Faith(Full) | Fuel the Fire — Forrest Coleman

Faith(Full) | Fuel the Fire — Forrest Coleman | Acts 20:35

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. As we come in today, we uh come in as a family of faith that I want today for us to exercise faith together. And as we jump into this new series, as we're taking a look at faith and values around multiply today, what we're walking into is in this series, what I'd love for us to start with is collectively right now, for us to believe in faith and to stack our faith one on another of what God can do in our city and beyond. There are three people who are believing in faith right now. There's a lot more now who are believing in faith today. Because as we talk about faith right now, the faith that you have in Christ and the fire that you have in Christ is gonna fuel the faith in the room of what God is gonna do today. And as we look at these values of what is this body of believers and the faith and the values around here and the culture that it's around here. We talk about what it means to fuel the fire. Back in the wintertime, my old gas fireplace malfunctioned. And what didn't go out of the chimney and stayed inside the house was a layer of soot that went over everything in the whole house. Furniture, walls, ceilings. $26,894.57 later, thankfully paid for by insurance. Praise God. And eight months later, our fat our house is finally clean. Now here's the thing: when the Holy Spirit's fire stays inside the walls of the church, something has malfunctioned. The fire and the heat should be seen, felt, and heard throughout our city and throughout our communities because we feel the fire. And when what's meant to go out stays in, there's a problem. Because our city should not just know that there's fire inside of Multiply. Frankfurt should feel the heat. Now somebody's in faith today. I like that. The title of the message, Fuel the Fire. We start today in this new series as we look at what it means to be filled with faith and be faithful. And the values of the house we're going to talk about today in the multiply mentality. We have 10 values around here that were discovered two years into our church, and there's four of those values that center on faith that we're going to walk through the next few weeks. There's one sentence from Jesus that gives us one of the most backward, illogical, never gonna hear it from the hustler influencers online, business pros, get your bag kind of people, is what Jesus states in Acts 20, 35. It's more blessed to give than to receive. The preschool version of it for our girls, we say, is it's better to give than to get. Which is where this multiply mentality comes through and comes from where we talk about fuel the fire. Let's look at it together. It's a value that we have around here. We fuel the fire. We want to be a blessing to others. We look for the good happening in our community and pour gasoline on the good work already being done. We don't have to recreate the wheel. We can do more by doing less. Now turn to your neighbor and I want you to say, you are multiply. Now turn to the other neighbor on the other side and say, You are multiply. What is it to be a part of this family and a part of this church? It's not a building. We are multiply. Miss Rhonda, who's a part of our church a few years ago, Miss Rhonda, who's as redheaded cupcakes, lady, business bakery, she took action. Um and that's the name of it. It's great. Her daughter, who's an administrator at a local school, local elementary school a few years back, had a student who intentionally acted out in class and got sent to the principal's office the day before his birthday, hoping that he would be suspended. Because what he knew was that the next day that his family was not going to be able to afford for him to bring treats for all the classmates like the other kids in the class would do. And Ronda's daughter asked her if she would make some cupcakes. Miss Rhonda since then has been making these beautiful cakes and cupcakes for children on their birthdays, connected with our local schools and kids that don't have that opportunity. This year she's already provided 60 cakes to kids for free. And a few weeks ago, she came to Multiply and said, Hey, would would you guys sponsor some ingredients and things for this next year? Which, what did we say? Yes. Because of your generosity, because of those who give, for those that tithe and pour in and invest, we said yes. And after we got to give to her, she uh she said, Next year I'm gonna get to double the amount of cakes than this last year because of the investment. Come on, that's a multiply mentality. And fuel in the fire, it starts with what you see. What Miss Rhonda's doing is not a program, a multiply. It's not something that we started. It's something that God put on her heart and she's beginning to do to be a blessing to our city. And it begs the question for all of us as we walk in faith and as we're doing things and God's leading us in our lives and we're thinking about our city and our community. I wonder if we will be people who, with God's help, would see the possibilities before us with the kingdom impact that God wants to do through us. It begs the question, and the question I want to pose to us today how do you see possibilities while others only see problems? We need people who are walking into our schools and into workplaces and neighborhoods, organizations, their families, and with this recognition of the fact that God is already here. And then find the fire and then fuel it. I