The Few Part II

Amen.

As you're grabbing your seat, we've got a little bit of unfinished business to attend to.

From last week, I uh spoke last week about how the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, and how Jesus calls us into the field and that we should be his workers.

And really this week I just have felt pressed that there was some unfinished business and that we weren't done there.

And so today we're we're gonna jump into a part two of this, and I'm calling it the few part two.

And what we're talking about is how Jesus lit up a few with his compassion and power and wisdom and sent them into a world that is filled with those that are hopeless and helpless, harassed, hurting, and that Jesus literally invites us to be the ones to go on his behalf and church multiply has in so many ways been a living proof of that over the last couple of years, and it's also been a living proof that God can do a lot with a little.

Can He?

What you bring to Him, the Lord can use it.

I was reflecting a lot on this this week because uh we're halfway through the year, and I was reflecting because back at Christmas I told you about the fact in June of 2022, I pinned this letter that is uh it's like an it's it's like a narrative of looking to the future.

I was challenged by a friend to write this vivid vision of what Multiply Church would look like in June, three years later, in June of 2025, which we're in right now.

And so I was looking through this this week and I was reflecting on all that God has done.

And what's amazing is that I didn't put like small things in here, actually uh some really big things, like for us to be able to have a permanent space, even though we didn't know where that was gonna be and didn't have any of the finances, didn't know how that was gonna happen, and look what the Lord's done.

Uh the fact that I put Frankfurt Forward Initiative in this, but wouldn't even say those words, Frankfurt Ford Initiative, for another year and a half.

And since then, we've now gotten to serve in the city more than two dozen times, loving our neighbors and being outside of these walls to bring Jesus to those who are in our city.

I talked about students from Kentucky State being baptized, and we got to see a number of those be baptized last year, and more to come, more students from K-State, and I'm believing for more.

Future chant church planning initiative.

Like there was a lot of things that were in this vivid vision, and I'm happy to get to share with you because of God's power and your faith, over 80% of what was pinned three years ago now has come to fruition in Jesus' name.

And I just wonder God, the rest of it, can you make that happen this year?

I I mean we're believing in fake together, who knows?

But I know this that God has moved powerfully, and it's not because we're the biggest or because we've got the most money, it's happened because a few chose to believe.

And a few chose to carry pipe and drape in and out of that movie theater for two years and unload trailers and hold babies.

Yeah, after I wrote this uh vivid vision in June of 2022.

Then that next Sunday I went at 6 a.m.

and we unloaded the trailer in the rain.

This is a picture from that time.

And to think about what God's done and to see what God's done and brought into fruition, it's because there's been a group of people who have been willing to pray and serve and give even when nobody else is watching.

And we, church, have literally gotten to see what Jesus talked about in the planting and the harvesting happen in the past three years.

We're walking in it, we're getting to experience it.

And I've gotten to experience it and see it in a tangible way, even this very week.

See, multiply has always been led and carried, and those who served have poured out and poured out and have been the few, and Jesus honors the few who step up.

And I wonder, I wonder if we have learned to celebrate the fruit of the thing, but we have forgotten to acknowledge the faithfulness of the few who carried the weight in order to make it happen.

See, the the problem that Jesus tells us is not the crowd.

The problem isn't that there isn't any need.

The problem that he shows us in this passage is that there are people who are being sent and who are serving, and and it's a few.

And oftentimes that few ends up working and serving and serving, and sometimes feeling forgotten or even fatigued or wanted to throw in the towel.

But Jesus, with his compassion, is sending them out to a people who desperately need the hope that they and you and I already have.

See, Jesus has compassion on these people, and he sees that they're hopeless, and he sees that they're helpless and they're hurting, and he sees them as a sheep, as sheep without a shepherd.

And Jesus doesn't say that the problem is the crowd, he said that that there's a lack of laborers or workers.

And we're living in the harvest right now, church, and somehow in the midst of it, we still need more of the few.

We still need more laborers.

We still need more workers in the harvest field.

Jesus in the passage that we're gonna look at, that's gonna be very similar to the passage we talked about last week.

This is actually the precursor to the message in the the scriptures from last week is Jesus sends out the 72.

We're gonna take a look at Jesus initially sending out the 12, the disciples.

And it's very similar, but there's a few different differences, and we're gonna press into them.

But Jesus, he saw the people, he had compassion on them, and then he sent the disciples out to them.

And we're gonna look in Matthew chapter 9 and verse 35.

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

This is gonna sound very familiar.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

We ended last week by me giving you the invitation and the encouragement for you to find your field.

And we see Jesus in his compassion in his compassion, he looks out of the crowd and he sees them and he sees that they're hurting, he sees that they're hopeless, that they're helpless, he sees that they've been harassed, and his compassion pours out for them so much so that he sends his disciples to them to minister to them.

