Faith(Full) | We Are Builders — Forrest Coleman

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.

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Now, let's dive into this week's sermon.

We are builders.

We're literally in the processes of getting this kid space going next door, and we're just waiting on the permits from the state to approve the construction.

Last time we did this in this space, it took three months for those approvals to come through.

So we're excited for what God's doing.

And as we jump in today to our final installment of Faithful, as we look at the value statements within our church.

We have ten value statements.

You can see them on the wall outside.

And we've focused in on four of the ten over the last few weeks that center on faith.

And so this morning we take a look at our value that is called we are builders.

This is what it says.

We are builders.

We're builders, not a building.

We go outside the four walls to serve and build relationships to see God's kingdom come.

We build people up instead of tear them down.

We'll be known for what we want to see built on solid rock, not for what we are against.

First Corinthians chapter 3.

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

We do a little test of uh who of you all went to VBS growing up.

You have your hands like this, and you say, Here's the church.

Here's the steeple.

Open the doors.

See all the people.

Y'all who didn't grow up in church, like, what are these people doing right now?

From a young age, just think about what we learned with that.

The building is the church.

You open it up and then you see the people.

Is that really what the scripture teaches us?

Is the is the building the church?

We are his building.

We are the church.

We are his people.

Us.

And yes, we gather together in buildings and we have uses great tools and that are sanctified for worship and being together corporately, but what we carry with us is the kingdom of God and the fact that we are the church of God.

We are his building.

We are the carriers of the kingdom.

See, a lot of times what we end up reducing church to is just a place that we attend.

It's a service that we experience.

It's a room where spiritual things happen.

And for us to know that our identity is with God as builders of his kingdom in our families and in our children and in our communities and in our neighborhoods.

And that we be a part of seeing God do something in and through us and to build something new and fresh and beautiful for his kingdom through our whole lives.

But for us, I thought the church was like about me.

I thought that my relationship with God was about me.

When we're going to see from this scripture today what God really intends for us to be ones who are builders of his kingdom, which means we're going to build up others.

Now, a lot of kingdom work we don't ever get to see the final result of.

There's going to be things that you do in your life, encouragement that you give to other people, people who you witness to, who you tell about Christ, and you may never see the final outcome in your life.

You may never see how God's fully gonna use your life and all the ways that He's going to use your life before you pass on.

But it begs the question for us, and we talk about faith and us walking in faith and being builders of the kingdom in faith.

Why in the world would you keep building something that you will never see finished?

And what does faith do when you can't see the final results?

As we think about builders, a lot of times we think about builders of people who obviously build things, who start things, who lead things, who fund things, who pull strings and make things happen, who receive credit, get their name attached to things.

But what we're gonna see from the scripture today is that God is building us into people who join Him in building up people for the kingdom.

Which that means is that we're not a physical building.

We are God's building made of his people, and God is building us into people through whom we can build his kingdom.

Now you say force, that's all well and good.

And where I want to sit for a second is probably what you're already thinking in your mind.

Man, that's hard to do.

That's hard to do.

There are people in our church this week who have lost loved ones who've passed away.

There are people in our church this week that I know of who've had medical emergencies.

And following Jesus has many benefits to it.

We get to experience that all the time.

As well as living in America.

Right now, we're gathered together right now in assembly, and nobody's standing at the door with guns, and nobody's protesting us this morning as we're trying to assemble right now, and we have the freedom to do that, and the freedom for us to practice our faith.

And there's a lot of benefits that come from the fact that we live in a culture and a country where we're able to do that, and we get to walk in the blessings and the benefits of following Jesus.

But here's what can happen if we get so fixated on all of the benefits, what will happen to us is that we will get this mentality because it's hard.

We will get this mentality when life is good, then God is good.

And when life is bad, God is bad.

And what we end up doing, instead of worshiping God, we worship the good things that we get from God.

Following Jesus has many benefits to it.

Also, living in America has many benefits to it.

The fact that right now we are assembled together, we're practicing what we believe in our faith, and there's nobody with guns outside the doors, nobody's protesting us.

We have the ability to assemble right now, and if we're not careful, we will be captured just by the benefits of following Jesus and all the good things, and we can begin to trick ourselves to think this when life is good, then God is good.

But when life is bad, God is bad.

And we end up instead of worshiping God, we worship the good things we get from God.

Now, here's the problem with that, because it was Jesus who told us, in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, for I have overcome the world.

Jesus promises to us two things.

One, we are gonna have hardship, we're gonna have trouble, we're gonna have difficulties, but also promises, take heart, because he's already overcome it.

