist bends down, grabs a handful of dirt, and says, “Alright, I’m going to create life from this.”

And God says, “No, no… get your own dirt.”

Everything we have traces back to Him.

Scripture says He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Everything belongs to Him. The resources we have, the opportunities we have, the ability to earn, to build, to create. None of it starts with us.

And yet so often we live like we are the source. Like if we don’t hold everything together, it all falls apart. But we are not the source. We are the ones God has chosen to steward what already belongs to Him.

It is the difference between holding a bucket and being connected to a spring. If all you have is a bucket, then every time you pour something out, you have less. But if you are connected to a spring, then what flows out of you is not your source, it is just what is passing through you.

Application:

This changes how we approach generosity in a very practical way.

Instead of asking, “Can I afford to give this?” we begin to ask, “Do I trust God as my source?”

Instead of seeing generosity as subtraction, we begin to see it as participation in what God is doing. We begin to live open-handed, not because we are careless, but because we are confident in who is providing.

Jesus reinforces this in Matthew 6 when He tells His followers not to worry about what they will eat or wear, because their Father already knows what they need. The call is to seek first the Kingdom and trust that everything else will be provided.

So the shift is simple and significant. We stop living like everything depends on us, and we start living like everything flows from God.

And when that becomes real to you, generosity stops feeling like a loss. It starts to feel like trust in action.

Main Point 3: Generosity Leads to Kingdom Impact

Passage:

11 You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. - 2 Corinthians 9:11–12

Explanation:

Paul now shifts from source to outcome. He has shown us that God supplies and multiplies, and now he shows us why.

He says that you will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God. Then he continues and says that this ministry of giving not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also overflows in many expressions of thanks to God.

In other words, generosity does not stop with provision. It leads to transformation.

It meets real needs, but it also moves hearts. It causes people to recognize God’s goodness. It results in gratitude, worship, and lives being changed.

This is where generosity moves beyond something transactional and becomes something spiritual. It is not just about what leaves your hand. It is about what God does through it on the other side.

Illustration:

In 1934 a group of Christian businessmen in Charlotte, North Carolina, felt stirred to create a space where people could hear the gospel. So they began to pray, consistently asking God to move in their city, and then they took a step of faith. They brought evangelist Mordecai Ham for a series of revival meetings. It wasn’t flashy or perfect. It required sacrifice, effort, and obedience. They gave, they served, they invited, and they created space for the gospel to go forward.

Night after night, people gathered. Songs were sung, the Word was preached, and invitations were given. And one evening, a young man walked into that gathering. He wasn’t known, wasn’t significant in the eyes of the world, just one person in the crowd. But that night, he heard the gospel clearly, and when the invitation was given, he responded. He gave his life to Jesus.

What no one fully realized in that moment was that their prayers, their generosity, and their obedience had all played a part in that one decision. And that young man who gave his life to Christ… was Billy Graham.

Application:

This is where we have to bring this into our world, because it’s easy to hear a story like that and think, “That’s incredible,” but miss the reality behind it. That moment didn’t just happen. Someone paid for that tabernacle. Someone made it possible for the preacher to be there. Someone created a space where people could gather, hear the gospel, and respond. And in the moment, it probably didn’t feel significant. It probably felt simple, practical, maybe even small. But those weren’t just expenses. Those were seeds.

They were seeds that created an environment where someone could encounter Jesus. Seeds that became part of a story far bigger than they could see. And the same thing is happening right now. Every time we gather, this doesn’t just happen. A space is being created where people can walk in, hear the gospel, experience the presence of God, and have their lives changed. That means someone is helping make it possible. A community of people is coming together to create that environment.

When we rent a building, when we invest in kids ministry, when we provide curriculum, when we buy cables and equipment and all the things that no one ever sees, those are not just line items. Those are seeds. They are seeds that create space for a child to hear about Jesus, seeds that create space for someone to walk in for the first time and encounter God, seeds that become part of stories we may never fully see this side of eternity.

So the question becomes, do I see what I give as an expense, or do I see it as impact? Because when you begin to see that God uses what you give to create space for people to encounter Him, generosity stops feeling small. It starts to feel like participation in something eternal. And you begin to realize that what you place in God’s hands can reach further than you ever could on your own.

Vision Moment:

This is where it becomes more than a passage. This is where it becomes our reality.

Because what Paul is talking about is not just something that happened in Corinth. This is how God works. He moves through His people to create spaces where others can encounter Him. And that is exactly what is happening here.

Every Sunday, we gather and something real takes place. People walk into the room carrying questions, pain, uncertainty, and in that moment they hear the gospel, they experience the presence of God, and their lives begin to change. That is powerful, and it matters. But what God is doing here is not limited to a Sunday.

We are intentionally investing in the next generation through Pinewood Kids and Pinewood Youth, helping kids and students not just know about God, but actually know Him for themselves. We are raising up leaders through Pinewood Leadership College, developing people who will carry the gospel into the future. We are stepping into our city through Love Boulder, meeting real needs and showing people the love of Christ in tangible ways. And we are reaching beyond our city through Love Global, playing a part in what God is doing around the world.

And all throughout the week, in homes and in spaces all over this city, there are Crews gathering. People building relationships, praying together, opening Scripture, and walking out their faith in real life. This is how disciples are made. This is how community is formed.

And as we look ahead, we believe God is leading us into something even greater. We believe there is a day coming where we will have a space of our own, a place that we can steward, invest in, and use to create even more opportunities for people to encounter Jesus.

All of this is part of a bigger story. And we get invited into it when we take what is already His and place it back into His hands.

STAND UP

Invitation:

This is where we bring it back to the heart.

Because at the end of the day, this is not about money. This is about surrender. It is about trust. It is about placing our lives in the hands of God and saying, “Everything I have is Yours.”

And I believe in a room like this, there are different people in different places on that journey.

There are some of you, and you are new to faith, or maybe you have never taken a step of generosity before. This is new for you. And if that is you, I want you to hear this clearly. This is not about pressure. This is about invitation. Your step is not about an amount. It is about beginning to trust God in a new area of your life. It may feel small, but it is significant, because it represents a heart that is learning to say yes.

There are others of you who have been following Jesus for a while. You give occasionally, when it feels right, when there is margin, when you think about it. But if you are honest, it is not consistent, and it is not intentional. And maybe today is a moment where God is inviting you to move from occasional generosity into a life that is marked by it. Not as an afterthought, but as a priority. Not based on feelings, but based on trust.

And then there are some of you who are mature in your faith. You tithe. You give. You are faithful. But if you are honest, it has become routine. It has become something you do, not something you feel. And maybe for you, the invitation today is not just to keep doing what you have been doing, but to allow God to deepen it. To move from something that is mechanical into something that is worship again. Or maybe even to step into a new level of sacrificial generosity, where it actually requires faith again.

And here is what is true for every single one of us. God is not looking for equal giving. He is looking for surrendered hearts. He is not asking for what you do not have. He is inviting you to trust Him with what you do have.

So here is what I want to do. I want to create a moment for us to respond. Not out of pressure, not out of emotion, but out of a genuine desire to trust God.

If you would say today, “God, I want to trust You with my life. I want to trust You with what You have placed in my hands. I want to move from holding tightly to living open-handed,” then I want to invite you to step out from where you are and come to the altar.

This is not about being seen. This is about surrender.

This is about saying, “God, everything I have is Yours. Use my life for what You are building.”

And as people begin to respond, you can come forward, you can kneel, you can pray right where you are. But let this be a moment where we move from hearing… to responding.

Because when we place what we have into God’s hands, He does more than enough.