Forrest: Father, we come to you right now, Lord, acknowledging and standing on you the rock of ages.
Forrest: Faithful of faithful.
Forrest: God, thank you, Lord, that you have been faithful to us.
Forrest: That you haven't given up on us, you've never abandoned us, but instead, God, you pour out your love and your grace and your mercy towards us.
Forrest: Father, help us, Lord, God, each day for us to be faithful to you.
Forrest: And as we bring a heart today this morning of faithfulness, of gratefulness.
Forrest: God, we thank you, Lord, that we two or three are gathered in your name.
Forrest: You are here, so thank you, Holy Spirit, that you're with us.
Forrest: Jesus, thank you for going to the cross and dying for us.
Forrest: Walking out of the grave.
Forrest: Going to the Father.
Forrest: Seated in the right hand of heaven.
Forrest: God, that right now you send your Holy Spirit to be our comfort and our God.
Forrest: Lord, for each day of this brand new year.
Forrest: So thank you, God, for the newness of life that we walk in.
Forrest: God, we right now, collectively as a body, turn our minds and our hearts toward you as we learn from your word.
Forrest: So we thank you, God.
Forrest: We praise you.
Forrest: In Jesus' name, everybody said.
Forrest: Amen, amen, and amen.
Forrest: Woo! I'm so glad that we are together at the beginning of 2025.
Forrest: We had a great Sunday last Sunday with our one service right before the snowstorm hit.
Forrest: And I'm thankful for the crews that helped to get that parking lot clear last week and this week.
Forrest: We're gonna celebrate a little bit as we get going here with this new year.
Forrest: So turn to your neighbor and say it's time to celebrate.
Forrest: Because it kind of pushed off for another week for us to be all together to get to celebrate what God did at the end of 2024.
Forrest: If you're new with us this morning, welcome.
Forrest: My name's Forrest Lee Pastor here at Multiply.
Forrest: Our church turns three years old in just three short months.
Forrest: And we are uh young and brand new church, and God has done a lot of amazing work in through the last three years.
Forrest: And I'm excited to tell you today if you're new, glad you're here.
Forrest: That connect cards under your seat.
Forrest: We'd love for you to grab it and fill it out so we can get to know you better.
Forrest: But you have stepped into a generous church.
Forrest: You've stepped into a church that cares and loves others outside of these walls just as much as inside of these walls.
Forrest: And at the end of 2024, we collectively as a body uh exercise some faith for us to be able to step together to give over and above with our outpour offering, for us to be able to see God move and for us to be able to continue to maximize and multiply what God has called us to do by way of investing in the next generation, uh, by uh improving our space that we have here that we moved in in February, to take new ground of the space next door to turn that into a space for kids and for youth, for the future generation, for them to become multipliers in Christ here in our community, uh, to kick over the domino of seeing other churches be planted in the future and in possibly other capital cities across the country, just like we were planted in the capital city, not for the politics, for the people, so that they could experience Jesus.
Forrest: And so we kicked over that domino, and I'm excited to get to celebrate with you what happened.
Forrest: Y'all want to celebrate something?
Forrest: Well, first of all, uh before I get into uh totals, the thing that we celebrate is that for the we uh had so many records be broken, and one is that we had the first, the most first time givers ever in the life of Multiplied Church.
Forrest: Can we just celebrate that right now?
Forrest: Of people stepping in faith.
Forrest: We had the most people participate in the outpour and our year-in offering.
Forrest: We had the most donations that we've ever had.
Forrest: Can we celebrate God and the fact that people are stepping out and into faith and collectively uh the last uh month of the year, uh God provided through your generosity and as the outcome of the outpour the total was$272,529.2.
Forrest: Can somebody celebrate the Lord?
Forrest: And celebrate his goodness and celebrate his mercy.
Forrest: And celebrate you know what that means?
Forrest: This is what that means, church.
Forrest: This is what that means.
Forrest: That's just if you're new, that's just a number on the board.
Forrest: There's no context, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Forrest: Here's here's what I'm telling you.
Forrest: This is what's gonna happen.
Forrest: We're going to be able to continue to maximize and multiply what God's called us to do at our age, debt-free.
Forrest: In Jesus' name.
Forrest: Debt free.
Forrest: And debt-free isn't always the strategy, but it's something right now.
Forrest: It's something right now of us uh in our state.
Forrest: And also, by the way, this is something fun for you to know that a hundred thousand dollars of that was given by Southland, our sending church, because they love us and are inspired by you and your faith, and they see what we're doing for the kingdom, and they have invested in you, and we praise God and are grateful for that as well, aren't we, church?
Forrest: We're grateful for that.
Forrest: But that means that we collectively gave them we more than we have ever given before to see God do amazing, amazing things.
