Built Different | First Pick — Forrest Coleman

Built Different | First Pick — Forrest Coleman | Acts 1:8

Transcript

Forrest 0:06

Hey, I'm Pastor Forrest, and welcome to the Multiply Church Podcast. Each week we open God's word together to help you meet God and multiply good in your everyday life. We're so glad that you've taken time to join us for this week's sermon. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe and follow us on social media so you never miss a message. Now, let's dive into this week's sermon. Jumping into this new series, Built Different. I get to spend time now talking to different people who are planting churches now that people are getting going, and we're four years into planting this work of multiply. And I was having a conversation with somebody, and I never say when I'm talking to young planters or people who are part of planting teams, I don't ever say, hey, hey, I'm not giving you a prescription of this is what you have to do or should do. I'm just going to give you a description of what happened in our story and what God did through us. And so I was having one of these conversations uh a few weeks ago with somebody who's involved with a church starting church plant, and I started telling them about the early days and what it meant to join the launch team of Multiply Church. Now, some of you, this is like way far in the past. You weren't around. There's some people in the room that are around at this point, but if you wanted to join the launch team of Multiply when it was really just a dream, uh it was really just a group of people who are meeting in houses and random places across the community and parks and other places. The what it meant to be a part of the launch team at that time was three things. We said involve, invest, invite. To be involved in 90% of what we do prior to launch of the church. If you only water your plants 50% of the time, they die. So we need you at 90% of what we're doing. The second was to invest, which meant that we wanted you to be a part of small group and serving and giving systematically and investing in what God was doing for the kingdom. And then invite was the third piece invite like crazy. And we were, we were just inviting like crazy. And I was telling people, I was telling this person the conversation about what it meant to join the launch team. And I said, Yeah, we I'd have conversations with somebody and tell them, hey, this is what it means to join the launch team. And then I'd say, uh, hey, are you ready to join up? And they say, Oh, well, I don't know. I I need to pray about it. And I'd say, hey, this isn't something you need to pray about for a long time. Either you're in or you're out. So you have one week to let me know if you're in or not, and I'll give you a call and you can let me know. You don't need to pray about this for a long time. Like, let me know if you're in. And when I said that, the guy I was talking to, he said, Man, y'all are built different. Y'all are built different. And what he was meaning was is that we know the fact that this place has been built on God's faithfulness and the fruitfulness and faithfulness of his people to buy in, to serve, to love, to sacrifice. This place is not based on the talents of the few, but the sacrifices of many. And what I'm talking about is is the heartbeat of what it is to be a part of multiply and and the love that we have for people in our city, in our community. And that we we we are built different, and we have been built different, and that's not because we're impressive or because we're elite, it's because we are serious about Jesus. And we want to see God move and be able to see him move by way of us responding to God. And even though we're we may not be impressive or elite or something to write home about, it's God who's the one who's going to equip us and is going to continue this work. And so what I'm trying to say is this is that now in 2026, four years old, we're still built different. You're built different. God's going to continue to grow us and move us and change us and see God do powerful work, and He's the one who does the choosing and the picking. He's the one who equips us, he's the one who does the work. The title of my message today is first pick. Now, first pick, or first round pick, or first round draft, that's not just NFL language. The draft is coming up here real soon this month. That's also playground language. Anybody remember this? Two captains? Everybody lines up, one by one, people get picked. That's one of the earliest places that we start asking ourselves, man, am I enough? Am I useful? Am I wanted? Do I have a place? And some of y'all were the ones that were picked early, and we can all tell. First pick, athletic, you had those skinny athletic ankles. Now, some of y'all were picked late. I you know, you didn't want to get picked last. I was never picked last, but I was always in the middle because I have the the build of either tackle football or bowling. Those are my two options. So kickball and all those kinds, you know, it was I I didn't always look