Recruitment & Retention Foster Growth
Bishop Henry Fernandez Preached on 2/12/2024Matthew 28:18-20
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61:09
Summary
Bishop Henry Fernandez challenges the church to move beyond religious routine to fulfill the Great Commission through intentional recruitment and retention. He emphasizes that the church must be a diverse, welcoming place that prioritizes teaching the Word and living authentically to foster true spiritual growth.
Key points
- •The 'Great Commission' in Matthew 28 is a mandate for every believer, not just pastors, to actively recruit new converts and disciple them.
- •Successful recruitment requires clearly articulating the Word, living it out authentically, and welcoming people exactly as they are without condemnation.
- •Diversified race and culture within a church is a biblical necessity; a healthy church should reflect 'all nations' as commanded by Christ.
- •Retention is just as vital as recruitment; the church must close the 'back door' by fostering personal connections, small group fellowship, and authentic worship.
- •The church is called to engage with the community and the political process rather than retreating into religious isolation.
Scripture
Discipleship
Evangelism
Spiritual Growth
Community
Leadership
Life application
Identify one person in your area of influence - a co-worker, neighbor, or family member - and share a word of encouragement or your personal testimony with them this week. Commit to inviting someone to church, welcoming them with love regardless of their background or current lifestyle.
Reflection questions
- Are you more known for your knowledge of church activities and song lyrics or for your understanding of the Word of God?
- Do you find yourself 'judging the fish before you catch it,' or are you willing to welcome people into the church who don't yet look or act like believers?
- How can you use your social media presence this week to promote the Gospel rather than contributing to secular drama or negativity?
- In what ways are you actively helping to 'close the back door' of your local church through personal connection and service?
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Full transcript
0:00[Applause]
0:03amen can we all stand for prayer as
0:07we dive into what the Lord will have us
0:09to hear this
0:13morning we're going
0:16to be dealing
0:19with a subject that has
0:22become my
0:25passion and it has to do with the church
0:30church building the
0:35church I don't believe for one moment
0:39that
0:42people um don't want to hear about God
0:46or
0:47people
0:49are hopeless when it comes to turning to
0:55God I just think people are tired of
0:58religion
1:00and tired
1:03of church watch this not living up to
1:07the
1:09word do do you feel me yes I think
1:12people just get so tired
1:15now of the same old stuff and nothing
1:18has changed and and don't kid yourself
1:22the younger
1:24generation they're more educated today
1:26and they're
1:28reading and and as they're reading the
1:32Bible and looking at what's been taught
1:35to them over the years there's a
1:39discrepancy and they're questioning
1:42things and therefore The Church Must
1:44address these
1:46things because we're
1:49mandated to preach the gospel in season
1:52out of season whether people want to
1:53hear it or not and there's a tasteful
1:56way of preaching the gospel we don't
1:58need to shove it down people people's
2:00throat we don't need to condemn people
2:04even when they believe
2:06otherwise our job is not to condemn
2:09somebody who who is a
2:12Muslim somebody who is whatever else
2:15that's not our
2:17job the question is do you believe what
2:21you
2:22believe and if you believe that then
2:25your job now is to convince the
2:28unbeliever amen
2:30that what you believe is the right thing
2:34but a lot of times we cannot defend the
2:36faith why because we have no knowledge
2:38of what we are
2:40preaching therefore we get flustered and
2:42we argue with people instead of
2:44convincing people so stick with me for a
2:48few moments I won't be long uh before
2:50you but this is really in my heart
2:52father we come to you today we thank you
2:55that as a
2:56church that our real purpose of have
2:59been here today is not just to worship
3:02you and to honor you and to give you
3:04time but also to hear you speak back to
3:08us so I'm grateful that I've been the
3:11chosen one this morning to bring the
3:13word as I prepared myself I ask that the
3:17holy spirit will use me and think with
3:19my mind and speak with my vocal cords so
3:23everything I say will really be from you
3:27and we will grow together
3:30and become a people will ultimately
3:33please you in Jesus name amen come on
3:37let's give them a praise while you take
3:39your
3:40seats please be seated in the presence
3:42of the Lord so I want to talk to you
3:45about Recruitment and Retention Fosters
3:49growth Recruitment and Retention Fosters
3:55growth in order for the church to grow
3:58we have to recruit
4:00in order for the church to keep its