Forrest: We kicked off this series last Sunday called Multipliers, and it's kind of a flagship important series.
Forrest: You know, our church is called Multiply Church.
Forrest: And so as we jump into this series, last Sunday we kicked off by talking about what it meant to meet God, to meet God for the first time, but then to continually and constantly and committedly be meeting with God on Sundays.
Forrest: And there was a whole conversation with us uh last Sunday in the beginning of a snowstorm, and this is so great, church.
Forrest: This is awesome.
Forrest: Last Sunday uh with our nine o'clock service, we had first time guests last Sunday.
Forrest: We also had three people take the step to join a small group last Sunday, and right before the snowstorm.
Forrest: And folks stepping in to meet God, meet with God, and maybe for you, you're kicking off 2025 and you're starting something fresh and new, and you may be here for the first time.
Forrest: And I'm glad that you're here because here's the thing last week, uh, my encouragement and my invitation was for all of us as we collectively come together on Sundays consistently and raise our consistency and being here on Sundays, that we would make it about more than just yourself.
Forrest: Make it about more than just you.
Forrest: Make it about God and make it about those that are around you.
Forrest: This was the passage that we dug into last Sunday.
Forrest: We're gonna dig a little bit more into it.
Forrest: This is Hebrews 10, 24.
Forrest: It says, let us think of ways to motivate.
Forrest: Everybody say motivate, motivate one another to acts of love.
Forrest: Everybody say love and good works.
Forrest: And let us not neglect our meeting together as some do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Forrest: I encourage you, if you missed last Sunday's sermon, it's on the website.
Forrest: You can go back and listen to it so you can catch up with us in our series today.
Forrest: My title of my message today is Motivate Friends.
Forrest: Everybody say motivate.
Forrest: We live in a culture that right now is more connected than ever.
Forrest: Allegedly.
Forrest: More connected than ever.
Forrest: With social media, with the internet.
Forrest: But why then at the same time are feelings of loneliness and isolation at all-time high?
Forrest: How does that make sense?
Forrest: How does it make sense that we're more connected than ever, but also at the same time, loneliness is like an epidemic?
Forrest: This will this is not gonna shock you, but it's probably even higher now.
Forrest: But in 2023, the average daily use of the internet by Americans was 7.3 hours a day.
Forrest: That included um TV uh streaming and uh 31% of that is social media use.
Forrest: Listen to this, this is from this last year, 2024, 46% of US teens reported using the internet and social media almost constantly as they're awake, continually.
Forrest: And the other half of those teenagers reported that they use it several times a day.
Forrest: And at the same time, the highest percentage since COVID of Americans, 17%, say that they experience significant loneliness every single day.
Forrest: How's that possible?
Forrest: How's it possible to be more connected than ever?
Forrest: But also be isolated and be lonely.
Forrest: See what we're gonna see today that this isn't just uh an issue of what your daily schedule is, but it's actually a spiritual issue.
Forrest: And how God has designed us to be in relationship with others, for us to be in encouraging, life-giving, motivating relationships with friends that encourage us to grow in our faith.
Forrest: And that's where we're going today.
Forrest: And I want to dig in specifically on the area of small groups.
Forrest: Now, our church is annoyingly simplistic.
Forrest: We basically do three things, and we do a lot of it.
Forrest: We do Sunday mornings where we serve together as teams.
Forrest: We do small groups throughout the week at the meeting homes across our community, and we do outreach.
Forrest: And just like last year, you all know Frankfurt Florida outreach initiative.
Forrest: We got to experience and get to be a part of 24 different events between uh the beginning and the end of last year, and we're not slowing down.
Forrest: I'm thankful that we're kicking off the year.
Forrest: You heard it earlier, that we're kicking off the year coming alongside a brand new organization or community that's serving some of the most vulnerable of kids that are needing this crisis nursery that when in their family all hell breaks loose, and someone's there to be able to have a place for them to land in the meantime, to be able to minister to and have a place to stay.
Forrest: And we get to collectively come alongside in the very beginnings of this and get to add some fuel to the fire.
Forrest: And we're gonna continue to serve outside of these walls.
Forrest: See, what I want you to think about with small groups, which is a significant portion of our ministry, is that and what it what it looks like, and you heard this earlier, but what it looks like what it this looks like is that throughout the week, groups of people get together in homes across our community and share a meal together and open the word together from the sermon from the week before, and have questions that we discuss to drive us deeper into relationship with God, but also in friendship or relationships with one another that will motivate us and that will encourage us.
Forrest: See I want you to think about these small group gatherings, not just uh they aren't just a social gathering, they're a spiritual gym where we get together and we grow and we stretch one another.