don't want to miss the fact that this is the way that we see things. This is the way that we see the world. Believing in faith that God has already gone before us, that he's already there, and we then just join him in what he's doing, and we get to walk alongside him, and it's what fuels the fire is faith we're gonna see from the scripture today. But fear smothers it. And fluff fakes it. So whatever situation that we're in, or workplace things that come up, we can look at whatever situation in one of three ways. One, we can look through from fear and say, look at everything that's wrong and not going right in a situation, or we can look through it with just fluff and you know, well, everything's fine. God's just gonna magically fix everything, or we can step out in faith saying, there's something that's really broken here, but God is at work in the midst of it, and I'm gonna join him in it. But oftentimes we get stuck in a mentality around where we see all the problems in our community and we think, well, you know, somebody else will do something. Or, you know, this whole situation is just too messed up. Or I don't, I don't know enough, I'm not qualified, I can't, what am I supposed to do? This problem's too complicated. The church should do something, like the church is not all of us. And instead, for us to have a response of faith, and we're gonna see from the scripture today that we're not gonna stay stuck in fear, we're gonna have a response of faith. And Paul is talking to Timothy, who's this young leader, and Paul in 2 Timothy is writing this letter to Timothy, who's who is leading at a high level, and he's leading the church in Ephesus, and Paul is reaching out to him and writing this final letter to him that ultimately Paul is imprisoned, he's facing death, and he's writing out to Timothy, who is who has all this responsibility on him, and Paul is encouraging him for him to recognize the faith that he has received from his family, the gift of God that is on him, and the commissioning that he experienced and the laying on of hands from Paul. And in Timothy, he's encouraging him not to neglect the gift that God had given to him, but instead for him to steward this gift of God and to fan it into flame. Paul's trying to encourage Timothy, this young man, to encourage him the fact that he has everything that he needs, and that he shouldn't neglect what God has already given to him and already entrusted to him. Because the immediate response can be fear, it can be timidity, it can be shame. So let's look at this encouragement from Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 1. If you have your Bible, turn there with me. If you got your phone, pull it out. There's five verses that I want you to highlight from 2 Timothy chapter 1, starting in verse 5. I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. We can just close up now and just finish this out. After that, that's where this verse, God's not given us a spirit of fear. Verse 8. So never be ashamed to tell others about the Lord, and don't be ashamed of me either, even though I'm in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the good news. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time. To show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the good news. Paul gives this encouragement to this young leader, Timothy, and tells him to not have a spirit of fear or timidity, but know of the power, the mighty power of God, the love of God that he had received in faith. Faith of his grandmother and his mother, and also in this relationship with Paul and Timothy, and laying on of hands and encouraging him and speaking into him, that then he would be able to carry with him and fan into flame the gift, this gift that was for Timothy. We don't exactly what it was. It's his gift around his ministry, gift around his walk, his calling, and his walk with the Lord, and encouraging him that he has the power now that is fan into flame what Jesus has given to him in the good news that he chose before the beginning of time. That Jesus broke the power of death and illuminated this way. I love that image, illuminated the way through the good news. The good news that we see God doing good things in our world. You know, one of the things around here that's a mentality for us is we look for the good. We look for the good. That's the way we see the world. We see the world that God is at work in our city, and we're gonna look for those sparks to fan them into flame. Those are God's sparks. And they're all over our community and all over your neighborhood and where you live. Sparks like a sophomore in high school who's inviting their friend to church, or athlete that's K-State, that's standing up for God, or the Juana Joyce Robinson Foundation who sees a fatherless kid because of a parent incarcerated, or a church planter that's answered the call to go to Utah to plant a church, or the recovery organizations that are helping rescue people out of addiction that are our community, or a teacher that's at Hearn Elementary and who's praying during their planting hour, or a neighbor who's asking for prayer. All those things are sparks. All those things are sparks. And I know for me at times it's easy for me, because I'm a big picture thinker, I'm a big vision person, I'm always thinking about what God can do. I'm thinking years in the future, and it's easy for me to be thinking about the big thing and to miss the faithful and small thing that God is doing right in our midst. It's easier to dream about a bonfire than to tend the