Nobody Gives Zero

I want to talk to you about money. I know...I know...

If you're like most people, you just felt your shoulders tighten a little. Money is one of those topics most of us would rather keep private, and most pastors would rather avoid altogether. But Jesus talked about money more than He talked about heaven and hell combined, and I have committed to always telling you the truth, even when it's uncomfortable. So grab a cup of coffee; again, it's time to stretch those reading muscles. I promise there is a lot of hope at the end.

But let me start with the good news, because there is a lot of it.

God is moving at Bay Hills. Since I started at Bay Hills in 2022, we have baptized 355 people at Bay Hills, including 67 so far this year. That is 355 people who have stepped into the water and declared to the world that Jesus brings dead things to life, and that He's doing it here. On November 8th, we will do it again on Baptism Sunday. Honestly, I can't think of anything in ministry that brings me more joy (3 John 1:4).

This is why I became a pastor in the first place, not to talk about money.

But every family that welcomes new life also feels new weight, and that brings me to where we are.

Last Sunday, our church family gave $27,353. That is about 80% of the $34,606 it takes each week to fund the ministry God has entrusted to us. Some weeks are down, some weeks are up; that's nothing new. However, we are starting to notice a trend that is not a one-week blip. Year to date, we're at roughly 90% of our annual giving budget.

Simply put, we're about 10% behind what it takes to sustain everything God is doing here.

Also, I need to clarify something because I know it can get confusing. Our RISE giving and our general giving do two different jobs. RISE secures our campus for the next generation, and you have been extraordinarily faithful there. Together, we have received 73.5% of more than $4.1 million in commitments. We cannot thank you enough, as that is a staggering act of faith.

But RISE builds the house. It's our general giving that runs the house. It fuels everything that happens inside it, every single week: our kids and youth ministries, LifeGroups, care for the hurting, worship, outreach into the East Bay, and the paid team members who help make all of it possible.

Now, let me be honest without being alarmist. Bay Hills is not in crisis. But a 10% gap, left alone, can become a bigger problem. Over time, it forces hard choices. Fewer resources for the next generation, slower responses to people who need care, and new ministries are shelved instead of reaching people now.

Your leaders are not waiting for that to happen. Behind the scenes, our Executive Leadership Team and Elders are making careful, sometimes difficult decisions to steward every dollar wisely, keep our team lean and healthy, and protect the ministries that matter most because we take that responsibility very seriously (Luke 16:10).

And since I'm being honest, let's keep it real: nobody is getting rich at Bay Hills. Not one person. Compared to typical churches our size, we are significantly understaffed, and we have been for years. Bay Hills works only because of the army of unpaid team members who give their time, talent, and energy every single week. Our paid team members are some of the most sacrificial people I know, and many of them could earn more somewhere else. They're here because they believe in what God is doing at Bay Hills. So when I say we are keeping our team lean, please hear me. Trimming the fat won't solve this problem because there is hardly any fat to trim.

Also, leaders can only cut so much. At some point, the health of a church's giving reflects the health of a church's discipleship. And that leads me to what I want to say next.

Many of the people filling our worship center right now are brand new to following Jesus. Some of them have been Christians for weeks or months, not years. Many grew up with no church background at all. Nobody ever sat them down and taught them what the Bible says about generosity.

That's no one's fault, but it is someone's responsibility. Ours.

We also know that many families in our community are carrying real financial pressure. Roughly a third of households in our area live on less than $50,000 a year, in one of the country's most expensive regions. For a lot of people, giving feels impossible, not because they don't love God, but because the math doesn't seem to work.

This article is not about guilt. It's about growth. When Paul wrote to a young church that had fallen behind on their generosity, he didn't shame them; rather, he taught them.

So allow me to do what Paul did.

In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul is collecting an offering for believers in Jerusalem suffering from famine and poverty. A year earlier, the church in Corinth had enthusiastically promised to help. But somewhere along the way, life happened, and the follow-through stalled (2 Corinthians 8:10–11). Sound familiar?

Paul's response gives us four principles that still apply to Bay Hills today.

1. Generosity is an investment, not a loss.
Paul uses a farming picture everyone in his day would understand. A farmer who plants only a few seeds gets a small crop, but the one who plants generously gets a generous crop (2 Corinthians 9:6). When a farmer plants seed, he isn't losing it; he's investing it. Giving works the same way. What we release into God's hands is never wasted; it's invested.

2. Generosity is decided, not pressured.
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT) – You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully."

Notice two things. First, God isn't interested in pressured giving. I'm not either. Second, generosity is something you decide. It's supposed to be planned, not impulsive. It's a decision made ahead of time in your heart, not a guilty reaction to an emotional moment. I need you to hold onto that idea because it's going to matter in a minute.