Forrest: See, I've been doing this a long time and uh across the years I've heard like all the different thoughts about small group, and also I'm I'm coming to this conversation and to this message today, knowing the for uh our body as multiply that what it looks like right now is that more than half of our church are currently in a small group.
Forrest: That is like amazing.
Forrest: Oh, that's like killing it, okay?
Forrest: More than 50% are currently in a small group.
Forrest: That's like crushing averages of the you know experts out there.
Forrest: But I also know that that means that there's another half of our church that you've not yet taken that step to get to be a part of one of these gatherings, or you have before and then you stop for whatever reason.
Forrest: And so, like I know all the different thoughts about going to group and all it takes and the schedule and figuring it all out to be able to meet together.
Forrest: And I also know as your pastor that, and you need to know that Emily and I started the very first small group here at Multiply uh almost a year before we actually launched on Sundays.
Forrest: That's how much we think they're important.
Forrest: And uh for those three years, Emily and I have continued to be in and lead small groups the entire time for the last three and a half years.
Forrest: To be one night a week and get together with other believers and open the word and talk of the scripture, and guess what, y'all?
Forrest: Um, there are times and weeks that I do not want to go.
Forrest: I don't want to get my tail after working all day and get in a car and go to somebody else's house and you know talking to folks.
Forrest: And I know that there are people that that that you probably have felt that too.
Forrest: And I know when I'm getting into that mindset of not wanting to take that step and to be there, I'm normally thinking about me, myself, and mine of everything that I've got going on.
Forrest: And I'm I'm sure that right now, even as I begin to share this message and talk about this, that there are already people who are thinking, and like you've thought about, I thought, I think about like there's times that I think about it through the week and think going to this group is a waste of time.
Forrest: But does God think it's a waste of time?
Forrest: See, and it may not even be something like that.
Forrest: It may be that you've had an experience in the past where you've been a part of some kind of group, and you know, there's some fear attached to that about what happened in that gathering, or maybe some past hurt that's connected to it.
Forrest: I want to share some truth in Proverbs with you in a couple of different places this morning, one of them being Proverbs 18, verse 1.
Forrest: Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire.
Forrest: He breaks out against all sound judgment.
Forrest: What that means is that when you isolate, you gravitate to sin.
Forrest: And what would it look like if this year in 2025 you found a group to share life with and to grow together with in 2025?
Forrest: Now, we're gonna look at Jesus and his life in ministry and what he did, and we're gonna look at a pretty famous passage of scripture in the very beginning of Acts when the early church was just the beginning.
Forrest: In a lot of ways, as we look to Acts chapter 2 when the early church gets its very start as a blueprint, as a prototype church of the earliest expression of what the local church was doing.
Forrest: And this happens with the backdrop of the fact that Jesus has died on the cross, he has resurrected alive, Savior of the world, he's appeared to over 500 witnesses in a resurrected form.
Forrest: Then he ascends to the Father in heaven as the disciples are there, and other followers are watching him ascend into heaven to be seated on the right hand of the Father, and then some angels show up and they say, Why are you staring into the sky?
Forrest: He's gone to heaven, he'll come back when he returns.
Forrest: Basically, like, go get to work.
Forrest: Open your mouth, you know, close your mouth and walk away.
Forrest: You're just staring up into heaven.
Forrest: What are you gonna do next?
Forrest: And what happens next is that all of these Jews from different corners of the known world had descended on Jerusalem for the Passover, and the disciples are trying to figure out, okay, what did it, what is it that we do next?
Forrest: And we know that Jesus had had promised us that he was gonna send the Holy Spirit to us, and so they're trying to figure out what to do next, and so they go through and they they figure out that they need to replace Judas because he's dead, and so they figure out somebody else to replace Judas, and now they got their 12 and they're figuring out what they're supposed to do.
Forrest: And then what happens on this day of Pentecost is that all of these people are gathered from all over the known world, and Peter steps up after just not even a month or a little bit over a month ago, had just been restored by Jesus after denying Jesus, even knowing him and being his follower when Jesus was heading in the trials and to the cross, and Jesus restored him on the beach and restored him back to his place, and so he steps up with these thousands of people who are there, and he preaches not like a very good sermon.
Forrest: Like I'm not gonna preach his sermon this morning.
Forrest: Um, but this is how this is what happens.
Forrest: The Holy Spirit descends on the people, and then in verse 40 of Acts chapter 2, then Peter continued preaching for a long time.
Forrest: Strongly urging all his listeners, save yourselves from this crooked generation.
Forrest: Those who believe what Peter said and were baptized and added to the church that day, about 3,000 in all.
Forrest: So you have this group of disciples and followers of Jesus, and all of a sudden Peter gets up and he preaches this mediocre sermon, and the Holy Spirit descends, and then 3,000 people give their life to Christ and get baptized.
