More Blessed to Give: Why We’re Investing in La Sierra

“Every member of Grace Rancho should pray about going to revitalize La Sierra Baptist Church.” Did I actually say that out loud? 

What kind of pastor would actually ask all his members to pray about leaving his church? 

That would be me. 

The most important reason for the church’s existence is the glory of Christ. This is more fundamental than the mission of the church. An attempt toward the mission of the church without a soul-stirring conviction to magnify Christ’s name will be short-lived. All mission begins with worship; worship begets mission.

And this is the heart behind the La Sierra revitalization. Christ deserves to be treasured. His church - no matter how small - is precious and should be cared for. And all those who love Jesus desire to “feed his lambs” (Jn.21:15). 

So the reason we think it’s worth it to ask our members to consider going to La Sierra is because we love Jesus, we love what he loves, we want to store up treasures in heaven, we want the world to see his worth, we trust him to provide for us, and we want to imitate him in laying our lives down for his bride.

I have to admit that it’s uncomfortable to me when church members tell me how they’re considering going to La Sierra. I am tempted to walk by sight and not by faith, and when I do, I think of how scary it is to lose such an important piece of Grace Rancho in Michael and the members who will go with him. What comforts me is this: Jesus is alive. His promises will not fail. He has never let us down, and 2026 won’t be the year he slips up. Jesus told us that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). As we give of ourselves to his work, spending costly resources on this revitalization, we can expect his blessing because his word is true.

Already I have tasted some of these blessings from the Lord. Have you?

It’s exercising our faith. It is easy to coast in our Christian lives, never doing anything that actually requires us to depend on the Lord’s provision. It’s easy to forget to pray for daily bread when your pantry is full. But when we give a significant part of our pantry away, we start praying for daily bread again. This exercises our faith and is so good for us. Remember, the highest goal of Grace Rancho is not to grow large, but to grow in faith. The Lord is blessing us with this. 

Church members are stepping up. I’ve had a number of conversations that have gone something like this: “I’ve prayed about going to La Sierra, and though we probably are not going to go, we want to step up here at Grace Rancho and fill any gaps.” This is a crucial part of revitalization. Not only are we asking the Lord to stir up people to go, but we are praying for the Lord to stir up people to stay - and step up in new ways. 

The joy of La Sierra is our joy. Paul says “we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all” (2 Cor. 7:13). The Corinthian church refreshed Titus with joy, and Titus’ joy became Paul’s joy. Did you not hear the joy in Manny’s voice as we interviewed him a few Sunday nights ago? Did you see how thankful he was for what we’re doing? And does that not increase your joy? 

At the La Sierra workday last month I had the opportunity to speak with a member of La Sierra named Peggy, and she welled up with happy tears when we were talking about sending Michael. I am thankful that Grace Rancho can be an answer to the prayers of these saints.

This is an exciting season of church life. Soak it in. Look to Jesus. Get involved.