like the fastest or the most athletic. And even today, and when it comes to being around the church, it's easy to quietly wonder do I have a place? Do I fit? Am I useful to God? And where we're going today is we want to dive into, and I want us to fully comprehend together and walk through some scripture together that allows for you and for me to take your place in God's purpose and with his people. That's where we're going. For you to take your place, and what you're gonna see today is that God gives to you before he asks from you. The power of God is received, his purposes for our life are already prepared and planned out, and their gifts are received from God, and so you're not performing for your place in the kingdom. Instead, God gives you your place by his grace. And you're called to walk it out. Now, what happens if we miss this? What happens if we stay stuck and we don't find our place and we don't receive our place through God's grace? Well, we're gonna get stuck. We're gonna get stuck in feeling like we have to earn God's love, we have to earn our place. We start to think, oh, well, I don't know how useful I really am to God, or I don't know, I'm not really somebody who needs to be visible for God. Let me tell you, God does not pick like people pick. Let me give you some examples. Moses was a murderer. Peter denied knowing Jesus. Paul was a persecutor. Mary Magdalene, who we talked about last week, was demon-possessed. Jacob was a scammer. Noah got drunk. Abraham was a coward. And David, who was anointed, who was the last in the pack, is where the scripture says that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. God has a history of choosing flawed, overlooked, and unfinished people to see his purposes be made known on this side of heaven. And so if we get this wrong, if we miss this, if if we miss what it is for us to be chosen and equipped and called by God, what's gonna happen is that we're gonna lose a confidence that God has even called us to do something for his kingdom. Or we're gonna lose courage to actually obey what God's leading us into. Or just missing the joy of what it is to belong. To belong to God, to belong to the body, to belong to his church, to belong to his people. You can miss the kingdom contribution that God has called you to, and for you to walk in and what he's planned for you. See what we're talking about, that's just from the playground. The playground, you you get picked for what you already could do. But in the kingdom, God's the one who gives you what you need, he shapes you for what he wants, and he's gonna put you in a place where you belong with him. Last Sunday we celebrated the resurrection. And like I said, the Easter is not the end of the story because this Sunday we're gonna take a look at what the risen Jesus said next to his disciples before his ascension. Jesus doesn't just tell his followers to chill out, hang out, just admire him, just wait on heaven. He he tells them that he's gonna empower them and that his the kingdom is gonna grow through their witnesses, and they're gonna receive something that we they need to respond to. So before Jesus' ascension, we see recorded in the first chapter of Acts, which is the story of the beginning of the early church, Acts chapter 1, verse 8, Jesus looks out over this crowd of followers and he tells them, but you will receive what power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth. You will receive power. Not create power on your own, not fake it till you make it, not just perform, but receive. I slipped into just feeling like everything depends on me and what I do. Everything depends on my strength. It's been said, you know, that you should work as hard as possible. Like all of it depends on you. Everything just put it on your back. And for me, I know I can feel the pressure at times. I can feel the pressure of preaching and feel the pressure of leading and feel the pressure of all the different things. And I can talk myself into thinking that it's all on me and try to manufacture, but I can do nothing apart from the power of God. And maybe for you, maybe you've believed that God, what he has for you, or what he wants for you, is not for somebody like you, it's for somebody else. It's for other people, it's for people who are stronger or more cleaned up or more qualified. Yeah, I'll just wait around, I'll just wait until I know more. I'll wait around till I feel like I'm more qualified, but it's God who's calling you into what he wants to see you produce for the kingdom, and God's gonna be the one to provide for it. Before we get into what it looks like for us as we're built different, and what God has implanted and empowered us with, we have to first be filled with God's power. Do not miss this. That he walked out of the grave, then repent of our sins, confessing our sins to God to receive his forgiveness and believe that Jesus is not only Savior, but that he is Lord. That Jesus isn't just a way to heaven, he is the way to heaven. No one comes to the Father but by me is what Jesus said. So not Buddha and not Allah