Give Honor, Add Value | Pastor Bryan Jarrett | Northplace Church
Honor goes beyond flattery; it is recognizing the inherent value in every person and choosing to lift them up through kindness, presence, and genuine appreciation. When we honor others, we create spaces where people feel seen, respected, and connected, and when we add value by asking what we can give rather than what we can gain, our perspective shifts in powerful ways. Serving, encouraging, and showing up for others—whether through small acts or intentional support—becomes a practical expression of love. As we look ahead, let’s commit to making this a year marked by deeper purpose, meaningful relationships, and lives that consistently bring value to those around us.
Come on, will you stand to your feet today as we sing? ♪ I know a name ♪ ♪ That gets silence rolling waves ♪ ♪ I know a name ♪ ♪ That can empty out a grave ♪ ♪ I know a name ♪ ♪ It's the only name that sings ♪ ♪ And it's worthy of our praise, come on ♪ ♪ I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you healer ♪ ♪ Risen and reigning and empowered ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the grave ♪ ♪ Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you savior ♪ ♪ Worthy of glory forever ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the grave ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, I have a key ♪ ♪ With a million overdue, he holds the keys ♪ ♪ He holds the keys in his holiness gardens ♪ ♪ He's the healer that has crushed the serpent's head ♪ ♪ The resurrected reign I hear ♪ ♪ I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you healer ♪ ♪ Healer, risen and reigning and empowered ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the grave ♪ ♪ Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you savior ♪ ♪ Worthy of glory forever ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the grave ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, change, break, drive, bones, wake ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, the gates of hell will shake ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, change, break, drive, bones, wake ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, change, break, drive, bones, wake ♪ ♪ Every time I call your name, the gates of hell will shake ♪
♪ Every time I call your name, every time I call your name ♪ ♪ Where, oh death, is now your sting? ♪ ♪ And where, oh grave, your victory? ♪ ♪ And where, oh death, is now your sting? ♪ ♪ And where, oh grave, your victory? ♪ ♪ And where, oh death, is now your sting? ♪ ♪ And where, oh death, is now your sting? ♪ ♪ And where, oh grave, your victory? ♪ ♪ Death is come alive, death is come alive, death is come alive ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus, death is come alive, death is come alive ♪ Death is come alive in the name of Jesus, death is come alive ♪ ♪ Death is come alive, death is come alive, death is come alive ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus, death is come alive, death is come alive, death is come alive ♪ ♪ You're Jesus, I call you, I call you here, risen in reign and power, something comes out of the grave ♪ ♪ Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you Savior, worthy of glory forever, something comes out of the grave ♪ ♪ I call Your name every time I call Your name ♪ ♪ You're the stage where the Great Tribal's reign ♪ ♪ Every time I call Your name Jesus, let's raise our case ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Every time I call Your name death is coming live ♪ ♪ Death is coming live, death is coming live ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus, death is coming live ♪ ♪ Death is coming live, death is coming live ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Father we worship You today, we lift You high, in Jesus' name. Good morning Earthlace family. It is so good to see you today, you look great. I want you to just turn to somebody real quick
and just say good morning. Welcome somebody in the House of the Lord, amen. Amen. Lord we praise You. I could sing Your name for all my life. I could sing Your name for all my life. And still find more to love each time. And still find more to love each time. Jesus be the name ever on my lips. It's sweeter every time that I call on You. There's just something about Your name. There's just something about Your name. There's just something about Your name. That makes me cry holy. There is no other name. There is no other name. There is no other name. Jesus You're worthy. You have been the friend who never failed. You have never left. I won't forget Your faithfulness. Jesus be the name ever on my lips. It's sweeter every time that I call on You. There's just something about Your name. There's just something about Your name. There's just something about Your name. That makes me cry holy. There is no other name. There is no other name. There is no other name.