Forrest: And I'm sure I wasn't there, but I imagine if I was one of the 12 disciples at that moment, I would be panicking.
Forrest: What in the world do we do?
Forrest: And I kind of imagine the disciples getting in like a huddle.
Forrest: I'm sure this didn't happen this way, but this is just how I imagine it.
Forrest: They get in like a football huddle and thinking, like, okay, guys, there's 3,000 people.
Forrest: We just baptize them all.
Forrest: They're wanting us to tell them what to do next.
Forrest: What in the world do we do?
Forrest: And probably not Peter, because he wasn't one of the smart ones, but maybe one of the other ones in the circle stepped up and in the huddle and said, Why don't we just do for them what Jesus did for us?
Forrest: See, something that's important for you to know as you step into this place in this body, that we not only believe that Jesus' message was divine, but we also believe that his methods were divine as well.
Forrest: His example to us and what he did.
Forrest: See, these disciples, they're trying to figure out what it is that they're supposed to do, and most of them, or all of them, all of them have only been believers in Jesus for like three years.
Forrest: Most of this room has probably been a follower of Jesus longer than they were at that point.
Forrest: You probably have been following Jesus longer than they were.
Forrest: No, they had a front row seat.
Forrest: But we also have the Holy Spirit.
Forrest: And so they're huddled up and what in the world we're gonna do, what are we gonna do?
Forrest: And they say, you know what, let's just do what Jesus did for us, and this is what happened in verse 42.
Forrest: All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship and to the sharing in meals, including the Lord's Supper and to prayer.
Forrest: A deep sense of awe came over them all.
Forrest: And the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.
Forrest: And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.
Forrest: They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.
Forrest: Verse 46.
Forrest: They worshiped together at the temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.
Forrest: Verse 47, all the while praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people, and each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Forrest: So they're meeting together collectively, and just like Jesus had done for them, they start to meet together in a smaller group.
Forrest: Jesus had his disciples, and this wasn't just like some casual relationship.
Forrest: No, these disciples were with Jesus all the time.
Forrest: Other than the moments that he retreated for prayer, Jesus walked with them, he ate with them, he talked with them, they traveled together.
Forrest: They were constantly in relationship, seeing Jesus and being in relationship with one another.
Forrest: And I don't know about you, but for me, there are often times when I think about the relationships that I have and the people that I know, and I I I enter into that relationship not thinking about or without thinking about how I could be a blessing.
Forrest: Oh, I just met that person and this is what's going on in their world.
Forrest: Kind of stop right there.
Forrest: Or maybe for you, you've thought at times why does it even matter if I show up?
Forrest: Why would it even matter if I invested in somebody else?
Forrest: But we see what Jesus did.
Forrest: With his disciples, and then then began to do that for others that are around them, and then they started seeing some amazing things.
Forrest: They were praying together, miraculous things were happening, they were eating meals together, they were in each other's home, they were in each other's lives, and look at this.
Forrest: People were being added to their number daily, those that were being saved.
Forrest: So as they were meeting in homes and meeting in spaces, there were other people who were being attracted to what they were doing and what was happening in this group of new believers.
Forrest: Is that what they did that we should do is motivate mission for one another?
Forrest: Motivate the mission of Jesus, what he called us to, what he led us to.
Forrest: See, these meetings weren't just gatherings, they were missional moments where people grew in their faith, where they built relationships and they prepared for impact.
Forrest: And God did it.
Forrest: And added to their number.
Forrest: And we think that church is just for Sundays.
Forrest: Now, I don't know a whole lot about fitness, as you can tell.
Forrest: I've done some working out and things in my day.
Forrest: And I'm sure everybody in the last two weeks, y'all been back in the gym, manu.
Forrest: Y'all been in a plan of fitness these first two weeks.
Forrest: Y'all back, y'all raised the weather?
Forrest: Got out there and snow, got to the gym.
Forrest: I didn't.
Forrest: But I bet y'all did.
Forrest: Here's the thing.
Forrest: I don't know a whole lot about fitness, but I know this.
Forrest: If you go to the gym once a week, it's better than nothing, but you're probably not going to get the results you're looking for.
Forrest: And as we get together in these small groups, it's like a spiritual gym.
Forrest: My longtime group leader, Bo Wolf, he talks about a small group being like jujitsu.
Forrest: As you wrestle with the word of God, and as we work out the word of God in our lives, motivating one another, encouraging one another.
Forrest: See, something that happens each week uh at um group that you may or may not know about, but I'm going to share it with you and hopefully your group leader is doing this, but it's in the curriculum every week.
Forrest: Uh Braden, you mind handing that chair right there?
Forrest: This next to you, the empty chair?
Forrest: Thanks to Dollar.
Forrest: Everybody give it for Braden.