4:04growth we have to retain our members our
4:07PE the the body of Christ if you will
4:10and seeing that I'm a pastor of a church
4:13and also Chancellor of an accredited
4:15institution the University of Fort
4:17Lauderdale I do understand that
4:19recruitment is
4:21important the church will grow if we're
4:24bringing in more people the university
4:26will grow if we're bringing in more
4:28students but while we're bringing in
4:31people is there a back
4:33door is there a backdoor because you can
4:36grow something or for those of you who
4:39run a business you can run a business
4:42and you're getting new customers but
4:44what about repeated
4:47customers are you doing what it takes to
4:50ensure that you can keep your customers
4:54the same is true for the body of Christ
4:57for the church we must recruit and
5:01retain our members if we truly want to
5:05grow so let's contemplate the profound
5:08significance of recruiting new converts
5:11into the kingdom of God and
5:14establishing a system to retain
5:18them the Mandate from Jesus as recorded
5:22in Matthew
5:2328 beginning at Verse 18 let's go there
5:27for a minute that mandate directs the
5:30disciples to proclaim the gospel to the
5:33world this Proclamation involves
5:36recruiting individuals into the body of
5:39Christ which is the church and nurturing
5:43them to become
5:45Disciples of all Nations look at what
5:48Matthew 28 Jesus speaking here it says
5:53and Jesus came and spoke to
5:58them saying all authority has been given
6:02to me in heaven and on Earth and then he
6:06says go therefore and make disciples go
6:10and make
6:12disciples of all Nations pause there for
6:15a moment Jesus says go and make
6:17disciples of all Nations that's the
6:19command he gave the
6:21disciples fast forward if you and I are
6:24Disciples of Christ today did we rewrite
6:28this pass of
6:30scripture why are we in the kingdom of
6:33God are we just here for the fish and
6:36the bread meaning are we just here to be
6:39entertained or are we just here to get
6:41what we can get or are we about our
6:44father's business where he says go
6:46therefore and make and make and make
6:50allowing people to be converted and
6:53becoming disciples and then he says of
6:56all Nations don't
6:58discriminate
7:00you don't get to choose who's going to
7:03come into the kingdom of
7:05God you don't get to choose well it's
7:07only this kind of people this race this
7:10culture and so forth he says go and
7:13disciple All
7:15Nations and there's a problem listen to
7:18me I'm about to make a bold statement
7:19here now there's a problem when the
7:23church is not Diversified in its race
7:26and
7:28culture
7:31there's a problem when you go to church
7:33and there's only one kind of people in
7:35the
7:40[Applause]
7:44building that's it there's a problem
7:47when you go into the the facility the
7:50building of that church and when you
7:52look you only see one culture or One
7:55race no he says go and make disciples of
7:58All Nation baptizing them in the name of
8:00the father and of the son and of the
8:02Holy
8:03Spirit and then he says in verse 20
8:06teaching them to observe all things that
8:09I've commanded to you teaching them
8:12watch this to observe all things Jesus
8:16never said I want you to go and I want
8:18you to force it on people that's right
8:22that's
8:25right maybe that's the reason why we're
8:27scaring people in coming to the kingdom
8:29of of God because we come with our
8:31religious beliefs and we're shoving it
8:33down people's throat he says teach them
8:37because in teaching that's where you
8:40educate people that's where you trans
8:43that's why the Bible says be transform
8:46by the renewing of your mind and the
8:47only way your mind can be renewed is
8:50when you get
8:52information so in order for the church
8:54to
8:55teach that means The Church Must first
8:58be taught
9:01you can't teach something you don't
9:06know I submit to you what most
9:10Christians know is the activities of
9:14church the excitement of church oh I go
9:19the worship is great the songs I like it
9:22unfortunately you know more lyrics of
9:26songs than
9:28scripture
9:29[Applause]
9:33and as a result of that we can't
9:37teach and when people are not taught
9:40there can't be any
9:42conversion people won't come into the
9:44kingdom of God he said teaching them to
9:46observe all things because it is the
9:49taught word of God that's going to help
9:52people to walk in the word not you and I
9:55with our beliefs and our doctrinal
9:57truths and our rules in in
10:00church that's it that's why this church
10:03has no
10:04rules we have no rules oh my
10:08God I scared you
10:11now a church have no rules what are you
10:14talking about we have no rules the Only
10:17Rule we abide by is the word of
10:21God that's what we that's those are the
10:25rules we're given to you we're not
10:27coming up with man-made rules
10:31the rules we're going to ask you to live
10:34by comes from the
10:36word hello it comes from the word of God
10:41and I'm telling you the kingdom of God
10:44will grow if each and every one of us