Jesus You're worthy. Oh there's just something about Your name. There's just something about Your name. There's just something about Your name. That makes me cry holy. There is no other name. There is no other name. Oh Jesus. There is no other name. Jesus You're worthy. You're worthy. Oh You're worthy Lord. Oh You're worthy of all my praise. Jesus Your name is like the morning light. The one that darkness can't deny. The resurrection and the life. Jesus, Jesus Your name can save. Your name can heal. Your name can make the storm be still. You never fail. You never will. Jesus, Jesus the bread of life broken for us. The wounded and the worthy one. The first and last and still to come. Jesus, Jesus the King who overwhelmed the grave. The Lord who will forever reign. Your name above all other names. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. ♪ Jesus, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪
♪ That gives all the glory ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ That gives all the glory, sing Jesus' name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, oh Jesus, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ That gives all the glory, oh Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ That gives all the glory ♪ ♪ Oh, you deserve all the glory ♪ ♪ You deserve all the glory, sing Jesus' be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, that gives all the glory ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, that gives all the glory ♪ Can this be the place where his name gets all of the glory? Right there where you are, can you just begin to tell him how much you love him? ♪ Of exaltation, and I was born to lift your name above all else ♪ ♪ You hear the melody of all creation ♪ ♪ But there's a song of praise that only I can bring ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy, who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is no one, only you Jesus, who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? There is no one, there is no one, only you Jesus ♪ ♪ You are the infinite God of the ages ♪ ♪ And yet you chose to make my heart the dweller of grace ♪ ♪ You healed my brokenness, showed me your glory ♪ ♪ So I have songs of thanks, not even angels sing ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy, who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is no one, only you Jesus, who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name that's glorified ♪
♪ There is no one, only you Jesus, and who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus, who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus, the lamb of God anointed one ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come, he's seated on the throne above ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, righteous one who shed his blood, he proved to us the father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ be lifted up, holy, holy, the lamb of God anointed one ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come, he's seated on the throne above ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, righteous one who shed his blood, he proved to us the father's love ♪ ♪ He shed His blood, He proved to us the Father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ be lifted up, holy, holy ♪ ♪ The Lamb of God, anointed one ♪ ♪ Who was in His knees to come ♪ ♪ He's seated on the throne of love, holy, holy ♪ ♪ The righteous one who shed His blood ♪ ♪ He proved to us the Father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ be lifted up, who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Oh, there is none like, only You Jesus ♪ ♪ There is none like, only You Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is none like, only You Jesus ♪ Come on, with everything you have tonight, sing the Lamb of God. ♪ The Lamb of God, anointed one ♪ ♪ Who was in His knees to come ♪ ♪ He's seated on the throne of love, holy, holy ♪ ♪ The righteous one who shed His blood ♪ ♪ He proved to us the Father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ be lifted up, holy, holy ♪ ♪ The Lamb of God, anointed one ♪ ♪ Who was in His knees to come, He's seated on the throne of love, holy, holy ♪
♪ The righteous one who shed His blood ♪ ♪ He proved to us the Father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ be lifted up, holy, holy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is none, holy is Jesus ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? Only one ♪ ♪ There is none, holy is Jesus ♪ ♪ There is none, holy is Jesus ♪ ♪ There is none, holy is Jesus ♪ As our campus families come together, let me just encourage you to make this series every week for the next several weeks a part of your life, your commitment is gonna be transformational for us corporately, but I really believe for you, we're gonna say more about that next week as I launch the series in the intro to kind of two soft launches before we kick off week one. I wanna do something today kind of on a personal level and then a pastoral level. First on the personal level, I ended services last week, if you weren't with us, I apologize if this is news to you, but with a pretty heavy announcement about Haley's diagnosis and just want you to know, we felt your prayers all week long, like literally kind of the wind beneath our wings, we've sensed those and I wanted you to be aware, tomorrow is a surgery day for us and so it's gonna be a really long day, so please pray early in the morning,