And the need is great.

And I know for me, it's easy for me to think, especially as you're talking about finding your field for us, what in the world do you mean?

There's so many different people and places where I could possibly go and bring the light and love of Jesus.

What in the world do you want me to do?

Literally for me, I think, man, there's thousands of places that even in our city where God could could be calling me.

How in the world can I figure out where to go?

Or maybe for you, maybe you've walked in and maybe you're one of the ones who you feel unseen, or you feel overlooked, or you feel like that you don't have much to give, but listen, with Jesus, you do.

With Jesus, you have more than enough.

So when you get to the field, what in the world are you supposed to do at your workplace or at your school or with your family?

What do you do when you get there?

Well, once you find your field, then you need to find the sheep without a shepherd.

That's the first thing.

You need to find the sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus sends out the 12, the ones that He He saw that were unseen, and that's where it all started.

And for us, our starting point, most people, their starting point is not gonna be on a stage.

It's gonna be seeing someone who is harassed, hopeless, hurting, and you being Jesus to that person.

I I say a lot.

Grab a mop before you grab a mic.

Serve somebody, love somebody.

But the enemy wants to tell us in a little lie in our ear.

Well, you know, somebody else will do it.

Somebody should really do something about that.

Not thinking that that somebody could be us.

See, Jesus doesn't just see the unseen and have open eyes to it.

He then sends us to them in action.

And the compassion that Jesus has, he's calling for us to then walk out the compassion that he has for other people, that we would have that love flowing out of us.

If you're with me this morning, say compassion is the calling.

The compassion of Christ.

I got to see it in action this very week.

Miss Elaine Malcolm, 83 years old, part of our church, went to be with the Lord this week.

She's home in heaven with Jesus.

And with a family hurting this week, Miss Rhonda Stevens, her daughter, her family here was here in the first service.

Who she was a caretaker for her mom, Miss Elaine, for a number of years.

And Miss Elaine was a part of the Baker Small Group for the last couple of years and a very important part of their small group.

The stories that were told this week of what a light she was and the love of Jesus that was in her.

A pastor's daughter who knew the Lord.

And what happened this week was the Baker Small Group have just loved and served and shown Jesus' compassion to their family all week long, leading up to the funeral that was at the end of the week, and the a whole big group of their small group was there at the funeral.

And then not only that, their their small group then provided and served a meal for the family for over 50 people to bring the light of Jesus in the midst of a situation that there's lots of grief and hurt, but for them to be a tangible representation of Jesus in that moment.

Are you hearing me?

And this small group of people who then let Jesus flow through them to a family.

And I love the stories that were told about just the small things that she would do of sending people home with extra plates and always wanting to give somebody a piece of candy or to say a kind word.

And for the love that was shared in that group now to be on display, even in a very challenging and difficult week, that's Jesus in action.

See, as your pastor, I want for us to be a church that we pray for and love one another deeply.

It was Jesus who said that they will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another.

The way that this room loves each other is going to be a tangible representation of the hands and feet of Christ and a witness to the world of how we love one another in this room.

And not one person could not possibly be in every circumstance and every situation for every single person in this room.

It's a team effort, all of us together, as followers of Jesus, to love one another, to pray for one another, to care for one another, to be in community and in friendship with one another.

See, that's how we have to find our field inside and outside of these walls.

Jesus then gives further instructions to the disciples as this story bleeds over into Matthew chapter 10.

Matthew 10 · chapter mention

Jesus calls the twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

And then he calls them by name and he tells them to go to the lost sheep of Israel.

And in verse 7, he says, As you go, proclaim this message.

The kingdom of heaven has come near.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, and drive out demons.

Freely you have received, freely give.

After having compassion, he then has a commissioning with his followers, his disciples.

And the first thing that he does is he gives his authority to them.

He's giving them the authority of the one who hung the stars to be able to go out and give authority to them so then they can be the ones who can bring hope and healing to the world.

And so oftentimes I feel like that I'm not enough.

I feel like that I'm not qualified to be able to help somebody in the circumstances that they're in.

But it's Jesus who's the one who's going to give you his authority to be able to walk in his authority and his power to be his hands and feet.

And maybe you're one of the ones and you you feel like you don't have what it takes to do what Jesus did.

But he's given you everything that he needs that you need.

See, so oftentimes we just forget all that God has already done for us in our lives.

The way Jesus has come to us and the people that He's used to be able to minister to us and help us.

And we've received so much, and Jesus tells them, You have received freely, and now it's time for you to also give freely what you have received.

And so, for those of us who have received much, it's time for us to give much.

And so when you're given much, that means you give much.

That's the second point.

For what you have been given.

The kingdom of heaven has come near.

And he tells them to bring healing to the world.