spark that God has right in front of you. Maybe for you, maybe you've you're underestimating what you have received from the Lord, and you're just waiting to feel on fire. Like you're the one who turns the fire on in the first place. The fire comes from God, the spiritual gift that's given to you, and for you to fan it into flame, this passion that you have for God and for what's happening and what He wants you to do and what all of us to do to see the fire of God be fanned into flame in our city. And what that causes us to do is for us to, even those times we don't feel on fire, for us to recognize and know that God is at work and there's sparks all over the place that we then get to tend, that we get to nurse, that we get to steward. And so if we're gonna be people who don't just see problems, we see possibilities for the kingdom of God, we've got to first tend the fire that is right in front of us. What is the faith that has been given to you? Our first point is to tend the fire. Fan the flame that's been given to you. Maybe it's a grandmother who had faith and prayed for you and you came to Christ. What is the fire that's put inside of you? What is the fire that God has done in you? What's the story of the faith that's been given to you? Whether you came into multiply and your life was a wreck and a mess, and now God's working it out, or maybe you moved to town and you were looking for somewhere to be a part of a new church, or however way you got here, you accepted Christ as somebody dragged you to church. You've been given faith, and you see this leader in Paul who has prayed over Timothy and is telling him, do not ignore, do not neglect the fire, the flame that's in you right now because of timidity or shame or fear. And the enemy wants to tell you, well, you know, I just don't feel as close to God anymore than I did before. God didn't go anywhere. He's just waiting for you to turn to him. Well, you know, I used to be more passionate. I don't, I just, I don't, I don't know what happened. To tend the flame, what it's gonna cause us to do is for us to see differently. You've got to see embers instead of ashes. And and to not abandon what God has asked you to tend. I like these uh survivalist shows. I love alone. They put them out there in some remote place, their camera, and they try to survive. And tending to the fire is is like a whole theme or element of the show. Because they got to keep the fire burning because it's like their lifeline. And so overnight, they're keeping the fire going and fueling the fire. And if you're experienced, and these experienced people, they say they know that the fire, even if it's even if it's darkened, that the fire is not dead. Because if you're experienced, you know how you can go through and find the coals that are in the ashes and protect them and give oxygen to them and begin to fuel them. And what's what's really difficult is starting all the way over versus tending the fire that's already there. And what Paul is looking at Timothy right now and saying, he's essentially saying, Timothy, there are live coals right now in you. Do not neglect them, do not give up on them, do not forget them, don't be in fear. Let the fire be fanned into flame. Don't be discouraged. And there's moments of encouragement like that when you're walking in faith. And I haven't told this story in a while, but years ago when Emily and I we announced that we were coming to Kentucky to plant a church, and we were Charleston at the time, and we didn't know who was gonna come and what was gonna happen and how it was all gonna go. But then miraculously the Lord started adding people who were gonna come. And before all that, after we announced that next week, Emily and I came up to Frankfurt to look for a place to live. And we were driving around different neighborhoods, and we didn't know what was gonna happen. And on the course of that week, we met with three families who were outside of Frankfurt in the course of that week collectively gave $50,000 to multiply that did not exist. And God was already at work. We had to step out in faith and be faithful. Some of Emily and I say to each other, when you leave, God leaves. We were just walking in obedience and we had no idea that God was already doing something and already had things burning. We just had to be faithful to step out and step into it and join in what God was already working. We looked at each other that week and thought, well, this obviously is God's idea. Well, to to go even further, a year later from then was the end of the next year in 2021, before we launched as a church, and that year in giving, we said, you know what, we're whatever comes in for year-end giving, we're gonna give it into the community, we're gonna invest it into the city. We've been serving different nonprofits, and that that year, that Christmas, we over the course of that year, we invested $50,000 into the city. At Christmas, we wrote four ten thousand dollar checks to different organizations in our community that we have been serving with and we have been doing things with, and projects and helping and that kind of thing. Literally, that same fifty thousand a year later. And we had no idea that that was going to be a tithe for a couple years later. And the the money that that needed to come in in this space that that was a tithe for the half million dollars to move into this space two years later that was completely paid for debt free in Jesus' name by faith and his people. You have no idea. That small spark, that that ember that just needs