we go in for the first surgery where they'll remove the cancer and the late afternoon, we start the second surgery, which is another long surgery of reconstruction. So it's gonna be a really long day for us, especially for Haley, so be praying with us about that. We have felt your prayers and we love you and so appreciate you taking this journey with us. Second, I wanna pastor you for a moment. A few weeks ago, I was on a phone call, earlier in the year, I was asked to be a part of a survey, they're doing a church trends survey for churches all over the country, trying to figure out, okay, what's God doing in the church and it's one of the largest surveys ever conducted of its kind. And then there were about 530 churches in the survey that were over 2000 and so they broke them out by the whole, but then also by size, what's God doing in the larger church and the medium sized church, smaller church, what's he doing in the whole? And one of the unique things about larger churches, those churches were 2000 and over, was that unique challenges, for example, in those churches on average, 9% of the families or people in the church underwrite over 60% of the budget. We've always heard the 80-20 rule It's kind of even lower than that. And what they found is that the churches are growing, finances are increasing for kingdom work,
but the faithful are being more faithful and the burden is falling on a few. And they're asking, why is that the case? And one of the things they pointed to was, and I know it's a reality as a pastor, the people that are coming into the church, coming to Christ are living at 102% of their income. In other words, their expenses outpace their income by 2%. So they're already on average, a 2% deficit every month. So they come to church, they meet Jesus, they start being discipled and then they wanna be a part, you know, they wanna give to missions, they wanna start learning how to tithe. And in their brains, they're like, I'm spending more than I make living right now, how do I get to the point where I give 10%? It's just such a mind boggling thing for them to comprehend. It's one of the reasons there's such a gap, like so much done by so little is because people can't just seem to figure out where to start. I have two responses to that, pastoral responses to that. Number one, we started doing this last year and we're gonna do this again. I'm gonna tell you exactly how to access all this next, this last year. We know this is an issue, so we wanna resource you and help you right size, help you try to figure out how to get a handle on the finances so you're not living at 102%,
where there's actually margin in your life so you can be generous. We buy every person, every household in our church access to Ramsey Plus, it's budgeting software, there's all kinds of, everything Ramsey puts out is digitally available for you online. And we gift that to every household, it's about $130 retail value and we buy a license for every household in our church. And we wanna gift that to you. And last year, just from that investment in the families of this church, we paid off about 1.7, $1.8 million of personal debt last year in our church. That's credit card debt, car debt, house debt, personal loans, that's really incredible. Because people that were drowning were testifying by the end of the journey, I see light at the end of the tunnel, I never knew this was possible. And I want you to know it is possible for you. And next week, I'm gonna tell you, I'm gonna put all those resources into your hands, tell you how to get them as a gift from North Place to your family, because that's priority number one. We gotta quit this living at 102%. We've gotta figure out how to live with some margin and there are ways to go about, it's a long journey, but there are ways, you gotta start somewhere. The second thing I would tell you
is don't be overwhelmed by the 10%. Start small, start somewhere. I came off the streets as an addict, I met Jesus, one of the most transformational things in my life was learning how to give. I grew up in a poor family, I didn't have a lot. I made $4.25 an hour when I came to faith. I made $80 a week, $8 was a lot of money. Start small, even if it's less than the 10th. If it's 1%, that stretches your faith, start at 1%. Give God something and do it consistently because it will change you. Here's what, I want you to hear my heart. I don't want something from you, I want something for you. There is a promise in Scripture that when you walk in obedience to God, you have a generous heart toward the things of God. In Malachi three, verse 10, it says that he will rebuke the devourer for your sake and he will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings that you cannot even contain. There is a covenant promise to the generous heart and I want you to know that. I want you to experience that. It was transformative to me, it shaped our life, our marriage, the way we parented our kids, it shaped the heart and culture of this church. I want you to experience that. So don't let where you're living at and the 10% be such a big jump, you never start.