Forrest: So one thing we do each week at the end of group, as we're sitting in the circle and discussing God word, God's word together, is at the end, there's a there's there's an empty chair that's sitting in the circle.
Forrest: And at the that prayer time, we just make mention of the empty chair, and we say, who in your life needs to be someone who needs to be in this empty chair in our group right now?
Forrest: Who's somebody that you're praying for that you know in your life that needs to be in this seat that you need to invite into this circle so that they can grow in their faith?
Forrest: And so we then pray over the empty chair, and guess what?
Forrest: The empty chair gets filled.
Forrest: And then we add another empty chair, and it gets filled.
Forrest: Because here's the thing you know, there's a lot of different ways to do groups and all kinds of different methods and that kind of thing.
Forrest: But what I know is this is that this early church, they were meeting together and something that they were doing as they were meeting in the temple and they were worshiping, they were meeting in homes and sharing meals.
Forrest: People were being added to their number daily, those who were being saved.
Forrest: So, you know, there's churches that have closed groups and all this kind of stuff.
Forrest: We our groups are open at multiplies so that people can be invited in.
Forrest: Because you know what?
Forrest: You know what?
Forrest: Some people will come to a small group before they'll ever come into the doors of a church.
Forrest: They'll take an invitation into a home where there's gonna be a taco night or my least favorite Brenner, breakfast for dinner.
Forrest: I hate that.
Forrest: That's my plight in group, having to deal with Brenner every month.
Forrest: But we're coming together, and just like the early church, the sharing of the meals together, we're eating together, we're encouraging one another, and guess what?
Forrest: We're praying for one another, and God is doing miraculous things.
Forrest: Salvation, healing, things that we've experienced.
Forrest: See, what ends up happening for me is oftentimes I'm focused on what I don't have rather than sharing what I do have.
Forrest: And maybe you've thought this before.
Forrest: Maybe you're in your you're in this mindset of like, I can't help anybody else.
Forrest: How am I supposed to help somebody else in their walk with God?
Forrest: I'm trying to figure out my walk with God right now.
Forrest: I'm not perfect, I can't help anybody else.
Forrest: See what happened when these believers came together, they began to motivate one another to good works and helping one another, which is mercy.
Forrest: And we collectively, as we come together, we and and in a in a setting like this, and on Sundays, we should be motivating one another to mercy.
Forrest: What's that mean?
Forrest: That means a mercy, it's it the motivation of meeting needs and multiplying blessing for our community for individuals, for organizations that are outside of these walls.
Forrest: One of the things I'm so excited about with our year in giving is that we're part of our year and giving is going to go to fund a youth advocacy role through the Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation to be able to mentor kids who are impacted by incarceration, some of the most vulnerable in our community for all of 2025.
Forrest: And here in a few weeks we're gonna get to give and sew into that so that they can have this new position.
Forrest: And so we're going to give towards that with our year and giving for outside of this walls, outside of these walls.
Forrest: And to encourage one another.
Forrest: That means that that multiplying mercy means like you jumping in and being a part of our Frankfurt Forward initiative events.
Forrest: Jump in and sign up to be a part of this that's happening with the Crisis Nursery through our Frankfurt Forward initiative, which is our outreach.
Forrest: And in doing so, you are helping to motivate the mission and the mercy of God made tangible for somebody else.
Forrest: If you're with me, say I will motivate.
Forrest: That's what we're doing.
Forrest: See, I I heard a story this week, and it was really through the grapevine.
Forrest: And the only reason you're even hearing it right now is because I heard it through the grapevine.
Forrest: But this week there's somebody in my group that um took a step to pay an outstanding bill for somebody else in our church.
Forrest: And the only way I even know about it is because I heard it through the grapevine, and none of y'all would even know about it if I hadn't found out about it.
Forrest: Because somebody stepped up to serve someone in our body to be a blessing for them, to help them and bring the love of God to them in this body, and you wouldn't even know about it.
Forrest: I'm sure that's happening, and you don't even know what's going on.
Forrest: We we talk about things on Sunday mornings that are happening, but there's a lot more of it's happening that meets the ah of people who are helping one another and helping their friends to be motivated to grow in Christ.
Forrest: See, there's this famous proverb that you've heard before that speaks to this specifically in Proverbs 27, 17.
Forrest: It says, as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Forrest: When something is sharpened, there's friction involved.
Forrest: And the rough edges begin to get smoothed out for a razor's edge to be able to be effective, and things are broken off.
Forrest: I'm gonna share with you a perspective you may not have thought of from this verse from Arthur Ray Ortland.
Forrest: He says, When iron sharpens iron, it creates friction.
Forrest: When a friend wounds you, it hurts.
Forrest: So do you see there's a difference between hurting someone and harming someone?