to be fanned into flame. And and I struggle at times. I I get distracted because I have this mentality at times where I fall into when I'm in the flesh and think about just everything that we don't have. Everything that's missing. This is critical. Well, you know, we don't have this, we don't have that, we don't have that. Maybe for you, maybe you're one of these people you you you notice the things that are missing or you notice what's messed up first because that's the thing that demands your attention. And but what we need to be is people who are able to look closer and see what God is doing and not be focused on all things we don't have, but what gift God has given to us that we receive that we can fan into flame. And so the second thing we need to do is to see those sparks. We need to see the sparks that are in the community of what God is doing and what's happening out in the community and what's going on because the enemy wants to tell us that we just I don't know about you, but I feel like in Frankfurt there's a hope deficit. You know, it sounds like people, well, you know, case studies just all messed up and they got themselves in a mess. Or you know, that school's struggling. Uh or maybe you've seen this before. Frankfurt will never change. That's all I hear on Facebook. Frankfurt will never change all these Frankfurt rants, all this stuff. We can't do that, we can't do this, all the things that we can't do. Oh, we don't have this, we don't have this, I don't have that. How about we be people who are filled with the hope of God and believe what he wants to do in our city and stuff in the back of the city? Okay, God, we're gonna do something new and fresh and God, you're gonna do it. And we're gonna be faithful. And we're gonna stop in this mentality of oh, things that never this, never that. God's got sparks all over this city. We have to see. Faith changes the way you see. And you even see a small spark, and you don't underestimate because we know the source of the fire.

unknown 24:20

That's good.

Forrest 24:21

A small the small spark can become something enormous. Because there's fire that's there. It doesn't have to look like a bonfire for it to be burning, for us to actually be able to see what's going on and what God could do, and for us to have faith of what can happen. We've got to look closer. Look closer and serve and give and encourage. And not worry about the credit. And we don't have to have multiplies of names attached to everything. And I know sometimes, you know, it it's more exciting to start something fresh than to support something that's going on, but when we think about what God is doing in the community, people who have stepped out and believing, like, okay, God, your hand is on this. What can we do to strengthen? What can we do to see and fuel the fire that's going on? People in our midst who God's laid something on their heart and they're getting after it, or people there in the city. And what we've seen in the course of time is because of your generosity and because of what God's doing in this house, we've already gotten to see us be able to invest uh a few hundred thousand dollars into our city, praise God. I don't know how many times we served this year, but we served 28 times last year in the city, in the schools, and different things, the Frankfurt Ford. I don't know how many times we've already served, but I I'm just believing in faith that those hundreds of thousands, one day will be millions of dollars invested into our city, and there'll be change. And I'm believing in faith, and I don't know if anybody else wants to believe in faith for that, but I'm believing in faith for what God's gonna do in the future, and it's not all just inside these walls, it's outside of these walls. To see God move and change and we fuel the flame. The faith fuels the flame. We're the ones who step out and say, Okay, God, what could you do in this situation? We see a spark, we see an ember of something. What is it that you can do? Because the other option we can have is this option, this good for them mentality. Oh, well, something's going on, okay. Well, good for them. Well, you know, somebody should really help that situation. The the church ought to do something about that. Good for them. Listen, we're we're not a people who just say, hey, good for you. We're gonna do good with you. We're gonna come alongside, we're gonna encourage, we're gonna fuel the fire. We don't have to own every fire to fuel it. And you know, there's this value in in our church that that that illustrates this. We don't have to recreate the wheel. If you're thinking about making cakes, like it'd be really awesome for you to support what Miss Rhonda's doing. Team up with her. We'll have to duplicate things. This is this is one of the most annoying things to some people in our church. The we do more by doing less. Because we want to do really good at a few things versus us being mediocre at a whole bunch of things. And so there's times where we forego things that are inside of these walls because of the energy and the investment that's going on outside of these walls. There's energy that we say, you know what, we're gonna invest, we're gonna be a witness, we're gonna see God move, we're gonna have our city look and say, that church is doing what a church should do. And that's gonna cause for a time for us that that means that the fire, it just can't stay within these walls. It's gotta go out. People going out, resources going out, encouragement, because Frankfurt should feel the heat. In