Start somewhere, start small and do it consistently, watch God move and then grow. As you grow in Christ, grow in that gift of generosity. I mean this so much, hear me, I don't want something from you, I want it for you. It's so transformational to you. I want you to be able to see people getting baptized on Sunday, next Sunday, and because you are a giver, I want you to say, I was a part of that. Those changed lives are part of the ROI on what I do. And I mean this so much that if for some reason I'm in your way, like you don't trust me or the church feels too big to you and you don't trust big, then go somewhere else. Find a leader you can trust, find a church that is smaller, find somewhere that you can give to because you're missing something in your walk with God in being a part of advancing His mission. We want you here, we want you in our spiritual family, but if we're the problem some way, go somewhere, remove the problem and learn what it means to walk in generosity. Somewhere you can trust somebody, somewhere you can do life with because you're robbing yourself. I want it for you because it's transformative in your walk with God and your generosity changes the world one life at a time. And lives are gonna be changed all year long because of the generosity of this house.
And I wanna invite you on that journey. The ways to give will be on your screens. And if you brought a physical, just start small, start today, like today, like just something little and then say, I'm gonna do this. Consistently, it'll change you. If you brought a physical gift with you, you can put it in an envelope and seat back pocket behind you or in front of you. And there are giving receptacles at the exits of our sanctuary today in all of our locations. And Father, I just pray that you capture the hearts of people and they begin journeys and you honor it and you help us from principles to right size our finances as people and then learn how to create margin to be generous. And when they are, step into that, prove yourself to them. Lord, those covenant blessings show up in their life. Lord, will you open our hearts to receive your word today and may we be changed by it. In Jesus name, amen and amen. Back during the summer, I went away for a few days to pray and seek the Lord about where to lead the church in 2026. And after some time in his presence, I kept hearing this phrase in my spirit, never heard an audible voice. I just kept hearing in my spirit this phrase, give honor, add value. Just kept being repeated in my heart.
It was as if the Lord was whispering to me, if you'll do this and teach the people to do this, it will mature you and it will advance everything that I have been doing among you. And at first I took out my pen and my paper and I started trying to map the directive to give honor and add value to all of our existing corporate language. I tried to tie it neatly to every one of our corporate core values. And it was like, while I had my pen and my paper in my hand, the Holy Spirit rebuked me for trying to complicate it. So I just laid my pen down and it was like he said, Brian, teach the people to give honor and add value all the time, everywhere, with everyone. So for 2026, that's our assignment from the Lord, give honor, add value. And it's more than our annual theme. It's a filter through which we're going to live and make decisions. It's not a new direction. It's about going deeper with what we already know. It's not about catchy phrases or new slogans. It's about the clarity of our culture. In 2026, we're gonna learn to ask one question everywhere we go. How do I give honor here and how do I add value here to every person, in every room, in every conversation? This isn't about branding. It's about deeper formation into the image of Christ. As our staff and our leadership team prayed about this,
I brought this back to everybody, our elders, our leadership team, we all prayed about it. We sense this clarity from the Lord that God wasn't finished with what he's been growing in us over the last few years, especially in 2025. We're not done learning how to be a spiritual family. We're not done learning how to host the presence of God. We're not done learning how to live extravagantly generous lives. That was our assignment in 2025. But the question before us in the beginning of 2026 is how do we mature and build on those things? How do we build on what God has already been teaching us? How does all of that go from aspiration to instinct, from something we try to do to becoming a part of who we are? The answer is in simply learning how to give honor and add value everywhere, all the time to everybody. It's simple enough to remember, strong enough to shape an entire year, broad enough to touch every relationship in our life, yet still specific enough to change our everyday behavior. In 2026, we're gonna run everything through the filter of that one question. How do I give honor here? How do I add value here? At home, at work, at school, in traffic, online, in church, in the city, everywhere. And it's not about being nicer. It's about being formed into the image of Jesus.