His death, burial, and resurrection, walking out of the grave, purchased for us a pathway to God that we can build a firm foundation on Christ.

And no matter what we go through, we have our God who is walking with us on this side of heaven all the way into eternity.

In this life, you will have trouble, but take heart.

For I've overcome the world.

Being a builder of the kingdom.

It's a challenge.

It's something that takes effort and work.

And if we get so focused just on ourselves, oftentimes we can get into the place and fall into the place where we're thinking that the church is all about me.

What does this church have for me?

Why doesn't this church do what I want them to do?

Why didn't they sing the songs I wanted to sing this morning?

Or it can sound like Christians that say, you know, somebody should really solve that problem.

Or you know, it doesn't help my family, so why should I care?

Yeah, I can't fix that problem that's going on in the community, so I I can't, I'm not gonna waste my time.

Somebody really needs to do something about that.

And here we have the kingdom of God as us as kingdom carriers, and for us who are people to be filled with faith and faithful to walk with our God and know the fact that the church is with us as we go.

Instead of the church just being somewhere that we go.

Or the ministry is just supposed to be done by the pastor, or that community impacted somebody else's responsibility.

And if we do that, if we reduce church to the building, you know what's gonna happen?

The mission's gonna stop at the end of the parking lot.

And we're gonna miss what God wants to build in and through our lives, and the firm foundation that can actually carry the weight of the life that we're walking with God.

Now, I know this is true because of our passage this morning, of what's happening in the Corinthian church and what Paul is saying to these believers that at the time have started to become divided about different personalities in the church.

They're saying, I follow Paul, I follow Apollos.

And they've they've turned into a competition that which is supposed to be a co-laboring and building of the kingdom, and they're participating in this like celebrity contest of who they're supposed to follow.

And Paul confronts it straight on.

And so if you have your Bible, turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 3.

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

If you have your phone with the Bible on it, you want to know these passages in this chapter, go to it.

I'm gonna read it now in the NLT starting in verse 5.

Paul writes, After all, who is Apollos?

Who is Paul?

We are only God's servants through whom you believe the good news.

Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.

I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it.

But it was God who made it grow.

It's not important who does the planting or who does the watering.

What's important is that God makes the seed grow.

The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose.

And both will be rewarded for their own hard work, for we are both God's workers.

You are God's field, you are God's building.

Because of God's grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder.

Everybody say builder.

Like an expert builder.

Now others are building on it, but whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful, for no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have, Jesus Christ.

Paul confronts this thinking head on.

And he says, Who is Paul?

Who is Apollos?

We are servants.

We are servants.

Ah, planted, Apollos watered, and then God brings the growth and does the growth.

And in one purpose, there's different assignments in the kingdom.

And Paul changes from this image of agriculture, the field to construction and saying, you are God's field, you are God's building, and he's showing them the fact that God is the one who owns the work, who produces the growth.

They are co-laborers, co-workers with different assignments, seeing God's kingdom be built through his people who are God's building.

Every builder should be careful because Jesus is the only foundation.

And so, what do we do then?

What does this passage teach us about having faith in the fact that we may not be able to see the final result, but what should we do in faith to build the kingdom?

Remember, we're we're builders, not a building.

We go outside the four walls to serve and build relationships to see God's kingdom come, is what our value is.

And Paul's not pointing to this physical building, a physical structure, and saying, There's the church.

He says, God's building is made of his people.

That we may have a physical location where we come together and we worship, but we're not just a physical location, we're a people of God that God then is building his kingdom through us.

Now, this is something that I can get very distracted on because when we come here on Sundays and we're meeting together, there's attendance and services and there's programs going on and stuff with the building, construction that's happening, there's momentum and things that we can be focused on, and it's easy to be focused on that.

Part of the reason is because the last few weeks we've had the most people at church in our last four and a half years here at Multiply.

Praise God, right?

Praise God.

And it's easy to get focused on those things and say things like, I went to church versus us being the church and reducing church to just where you sit on a Sunday or where you attended a service or where your children were getting taught the word of God and just what happens here on Sundays.

But what we need to do if we're gonna be in faith and we're going to be people who in faith build the kingdom of God, even if we don't get to see the finished result, we need to be willing to, like the value says, in faith, build beyond the walls.

That's my first point.

To build beyond the walls.

Well, church just happens on Sunday mornings.

Can I tell you when we moved into this space now two years ago, somebody the other day called it the Save a Lot Church?

I just said, hey, Jesus saves a lot.