Forrest: There's a difference between someone being loved and someone feeling loved.
Forrest: Jesus loved everyone well, and some people felt hurt.
Forrest: So they crucified him.
Forrest: If we don't understand this, then every time we feel hurt, we will look for someone to blame and punish.
Forrest: We'll make our emotional state someone else's fault.
Forrest: What that is, that friction, it's growing pains.
Forrest: Again, I don't know a whole lot about fitness, but I know that when you're lifting weights and you're exerting yourself, what's happening as you're lifting weights is as your muscles as you're exerting them, you're creating little tears in your muscle tissue as you're lifting heavier and heavier weight.
Forrest: And what happens is your body heals those tears and makes you stronger.
Forrest: The friction, the friction, the growing pains of being in relationship with a friend who will sharpen you.
Forrest: That means having somebody in your life that will stab you in the front and not in the back.
Forrest: That will say the thing that you need to hear and say it to your face in an encouraging way.
Forrest: But that doesn't mean that it still may not sting.
Forrest: I know this, it's a whole lot easier to go to the gym when you have a workout partner or a group.
Forrest: A whole lot easier to stay motivated.
Forrest: And there are so many times where I'm just tempted to feel like spiritual growth is something I have to figure out all alone.
Forrest: And maybe for you, maybe there's been times in your life, or maybe you're in this time right now where you have felt stuck, unsure how to grow in your faith, which way for you to go.
Forrest: And what's happening with the church in this passage is that they're helping one another to grow and to be motivated in the friction of iron sharpening iron to motivate one another to maturity.
Forrest: And that's what we're gonna do motivate maturity.
Forrest: Now, what is spiritual maturity?
Forrest: That's a big question.
Forrest: Some point or another, you're probably trying to figure out what that is.
Forrest: Paul frames his outlook on spiritual growth, mirroring our bodily stages of growth.
Forrest: He said, He said, at one point you were on the milk like a baby, like an infant.
Forrest: But now you're able to eat the meat of the gospel and the good news and the truth.
Forrest: You started out like a baby and an infant, but at one point in your life, at one point in my life, I was a child, but then I became a man.
Forrest: I became an adult.
Forrest: And for us to be able to step into spiritual adulthood, spiritual parenthood, motherhood, fatherhood means that you are motivating and helping somebody else outside of yourself and discipling somebody else in your life that you are reproducing and producing for God's glory, not your own.
Forrest: That's what spiritual maturity is.
Forrest: It takes a long time for you to figure out the fact that that you as a believer, it's not necessarily about how much knowledge you have.
Forrest: It's not about the signs that you perform.
Forrest: Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, which I highly suggest that you read that whole chapter today before your head hits the pillow, what he says is that if I can speak in tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I'm like a clanging gong that's annoying that nobody wants to listen to.
Forrest: If I perform miracles and signs and wonders, but I have not love, I am nothing.
Forrest: See, the motivation of maturity is a pouring out of love for somebody else.
Forrest: And the maturity that we have in Christ, listen to this.
Forrest: It's not motivated by knowledge or arrogance.
Forrest: Your maturity should be motivated by love.
Forrest: By love.
Forrest: Because it's the love of God that Jesus put on flesh, that we just celebrated at Christmas and came here to show us the example of how we're to live out of this Christian love, not in the civilization, of brothers and sisters and Christmas, and the one and another still weakening, and then the name, awakening, stem number four gum, and the pool and stuff, because of how great we are, because of how great gone it is, and then it's blood poured over us because of its sacrifice on the cross to purchase our way into heaven.
Forrest: It's something you can never do for yourself.
Forrest: But then every single day of our walk here on this side of heaven, we would become more and more like Jesus, and you don't do that on your own.
Forrest: You do that in relationship, you do that together.
Forrest: Now, I don't I don't do this very often, but I'm gonna do some shout-outs real quick.
Forrest: Because there's some people in the life of our church who have stepped up to love and to lead others, others to see them be discipled.
Forrest: And so if you're in the room right now and you are a leader of a team on Sundays or a small group or an apprentice of those, I would ask you just real quick for you to stand up.
Forrest: If you're a leader, small group, leader of a team, stand up.
Forrest: Church, can we celebrate right now?
Forrest: This crew.
Forrest: Y'all get they can have a seat.
Forrest: Y'all can have a seat.
Forrest: Now, I don't think there's a Bible degree between them all.
Forrest: Because it's not about how much you know, it's about how much you love.
Forrest: It's how much you're willing to be able to care for somebody else, to pray for them, to love them, to see miracles happen in their life because of their maturity.
Forrest: Now, I'm gonna I'm gonna show this to you in a different way.
Forrest: I'm gonna get a little bit more shout-outs and some familiar faces today.