10:46will first study the word of God that
10:49you're able to teach it at your level do
10:52you not know that you have an incredible
10:54opportunity at
10:56home to start teaching the word of God
10:58to your children
11:00children that you can strengthen your
11:02marriage when both of you can spend
11:05quality time sitting around the
11:08breakfast table and studying the word of
11:12God that when you go to your workplace
11:15that maybe when it's convenient during
11:19lunchtime you can talk with your
11:21co-workers and you can interject the
11:23word of God into the
11:26conversation recruitment viewed as a
11:29Godly assignment underscores the
11:31church's
11:33responsibility key aspects include in
11:37prioritizing God God has to be number
11:39one he has to be number one because you
11:43put him first when you put him first
11:44it's easy to
11:46recruit it's easy to talk it's it's
11:49amazing how we say we love God but we
11:53won't talk about him that
11:57much many of us all week long this week
12:01we promoted more stuff on social media
12:05than a word of encouragement to
12:10someone think about that that
12:13recruitment literally is a Godly
12:16assignment we just read it Matthew 28 go
12:21and preach the gospel now I I I see
12:24where many of you got confused because
12:27you're saying I ain't no preacher
12:30the Bible says go preach the gospel
12:32that's for you to do
12:35Henry he gave every one of the disciples
12:38a responsibility to go and preach the
12:40gospel you don't need a stage you don't
12:42need a a
12:44Podium it's your areas of
12:48influence you use that and you preach
12:51the gospel with with the to the
12:53environment I should say that God placed
12:56in your heart so you have to you have to
12:58priori ize God as your number one then
13:03you have to invite others to come on
13:05this Faith Journey with
13:08you you have to you have to make your
13:11faith Journey exciting
13:14man you you you cannot be a believer and
13:17want to invite people into the kingdom
13:20of God when you are always depressed
13:23when you're always sad when you're
13:25always backbiting and you're lying when
13:28you always doing stuff that goes against
13:31the word of God you can't recruit
13:33anybody to come to the kingdom of God
13:35like that when you're inconsistent with
13:39your
13:40faith how how are you going to tell
13:43people God is the answer he's your only
13:45hope that you love him with all of your
13:47heart your soul your mind and your
13:49strength and you're fully committed to
13:51this Faith Journey when when when every
13:54now and then you're talking negatively
13:57and and you you hardly go to to
14:00church hardly read your
14:03Bible
14:05right how you going to convince people
14:07to do
14:08that when you yourself don't put God
14:12first and you're not inviting people to
14:16come taste and
14:18see that your God is
14:22good how do you get up on a Sunday
14:24morning do you get up on a Sunday
14:27morning oh God d we go again oh God got
14:31one day off and two days off you know
14:34yesterday I was still working cleaning
14:36up the house now oh God let me just go
14:38up there because I don't want that guy
14:40Fernandez to get mad at me when he don't
14:41see me I mean you you know mean is that
14:44the
14:45attitude that you're going to go to the
14:48house of the Lord with the scripture
14:50says I was
14:52glad I was
14:54glad do you know what it is to be happy
14:58I was was glad when they said unto me
15:01let's go into the house of the Lord can
15:05you imagine if I would say to you guess
15:07what tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow it's
15:10Monday and tomorrow at
15:1510m I want you to meet me let's say at
15:18the sros express the mall there you know
15:21sros mall I should say I want you to
15:23meet me there cuz I've got a check for a
15:27million
15:29I want to give it to you man at 10:00
15:32meet me in the south parking
15:35lot how would you get up Monday
15:41morning talk to me here now how would
15:44you get up Monday morning would you just
15:47get up Monday morning kind of like oh
15:49God there we go again got to go in this
15:53car let me just drive my tired self up
15:56to the mall cuz he talk about you got a
15:59check for a th a million dollars to give
16:01me you're not going to do
16:03that if you're like me I can't sleep
16:06Sunday night I wouldn't I ain't sleeping
16:09just in case God decide not to wake me
16:13up my eyes going to be po wide open I
16:16ain't going to bed trust me my engine
16:20will be what that car will be start from
16:23about
16:257:00 just in case if it decide not to
16:27start at 10
16:31I was
16:32glad the excitement see that's what the
16:36church is
16:37lost the enthusiasm the
16:41excitement to say I love my faith
16:45journey I love reading the word of God I
16:48love praying I love going to church I
16:51love helping people I love loving people
16:56that's the kind of excitement
16:59people will be attracted to oh somebody
17:02ought to give God