and not all and all these different ways and paths. That doesn't even make sense logically, by the way. All paths lead to God. They all say something different. That doesn't even make any sense. First, you need to be filled with God's power. And the way that you're filled with God's power is by you giving your life over to Jesus, and then for you to fully embrace what Jesus has given you and received from him, and not try to hide it, not try to stifle it, not try to hold it down. Jesus gives to you before he asks from you. He says, you know what? I've got a plan for your life, but before we even get into any of that, let me empower you first. Are you feeling that? You have the power of the Holy Spirit. The scripture says that the same power that rose Jesus from the dead, if you are in Christ, now lives inside of you. The same power that we celebrated last week with an empty tomb and the stone rolled away and Jesus walking out and new life. The scripture says now lives and resides inside of your chest. Dwelling in you, this resurrection power. It's not just some good story or something that we just believe in. This is something that we walk in, that we've received as we receive this power by the Holy Spirit to be what? His witnesses. I'm not ready for that. I don't know enough. I'm not gifted enough. Well, once I get stronger, then then God will use me in some way. I don't have what it takes. Listen to me. God doesn't just call people, he fills them with his spirit. He calls them and he empowers them. He calls them and then he animates it. So stop trying to manufacture what only the spirit can provide. He hands his power over to his people. And some of you are exhausted because you are trying to do kingdom work without kingdom power. You're trying to live this good moral life. You're trying to put it all on your back. But you don't yet have the Holy Spirit that is going to empower you if you are not in Christ. Or maybe you're in Christ, but you're trying to put it all on yourself and you're not receiving the power that Jesus said, Hey, listen to me. I you're going to receive it. This is something that you are going to take hold of. Not that you're earning it, but I'm giving it to you. So you don't have to be impressive first. You need to be filled by the Holy Spirit first. To be as witnesses. This receiving, what the imagery is, is that you take hold of what is given. Listen to me. Like wielding a sword or a weapon. Lombano, everybody say lombano. This receiving is that you now are taking this power of God and you're taking hold of it in your hand and then you're wielding it for his kingdom. Not fake it till you make it, Christianity. Receive what God gives to you and then wield it like a weapon. The Holy Spirit says you're going to receive it and you're going to take hold of what I'm giving to you, and you're going to wield it like a weapon because you are God's workmanship. And He has something planned for you. In Ephesians 2, verse 10. The scripture says, For we are his workmanship. Everybody say workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand. That we should walk in them. Everybody say walk. You're God's workmanship. Some translations say you're his masterpiece. You're his handiwork. You're his craftsmanship. And you've not just been saved from your sins, you've been saved for good works as well. You've been saved for good works that God has prepared for you beforehand. Listen to me. God is ahead of you. He's ahead of you. He already has a plan for you. He already has a plan for you to walk out what He has planned for you beforehand, before the foundations of the world and the creation of the world. He has a plan for you and saying, Listen to me, come to me. You're my handiwork, you're my craftsmanship. I love you so much. And guess what? I have a purpose for you as well. That's been planned out. And I know for me, and again, I'm sure I'm the only one, but I get so sidetracked and messed up by comparing myself to somebody else. And comparing myself to somebody else's calling. Comparing myself to somebody else's preaching or somebody else's effectiveness or somebody else's fruitfulness. And I can forget the fact that God has before the foundations of the world, beforehand, before me, has already chosen what he wants for me to do for his kingdom. I just got to walk in it. He has an assignment for me. He has good works planned out for me. And I don't need to be to be comparing myself to somebody else's calling. Because listen to me, if you're in that space in social media and you're comparing yourself, you are always going to be a Diet Coke version of somebody else's callings and giftings. You don't need to compare. What you need to be is you need to be formed for God's purpose in your life. That's the second thing we need to do. If we're going to fully walk in his purpose and for his people, we need to be formed. We need to be formed for God's purposes. This purpose is that you're not inventing yourself, you're not creating it yourself. It has been prepared for you. Not something you're just self-creating. God