And here's why this matters more right now than ever before. We live in a cultural moment, a moment in history marked by outrage instead of understanding, dehumanizing people instead of seeing their God-given dignity, criticism over curiosity, winning arguments instead. of winning hearts. And yet scripture teaches us, Philippians 2, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest, but each of you to the interest of others. That verse is not just convicting, it's disruptive. It's disruptive to the way everybody around us thinks, even a lot of people in the church, giving honor and adding value is counter-cultural, and that's what makes it so transformational. This year, we're not gonna try to yell our opinions louder than everybody else, we're gonna grow deeper. Everybody is looking for an online outlet or a platform or a microphone to shout their opinion louder than the next guy. It's almost as if the loudest voice wins in this toxic environment. Honor has become rare, almost non-existent, and value has become transactional. We're only willing to give it away if we know we're gonna get value back in return.
That's transactional. And yet Jesus said the entire life of faith can be summarized in two directives, love God and love people. And then he later added two more directives, go and make disciples. Four key statements that are imperative to any person who says that Jesus is the Lord of their life. Love God, love people, and then go and make disciples. The great commandment, the love God, love people part, shapes who we are. That's our identity. The great commission part, the go and make disciples part, determines how we show up in the world. That's our assignment. And that's what 2026 is gonna be about. Today is just an introduction to the theme or the annual filter our church and our lives are gonna be lived through. Throughout the year, we're gonna unpack this much, much more in a deeper way. But today, let me just start by looking at these two parts, giving honor and adding value. First, look at how we give honor by living the great commandment. When Jesus was asked to summarize the law, he didn't give 10 rules. He talked about two relationships. He said in Matthew 22, love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law, all the prophets hang on these two commandments that are about two relationships. This is the great commandment, loving God, loving people, and giving honor is how love shows up. Honor is love with the right heart posture. It's loving with humility. It's love that sees another person's worth. Biblical honor is not flattery. It is not necessarily agreeing with every issue with a person. I can honor a person's intrinsic worth and never endorse their lifestyle. Biblically, honor simply means to ascribe worth, and get this, this is important. You can honor both God and people, but when we talk about giving honor and adding value, you can't add value to God. You can't add anything to God. He is infinitely valuable already, but when you recognize that value, his worth, and you respond appropriately, you're honoring him. That's what genuine worship is. Worship at its core is honoring God by recognizing his worth and responding appropriately. For years, we've repeated a phrase around here that captures the directional nature of biblical honor.
Biblically speaking, our honor should flow in all directions. Honor's not just emotional, it's directional. And this year, as we look at what it means to be a person who lives with an honoring heart, we're gonna see what it means, number one, to honor up to God and authority. Honoring God is loving him with all your heart. It's placing him as first priority, trusting him fully, obeying him consistently, and worshiping him reverently. Honoring God isn't about showing up and raising your hands in a worship service on Sunday. It's so much more than that. It's about complete and total surrender of every moment, every day, every area of your life. Jesus said in John 14, if you love me, obey my commands. An honoring heart always. moves toward obedience. But honoring up isn't just honoring God. It's about honoring parents and teachers and coaches and law enforcement and civil authority over our lives. And this can be really difficult at times. I don't have time to unpack this today. We'll do it later in the year. This is just introductory, but think about this. While living under the most unjust authority in history toward followers of Jesus, the Roman Empire, Paul still called his original listeners to honor up. He said in Romans 13 verse seven,
pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them and give respect and honor to those in authority. Most of the people in government authority over Paul and the people that he was originally writing to when he wrote the book of Romans were not honorable people, especially to those that followed Jesus. And yet Paul calls us to it. Listen, I'm gonna admit to you, I don't like everything I read in the Bible. Like when I read pay your taxes and government fees, I start twitching. I like... I'm not saying I like everything I read in the Bible, but it's my responsibility to obey it. And as a pastor, it's my responsibility to point it out to you. Honoring up is not always easy, but it is our responsibility as followers of Jesus. And we'll talk more about this as the year goes. We're also called to honor down to the vulnerable. The writer of Proverbs says this, those who oppress the poor insult their maker, but helping the poor honors him. Honor restores people's dignity. When we serve the poor, the forgotten, the marginalized, we're not dispensing charity from a place of superiority. We're acknowledging their worth while we walk beside them, because you can't truly serve somebody that you believe is beneath you. That's not honor, that's pity.