17:08praise you see recruitment is not a task
17:12but it is a sacred
17:14Duty it's likened to the disciples
17:16casting their Nets wide as a part of the
17:20church we're called to extend
17:22compassion understanding and fellowship
17:25into a broken World filled with
17:27frustration anger bitterness
17:31lawlessness and pride look at what John
17:354 verse 13 and 14 says Jesus speaking
17:41here he
17:43answered and said to
17:46her
17:48whoever drinks of this water will thirst
17:53again but whoever drinks of the water
17:55that I shall give him will never thirst
18:01but the water that I shall give him will
18:03come in him a fountain of water
18:06springing up into
18:09everlasting
18:11life cuz we're all drinking from a
18:14fountain that is not quenching our
18:18thirst make no mistake about it do you
18:21know the thousands and the millions of
18:23people who have yet to fully surrender
18:26their life to Christ how thirsty that
18:28they that they have
18:30become they're drinking from a fountain
18:33of trusting in the system trusting in
18:36people do you not know how many people
18:38all week long they were drinking from a
18:42fountain of of of of self-righteousness
18:45self-gratification
18:48the the only thing they focus on is
18:51working working working working working
18:53working working working working working
18:55I don't have time for church I don't
18:57have time for God
18:59working working working
19:01working and they feel good because
19:03they're making money making money making
19:05money and they go to happy hour and they
19:08go to the clubs and they oh they do
19:10they're CU they're drinking from a and
19:13the more they are partying the more
19:16they're doing stuff is is the less happy
19:19they be the less fulfilled they
19:22are because you're looking for something
19:25that will quench that thirst
19:29but they all looking in the wrong places
19:31many of you those of you are streaming
19:33in this building many of you can attest
19:35to this you've been searching
19:38yourself you've been
19:40looking for fulfillment in people ladies
19:45in men men and women in your job your
19:50finances in people in your career in
19:54your place of business only to come up
19:57empty only to come up understanding that
20:00that cannot fulfill you and that's why
20:04Jesus said to this woman it applies to
20:07us if you drink of the systems of the
20:11world the things that just brings on
20:14self-gratification you're going to come
20:17up
20:18thirsty but oh when you come taste and
20:21see that God is
20:24good that's the thing that is going to
20:27transform
20:28your life so let me share this with you
20:31to be effective in
20:34recruiting The Church Must do three
20:36things this is very important and I hope
20:39I'm not boring you I hope this is not to
20:42bore you because I
20:44know we as a church we we we tend to
20:48want to come to the
20:50facility to be motivated and to be
20:55entertained to the point that we forget
20:58get our
21:01assignment to the point where we come
21:04and we just want to come in and get
21:07blessed and we
21:09leave and that's what we do every
21:12week every week just come bless me
21:17church was good he preached a good
21:20message for me oh I got my breakthrough
21:24and we forget our
21:26assignment we forget our assignment and
21:29That assignment is to recruit people
21:33into the kingdom of
21:35God you see to be effective in
21:38recruiting people number one we must
21:40clearly articulate the word of
21:45God you want to convince people that the
21:47god that you serve is truly the true and
21:52living God we have to articulate the
21:55word of God clearly articulate it
21:58and in order to clearly articulate the
22:00word of God we've got to study it and
22:02understand
22:04it cuz sometimes we're giving people
22:07conflicting
22:10messages see I I know my role as a
22:13senior pastor at this church it is to my
22:17advantage and actually I'm called to do
22:19it for me to preach to you I have to
22:22know what I'm preaching
22:25about I have to study the word of God
22:28myself in order to tutor
22:32people and if I am not been tutored by
22:36by someone else uh I can't preach to
22:40you right I can't because then I will
22:44come and I'll give you information that
22:46is not really
22:49accurate so now you see why you and I
22:52from the preacher down to the Ley your
22:55responsibility is to make sure that you
22:58clearly articulate the word of
23:01God and how do you do that you have to
23:05study the word of God and go to a place
23:09where we break the where they break down
23:11the word of God for
23:14you it's very
23:16important we're never going to be
23:19effective as a people if we just come to
23:21church to be preached to and don't learn
23:26anything to go out into the marketplace
23:29to preach
23:33Christ I get it only about 25 people
23:36just backing me up hey you stuck with me
23:39for the next 15
23:42minutes well my whole point
23:44is that we have to clearly articulate
23:47the word of God number two we have to
23:50live the word of
