Commitment Issues | Week 2 | Pastor Ben Pierce

In this message from Generation Church FL, Pastor Ben Pierce unpacks a crucial spiritual diagnosis: commitment issues. In Week 2 of the “Commitment Issues” series, step beyond excuses and explore what it looks like to be aligned with God’s mission rather than excusing our misalignment. Recorded and shared this sermon because we believe we live in a season that demands a more profound, consistent commitment to Jesus personally and as a local church. If you’ve ever wondered why some churches grow and others stall, or why your faith sometimes feels more like a hobby than a calling, read on. This article gathers the primary teaching, the Scriptures that anchor it, practical next steps, and a pastoral challenge to stop making excuses and start aligning.

The Big Idea

Genuine commitment is moving past our excuses and aligning our lives with God’s mission. That is the heartbeat of this sermon. Commitment to Jesus is not only personal; it’s corporate. God intends His people to function like a well-aligned family or a healthy organism, not scattered individuals doing their own thing. When alignment happens, momentum follows. When momentum happens, lives are transformed.

Why Alignment Matters

Alignment matters everywhere. Pastor Ben uses everyday examples, such as parents who disagree on parenting, couples who aren’t aligned about finances or where to live, and businesses where teams pull in different directions, to make a spiritual point: misalignment destroys momentum. If two married people aren’t aligned, everything from decision-making to legacy gets compromised. The same is true for the Church.

Paul’s analogy in Ephesians 5:31 that marriage is a profound mystery, pointing to Christ and the Church, sets the standard for how close our union with Christ should be. The measure given is startling: to be as aligned with Jesus and His bride (the Church) as husband and wife should be with each other. That isn’t an abstract ideal; it’s an invitation to a life that breathes gospel daily, that eats, sleeps, and lives to extend Christ’s mission.

Alignment Keeps Momentum

Pastor Ben insists alignment is God’s method for keeping people on mission. When a church is aligned, it acts as one organism: people don’t fall through the cracks, needs are met efficiently, and the presence of God is encountered because the context is ready. He points out that alignment isn’t about perfection but direction. When everyone moves together, the Church can accomplish much more than isolated individuals ever could.

Three People You Might Meet in Church (and Who You Might Be)

To make this practical and memorable, Pastor Ben introduces three archetypal people who represent common commitment issues: Less (Less Structure), Ben (Ben Holding Back), and Big Al (Ulterior Motives). If you attend church regularly, you’ll recognise at least one of these. The pastoral aim isn’t to shame but to diagnose and call us toward repentance and action.

1. Less: The “Let the Spirit Flow” Argument

Less dislikes structure. He’s suspicious of organisation and equates order with killing the Spirit. He will quote phrases like “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” as an excuse to resist planning, rehearsal, schedules, and practices. The problem is not that Less loves the Spirit; he’s weaponised his distaste for structure as a cover for avoidance or laziness.

“Order doesn’t kill the spirit. It actually orchestrates it.”

Pastor Ben points to biblical examples that debunk Less’s position: Jesus himself had rhythm and order. He prayed regularly, ordained practices, and gave clear instructions to His disciples (for example, instructing the crowd to be organised at feeding the 5,000). The creation account shows God as a God of order: light was spoken into ordered days; structure came before flourishing. Far from constraining the Spirit, healthy order creates space for the Spirit to move visibly and powerfully.

Paul’s correction in 1 Corinthians 14 is vital here: God is not a God of disorder but peace, and worship must be carried out “in a fitting and orderly way.” That’s not legalism; it’s stewardship. When teams practise, production arrives early, volunteers understand their roles, worship is cleaner, moments with God are less interrupted, and more people get helped and touched.

• Practical help for Less: recognise structure as a tool, not an enemy. Volunteer once to help organise an outreach and see the fruit.
• Remember Psalm 33:3, sing a new song, but play it skillfully. Skill and anointing are not mutually exclusive.

2. Ben: The One Who Holds Back

Ben is the consumer. He attends church regularly and benefits spiritually, but refuses to relinquish what God calls him to surrender, especially his resources. Ben thinks, in his heart, “God knows my budget; He knows my heart.” Pastor Ben diagnoses that as a trust problem. Scripture repeatedly challenges a consumer Christianity that receives but does not give.

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 9 is unpacked to show a principle of stewardship: God gives seed to the sower, and faithful stewardship leads to an enlarged harvest. Pastor Ben uses the parenting metaphor that if your kids care for what you give them, you trust and give them more to explain how God’s economy works. The tithe is described as a test of trust, not a tax: it’s a traditional discipline by which we form trust with the Giver.

A trust posture will cost him more than money, shrinking his capacity to participate in God’s mission. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 is invoked: the servant who hides the master’s money does so out of fear and ownership confusion. When the master returns, that person loses even what he had because holding back is disobedience. God entrusts resources to those who steward well to expand the kingdom, not to hoard them.

• Practical help for Ben: move from consuming to contributing. Start small if you must, but begin a pattern of giving of time, talent, and treasure.
• Test God by trusting him with your resources. You won’t spiritually “get poorer,” you’ll build a heart aligned to God’s mission.

3. Big Al: The One with Ulterior Motives

Big Al is the most dangerous because he looks helpful. He’s busy; he shows up, but his heart is on building his kingdom. He weaves himself into the church’s life to expand his business, network, or influence. He’s part of the “NFL the No Friends Left” club; everyone senses something off because Al’s relationships are transactional.