3. Generosity is resourced by God.
Paul reminds the Corinthians that God is the one who provides seed for the farmer in the first place, and that He will increase their resources so they can always be generous (2 Corinthians 9:10–11). In other words, you are never giving God something that was yours to begin with. You are simply passing along what He first gave to you (1 Chronicles 29:14).

4. Generosity produces worship.
This is my favorite part. Paul says giving accomplishes two things: it meets real needs, and it causes people to overflow with thanksgiving to God (2 Corinthians 9:12). When you give, a kid hears about Jesus for the first time. A hurting marriage gets help. A new believer steps into the water. And somewhere, someone thanks God because of you. Generosity doesn't just fund ministry; it multiplies worship in those it reaches.

And before anyone thinks this is only for people with plenty, Paul makes it clear that whatever we give is acceptable if we give it eagerly, and that we should give according to what we have, not what we don't have (2 Corinthians 8:12).

Which brings me to one of our core convictions at Bay Hills: nobody gives zero.

Not because the church needs your money. God doesn't need anybody's money. But because generosity is part of what it means to follow Jesus, and because when everybody gives something, the burden gets lighter for everyone.

That's how the Apostle Paul saw it. In his situation, he wasn't asking anyone to give so others could live easily while they suffered. He was asking for equality, so that the plenty of some could meet the needs of others (2 Corinthians 8:13–14). That's what a healthy family does; it shares each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2).

Think about the last time you helped someone move a couch. Two people can do it, but they're going to feel it the next morning. Six people? It's practically effortless.

Here's what that looks like in real numbers. Right now, our weekly gap is a little over $7,000. So for example, if just 300 more households who call Bay Hills home gave $25 a week, the gap would essentially disappear. Not because a few people gave heroically, but because a lot of people gave something.

This is what one of our core values, Responsibility, is all about. We take ownership so others don't have to pick up our slack. When some of us give nothing, others carry more than their share. When we all give something, no one gets crushed under the weight.

And never believe the lie that your gift is too small to matter. Jesus once sat across from the temple offering box and watched wealthy people drop in large amounts. Then a poor widow walked up and dropped in two tiny coins. Jesus called His disciples over and told them she had given more than all the others (Mark 12:41–44).

Jesus noticed the smallest gift in the room, and He still does so today.

So how does someone who has never given start? And how does someone who already gives keep growing?

I like to call it the principle of concentric generosity.

Picture dropping a stone into a still pond. The ripples start small, right at the center. Then, ring by ring, they widen. That's how generosity grows in a healthy disciple. Not all at once and not overnight. But steadily, progressively, over a lifetime, increasing in both frequency and amount.

Jesus said that if you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones (Luke 16:10). God isn't asking you to leap to the outside ring today. He's asking you to take the next one.

Here's what that could look like:

Ring One: Start. Give once a month. Give what you can. Seriously. The amount matters far less than the habit. You're learning to open your hand, and that's a spiritual muscle most of us have never used.

Ring Two: Plan. Next year, learn to budget for it. Remember, Paul says generosity is decided in advance (2 Corinthians 9:7). Build it into your budget, then give twice a month at a slightly higher amount than last year.

Ring Three: Prioritize. Give every time you get paid. Paul encouraged the early church to set aside a portion of what they earned on the first day of each week (1 Corinthians 16:2). This is where giving moves from leftovers to firstfruits, and from a dollar amount to a percentage of what God provides (Proverbs 3:9).

Ring Four: Grow. Each year, prayerfully increase that percentage. Many followers of Jesus have found that giving the first tenth of their income is a faithful target worth reaching for. Some discover the joy of going beyond it.

Over a lifetime, something remarkable happens...generosity stops being something you do and starts becoming who you are. Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). Every ring outward is really a step inward, toward the heart of a generous God who gave His only Son (John 3:16).

So here is my invitation.

If you've never given to Bay Hills, start this month. Pick an amount you can give cheerfully, even if it feels small, and give it at bayhills.church/give, through the Bay Hills app, or down below at the end of this article. Welcome to Ring One.

If you give occasionally, prayerfully decide to take the next ring. Add it to your budget. Increase the frequency. Make it a decision instead of a reaction.

If you have been giving faithfully for years, thank you. Truly. You have carried more than your share for a long time. Would you prayerfully consider widening your ring one more time? Would you also consider coming alongside a new believer and showing them what generosity looks like in your LifeGroup?

And all of us can pray. Pray that God would provide, and pray that He would grow generous hearts in every corner of this church. Also, pray for the hundreds of new believers who are just beginning their journey of faith.

I don't know much, but here's what I know for sure: God has never failed to provide for what He has called Bay Hills to do. There's no way He's going to start now. I have seen Him do the impossible here more times than I can count, and I genuinely believe some of the best is still ahead.

We don't need a few people to give everything. We need everybody to give something.

Because nobody gives zero.

Still Hopeful,

PAC