Um and when we moved into this space, which was an incredible blessing after two years in the movie theater, this this building, my mentors told me, hey, Force, this this building is a forward operating base for ministry.

That's what you're that's what you're building right here, a forward operating base for ministry.

Because I can get very hyper fixated on the building stuff.

I I can get critical.

Already this morning, there's a green sticker on the floor over there behind that section that I looked at as I walked by and thought, oh my goodness, somebody needs to pick that up.

And there's there's there's two white spaces here on this black wall from KidCon where they hung up some posters to teach kids about Jesus and they ripped it down and then the paint came off.

And I can be focused on all that dumb stuff.

Or I can know the fact that this is a forward operating base for ministry.

This is not a shrine, this is not a museum, this is a place where ministry happens and flows out of this place because here's the thing: this building is a forward operating base, not our boundary.

For us, we're saying, yes, God, we are builders, not a building.

We're gonna go beyond these four walls.

We're gonna see the church of God, we're gonna see the kingdom of God be built in homes, in our workplaces, in schools, in our neighborhoods, in our businesses, at K-State and organizations across the community.

We're not staying bound in this place.

This is not a museum.

This is a place that the kingdom of God, as we come together and as we meet together, we encourage one another.

And we speak into one another and we worship God together, not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but instead we come together and encourage one another and we walk out of this place knowing that God has assignments for us to do.

And God has given different people different assignments all in the same work, which means you don't have to own the whole blueprint, and I have to remind myself of that.

I don't have to own the whole blueprint, I don't have to control every single thing, I don't have to lead every single thing.

And maybe for you, you you can get overwhelmed by just the the bigness of the need in our community, you think like, you know, I can't solve homelessness myself, I can't transform an entire school or reach every teenager in this community, or plant churches across the country, and you're right, you can't carry it all.

Because if you're gonna be in faith, not having to see the final result, you're gonna build your part.

That's my second point.

To build your part.

The assignments that God has given to you to be a kingdom builder and to care about what gets built and not receiving the credit.

This happened last night, actually.

There's a community event here in Frankfurt that the Carers Coalition, Rachel Moore, who's a part of our church, put on to address homelessness in our community, and specifically to have an emergency shelter this winter for women who are without a place because there's gonna be this winter, there's gonna be nowhere for them to go.

And last night, Multiply, you were a sponsor of the event.

Praise God.

And they and they they I wasn't there, but we were a part of it because this emergency shelter is gonna be happening at Emmanuel Baptist Church, praise God.

And they're gonna play their part this winter and have already stepped up.

And I praise the Lord for that.

Watch this, everyone bow your heads.

God, right now, we want to pray for Emmanuel Baptist Church.

We thank you, God, for them stepping up to be uh your kingdom representatives this winter for women who have nowhere to go.

And so, Father, help us to be an encouragement.

God, help us to be fuel to their fire.

God, help us to be wind in their sails, God.

Just like yesterday.

But God, for that to happen over and over again.

And God, we pray for the leadership of that church and for the members and those who are a part of it.

God, we pray that it be blessed in the mighty name of Jesus.

Everybody said.

Now we just pray for another church on a Sunday morning.

Isn't that beautiful?

Isn't that beautiful?

Because we all have our part to play and build in the kingdom of God.

And we're going to build others up.

We're going to encourage them.

We're going to speak life into them.

Paul said, I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God's the one who made it grow.

There are different assignments for different people in the same work, and God has given you an assignment as well.

So that you would walk out being the kingdom carrier and the kingdom builder that God has appointed you to be.

And that means for you to be a builder of the kingdom of people and to build other people up.

Let me prove it to you.

Two two verses.

But only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Kingdom builders are people who leave people better than they found them.

For us to be people who encourage others and build them up and speak life into them.

And speak life in those that are around us.

And build up in a word of encouragement.

Just to check yourself, let me ask you some questions, a little inventory here.

Are people stronger or are they smaller after interacting with you?

Do you build them up or do you tear them down?

Let me get in your grits even more.

Does your spouse feel strengthened by your words?

And one that's a conviction to me, do your children hear more about what's wrong with them than what God is forming in them from you?

Your coworkers, people that are around you.

Do they have courage after they've spoken to you because they've been encouraged by you?

Because if we're gonna be builders of the kingdom, we are going to build people up.

That's my third point.

We're gonna build people up.

That doesn't mean that you know we just flatter people or that we're avoiding, you know, giving hard truth to people.

Doesn't mean that we're not gonna have correction and accountability and repentance.