Pastor Ben warns that there is no place for the hidden agenda in the household of God. He calls to mind the tragic example of Ananias and Sapphira (Ananias and Sapphira), who misrepresented their giving and suffered immediate judgment. The point is not to scare but to state plainly: God values purity of motive. If we use the Church to promote our ventures, we fracture trust and compromise it.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves…” – Philippians 2

Big Al doesn’t have to be malicious; he could be subtle and charming, but his presence gradually drags others off course. Pastor Ben gives us a visual illustration: a slight pull over time can skew your life’s trajectory. When aligned with Jesus, even a gentle tug from the wrong direction will leave you off-target unless you take deliberate steps to correct and surround yourself with accountability.

• Practical help for Big Al: reassess motive before action. Ask: “Am I building God’s house or my shed?”
• If you are tempted to network through church, invite accountability and make your goals transparent. Seek blessing rather than manipulation.

Pastoral Warnings, Biblical Anchors, and the Urgency of Now

Throughout the message, Pastor Ben is pastoral but candid. He urges the Church to recognise the stakes. Alignment isn’t merely about smoother operations on Sunday mornings; it’s about people’s eternal destiny and the readiness of the bride when the Lord returns. There will be people who, at the return of Christ, are still misaligned and will, therefore, miss the blessing intended for the faithful.

He points to the biblical pattern of God’s people taking longer than necessary when misaligned. Moses led Israel out of Egypt, but an 11-month journey to the Promised Land became a 40-year detour because of disobedience, fear, and wandering motives. Every misaligned person, hidden agenda, and hoarded resource adds years and pain to the journey.

There’s a sober encouragement here: the rapture and Jesus’ return are blessings reserved for the faithful. That should not frighten us into performance-based faith but fuel urgency and repentance where needed. The gospel is not merely about how we feel on Sunday morning but how faithfully we steward the mission in our daily lives.

Practical Steps to Move from Excuses to Alignment

Pastor Ben doesn’t leave the church with only conviction; he offers practical next steps. The path from making excuses to alignment is a spiritual workout, a discipline of the heart, a reorientation of priorities, and a re-entry into authentic community. Here are action points distilled from the message.

1. Reframe Structure as a Spiritual Tool

• Volunteer in an area that requires planning and see how the organisation multiplies fruit.
• Worship teams: commit to rehearsals and presence. Production teams: arrive early and prepare the space. Each role matters.

2. Practice Generosity to Build Trust

• Start with a simple giving pattern. If unsure, begin with a small percentage and increase as you trust God.
• Give time, skill, and money. Generosity that costs you something creates a heart of reliance on God, not possessions.

3. Evaluate Motives and Invite Accountability

• If you’ve used the Church as a platform for personal gain, repent and seek correction from a trusted leader.
• Watch out for subtle patterns: do your relationships revolve around transactions? Are you more interested in who you can meet than serving people’s needs?

4. Align with Local Mission

• Plug into your local church’s initiatives. As Pastor Ben said in Week 1, being aligned to a place to be “planted ” matters as much as being aligned in mission.
• Carry the vision of the local body: when the church leads outreach, your participation fuels kingdom multiplication.

A Pastor’s Prayer and the Invitation

Pastor Ben closes the message with a pastoral prayer aimed at alignment: that God would help us flow within the form He’s designed, surrender the things we’ve held back, exchange excuses for obedience, and link arms as a church to do something great for our generation. He then extends an invitation to anyone who hasn’t committed to Christ to take that step to stop making excuses and to align themselves with Jesus.

The invitation is straightforward: pray, commit, and celebrate that moment. According to Pastor Ben, that is when things begin to line up, clarity replaces confusion, purpose replaces drift, and the church becomes an engine for mission.

Questions for Personal Reflection and Group Study

Use these questions to take the sermon from message to life. They work for personal reflection, small groups, or leadership teams.

1. Which of the three archetypes, Less, Ben, or Big AI, do I most resonate with? Why?
2. Where have I used structure as an excuse or resisted organisation? What one step can I take this week to practice order?
3. How am I stewarding the resources God has given me? Am I holding back out of fear or ownership? What test of trust can I start this month?
4. Do my church relationships reflect genuine love and service, or transactional benefits? Who can I invite into accountability?
5. Am I planted in a local body of believers? If so, how am I aligned with its mission? If not, what is stopping me from being planted?

Closing Challenge

God is calling the Church to unity of mission and purpose. Commitment isn’t a one-time declaration; it’s daily alignment. Stop making excuses about structure, money, or motive. The world is darker than it was, and people are looking for hope. Imagine the exponential impact when a local church becomes one organism, organised, generous, and pure in motive. Imagine the reach when you stop building your shed and help build God’s house.

If you recognise the need to realign today, take a practical step: confess where you’ve held back, commit to one tangible act of generosity or service this week, and ask a friend to keep you accountable. When we move past excuses and align with God’s mission, we prepare ourselves for Christ’s return and participate in His redemptive work here and now.

Resources and Next Steps

If you’re part of Generation Church or exploring local church membership, we encourage you to:

• Join a Serve Team: Experience how structure and service work together to create encounters with God.
• Attend a Financial Stewardship Class: Learn biblical principles for giving and budgeting that help cultivate trust in God.
• Get connected in a small group where motives are refined and service is practiced.
• Celebrate Your Commitment: If you follow Christ or realign today, connect with a pastor or leader to celebrate and receive the next steps.

This season calls for a ready bride: not making excuses, not holding back, not pursuing her own agenda, but united in mission. Let’s be a church that leaps forward together, organized for the harvest, generous with our resources, and pure in our motives so that when He returns, we can hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”