23:52God we just don't say
23:56it you have to do what
23:58live it let me say it again just don't
24:01say
24:03it you got to live it I got to say one
24:06more time for somebody over here you you
24:08just can't say it you got to
24:12what you got to live it got to live this
24:16word and believe me when I tell you the
24:19word is not hard for you to
24:22live because it's not by works that you
24:25should
24:26boast all you have to do is to know it
24:30and apply it every single day that God I
24:35Surrender it takes a surrendered life if
24:37you don't fully commit to God you will
24:40never live his
24:43word never you see if you have one foot
24:47in the church and another foot outside
24:50of the church you can't live the word
24:53but the day you put both feet into the
24:56kingdom of God and say God I will live
25:00for you that's the day the word will
25:03come alive in
25:07you dare you surrender and say God
25:10that's it I give you my
25:13all I give you my all I turn everything
25:16over to you I may not understand
25:17everything about you I may not
25:20understand the Bible but it's a work in
25:22progress It's going to take a while
25:25every day you're giving me new Mercy
25:27mercies every day you're training me
25:29every day you're opening up yourself to
25:31me you're revealing things to me so I'm
25:34going to
25:35grow you got to live this thing yes sir
25:39and living it doesn't mean that you're
25:41perfect every
25:42day when you start living this word
25:45every time you goof up and you drop the
25:47ball the word just corrects you and you
25:49say whoops oh
25:51God let me let me just say this to those
25:54of you listen to me for those of you who
25:56still got a conscience
25:59listen to me you still got a conscience
26:02and anytime you start doing something
26:04wrong that violates the word of God and
26:06you feel guilty thank
26:09God thank God you still got a conscience
26:12thank God you're still feeling convicted
26:15cuz that's the word that's what the word
26:17does it convin you and convicts you to
26:21do right but the day you do stuff and
26:24there's no
26:26conviction
26:31wo it's when you do things and it
26:34doesn't bother
26:37you but as long as the word of God is in
26:40you the moment you walk outside of the
26:43word of God all of a sudden the word
26:45will hit you and you're like oh my
26:48[Applause]
26:50God you feel
26:53uncomfortable you feel
26:55dirty unclean under the inside and you
26:59come to church and you just come in and
27:01and you're like oh God I don't feel
27:03worthy I don't feel worthy to be here
27:06come on I'm talking to somebody here I
27:08don't feel worthy to be up in here today
27:10especially when it's communion I ain't
27:13drinking there cuz he may kill me
27:17today am I talking to anybody here and
27:20you know it's the
27:22truth finally you have to welcome people
27:26and I love this
27:28as they
27:31are this is this this one this one is
27:35hard this is
27:39hard if you're going to recruit people
27:41into the kingdom of
27:43God it's going to require you to welcome
27:48people as they
27:55are I know I know I know I know if
27:58you're like me you know I grew up
28:00Pentecostal real Holiness
28:04Pentecostal you can't even
28:08sneeze cuz you're going to go to hell
28:10everything was you're going to hell
28:12you're going to hell you're going to
28:14hell I grew up really really
28:18Pentecostal but unlike that in a world
28:23today the God we serve when you look at
28:25the Life of Christ and the four gospels
28:29that recorded his ministry on the the
28:32earth now one place I saw where
28:38Jesus
28:40judged the out of
28:42appearance of
28:47individuals he accepted them just as
28:51they are but wait a minute this is what
28:52people
28:53say when you accept people as they are
28:57they say you're
29:00compromising you're
29:02compromising you're
29:04compromising right why you going to let
29:08this person come in the building like
29:10that why you let them come why you let
29:13them come with the short dress
29:15on why you let them come with the
29:17cleavage all the way
29:20down why you let them come look like
29:22they going to the
29:25club because our philosophy is no clean
29:31that mess up before you come in
29:36here so my question to you then if they
29:40have the ability to fix themselves
29:43before they come why
29:48come why I mean isn't this the
29:53place you accept people as they are
29:56doesn't mean you compliment eyes
29:58now but is this the place where people
30:02should come as they are and we embrace
30:05them because we're recruiting them we're
30:07recruiting them and I grew up with where
30:11I used to hear my parents say you cannot
30:13scale of fish until you catch it you'll
30:17never see nobody go by the
30:19ocean and as the
30:23fish you can't do that you got to catch
30:26it first
30:32they have to come in and if we teach
30:35them going back to the word that Jesus
30:37said if we teach them eventually the
30:41word will transform them based on what
30:44the word
30:48wants that's it and if we're spiritual