And pity doesn't change people, honor changes people. Honor says you matter because you're an image bearer. You matter because God made you. You were created in the image of God, and that one fact alone makes you priceless and valuable. We honor up, we honor down, and three, we honor all around, to our peers and in our daily interactions. Scripture does not say honor those you agree with. It does not say honor those that look like you. It doesn't say honor those that deserve it. The apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 2, honor all people. Love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. The last time I looked, the word all in Greek means everybody. And then Paul would go on to say in Romans 12, verse 10, outdo one another in showing honor. The word outdo means to compete. I mean, that's crazy that we're supposed to strive or compete with each other in showing honor. We're not supposed to compete with each other for attention. We're not supposed to compete with each other for influence, but we're supposed to compete with each other for the humble place of giving the most honor. Honor says, I see the image of God in you. Honor says, I treat you with dignity, even when we disagree. Honor says, I refuse to reduce you to your opinion or your behavior or your past. This is deeply counter-cultural. This is not the world around us.
This is out of step with our culture. And it's probably more difficult to live this way in our toxic, divided world than ever before. But I think that's why God is asking this of us right now. This contrasting kind of life will stand against the backdrop of a culture that is so toxic and it will become a breath of fresh air that ultimately points people to Jesus. It will be more transformational to live this kind of counter-cultural life right now than ever before. Let me say something and then let me show you something. Honor changes everything. Let me show you what I mean. The Bible tells us that Jesus could only do a few miracles in his hometown. He was limited there. And it wasn't because he was limited, like he had lack of power all of a sudden. They limited what God would do there because of their lack of honor. Listen to this, Matthew 13, verse 53. When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, he left that part of the country. He returned to Nazareth, his hometown, where he taught in the synagogue, and everyone was amazed and said, where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles? Then they scoffed. He's just the carpenter's son.
And we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers, James and Joseph, Simon and Judas, all his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all of these things? And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, a prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family. And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. They treated as common what was worthy of honor and it limited what God was willing to do among them. Don't let that be you. Don't let that be us. Dishonor quenches what God wants to do, but a culture of honor creates an atmosphere for heaven to move. Imagine individual lives that are lived with honoring worship to God and homes filled with honor, marriages marked by honor, churches led and served with honor, cities amazed at the honor demonstrated by the followers of Jesus. Honor does not make us weak. It makes us carriers of the favor and the blessing of the presence of God that can transform the people we interact with and the environments that we step into. And this is what we're gonna do all year, learn how to give honor and add value. So look at the second part of that.
We add value by living the great commission. The great commandment shapes our heart, who we are, identity. The great commandment direct our lives, how we show up in the world. It's our assignment. Jesus told us in Matthew 28, therefore go and make disciples. That was his last directive before he ascended into heaven. Go and make disciples. And his mission in the world has not changed. But the way we go about it in this cultural moment has to mature. Throughout the year, we're gonna talk about a lot of different ways that we can practically show up and add value and in doing so, point people to Jesus. But today I wanna talk about how the commitment to add value to everyone you meet in every environment you step into is gonna posture your heart to advance Jesus's mission in the world. And it starts by changing the questions you ask. We gotta stop asking the question, what do I get? Or what do I deserve? Or what's in it for me? The person that wants to add value has to ask the question first, what can I offer?