Forrest: So I wanna I want to ask Jonathan to come back out and uh for him not to play the piano.
Forrest: But I want you to come over here, brother.
Forrest: And Haley's here too.
Forrest: I want you, Haley, you come on out here too.
Forrest: Now, when our church was just beginning, this amazing couple picked up their life and moved from South Carolina to come to Charleston to be a part of Multiply and to begin it and to build it.
Forrest: And Emily and I, we started the first group, but then the second group was started by these two three and a half years ago.
Forrest: Now, y'all see this man leading worship all the time in front of you, but what you don't know is that for three and a half years, he and Haley have been loving, caring, and helping to build other disciples every single week off of this stage because they're pouring out in love.
Forrest: And they've they've been hosted by the dirt cults with Carl's in the back on the soundboard.
Forrest: Wave your hand, Carl.
Forrest: Everybody give it up for the dirt cults, and they're hosting it.
Forrest: But see, it didn't start, it didn't stop there because also, um, where's Singrid and Michael at?
Forrest: Y'all over here?
Forrest: Y'all seen y'all also have seen Singer and Michael this morning.
Forrest: Singer and Michael are coming up right now.
Forrest: You saw Singrid up here singing beautifully earlier.
Forrest: Michael, a volunteer, hosting and telling y'all what to do and giving you all the things that you need to know here in the church.
Forrest: But what y'all don't know is that when the the Zemans multiplied their group with the Oleikas, which they're out of town this Sunday, or they'd be up here right now, they multiplied into Lawrenceburg, and these two stepped up to host that group in Lawrenceburg.
Forrest: And Emily and I led that Lawrence Group group for like five minutes.
Forrest: And do you remember when you had the mental block of people coming into your home and the Lord let you overcome that, and now you still today you're hosting this group in your home?
Forrest: And not only that, but listen to this.
Forrest: Then not too long ago, Michael and some other leaders he stepped up to begin the youth small group here at Multiplot.
Forrest: That a number of them were baptized this last year of our teenagers coming to Christ because of his faithfulness to step up and doesn't stop there.
Forrest: Also, y'all seen Andrew this morning playing his guitar and leading us.
Forrest: Where are you at, Andrew?
Forrest: And his amazing bride, Bailey, which I see her, come on up here.
Forrest: Where's she at?
Forrest: Come over here.
Forrest: Where are you at?
Forrest: Here you are.
Forrest: Come over here.
Forrest: Give it up for Bailey as she's coming up here.
Forrest: I couldn't do it up here.
Forrest: They're dying about this right now.
Forrest: Come on up here, girl.
Forrest: So they just multiplied.
Forrest: And now uh Andrew and Bailey, now they're leading the small group that is in Lawrence.
Forrest: And then y'all are gonna love this.
Forrest: Y'all are gonna love this.
Forrest: Watch this.
Forrest: Then just recently, Jonathan Haley just multiplied again with Graham and Chelsea how that we just celebrated the beginning.
Forrest: Where's that picture at?
Forrest: Graham and Chelsea right here.
Forrest: Y'all gonna come up.
Forrest: Y'all gonna come on up.
Forrest: Look at them, they hate me.
Forrest: They're hating me right now.
Forrest: But what I'm showing you right now across this room is that um without a Bible degree between them, I don't think.
Forrest: Um this right here is a representation of six multiplications in a matter of three and a half years that you're looking at right now.
Forrest: And what they're doing is creating a gathering of people that they're stepping up to say, you know what, I'm gonna love somebody else.
Forrest: I'm gonna care for somebody else.
Forrest: And what's great about this right here, and and I just use this as an example because you already saw these people this morning, and you maybe just thought, like, oh, that guy just plays guitar and sings.
Forrest: No, he's he's he and his bride are discipling people every week.
Forrest: And what I'm showing you is that there's more than meets the eye here.
Forrest: There's more than meets the eye.
Forrest: So uh y'all give it up for these folks right here.
Forrest: Thank y'all very much for coming up here and humoring me.
Forrest: Thank y'all very much for doing that.
Forrest: I I could have brought other small group leaders up here and done the exact same thing, and what I'm showing you is that whether it is that you're a leader of a group or you're in a small group, what you're doing is you are motivating others to walk with God.
Forrest: And by doing so, what you're doing is becoming a multiplier.
Forrest: See, the world changed because Jesus invested in his disciples and they invested in others, and that's multiplication.
Forrest: A multiplier is someone who, with a group of people with friends, will motivate deeper conversation around God's word, but not just stay conversation, but encourage it into action and to see growth and inspire growth.
Forrest: And I wonder what if this year you found the people to share a life with and grow together with this year in 2025.
Forrest: See, the the weeks of this series, the actions that I'm talking about and going through of what it looks like to be a multiplier, it's very simple.