30:52enough like Jesus we will embrace them
30:55coming in Comfort
30:58them and bring them and say Come As You
31:02Are Come As You Are we love you we don't
31:06care how you look we don't care what you
31:09have done we don't care how you dress
31:13come we'll check because maybe that's
31:15the only clothes you have we're not
31:18going to look down on you well I know
31:20what somebody said well you know see
31:23this is why I don't like these young
31:24preachers preaching you know because
31:26you're giving people licensed to sin
31:28because and then you're making my
31:30husband look over there at that young
31:32lady your husband has a
31:37problem your husband has a problem he
31:40has a lusting demon upon him because if
31:44he's going to come to
31:46[Applause]
31:53church maybe you need to pray for your
31:55man the god will anoint his
31:58[Applause]
32:09eyes cuz let's let's come on
32:12now come on he's
32:15human so if a young lady walks down the
32:18aisle in an inappropriate outfit for
32:20church or whatever of course if he's up
32:22there and she's passing and he looks
32:24fine just as long as just just just
32:28just just look look away that's all the
32:32problem is is when he follows
32:34[Applause]
32:46her so don't don't judge people watch
32:52this based on the weaknesses of the
32:56church
33:00don't you ought to be strong
33:02enough to love
33:05someone love them into the kingdom that
33:08hey I may not like that but you know
33:11what I love if you love that person you
33:15go at the end of the service you watch
33:17that person week after week you let the
33:20Holy Spirit lead you I'm talking about
33:22this particular young lady in my story
33:25and then you go and then eventually
33:27you can witness to
33:29her keep preaching the word of God to
33:32her find out our situation maybe she has
33:35no money she just coming out of the club
33:38and you can say baby come here I'm going
33:40to take you to the
33:44mall and without anybody knowing without
33:47anybody knowing you dress
33:52her this what the church has
33:55lost but because we're so quick to
33:59criticize we have to learn to welcome
34:02people as they are I'm about to say
34:03something is going to go viral
34:07now even when people come into the
34:11building with different
34:16[Applause]
34:20Lifestyles it doesn't
34:22mean that you're condoling what they're
34:25doing it simple
34:28means we don't have the right to tell
34:33who will come to the
34:35[Applause]
34:41well this
34:44woman who
34:46had a problem keeping men according to
34:50the
34:51Bible she had multiple
34:55men she was was very
35:01[Applause]
35:07busy I don't know that wasn't the right
35:10phrase well you know what I
35:13mean right she she she she had seven
35:17sugar
35:18[Applause]
35:21daddies and isn't it strange that Jesus
35:25sent his disciples
35:28away I don't know I'm not saying the
35:30Bible said this in my own mind wonder if
35:33he did that deliberately because they
35:35would become a hindrance to him
35:38ministering to
35:41her cuz he knew within himself he wasn't
35:44hidden on
35:46her he was giving her
35:49life so he ministered to
35:55her two years ago I think it was I was
35:58in the
35:59lobby in greeting
36:01people and two people walked up to me
36:04they're probably here
36:06today and hey Pastor how you doing said
36:09I'm doing
36:10fine and they said
36:14hey I'm going to ask you for favor we
36:16don't know if you're going to say yes
36:18but we're going to ask you and I said
36:20sure go ahead and they said well we're
36:22getting married and we'd like you to do
36:25the wedding and when I looked
36:27same
36:29sex same
36:31sex and I said well you know
36:35um no seriously seriously I said well
36:40um my belief my belief in the Bible that
36:45I
36:46read prohibits me from participating
36:50like into something like
36:52this however I'm not telling you
36:57anything different I can't do
37:00it but what I want you to know you're
37:02always welcome here at the Faith
37:06Center
37:11always I know I cannot and will never do
37:16that never condemn them I leave the door
37:21open because I believe in the power of
37:25the word of
37:31God so why don't dog like some preachers
37:34they use their Pulpit to dog watch this
37:37to dog out people they oh homosexuals
37:41and okay okay that's our word we believe
37:45that and we dog them
37:47out and well we don't believe in those
37:51people getting married together and so
37:53forth here's the problem we we are very
37:56hypocritical
37:57critical we're fighting against the
38:00homosexuals getting married and by right
38:03I believe that we need to stand up for
38:05the principles of the word of God while
38:08we're fighting against that why all the
38:10people in the
38:11church who dat in for a long time why we
38:15won't get
38:16married if if marriage is
38:20Honorable if marriage is Honorable why
38:23are we not walking down the aisle and
38:25showing the world how to do
38:28it oh God they hate me
38:32[Applause]
38:37now okay it's going viral by 6 o00
