“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom 12:1) “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34)

The Victory Movement Is Built and Sustained On Sacrifice

(Ps 50:5) “Gather My saints together unto Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” This was the scripture the Lord gave to Hazel and I when we, as new pastors, planted our first ever Victory church. We had led a lot of people to Christ and purchased 43 acres of land on a main highway. At first, we were very excited, but became a little overwhelmed by what it was going to cost to buy this property and build a church complex upon it. We challenged the congregation to sacrifice, by asking them three things: 1) What can I give? 2) What can I give if I add faith to it? 3) What can I sacrifice to give? The result was that enough money and resources were given to purchase the land and build a beautiful 60,000 sq ft building on it. We made a covenant with God through sacrifice.

Sacrifice Releases The Life And Miracle-Working Power Of God

During the next ten years this church went on to become the largest church in our city, and one of the largest of its kind in the nation of Canada. Then the Lord called us to start a church in another city. I asked my associate pastor to go and see what he felt about going to start a new church in that city, but while he was away the Lord told me that I was the one to go, not him. I wrestled with this because my wife and I had worked so hard, made so many friends, and sacrificed so much. We had everything any successful pastor could want. Finally, I plucked up enough courage to tell my wife, and to my surprise she said, “If that’s what God said to do, then let’s do it.” So we did it! We went and started a new church in that city. At the time it felt a little bit like we were being demoted, but after we had made the move, God gave me the following encouraging scripture from Mark 10:28-30:

“Then Peter began to say to Him, See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundred fold now in this time – houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions - and in the age to come eternal life.”

What an incredible promise! And one that has certainly come to pass in our lives! This is another scripture the Lord made real to me when He told me to release some of my best leaders to start new ministries and churches. “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty.” (Prov 11:24) He promised me that for every leader I released He would give me two of like quality and character. And He has been faithful to do it! It was this sacrificial releasing spirit that enabled us to birth Victory Churches International.

We are called to be living sacrifices. Are you ready to freely sacrifice to help build the Kingdom of God? Surely, we do not have to be paid for everything we do to build the church! Sacrifice is our reasonable service. (Rom 12:1)

Yours for Kingdom advancement.

Dr. George Hill,
Founder and President of Victory Churches International
www.victoryint.org