Yes, again, have all those things, but if you're gonna call somebody out, you better do it gently and in love, is what the scripture says.

So speak life, build others up.

We're gonna build people up instead of tearing them down.

And for you to see potential in people and the way that people are gifted, and for you to see that in them and to actually encourage them.

That's what it means to encourage somebody.

You put courage in them.

A few months ago, we over the summer had this group of dads with teens.

And I was leading this group of dads of teens.

You know what I'm not?

I'm not a dad of teen.

But I know Jesus and I know the word of God, and I was a teen at one point, but I'll tell you, as we got together with these dads that are just legit elite dads who were learning how to disciple their daughters and sons, I was intimidated.

And we were here standing in the kitchen one night, and I told Emily, I said, and I'm feeling really intimidated right now of leading this group.

You know, I don't have a teenager, but uh and Emily looked at me and she said, Forrest, you may not be a dad of a teen, but you're the man in the arena.

And I was like, that's exactly right, babe.

God called us to call me to do this, we're gonna lead this, we're gonna encourage these guys.

And you know what?

I and what she was doing, she was calling back to this famous speech from President Theodore Roosevelt that I know about.

And when she said that immediately I just thought about that, this this this speech, you should look it up, it where he says it's not the critic who counts, but the man who's in the arena, the man who's got sweat on his face and dirt.

I'm like, yes, I'm the man in the arena right now.

I was so encouraged.

I was like, man, and we had a great time.

And Emily knew exactly what to say to encourage me.

And what she did was she put courage into me.

She spoke courage into me.

Who are you speaking courage into?

Who are you building up?

Our church, who are we building up?

Who are the organizations?

Who are the people?

Who are those that are seeing the kingdom of God come that we are encouraging and speaking life into?

Because the only foundation is Christ.

And each builder should build with care.

Because no one can lay any foundation other than one that has already been laid in Jesus Christ.

Our value says we'll be known for what we're for and want to see built on the solid rock, not for what we're against.

You know, so oftentimes Christians are defined by what we hate and what culture's doing wrong, and what schools are doing wrong, and what young people are doing wrong, and what the church is doing wrong.

It's you know, it requires very little imagination to tear people down and to demolish.

But it takes greater faith to look at an unfinished situation and to imagine what obedience could build in that situation and what God could do in that situation.

And for us not to be ones that just are quick to see a problem, or for us to just to criticize, but for us to be a part of encouraging people and leading others to be built on the only firm foundation that there is, which is Jesus Christ.

My fourth point is to build on Jesus.

See, it's easy for us to say, you know what, families are messed up, culture's messed up, the schools are messed up, the city's got problems.

But it takes a builder to say, then what do I build next?

What am I actually gonna do?

My parents and my in-laws have both uh my parents have renovated my grandparents' home recently in the last couple years, this huge construction project.

My my in-laws have built a brand new home that they retired into.

If you want to test your marriage, build a home.

If you want to know if your marriage is strong, build a home.

And these processes, as you can imagine, anybody who builds a home, they're always like, This is gonna be right on budget and right on time.

I've heard that over and over again.

We all know that's not how it goes.

The building process, it's messy.

There are things that come up, mistakes are made.

They find things, you know, especially in renovation, you pull something up, something's gotta get torn out.

And what would make no sense at all is to go into that house halfway through the building process and go in the kitchen and say, there are no countertops in here, we're just gonna shut this whole thing down.

There's no sink in here, let's just tear it down, start over.

No, what do you do?

You know the fact you're in the middle of the building and you say, you know what, this is not finished yet.

But for the kingdom of God, there's gonna be some things that are in the kingdom of God and maybe in your life that need renovation.

The need for you to have the patience to say, all right, this marriage it needs some renovation, this relationship, it needs some renovation.

That my relationship with God, it needs some renovation, or maybe it's something that needs to be started brand new and built brand new through your life, through a ministry, through something that God's doing in you, a family, a marriage, something new built in the kingdom of God.

And if you're a builder, instead of just criticizing, what you're gonna do is say, What do I build next?

God, what do you want us to do?

Because we're not just gonna spend all of our time telling the world what we're against, we're gonna build something better.

We're gonna build something better, and we're gonna build something with Jesus, stronger families and marriages, and kids, and teenagers, and relationships in our community, case state, to be generous.

We're gonna we're going to continue to build and build it on Jesus.

Let me put it to you this way.

One of the most famous cathedrals in the world is the cathedral in Paris, Notre Dame.

And the construction for this cathedral started in 1163 A.D.

The construction took 200 years to complete.