See, God doesn't just call those who are available, he also equips them for the call.

And the same grace that saved you is now empowering you for you to give it to somebody else.

Jesus has given you so much that he never meant for you to hoard.

Jesus has given you so much that he never meant for you to just keep for yourself.

For you then to be able to serve others.

And I know there's so often times that the enemy tries to tell us, well, you know what?

I just, I mean, what do I really have to offer in this situation?

You have the king of the universe.

You have Christ who has given to you joy and peace and healing and hope.

And we get to be the ones who step into a broken world that is in desperate need, that are hopeless and are helpless, and bring healing, and it's not on us.

Jesus is the antidote for the healing.

We're not doing it on our own.

We don't have to be so great.

We're delivering to others the greatness of God by his power and authority given to us.

See, as we're giving away the hope and the joy and the peace that God has given to us, we're not serving so that we can try to earn something.

We're serving out of what we have already received.

Like what's in our hands, like fishes and loaves that are multiplied.

Around this time last year, so I had good friends in the church, Marcus and Reina Wise, came to multiply for the first time.

And they're now part of our small group and serving here at church, but at Christmas time, Marcus wrote me a note about you and about what happened in their family the first time that they came to multiply.

I'm going to share some quotes with you.

He says, I remember pulling up and thinking, oh Lord, what have I got myself into?

But before I knew it, we had already been greeted.

I would lie to you if I uh to tell told you that I remembered who it was.

I have to say that it made me feel important.

The walk under the awning and being able to see in the building through the glass windows was such a vibe in itself.

I I had another feeling like I was about to be a part of something bigger than me.

A few more steps, and then we were greeted again.

This time was by a couple of men out in the parking lot.

I need to add that these greetings felt genuine.

Like they were glad that we made it to service.

As we approached the entry door, it slid open, and another person was standing there.

The person extended a hand and said, Thank you for coming today.

The extended hand was just a beginning.

They showed us to the New Here station and where we received a shirt and a card to fill out of our information so we could be contacted later.

And once again, we felt important.

I can't stress this enough.

And then he said, the Holy Spirit was moving in the room, and the presence was felt so much so that Raina gave her life to Christ that very day.

And Marcus is served faithfully on our production team.

Reina served faithfully on our guest services team.

Listen, listen, listen.

Creating for others what have been created for them in order for them to receive the goodness of God and the salvation that came to Reina a year ago.

It's just uh within a short, a little less than a year ago today.

Are you seeing it?

Are you seeing what we're able to be a part of?

See, but it's not that serving the Lord or being a part of the few, that it doesn't cost anything, or that's not a sacrifice.

Actually, this is what Jesus tells his disciples next in Matthew 10, skipping down to verse 14.

He says, If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.

I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on that day of judgment than on for that town.

And then verse 16, he says, I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves.

Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Be on your guard.

You will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.

On my account, you'll be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.

But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.

At that time, you will be given what to say.

For it will not be you speaking.

But the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Jesus tells them of the cost, of the calling that's about to happen.

And he tells them that they're going to be arrested, that they're going to be beaten.

But to not to worry because it won't be them who are speaking.

It's going to be the Holy Spirit speaking through them.

And I'm thankful to live in a country where very rarely is anybody arrested or beaten because of their witness for Christ.

But it's not like that there are no sacrifices of our life and comfort.

And I know for me, I one thing for me, when thinking about serving people or sharing the message of Jesus, one of the things for me that's a struggle is I just like to be liked.

Anybody else just like to be liked?

I don't want to be rejected.

I don't want to be the weirdo who's talking about Jesus.

But Jesus is telling them that he's going to be the one who's empowered them.

And even the words that they say are going to be the spirit flowing through them.

And you may be one of the ones who thought, you know what, I can't, I couldn't possibly talk to somebody about Jesus or invite them to church.

I don't know what to say.

What if they reject me?

The spirit is going to give you the words that you need.

And then Jesus gives them some incredibly practical advice and a very strange metaphor when he tells them and tells us to be a snake bird.

Now that sounds like a Kentucky thing, doesn't it?

That's a snake bird over there.

Better watch out for that part of the woods.

There's a lot of snake birds over there.

Just stay away from that.

As wise as serpents, but as innocent as doves, Jesus uses this metaphor to tell them that they're meant to walk in his mission, not carelessly or cluelessly, but Jesus tells them to go into the harvest field with the heart wide open and with eyes wide open of what he wants to do.

Being smart and also being filled with gentleness and innocence of a dove.

Jesus uses this metaphor, and you know, there's a lot of questions about it, but it kind of feels like that you guys know a serpent knows how to get out of the way when there's trouble, there's danger, easily can hide as they're going to do what they're trying to do.

A dove that often represent represents purity, uh cleansing, being washed.