is forming you from what he has already prepared for you. Listen to me. You're not just saved from something, you're saved for something. Yes, we're saved from sin and darkness, and God gives us a new way and a new path and puts us on the path to heaven, but he's also saved you for something, which is his glory and good works that have been prepared for you beforehand. You know, you can build the most fancy sailboat ever. I'm talking humongous, giant, huge sails, beautiful, all the paint, ornate. But if there's no wind, that sailboat's not going anywhere. But the Holy Spirit has to be the power in your sails, the wind beneath your wings. See, the church, the church of Christ, there's a few analogies that are used when it comes to the body of Christ. First, a body, a body that has many members, that have different functions. And this body that is a living organism. The church is literally Jesus' hands and feet here on earth. He is the head, we are the body. It's made up of many members. That's what the church is. It's a gathering, it's an ecclesia, it's a people gathered together, is what the church is. There's also the analogy of family, that we're brothers and sisters in Christ. And the other analogy that we see through the scripture is that this is a team. We are co-workers, we are co-laborers for the gospel. And all of those different analogies play out in different ways when it comes to the body of Christ. But ultimately, for you to walk out your purpose means that you don't need to be isolated. For you to walk out your purpose means that you never need to just feel like you're out here doing this all on your own. Because God has gifted you for a purpose to be a blessing to others. 1 Peter 4, verse 10 and 11. As each has received a gift, talking about a spiritual gifting. Use it to serve one another. As good servants of God's varied grace. Whoever speaks is the one who speaks oracles of God. Whoever serves is one who serves by the strength that God supplies, in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. As each of you has received a gift. Guess what that Greek word, the derivative is? Lambano. You receive this gifting from God. What that means is that each believer who is in Christ, guess what? Each one of you has received a spiritual gifting from God. Each of you have at least one spiritual gift that the scripture talks about that you are to then deploy for his kingdom and for his glory and for his name. This is a gift that's given to you. And what's it supposed to be used for? To serve others. Not just a trophy to put up in the trophy cabinet. Not for you to take it out into the backyard and bury it. This is a gifting that God's given you so that then you can serve others, not just yourself. And this gifting that you receive, it then is released in our servants to God. And yes, we are gifted. You are gifted. Everybody say, I'm gifted. Turn to your neighbor and say, I'm gifted. Now you could take that as like very arrogant. But we know that we have received something from God. We haven't earned it. Amen. And so this isn't some kind of superiority or, oh, okay, I'm gifted, and other people are not, because guess what? You did not create it. You received it. Now it's on you to take it up and to use it. And I have to remind myself, and maybe I'm the only one, but I have to remind myself that the giftings that God's given me is not just for me. It's to be a blessing to others. And maybe for you, you've been coming to church, and at times it's easy just to attend church without actually belonging to the church and a body. American church is so much so easy for us to consume without actually contributing. But if we're going to be a part of this body that Jesus calls us into as we're saved and we're grafted in as members of this body of Christ, we need to be ones not that are cut off, not that are in isolation, but you need to be found with God's people. And you need to treat the body of Christ, your church, this place, not as a place that you just attend, but a place where you belong. And a place where your gifting is deployed to serve others. Your gift is not just private property. Okay? It's to be of blessing and serving to others. How do I even know? How do I even know what my gifting is? What does that even mean? What does it even look like? I can't do any of that. I gotta figure out myself. I gotta find, I gotta find myself. I don't know how to do these things. I'm not sure. I'm not sure what God wants for me. I'll do something later when I know more. I'm probably not that important anyway. A gifting. It's a powerful weapon for you to receive, to be a blessing to your family, to your children, to your children's children, and your neighbors, and your city, and your church, and your people. And that's not something that is arrogant. That's something that we are walking in obedience for. Because God's calling us into purpose. And he has a calling on his people. This is a gathered people that are then deployed for God and for his kingdom. And we're invited into the kingdom. And it's Jesus is the one who