So what that means is that the people who laid the foundation of this cathedral knew that their grandchildren would never see the finished product, would never see the finished result.

But what has happened is that for generations now, almost a thousand years, almost a millennia, there has been worship in this space.

But it started with people who were willing to build the foundation, knowing that their grandkids would never get to see the end result.

And the only foundation that can be laid is that which is on Jesus Christ.

And we need more people in the kingdom of God to say, God, I may not see how it all works now.

God, I might not get to see all the fruit and the final product, but God, I'm going to with Christ lay a foundation of a life well lived and bought by the blood of Jesus and carry the kingdom to see God work for generations to come.

Imagine with me.

This space being this forward operating base, and the entire city becoming our field, and people to encounter Jesus in classrooms and locker rooms and in workplaces at the factory in homes on campus, at K-State, imagine with me.

A church that's not obsessed with who receives credit, but for us to continue to build a firm foundation in Christ and for us to ask God, God, where have you placed me and how can I build your kingdom?

How can I build others up?

How can I walk with you?

If you've been around for a while, you know that groups is really important around here.

Our church had groups before we ever had Sundays.

We got groups that meet across the city, and I get fired up when I think about groups and then multiplying, and I just dream about us having a hundred small groups in all these different neighborhoods because they're outposts of Jesus, of people learning about Jesus, people walking with Jesus, encouraging one another.

And I think about neighborhood after neighborhood after neighborhood, and I just pray God we can continue to multiply what He's doing.

That doesn't happen without those who are willing to build and willing to be a part and willing to see God do a work and do a work and have patience and encourage each other and lift each other up.

Put more outposts in these neighborhoods.

And I I would love for you to believe with me.

We're builders, not a building.

So over the last few weeks, we've walked through these values of faith.

And we started four weeks ago as we talked about the fact that we fuel the fire around here and to call us and call you to see the spark that's happening in our city and for just to flain it, fan it into flame.

That first week, see the spark, and then the second week, we talked about crazy faith.

Us having crazy faith, and we talked about planting the seed, planting the seed in faith.

And last week we talked about us being trailblazers and us willing to cross over the barrier and blaze a trail of faith together.

And today I'm encouraging you as a builder to build your part.

Build your part.

God is the one that tells us in Ephesians that before the beginning of time, that God has given assignments for you to walk in, that you are God's workmanship, you are God's masterpiece.

That before the beginning of time, that God had good works set aside for you to walk in and building of his kingdom, and for us together as a church to walk that out, to see the sparks in our city and fan in the flame, to plant the seed in the ground, to cross over the barrier, to build your part through the firm foundation that is Christ.

And I want us to imagine for a second.

Would you stand to your feet?

Close your eyes.

I want you to think about the good works and assignments that God gave to you before the foundations of the earth for you to walk in in partnership with him.

Or to a nursery where you're a stay-at-home mom or wherever your day-to-day is.

Imagine the people and who God wants you to build up, to encourage, speak life into.

Now with head bowed, there may be some of you in the room who you don't yet have the firm foundation of Christ because you have not yet given your life to Christ.

See that Jesus went to the cross and died in your place 2,000 years ago, so then that you could walk in freedom, be forgiven of all of your sin, and be in right relationship with God now and into heaven.

And today may be that day for you to receive Him as your Savior.

You've not yet accepted Christ.

I want you, if that's you, for you to pray, Jesus, save me.

I believe that you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross for my sin, and that you walked out of the grave.

Forgive me, cleanse me so I can be in heaven with you one day.

I build my life on you now and to eternity.

Heads bowed this morning.

You just prayed to receive Christ as your savior.

We want to pray for you.

We want to encourage you.

And so what I want you to do is at the count of three, I want you to make a sign before God in heaven, and I want you to raise your hand up so I can acknowledge you and pray for you, and our team can pray for you.

If you receive Christ as your savior this morning, you gave your life to Jesus this morning.

I want for you to raise your hand to the count of three ready.

One, two, three.

Right here, hold it high, right here in the back.

I see you, sis.

Anyone else?

Right here, sir, Father, I thank you, God, for those that are turning their heart and life to you.

And a firm foundation being laid right here in your presence.

And God, I pray for all of us, Lord, as we carry your presence out from this place.

That God, we would see your kingdom come and your will be done.

In the mighty name of Jesus, everybody said Church, put your hands together this morning for new life in Christ.

We want to worship, we want to lift up the name of Christ this morning.

Our team is here to pray with you for you to receive prayer.

Let's worship and sing together.

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.