Jesus is calling us to be wise as we're serving him and as we're going and as we're sharing about him.

He tells us to be wise, but that wisdom can easily turn into cynicism.

He tells us for us to be gentle, but he's not telling us to be naive.

He's telling us for us to stay rooted in what Christ is wanting to do in our lives, and the Holy Spirit is gonna lead us all the way through it.

And he's not gonna abandon us, and instead, he's actually gonna give us exactly what we need.

As we're finding our field and searching for the sheep that are without a shepherd, who don't know Jesus, who don't have a relationship with him, and they're hopeless, and they're helpless, and they're hurting, and we get to be the ones that Jesus invites into the mission.

And so I want I want to say this clearly to the one-third of our church that's already carrying a team and holding babies, parking cars, leading groups, stacking chairs, working with production, thank you, thank you, thank you.

You are the few who are building this house.

But I wonder if for those faithful that have already been serving, if that's not the finish line, but instead you're forming a foundation for more to become part of the few and to follow.

What if what if the few weren't meant to do everything but just to lead the way?

So if you're one of those and you're already serving, don't tap out, don't give up, don't give in.

Call others in with you to do it alongside you.

Listen to me.

Listen to me, don't miss this.

Make sure that you are the few.

Make sure that you're the few.

See, what if God never intended for the few to just carry it all?

But what if the few were just the first who believed it was possible?

They aren't any better.

They're just, maybe they're just first.

They just got there first.

And there's still a field with your name on it, waiting for you to be able to serve Christ.

Maybe the few, they're the ones who built the table in chairs, but it's now time for you to serve the meal.

See, maybe you're next in line with God's, what God is wanting to do.

And if you have been on the sidelines, I want you to hear this from me in love.

Our church, it is not a show to be watched, it's a mission to join.

And the next miracle may just be waiting on your yes for you to step across the line.

And maybe you've been one of the ones and you've been watching the few, but it's very probable that heaven right now is seeing you as the few and just wanting you to step off the sideline and into the mission that Jesus is calling you to.

That you would find your field in here and out there, that you would serve God and allow him to flow through you.

And in doing so, see him seek and save and heal people over and over and over again.

Even some of the things that you've gone through in the past, and God's wanting you to use the things that have happened to you to now as a testimony to his goodness for the person who's going through it now.

Are you hearing me?

So I would love for y'all to take a step.

If you're not yet on the team, get on the team.

There's a card in your seat, there's a place that says join a team, check that box.

Or you can come to team rally that's tonight.

Would love for you to come.

It's at 5 30.

It's gonna be a great time.

Apparently, there's a dunking booth.

I'm gonna be getting wet.

So if you can make it, I hope that you will.

If you can't make it, that's okay.

Another one will be coming soon because we do this four times a year.

But maybe you're in the room right now and you're thinking, Forrest, I I I'm one of the ones that is right now without hope, and I'm the one that's hurting, and I'm the one who needs God to move in my life and to pluck me up and to pull me out of the situation that I am in right now and to save my soul.

I want you to give your life to Jesus.

I want you to take the step to follow Him.

There's a place on the card that says to follow Jesus.

Be baptized.

I want you to check it.

I want you to put it into one of these, to the giving box out or into the station outside.

I'm gonna leave you this.

A few weeks back, before preparations for this message, I felt like that the Holy Spirit was speaking to my heart.

This sentence that is used all throughout the scripture.

Jesus often says, The kingdom of God is at hand or the kingdom of God is near.

And the Holy Spirit weeks ago started speaking to my heart that the kingdom of God is at hand.

What is it that God wants to do in this place?

I have no idea.

But I'm believing that with His help, we're gonna see a harvest.

We're gonna continue to see the harvest of people who desperately need the hope that we have.

Can I pray for you, Father, all across this room?

I want to pray over every person who claims to be a follower of you that today, God, they would see themselves as being called into the mission to be a part of the few.

And Lord, some have given up, some have given in.

Father, I pray, God, that you would right now, Lord, just speak to them clearly.

And Father, also right now, when I said that person who's hopeless, who's hurting, somebody came to your mind.

Right now, God, I want to pray over all of our people that claim to follow you, that Lord, who you put on their mind and heart, that God, you would send them to them this very week with the hope that they have in you.

Father, I also want to pray right now for anybody who has not given you their life, not accepted you as their savior, ask for forgiveness of their sins, receive the power of the cross and an empty tomb that today would be the day of their salvation.

That they would step across the line and that they would give their life to you.

So that their last breath on earth is their first breath in heaven, like Miss Elaine.

God, you would do that in them today.

We thank you, God.

We ask you to do this in the strong name of Jesus.

Everybody said Amen.

Church, we stand to your feet now as we worship and sing together.