changed it all. And as we walk through this series over the next few weeks, we're going to take a look at some of these scriptures that talk about what the different spiritual giftings are. There's a list from the New Testament about what is animated, what's given to us as a spiritual gifting from the Holy Spirit for the purposes of his kingdom. We see this in Romans 12, in 1 Corinthians 12, in Ephesians 4, in 1 Peter 4. And today I'm not going to explain all of these spiritual giftings. I'm just going to show you what they are: prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, encouragement, giving, leadership, mercy, evangelism, wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, discernment, tongues, interpretations of tongue, apostleship, and shepherding. These are the lists from the New Testament of what we see are these spiritual giftings. Again, if you are in Christ, you have at least one of these in your heart, in your mind, given to you, empowered by the Holy Spirit for you to walk out. And we see these deployed as serving the kingdom of God inside the walls of the church and outside of the walls of the church. You know what's not on this list? The spiritual gift of being a greeter on Sundays. The spiritual gift of serving the parking lot, the spiritual gift of being on the production team or teaching kids. But they are there, aren't they? Because there's a spiritual gift of hospitality, a spiritual gift of teaching and of mercy. There's a spiritual gifting of leadership. There's a spiritual gifting of wisdom to impart to others. All of this is being animated by the Holy Spirit. Are you hearing me? And it's not just for Sunday mornings. Your purpose is well beyond that. It's for the people in your workplace, for them to receive the power that Jesus has animated and given to you by the power of the Holy Spirit, so then you can walk out your gifting for his glory and your workplace and for your family. He's gifted you. And if you are not in Christ, you are missing this. Listen to me. If you don't know what your spirit, your spiritual gifting is, you are missing out. You're missing out. You want to know what my top three are? I'll tell you because I've taken a little test. Number one is leadership. That started at an early age. Even though I wasn't the most articulate or most athletic or whatever, I just kept finding myself being placed into the leadership role. You want to know why? Because I had the Holy Spirit. Second is administration. Not because I'm really good and organized. Don't look at my desk, it's a mess. But because God's empowered me to move groups of people and to administer, into administering people in a direction, aka church planting. And my third one always switches between shepherding and teaching and evangelism. I don't know which one. If you don't know what your gifting is, you're missing out. If you don't know what your top three are, you're missing out. We're going to take a look at that over the next few weeks. For you to discover what it is. And again, that's not an arrogant thing. This is a gift that's been given to me. It's a gift that's been given to me by the power of the Holy Spirit, not for me to just serve my own interests and to use these things just for my glory, but to wield it as a weapon against the powers of darkness so that others would know who Jesus is. So that we would see God move in this city, in this place. And it's not about being the best, or it's not about being impressive. It's about what Jesus can do in you. I have uh this hilarious picture on my desk at home. It's a a uh shirtless picture of Tom Brady. That doesn't sound right, does it? Why in the world is this on your desk? This is on the desk. This is actually Tom Brady's picture from the NFL Combine. Tom Brady was drafted 199th overall. He was drafted so far back, people didn't even know who he was. The most legendary quarterback ever. And this is what he looked like. He does not look like a professional athlete in this picture. And became the greatest of all time. And this sits on my desk. Why? It sits on my desk so that it's a reminder to me to never count anybody out. It's a reminder on my desk not to be skeptical of people, but instead to see what God is doing in people. For me to have a focus not on what is the here and now in people's lives, but the potential of what God has implanted inside of them, what is He has created, what He has given, and who knows what God will do through it? Who knows? What looks unimpressive to you right now with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, who knows what God can do? Would you imagine? Just imagine with me for a second. If we were a people, that those who felt overlooked or unconfident or unequipped would stop sitting on the sidelines and jump in. Would you imagine if this was a place where people who felt insecure would actually realize that they have a place by God's grace here in this body? Could you imagine if we were a place that people who have just for a long time just been satisfied with just attending would take the step into what God