Forrest: Actions are this Sunday gatherings to meet with God, to meet with others, to motivate them towards the truth, small group to motivate friends.
Forrest: I got these up here somewhere on the board.
Forrest: Sunday small groups or Sunday gatherings, small groups.
Forrest: Spiritual growth of us making disciples in Christ and serving God with our time, talent, and treasure, that's where we're going in this series for us to be multipliers.
Forrest: And what a multiplier is doing is creating space for growth.
Forrest: Now here's the thing: for you to become a multiplier, nobody's gonna give you a plaque.
Forrest: Like we're not, there's no certificate, there's not a ceremony.
Forrest: You're a multiplier.
Forrest: You've been knighted.
Forrest: That's not what we're doing here.
Forrest: This is you walking out your relationship with God in a way that it goes beyond yourself, just like Jesus did for us.
Forrest: Serving and loving others.
Forrest: And I want right now to encourage you and invite you into that type of outpour in 2025.
Forrest: So the way you can do that is there's a card underneath your seat.
Forrest: If you're not a part of a group, there's a place on there where you can check the box to join a group, and you can drop into the slot on the way out, or you can go to talk to somebody at the station if you want to.
Forrest: But here's the thing, here's what you're gonna get.
Forrest: Daryl and his team, and this won't always be this way, but right now how it is is that you're gonna sign up for a group and they're they're gonna reach out to you on text and they're gonna get up with you, and they're gonna figure out custom to you with your schedule and the night of the week that you got this and you got that.
Forrest: Which night works for you?
Forrest: Do you need kid child care?
Forrest: Do you not do child care?
Forrest: What they're gonna figure out what area, they're gonna make a custom recommendation of what group for you to be a part of.
Forrest: And if you go to that group and you hate it, that's okay.
Forrest: Try another one.
Forrest: It's alright.
Forrest: As you are stepping out and stepping in to motivate friends for the glory of God and taking a step forward in your life with Christ.
Forrest: Now, some of you, you just need to begin the journey with Christ, and you need to accept Him as your Savior, you need to be forgiven and set free so that you can begin to have a life that is abundant, that is pouring over, that is a multiplied life.
Forrest: And the way that you do that is by taking the step of baptism, beginning your relationship with Jesus.
Forrest: Or if you've been walking with Jesus but you haven't been baptized, for you to take the first step of obedience, for you to get into the waters and to be baptized, to follow Jesus' example of baptism.
Forrest: And the fact that those in the scripture that as they were saved, they were then baptized as a sign of a proclamation of your following of Jesus.
Forrest: An immediate response for you to be saved, and so and for you to be baptized, and that next opportunity is gonna happen in two weeks on the 26th in January.
Forrest: And if that's your step on the card there, there's a place that says baptism.
Forrest: I want you to check it off.
Forrest: So you can begin to step into this life that God's calling you to and leading you to.
Forrest: So let me pray for us all.
Forrest: Bow your heads.
Forrest: Father, right now there's so many homes that represented God, and today I'm really just sharing the heart of Jesus looking at your ministry and modeling our lives after your work and what you've called us to, and your disciples, and what happened in the early church 2,000 years ago, that has literally led to this gathering this morning of us all being together under the name and under the bander of Jesus Christ.
Forrest: Because of a love, a divine love poured out from heaven into our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit that flows out to those around us.
Forrest: So, Father, I pray right now for every home that's represented, God, for those that are striving to grow, that Lord, you would begin to, Holy Spirit, just reveal.
Forrest: Just reveal to them.
Forrest: Reveal to them in this moment, God, the life of impact that you have for them, for brothers and sisters and families and kids who don't yet know you.
Forrest: And Father, I pray right now, Lord, for anybody in this room who's not received you as Savior, that God today would be their decision to do that.
Forrest: God, I pray right now that you would help us collectively in 2025 to grow and to grow and to grow and see others grow with us.
Forrest: Father, I just I look forward to the day where there's a hundred small groups all across our community and in neighboring counties that are outposts in these neighborhoods of your light, of your glory, of your power.
Forrest: So God, I just pray right now, Father, that you would help to lead each one of us, God, to the next thing that you're calling us to.
Forrest: Deeper with you, walking with you, and seeing others feel blessed because of it.
Forrest: So, Father, we thank you in advance.
Forrest: God, I know, Lord, in this place, God, that you're gonna do something incredible.
Forrest: God, that you already know.
Forrest: You already know, you already know how it's gonna go.
Forrest: And you've made the path for us.
Forrest: So, Lord, help us to be strong and obedient and walking in your way.
Forrest: We love you, we praise you in Jesus' name.
Forrest: Everybody said, Amen.
Forrest: Will you stay at your feet now as you worship Jesus?