a few days on Thursday, K-State, the move-in day, we wanted to feel the heat. We have nine people who are have signed up to be there on Thursday. Praise God. I hope more of you will to show up and say, you know what, we're here's a church that's gonna show up and serve and love you. Welcome to Frankfurt. This last week uh we gave 30 Bibles to Avenues Clinic, who is our crisis pregnancy center here in Frankfurt. And they asked for Bibles, and they're gonna give those to ladies as they come in and are served. And we said, absolutely, a few hundred bucks. Also, the last year one of the local schools has a Bible club. They asked if we would give Bibles last year. We got 25 Bibles last year. This year they're asking for 50 Bibles. So hundreds of dollars of Bibles going out this week. Praise God. Tomorrow, tomorrow, Moshans, his event, he's gonna do 100 free haircuts for kids. And we're supplying snacks and food at the event. Just to be a blessing. We don't we don't have to have their name on it, just to be a blessing. Because he's doing 100 free haircuts for kids. When you think about our city, your neighborhood, do you think of the problems or do you think of the possibilities? Because faith, it changes your vision. It changes what you see, it changes your vision before it changes your action, it changes what you notice. This happens all over the scripture. Moses' staff is in his hand. Everybody sees the staff, but with him it becomes a rod of God that splits the city. The disciples, they see five loaves, Jesus sees a feast. Nehemiah sees broken down walls, God sees the walls that can be restored. Paul's looking and sees Timothy, and then other people are seeing this young Timothy man, and Paul looks at him and sees a city changer. So, what in the world does that look like for us? That looks like a sophomore who's inviting their friend to church is not just a sophomore, it's a spark. Or at K-State. Where others say, well, they got themselves into a mess. We see a spark. We see the Wanda George Robinson Foundation. People see a nonprofit, we see a spark. We see Frankfurt, and we don't see hopelessness, we see the mighty hand of God and the sparks of what he's doing in our community. And in your neighborhood, in Lawrenceburg, and what because somebody did that for us. Years ago, somebody saw what God was gonna do at multiply, and they gave and they prayed and encouraged and sowed in and put seed in the ground. We fueled the fire. We're here right now because somebody else didn't have the good for them mentality. Well, that's good for them. They did good with us. That's who we want to become. I want you to imagine with me. Imagine with me hundred, hundreds of people walking out of here with eyes to see the sparks. Imagine all those teachers we prayed for last week that their eyes are seeing the kid that everybody else is written off. Or the state employee that notices the coworker who's actually beginning to search for God and asking questions. Or that student that's a K-State who's standing up for God in the middle of college in a difficult time, or business owners who notice organizations that are doing good and say, how can we strengthen them? The neighborhoods where we're bringing hope. I just imagine with me hundreds of people carrying a fire to every place this week and the heat leads the house. It starts so small. It starts with a spark that's at your workplace and in your neighborhood. It may start with just a very simple prayer. God, show me the sparks that I've been walking past that I missed. Help me to see what I can what I can do to see it burn brighter. To see what God is doing. See where he's already working and join him in it. And maybe for you, you're in the house and you don't have the fire, you don't have the flame yet because you've not yet given your life to Christ. You've not accepted what Jesus did for you on the cross and the plan that he had before the beginning of time for you to be able to receive the fire of God, the spiritual gift for you to be in heaven one day and for you to be saved and forgiven and set free. And today, if that's you, today is your day to receive Jesus as your Savior, to be forgiven, to be set free. So stand to your feet right now as I pray over all of us. God, I pray right now, Lord, over hundreds of us today, Father, who, as we walk out of this place, God, that you would help us, Lord, to be people who fuel the fire. Because ultimately, God, it's a witness of your mighty hand and what you're doing. Lord, thank you, God, for how you have done this time and time again. And God, we know, Lord, you want to do more. Father, right now I pray, Father, for sparks that are happening in families and in kids and co-workers. Lord, on the ball field, all these different places in our city. God, I pray, Lord, that you would grow our faith collectively and believing in what you can do. And Father, right now, I pray, right now, for anybody in this house who's not received you as Savior, that today would be the day of their salvation. Today would be the day that they receive your forgiveness, to forgive it and set free. If that's you, you'd pray in your heart and mind, Jesus, save me. Virginia place, Jesus, save me. I believe that you died on the cross for my sin. That you're the Son of God, that you walked out of the grave. Forgive me, cleanse me so I can be in heaven with you one day. Put your fire in my heart. I repent and turn my life to you. Now into eternity. Thank you for saving me.

Sallie 36:26

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.