38:42tonight I promise
38:43[Applause]
38:44you let me let me try
38:47to wrap this up
38:50here look at 1 Timothy 4 1 Timothy 4 1-3
38:55this is amount of time my
38:59God now the spirit expressly says that
39:03in the latter times some will depart
39:07from the
39:09faith giving heed to deceiving spirits
39:12and doctrines of demons speaking
39:16lies in
39:18hypocrisy having their own consci seared
39:22with hot
39:23iron
39:25forbidden to
39:29Mary he wasn't talking to the
39:37unbeliever we as a church is so busy
39:40telling the world how to live and we
39:45ain't not we ain't even
39:47living what we
39:53believe we don't even we're not even
39:55living what we
39:58believe here's what Paul is telling this
40:01young preacher Timothy he's saying that
40:04it's going to happen many people are
40:06going to depart from the faith he's not
40:08talking about the unchurch he's saying
40:10in the church people are going to depart
40:12from the faith they're going to take
40:14heed to deceiving
40:17teachings doctrines of devil they're
40:20going to speak lies in other words
40:22they're going to become
40:24Hypocrites having their own conscience
40:27in other words their conscience is going
40:29to be so off and then he says here
40:32forbidden that the people in the
40:36church don't even want to get
40:41married don't even want to get
40:48married I told you don't want to be
40:50quiet they ain't going to say
40:52nothing that's what that's what the
40:54scripture
40:55says
40:57let me end it with this cuz I feel
41:00somebody just throwing stones at me up
41:05here so we
41:07recruit but we must also
41:11retain how are we going to do that I
41:13want to end it with seven successful
41:16strategies for recruiting and retaining
41:18individuals in the kingdom of God and I
41:20want all of you streaming those of you
41:23in the house please follow me here I'm a
41:26about to close the
41:28sermon I want you to listen to me
41:32carefully for this church to
41:36grow these are the seven things
41:39successful principles I call
41:41them we're going to have to maintain in
41:45order for this church to grow number one
41:48we have to have an authentic worship
41:51experience
41:55authentic we have to have this authentic
41:58worship experience a worship experience
42:01where the worship leaders don't even
42:04have to force
42:05you because your worship started at
42:13home you've been living in the presence
42:16of God all week long so when you get
42:19here iron sharpens iron nobody have to
42:23pump you
42:25up
42:27you come prepared number two we need
42:30Community
42:32engagement I wish I had time to talk
42:35about this community
42:36engagement every community that we live
42:39in we have the Salt and Light so
42:42therefore our job is to make sure that
42:45we go into the
42:46community and we find a way to engage in
42:50the
42:51community
42:54servanthood meaning that maybe God has
42:56called you to
42:59politics how how do you how do you
43:02expect your city and county
43:05state and the federal government to
43:09change when you step back being so deep
43:13and spiritual coming to church shouting
43:16jumping speaking in
43:19tongues won't
43:22vote and won't partake in the political
43:25process
43:28how and then you're going to complain
43:30when things don't go your
43:33way think about
43:36that to grow the kingdom of God you have
43:39to engage in the
43:41community you have to find a way to make
43:44sure your presence is known volunteer in
43:46some Community
43:48activity cuz you may say well I don't
43:50know I'm supposed to do that you're the
43:52salt you're the
43:54light go in some community board or
43:56something like
43:58that volunteer at the school if you're a
44:01parent listen see I grew up where
44:04parents would go to school and
44:06participate in parents teachers meetings
44:09and so forth if you are a parent and in
44:132023 you've never attended your child's
44:16School you've never gone to activities
44:18you have never been there when there's
44:20Father's Day or Mother's Day uh weekend
44:23and they ask for support to have pancake
44:25d D's Father's Day Pancake Day or
44:27whatever they call it if You' have not
44:29done
44:30that that's the
44:34problem that is a
44:38problem Community engagement is
44:41important you ought to engage yourself
44:43in the
44:45community you can't just be so religious
44:48and spiritual and come to the church and
44:51try to outdo each other in this building
44:54when there's a whole world out out
44:58there to bring into the kingdom number
45:00three we must have personal
45:05connection
45:08initiatives personal connection
45:11initiative that our job is to use our
45:17own personal
45:19testimonies as the pilot the
45:22light to shine in other people people's
45:27lives like for
45:29me my personal testimony is as a little
45:35boy at the age of 10 I was just going
45:39through my own little issues didn't know
45:43why and I just decided it was not worth
45:48living and I
45:51seriously plan to kill
45:54myself
45:57I survived
46:00suicide I am preaching today at the age
