Step Out in Sacrificial Obedience | Miguel De La Mora

Main message: God calls people to step out in obedient faith when he speaks; sacrificial obedience (not mere risk-taking) leads to spiritual transformation and furthers the church’s mission to reach others.

Key points:

• The Luke 5 story: Jesus uses Peter’s boat, commands him to cast nets into deep water; Peter obeys “because you say so,” they catch overflowing fish, and Peter’s response is repentance and surrender—he follows Jesus.
• Faith is not ignoring facts but trusting Jesus despite them; acting without a word from God is foolishness, whereas stepping out after hearing God is faith.
• The miracle revealed who Jesus is more than what he could give—Peter valued Jesus above the enormous catch and left everything to follow.
• Sacrificial obedience shapes us spiritually; generosity is about heart-transformation, not proving pain tolerance or giving “until it hurts.”
• The church’s Step Out initiative (Crystal Lake exterior/ care center and wider campus launches/partnerships) is presented as a present-day call to the same kind of sacrificial stepping out that built Willow Creek.
• Illustration from Willow Creek history (founding families and Jan Trager) shows past sacrificial giving produced long-term gospel impact; those who move from the crowd to the crew experience God’s work firsthand.

Scriptures mentioned: Luke 5, John 1, Acts 2