And the Bible's word for this is edification. And to edify somebody means to build them up in love. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5, therefore encourage one another and build each other up. Building them up is what it means to edify. That is adding value and it's love in motion. John Maxwell is a famous writer and leadership expert. He is probably the greatest personal soul winner that I know. I remember having a private conversation with John a couple of years ago about how it was so natural for him to talk to all these people about Jesus. And he's led some household names, some very influential people to Christ through the years. And we talked about his transition from decades of pastoral ministry to serving as a leadership consultant to large corporations and CEOs. And he said to me, Brian, I learned really quick, the best way to win the hearts of these people was to search for ways I could add the greatest value to them and their organizations. And when I actually did that, I earned credibility with them and it opened the door for me to have the greatest value conversation of my life. I was able to talk to them about Jesus, but that would have never happened had I not added value to them first. Adding value is the Jesus way of evangelism.
And we've got to rediscover that in our modern day. There wasn't a time when people would listen to you because you had the best argument. or you had a title or influence or a pulpit or a platform, that time is gone. Today, we have to earn our faith the right to be heard. And when you study the life of Jesus, he did not argue his way into the kingdom. He argued with religious people who thought they were in the kingdom. But when it came to people outside the kingdom, he healed them, he fed them, he restored them, and then he said, come follow me. Adding value is an embodied apologetic. Apologetics is just the defense of the faith. And when we add value, it's an embodied apologetic, a life that answers questions before words ever do. When you meet needs and bring peace and solve problems and show up consistently and love without an agenda and do your work with excellence, eventually, people are gonna say, why are you like this? It's not the expectation in today's culture. And that will open the door for life-changing conversations about the love of Christ that compels you. It removes the pressure and reframes evangelism. There's no script, no guilt, no forced conversations. You don't have to win debates. You don't have to memorize arguments. You just show up and love people well.
You show up and give honor and add value. And adding value earns trust. And trust open people's hearts to the truth about Jesus. In a practical sense, adding value looks like serving, finding needs and filling them. It looks like words where you speak life. In a divided culture where everybody is using their tongues to destroy people, people that show up to add value speak life, blessing, not in sarcasm or suspicion, they speak life. Adding value looks like using your gifts and your talents, using what God has given you for the sake of others. What do I have to offer? Adding value is presence. It's being fully present with whoever you're with. It's not being in a conversation at a networking lunch, looking over the shoulder you're talking to, trying to find somebody you think is more important or more valuable to be with. Be present with the person you're with. That's valuable. Excellence. You add value when you're excellent at what you do, where you leave every environment better than the one that you found it. I mean, the staff will tell you, one of my pet peeves, if I see them walking through the churches and there's a piece of trash on the floor and I see them look down and they keep walking, I about blow my lid.
I did with, like you don't walk into environments and not improve the environment. Excellence is adding value. We don't just attend church. We're called to add value to it. We don't just live in a city. We're called to bless it. We don't just show up at a job. We're called to bring our best to honor Christ by bettering the company with our effort. Paul told us in the book of Colossians, that boss and that company is not your master. Christ is your master. So work your job in a way that honors your master. It can't just be one or the other either. We can't just work on giving honor or we can't just work on adding value because giving honor without adding value becomes patronizing and passive. And adding value without giving honor becomes transactional, just doing it because you want something back. But when they come together, love becomes visible. Faith becomes compelling. And the gospel becomes credible to the people in our culture. This is how disciples are made, not through pressure, but through love and presence. So how's this supposed to change our 2026 when we live in a world that's probably gonna get even more combative than it is right now?