has given them and empowered them to contribute for the kingdom of God? What if this is a place where people who were brand new believers? They didn't just get baptized and then and then went on the sideline, but they got baptized and they got into the game early to see God work through them. Imagine if we were a place where people found their place in God's purposes and among his people. This message really boils down really simply. I made it pretty fancy with these different points, but here's what it boils down to. Receive one. You need to receive. Receive Jesus, receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Don't stifle it. The second thing you need to do is walk. Ephesians says that you are God's handiwork, his workmanship, that you've been created for a purpose, and now you are to walk in it, is what the scripture says. And the third thing, very simply, is that you serve. Serve not just for your own benefit, but to be a blessing to others. It breaks down, it breaks down so simple. You're gonna receive his power, you're gonna walk in his purposes, you're gonna serve among his people. And this week I want you to, I want you to take your place. Because next week we're gonna get into what it actually looks like with everybody in the body and what the body does as we look at the second chapter of Acts and see how that fleshes out. But today I want you to take the step to receive, to walk. And so if you're in the room today and you have not received Christ as your Savior, today is your day for you to give your life to Jesus, to move from death to life, to be forgiven and set free. Today's the day for somebody in the room to be obedient and for you to say, you know what, I I I accepted Jesus a long time ago, but but I've never been baptized. And so I need to take the step of obedience to be baptized. For some of you, it's that you need to think deeply about what your giftings are and what God's doing in you. And there's a there's a card on every chair here that gives you uh a ways for you to serve in the body. And I will love it. Is this on your chair? You have this? You grab it and hold it up real quick. Everybody got one of these? This isn't the last time you're gonna see this. If you fill this out today, you're not like signing in blood. This is this is just showing you some ways that you can serve the body. And there's there's multiple ways to serve. And if you have some other idea, write it in. I'd love to take a look at it. But it's not just inside of the walls, it's outside of the walls of church as well. What's your gifting? What does God empower you to do? What is what is he leading you to do? What is he helping you to do? What is the he planned for before the beginnings of the world? And so fill this out today, throw it into the giving station, take it to the station out there. We'd love to talk to you more. And I I I know, like, if you haven't started serving the church, like there's a million excuses to not, I understand. I don't have enough time. What about my schedule? All that we can answer all those questions. Will you just jump in? We just start, begin to figure out and discover what those good things are, so then you can walk it out inside these walls and outside of these walls. Will you stand to your feet now as we pray? Because I want us to pray together. Father, all across the room, God, you have gifted each one of us. And uh when we give in our life to you, whether we're a kid or a teenager or we're retired, God, those gifts don't expire. We're we've been built with purpose and meaning before the foundations of the world. So, God, right now I pray all across this room, anybody who calls themselves a follower of Jesus, a Christian in this room, God, would would today you remind them that they are empowered by the Holy Spirit, that they're not doing this on their own. But instead that, God, you're the one who has given to them for them to receive and to take hold. And then by your power to see your kingdom come, your will be done. Right now, Father, I also pray anybody in this room who has not given you their life and has not accepted you as Savior, has not repented of their sins and asked for forgiveness, that today would be the day of their salvation, that today would be the day that they turn their heart to you, that they move from spiritual darkness and death into your glorious light. And if that's you today, I ask you to pray in your heart and mind, Jesus, save me. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. Forgive me. Cleanse me. I repent and turn to you. I believe that you're the Son of God. I believe that you died on the cross for my sin and you walked out of the grave. Cleanse me so I can be in heaven with you one day. I give you my life as you gave yours for mine.

Sallie 37:52

We're so grateful you joined us for this week's message. At Multiply, we believe life was never meant to be lived alone. If today you made the decision to follow Jesus, we'd be honored to walk with you on this journey. Visit multiplyky.com to let us know. We love you and we'll see you again soon.