Jesus Culture Sacramento Message of the Week

In the last message of our generosity series, Pastor Banning Liebscher teaches from 2 Corinthians 9 and the story of the widow who gave her last meal to Elijah. He talks about the difference between bread, which God gives us to live on, and seed, which He gives us to plant. Additionally, Pastor Becky Johnson kicks off Sow a Seed with a simple invitation: God is the supplier, and we are the sowers. She shares how this year’s end-of-year offering will fund the Every Language Bible translation project and strengthen our building reserves as we prepare for the harvest ahead.

In 2 Corinthians 2 and 3, Paul asks the question we all carry: “Who is sufficient for these things?” Pastor Becky Johnson walks us through his answer. We aren’t, but God is. He is sufficient to help us forgive, to lead us in triumph, to give us new hearts, and to transform us into the image of Jesus.

Suffering is guaranteed in this life. What gets us through it is knowing who God is in the middle of it. This week, Pastor Becky Johnson continues our To All The Saints series in 2 Corinthians 1:1-11. Paul wrote this letter after being beaten, shipwrecked, rejected by the church he founded, and left for dead, and the word he keeps coming back to is comfort. Together we look at why we need a biblical theology of suffering, what Paul means by paraclesis, the comfort that enters in and changes us from the inside, and why the comfort God gives us is meant to move through us to others. Your suffering is never wasted, and the end of yourself is where you find the God who raises the dead.

In this message, Pastor Becky Johnson introduces 2 Corinthians and challenges us to prepare the soil of our hearts to receive whatever God wants to speak to us. Through Paul’s story of suffering, weakness, and reconciliation, we’re reminded that following Jesus won’t always look the way we expect, but when we surrender our own ideas and receive His ways, He can turn trials into triumph.

Pastor Banning explores the connection between faith and generosity, reminding us that every seed we sow is an opportunity to trust God as our provider. When we choose to live open-handed, even in seasons of uncertainty or delay, we declare that God is faithful, His Word is true, and He is able to provide for all our needs.

In this message, Pastor Banning explores God’s desire for an intimate friendship with us through the Holy Spirit. We’re reminded that Jesus came to restore us to the fellowship God intended from the beginning and that walking with the Holy Spirit means being aware of His presence, talking with Him, and learning to lean on Him every day.

In this message, Pastor Michael Brodeur takes us through 1 Corinthians 11–12, challenging us to move from a “me” mentality to a “we” mentality as the body of Christ. Through communion, spiritual gifts, and community, we’re reminded that we were created to live connected to one another and that God’s Spirit works powerfully through a unified, diverse church.

Pastor Zack Curry, Lead Pastor of Jesus Culture San Diego, takes us through 1 Corinthians 13–15 and reminds us that the greatest measure of spiritual maturity is how we love. As we understand Scripture in its proper context and return to the hope of the resurrection, we’re invited to let the Word of God move from something we know to something that transforms the way we live.

Pastor Banning Liebscher continues teaching on generosity, challenging us to move from giving out of obligation or pressure to giving from a revelation of God’s love and goodness. A cheerful giver is not motivated by guilt or compulsion, but by a deep understanding that everything we have comes from God and that we get to partner with Him by sowing seeds for a harvest.

Generosity is more than what we give. It begins with recognizing that everything we have belongs to God and has been entrusted to us. Pastor Banning Liebscher challenges us to live open handed, trusting God as a good Father and allowing what He has given us to flow through us to others.