How's this supposed to change us? Because living through the filter of giving honor and adding value will make us less reactive and more reflective. It will make us less offended and more anchored. We will be less self-focused and more Christ-centered. We will convey dignity to people and not contempt. We will serve with joy and not obligation. We will build bridges and not create battlegrounds. We will have real conversations, not just memorized arguments. This is how we continue to grow beyond just being a church and we actually mature into being a spiritual family. This is how we truly learn to host people and host the presence of God. This is how we truly learn what it means to live an extravagantly generous life in the way that we give and serve and love. This is our filter for the next year. Give honor, add value. In every room, in every relationship, in every moment, ask yourself the question, am I giving honor? Am I adding value? And if we get this right, it's gonna change everything. It's gonna change you, it's gonna change me, it's gonna change the environments we walk into because this is not a theme to remember, it's a culture to be embodied. I challenge you, let's give honor, let's add value and let's watch what God might do
because there is nothing that you're involved in, nothing that you do that will not improve in quality and depth. If you commit to live in 2026 through this grid of giving honor and adding value, it'll change your business environments, it'll change customer relations, it'll change marriages, it'll change parenting, it'll change the way we share our faith and it'll change the way we interact with each other and help us build real spiritual family. If every environment we walk into this year, if every person that we interact with, if the motivation of our heart is to step into those places and connect with those people in a way that gives honor and adds value, it's gonna transform a lot of people, it's gonna transform a lot of places. We're gonna sprinkle this all throughout the year but there are gonna be two specific moments where we talk about honor and then one honor and one value and next week is where we're gonna lean really in more deeply to this conversation about honor, this whole idea about make rooms. How can we create space for God in our life? How can we create space for people in our life, in our church so they can encounter God? There is an open heaven for an honoring heart and we're gonna honor God by increasing our capacity,
decluttering our life, making room, making space for him. I really want you to be a part of the journey with us. I also encourage you, be a part of prayer this Wednesday night. It's been so rich. We had over a thousand people in our prayer gatherings this week and there were Spanish language gatherings, our youth came together, there were adults in this room on Wednesday night. Tonight, this coming Wednesday night, the 14th, 7 p.m., like in every one of those prayer gatherings, nobody wanted to leave. There was such this rich presence of the Holy Spirit. It was planned seven to eight. I dismissed everybody at eight because I promised them I would and then nobody left. They just stayed and if that's your fault, okay, I just did what I said I would do and I loved it. I'll do it again. It's planned from seven to eight so you got time to drop your kids at youth and go back and get them if you have to but it was such a sweet, gentle presence of the Holy Spirit meeting us in a real way, nobody wanted to leave and I heard that in our youth prayer meeting, our Spanish language prayer meeting, something unique is happening as people fast and pray. Can I just bless you? I heard there was some young lady
sitting on the front row in the first service, never fasted before and I heard they're fasting for the first time in their life and there are other people like that. I just wanna bless you, I wanna speak into that. Thank you and for those of you that tried and you didn't make it as long, here's what the enemy does. When you try to fast today and you only made a meal, the enemy tries to beat you up like you didn't keep your promise and the enemy uses that condemnation to keep you alive from fasting as if God is mad at you. You know what heaven is doing? Because you'd have never fasted a meal if you hadn't tried the day. Look at this through the lenses of grace. God is grateful you tried so don't let condemnation keep you from trying again. Join us on the journey. Join us in prayer Wednesday night at seven o'clock and here's what I would challenge you. Join us as our prayer teams pray over you in a moment. If there was ever a time I had a need in my life and wanted to come before the body for prayer, it's in a time when there are so many people fasting and praying. So stand with me all over this room and all of our campuses. I'm gonna ask our prayer teams
if they would make themselves available to serve you across our campus family today. And I just want you to know that if you need something from God today, something happens when we agree together in faith, that's what our prayer teams are here to do today. Serve you in faith, help carry that load with you. And the waters are troubled. My grandpa would say, it's out of a story in the scripture that healing happened when the blind and the sick got into the troubled water. The waters are troubled because people are fasting and praying. The atmosphere is right. So Lord, would you help us mature? While everybody's tearing down and destroying, we speak life. We're not gonna lose our convictions. We're not gonna, we're not gonna stop standing for the truth of God's word, but I can stand for the truth of God's word and still convey dignity to people I disagree with. Help us catch a different tone because our hearts are compelled by the love of Christ. Help us learn this to show up and give honor and add value. I pray you'll fill these altars today with your presence and may your supernatural touch come to people with needs. Bless them, keep them. Make your face shine down upon them.
Be gracious to them. Turn your countenance their direction today and give them peace. In Jesus' name, amen. These altars are open. God bless you.
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