Podcast Summary: Red Rocks Church Weekend Messages

Episode Title: Full Barn-Empty Life
Date: December 6, 2025
Host: Red Rocks Church (Speaker: Sean & Pastor Sam Shelberg)
Series: Kingdom Builders (Week 3)

Episode Overview

This powerful weekend message at Red Rocks Church centers on the true meaning of generosity, legacy, and the dangers of living for material gain rather than eternal purpose. As the church concludes its “Kingdom Builders” series and prepares for a year-end offering, Pastor Sean uses scripture, storytelling, and real-world impact to challenge listeners to aim their lives at the right “basket”—living generously toward God’s kingdom rather than building barns for themselves. Special guest Pastor Sam Shelberg shares concrete examples of the church’s local and global outreach, driving home how collective generosity changes lives.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Heart of “Kingdom Builders” and the Giving Message

• Addressing the Awkwardness of Talking Money at Church
  • Sean acknowledges discomfort for newcomers when the topic is finances but reframes the offering as an opportunity for transformation and eternal impact, not an obligation (03:18).
• The Real Message Behind Money
  • Money, possessions, and generosity are frequent biblical topics (over 2,000 mentions), but God doesn’t need our wealth. Instead, He invites us to partner in His work for our own benefit and for others (03:54).
  • “God says, if you'll do that, you'll not only have an opportunity to make heaven more crowded, to have an eternal purpose, but you also get to live life to the fullest in the here and now.” (04:38)
• Core Prayer for the Offering
  • “God, based on all the ways you’ve blessed me this year, what can I give to build your kingdom and not mine?” (05:30)
  • The prayer rests on three biblical foundations: recognizing all we have comes from God, seeking His wisdom, and building His kingdom over our own (08:41).

2. Biblical Foundations for Generosity

• Scripture Focus
  • 1 Timothy 6: Wealth is uncertain; trust God and be “rich in good deeds... generous and willing to share.” In doing so, we lay up “treasures” for eternity and “take hold of the life that is truly life” (Zoe) (05:54 – 07:07).
  • Psalm 24:1, James 1:17, Deuteronomy 8:17-18: Every good thing and our very ability to work and earn come from God (08:46).
  • Matthew 6:33: Seek first God’s kingdom, and He will provide for your needs.
• Self-Check Questions
  • Who gets the credit for your blessings—God or yourself?
  • Do you seek God’s direction for how you use resources?
  • Whose kingdom are you building—yours or God’s?
    (Explored in depth through Luke 12's parable, see below)

3. “Full Barn-Empty Life”: The Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12)

• Modern Story Illustration
  • Sean recalls a basketball game where a teammate scores on the wrong basket—winning the shot, but losing the game (15:12 – 17:06).
  • “And then you can get to the end of your life and realize all your goals were aimed at the wrong bucket...” (17:27)
• Jesus’ Parable:
  • A wealthy man, blessed with abundance, builds bigger barns for himself, focuses only on his comfort, and ignores God.
  • Ultimately, God calls him a “fool,” as his life ends and his amassed wealth benefits no one (24:28).
  • Key Insight: Achieving personal, material goals without eternal perspective leaves us spiritually empty.
  • “Oh, you had a lot of stuff. You just didn't have any eternal stories.” (25:10)
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Our greatest fear should not be a failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.” – D.L. Moody, quoted by Sean (25:57)

4. What It Means to Be “Rich Towards God”

• The Real Problem Isn’t Wealth—It’s What Has Your Heart
  • It’s not wrong to be wealthy, but “that guy’s problem wasn’t that he had wealth. That guy’s problem was that the wealth had him.” (29:10)
  • Jesus: “You can’t serve both God and money.” (29:36)
• Excelling in Generosity
  • 2 Corinthians 8:7—Excel in the grace of giving, going above and beyond in generosity.
  • David’s posture: “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (30:30)
  • Challenge: Sometimes God stirs a “scary number” in your heart—choose the generous, sacrificial path (31:35).

