In this message, we explore what it means to grow our capacity to carry God’s favour, purpose, and promises.
Drawing from Luke 19 and the parable of the minas, we’re invited to move beyond small thinking and embrace a life of faithful stewardship, practical action, and big-hearted dreaming.
Ryan unpacks how God calls us to partner with Him, to think big, pray big, love big, serve big, and grow in skill and influence, all while responding faithfully to the little we already have.
This is a message about faith in action, stewardship of destiny, and the joy of seeing God work through ordinary people.
Step into a journey that challenges comfort, stirs faith, and invites you to expand your heart, your hands, and your horizon for the sake of God’s kingdom.
The summary of this message has been drafted automatically from the transcript. Its accuracy may vary.
Space for the Dream: Why Capacity Matters
By Ryan Matthews.
I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions lately. Specifically: Why has God seen fit to entrust us with such a massive piece of land?
If we were left to our own devices, we would never have chosen four hectares. We have some big dreamers in our midst, but even they were praying for a tiny corner just to get started. Just a few weeks ago, as the massive aluminum frame for this tent was going up, our friend Theo sent me a voice note. He was just chuckling at the sheer scale of it, saying, “This has to be God, because I never would have chosen a tent this big.”
But God doesn’t listen to the smallness of our thoughts. He has big designs—not to put Freedom House’s name in lights, but to advance His Kingdom.
The Prophecy of 4.19
During a prayer meeting on this very dirt, before the land was even officially ours, the parcel size was demarcated at 4.19 hectares. Clifton looked up and realized the weight of that number: Philippians 4:19.
“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 4:19
We started “ululating” as only we can, claiming that promise. Later that same day, God orchestrated the conversation where this massive tent was gifted to us. We didn’t choose the capacity; God did.
From Microlights to 747s
When you stand on this property, you hear the sounds of the local airfield. You hear the microlights taking off—the small, local “fixed-wings.” But as the region grows and places like Club Med settle in, we’re going to hear the 747s.
This is God’s invitation to us. In our own “happy little white-picket-fence Christianity,” our dreams rarely go beyond our own borders. But God’s heart is for the broken in Bhum Shala, in Tongaat, and across the nations. This land is a prophetic invitation to stop thinking like a microlight and start dreaming with the scope of a 747.
Babel or the Upper Room?
As this facility develops, it can be used for one of two things; Success, or, Significance. It can become one of two things: a Babel or an Upper Room.
- Babel is built in man’s strength. it’s about “the show,” the reputation, and self-promotion. We cannot and will not put on a show here.
- The Upper Room was a place where 120 terrified, neglected people waited on God. They didn’t want a show; they longed for His name and His mission.
We aren’t chasing prominence; we are chasing significance. This land isn’t a pinnacle—it’s a platform.
Calling the “Wild Hearts”
I’ve been thinking about the Jesus Revolution—the revival in the 70s where God reached the LSD-trippers and the drug abusers on the California coast. As we worshipped this morning, I saw young men and women dancing, and I heard the phrase: “Wild heart.”
I believe God is inviting us to believe for the wild hearts—the people the night clubs have spit out, the ones seeking exhilaration in the wrong places. We want to see the “worst of the worst” delivered and healed. We want Freedomhouse to be free of “constipated religion” and instead be a home for those who find Jesus way more joyful than a hangover.
The Parable of the Ten Minas
To understand why God gives us more than we asked for, we have to look at Luke 19. Jesus tells the story of a nobleman who gives ten of his servants a “mina” (about four months’ wages) and tells them: “Put this money to work until I come back.”
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
When the King returns, we see three different responses that mirror our own hearts today:
- The 10-fold Return: This servant was faithful with a small matter, and the King gave him authority over ten cities.
- The 5-fold Return: He too was faithful, and he was given five cities.
- The Piece of Cloth: This servant returned the mina exactly as he received it, having kept it hidden away.
The Third Servant
There is a sobering warning in the third servant’s response. He tells the King, “I was afraid of you because you are a hard man.” Look at what happened there:
- The “Piece of Cloth” Trap:
He took the gift and wrapped it in a cloth. He sat on it. He didn’t lose it, but he didn’t use it. Many of us do this with our lives—we hide our “mina” under the floorboards of our hearts because we don’t want to get it wrong. - Judged by Your Own Words:
The King tells him, “I will judge you by your own words.” Because the servant viewed the King as a hard tyrant, he lived a paralyzed, fruit-less life. If you view God as a harsh taskmaster rather than a Good Father, you will always play it safe. - The Barrier of Fear:
Besides horrific character, the only thing that will stop Freedom House—and you—from stepping into the future is fear. Fear tells you to hold back in worship, hold back in love, and hold back in your gifts.
The Kingdom principle is clear:
To everyone who has (uses what they’re given), more will be given. But for the one who does nothing, even what they have will be taken away.
— Matthew 13:12
Desert Manna vs. Promised Land Stewardship
Why is this facility not “perfectly complete” yet? Why are the toilets not kitted and the fences not finished?
Because capacity matters to God. In Exodus 23, God told Israel He wouldn’t drive out their enemies in a single year, or the land would become desolate. He did it “Little by Little” until they had increased enough to take possession.
In the desert, they lived hand-to-mouth on manna. But in the Promised Land, the manna stopped. God wanted them to be stewards—people who work with God to bring increase. God doesn’t want to keep us in a state of immaturity where He does it all for us; He wants us to grow to a place where He does it with us.
Faithful with the “Little”
Yesterday, a few of us were here in the heat, wiping down 532 chairs and setting them out perfectly. Why? Because one day we’ll have air-con and a massive team, but if we won’t treat the “little” as if it were gold today, God won’t entrust us with the “much” tomorrow.
I’ll be honest:
I feel the holy weight of this. In the dark moments of the night, the enemy whispers, “You’re going to fail and look bad.” That’s just the pride in my heart being “sizzled” by God’s love. He is not in a rush, because He is looking for the right kind of people to steward His glory.
The Big 5: Our Call to Action
- Think Big:
Expect radical salvations—CEOs delivered from anxiety and people coming out of wheelchairs. - Pray Big:
Dreaming without praying is just a fantasy. - Love Big:
Open your homes to more than just people who look like you. - Serve Big:
Move from “hand-to-mouth” immaturity to “stewardship” maturity. - Skill Big:
Learn how to cast out a demon or pray for the sick. Don’t wait for a “pro.”