Impact Stories: Where Your Giving Goes (w/Pastor Sam Shelberg)

5. Local, National, and Global Outreach Overview

(33:34 – 47:57)

Local Outreach Highlights

• Provided thousands of meals, shelter, and practical support to the homeless and those in need.
• Significant partnerships:
  • Kitchen One for One, Open Door Ministries, Source in Austin, RBI Austin, David Clifton Ministries.
• Major investment in foster care family support, addressing heartbreaking statistics for foster youth.
• “As a church, we gave $804,703 to local outreach.” (39:04)

National Outreach

• Aid for disaster victims—wildfires, Texas floods, etc.
• Prison ministry: Bringing hope and spiritual formation to death row inmates.
• Supported church planting: “$292,640 this year went to support church plants... In total, $445,791 went to national outreach.” (41:14)

Global Outreach

• Feeding programs: 51,000 meals packed in one event; “$157,150 to feed kids around the world through Convoy of Hope.” (43:24)
• Women’s empowerment: Training programs for single mothers in Africa.
• Missions and church planting in dangerous, unreached areas:
  • Built churches and pastoral training centers in India, Nepal, South Sudan, and South Asia.
  • A partner is “on track to plant 50,000 churches by the year 2030.” (46:00)
  • Constant risk and persecution faced by these local pastors.
• Total global giving: $743,693.
• “All in for outreach... $2,479,746.” (47:57)

Notable Quotes:

• “For the families displaced by disasters, the pastors being trained up in Asia, the girls that were rescued out of brothels this year, it changes their lives forever.” – Sam Shelberg (48:48)
• “That number represents faith in times of difficulty, choosing purpose over preference, and represents surrender to what God has called us to.” – Sam Shelberg (48:28)

6. Stories That Change Lives

Rescuing Girls From Sex Trafficking—Operation Red Rocks

• Through last year’s offering, the church was able to immediately fund a sex trafficking raid in Southeast Asia.
• “Ten girls were rescued … two of them were little kids.” (51:46)
• “After it was over, they called it Operation Red Rocks... thanks to the generosity of the Red Rocks community, 10 survivors were rescued, two of whom were underaged. All survivors are now receiving healing care in Jesus’ name and in Jesus’ way.” (52:16)
• Emotional reflection: Imagining parents of rescued girls being able to thank the church; underscores the real, eternal impact of generosity.
• “They're home today. Red Rocks. You did that. And we're going to keep doing that. We're not playing games. God's real. Satan's real. Heaven's real. Hell's real...” (54:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening & Light-hearted Banter: 00:04 – 03:00
• Why Talk Giving? The Heart of the Offering: 03:00 – 05:25
• The Foundation Prayer: 05:30 – 08:41
• Teaching Through Parable—Basketball & Wrong Goals: 15:12 – 17:27
• Parable of the Rich Fool & Lessons: 18:11 – 26:41
• Quote from D.L. Moody: 25:57
• Excelling in Generosity: 29:05 – 32:30
• Pastor Sam’s Impact Report: 33:26 – 48:11
• Rescue Story, “Operation Red Rocks”: 50:45 – 54:09
• Call to Action & Closing Prayer: 54:56 – END

Memorable Quotes

• Sean: “You can have real, full barns and a real empty life.” (28:14)
• Sean: “It's not that the guy had wealth—the problem was that the wealth had him.” (29:10)
• Sean (quoting Moody): “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.” (25:57)
• Sam: “That number represents faith in times of difficulty, choosing purpose over preference, and represents surrender to what God has called us to.” (48:28)
• Sean: “They're home today. Red Rocks. You did that.” (54:04)

Conclusion & Call to Action

Sean concludes by reminding all listeners that none of us deserve God’s blessings, but God invites everyone to partner with Him in changing the world. The challenge: Don’t just fill your barn; choose to make your legacy one of generosity and eternal purpose. Every prayer, act of giving, and step of faith is an opportunity to help hurting people, reach the lost, and make heaven more crowded.

Final Encouragement:
“If you’ve ever questioned if your giving really makes a difference—whether for your neighbor in need or a child on the other side of the world—let this episode show you: it absolutely does.”

Note: This summary excludes promotional, musical, and administrative segments to focus on core spiritual teaching and outreach impact.