46:02of
46:0560 because God kept
46:09me he saw my future Satan saw my future
46:15and he wanted to pressure me with life
46:17at
46:1910 10
46:2210 he didn't want me to be here today he
46:26didn't want me to do what I'm
46:28doing so he said I'm going to pressure
46:31you to kill yourself like many of you
46:32right
46:33now many of you one of the speakers for
46:36maximize your potential conference told
46:39me he's a former NFL football player and
46:43he said pastor reason why I do what I do
46:46today is because I tried to commit
46:50suicide
46:52twice
46:54twice and God kept
46:57him use your own testimony all of
47:01us you'll be shocked at how you will
47:05tell people their
47:06testimony or your testimony how it will
47:09deliver them last Sunday I didn't get to
47:12preach this message this was the message
47:13I was supposed to preach last Sunday I
47:15didn't get to preach it I asked people
47:16to come down people came down and
47:19someone wrote me and told me this this
47:21blew my mind when people stood here
47:24weeping I wish you could see the the the
47:27passion in people's face and how they
47:31were really committed to God and really
47:34just releasing everything and I ask
47:37women to come and lay your hands on a
47:40woman men to come and lay your hands on
47:42a brother and a lady said the Holy
47:45Spirit Led her she left her seat and she
47:48came and she put her arm around a young
47:52girl's belly and she whispered into to
47:55the young girl's ears and she said
47:59you're going to give birth to what God
48:02put inside of you you're going to give
48:05birth and she kept speaking it and the
48:08girl kept sobbing and she kept sobbing
48:12and she kept sobbing and she kept saying
48:14you are going to give birth to what God
48:17put on the inside of you at the end of
48:20the service the same young lady went and
48:24met the woman and who placed her hand in
48:27her belly and With Tears In Her Eyes
48:31Pastor Joy she said to the lady you have
48:34no idea what you just
48:36did
48:38because I had scheduled an abortion this
48:45week God my God my
48:48God
48:50Jesus I scheduled an abortion this
48:54week cuz I didn't think I could keep
48:57this
48:58baby I'm embarrassed and blah blah blah
49:01and whatever but when you lay your hands
49:04on my belly and say you did not know me
49:08you don't know me see that's what I'm
49:11talking about man that's what I'm
49:14talking
49:17about that's what I'm talking about
49:20number four you got to have involvement
49:24opportunities when opportunity come like
49:27this woman God spoke to her touch her
49:29belly and speak into her life God is
49:32going to give you significant
49:34opportunities this
49:36year and you've got to seize them you
49:40got to seize them you can't let them
49:43miss you because if you do you may be
49:47held
49:48accountable for the consequences of them
49:51number five small group Ministries one
49:55is things I encourage you at this church
49:58is apart from Sunday morning
50:00Services why not meet together Starbucks
50:04somewhere and and just meet talk the
50:08word encourage the word not gossip not
50:12tearing people
50:14down but we have to have small group
50:16this this big church is people called
50:18mega church it doesn't have to feel
50:21big if you isolate yourself and you know
50:24I don't want to talk to nobody body is
50:25too big no if you just say well let me
50:28get
50:29involved we can take this big church and
50:32make it a small church because we care
50:35for each other number six effective
50:38communication channels you know what
50:40that means your
50:43phone social
50:45media what are you doing with social
50:48media is it some of you need to admit
50:51you're addicted to
50:53it you're addicted to it
50:56you love
50:58drama you love
51:01chaos why not use social
51:04media to promote the gospel to the world
51:09he said pastor how am I going to do that
51:11why not why not if you're reading
51:13challenge yourself if you're reading
51:15Bible verses every day post
51:20that if you see negativity on social
51:23media don't respond unless you're going
51:26to say something
51:28positive think about it use social media
51:32when the church sends out its
51:34notification about the services why
51:36don't you repost
51:38that why don't you repost that cuz
51:42you're reposting everything else you're
51:44reposting what's on sh
51:46[Applause]
51:54Shay
51:57and if you don't know what sh Shay is
51:58look it
52:00[Applause]
52:04up finally work with me here I'm about
52:07to
52:10pray the way this church is going to
52:13grow any church is when there's pastoral
52:17care and support
52:20services pastoral care support services
52:24I just read out of Timothy here's
52:27Paul this young preacher
52:31Timothy been thrust into the gospel he's
52:34dealing with the body of
52:36Christ people are
52:38inconsistent and he's encouraging Paul's
52:42job was to encourage
52:44Timothy to stick it
52:47out because it's not easy
52:50pastoring people see the
52:54glamour of the office of a
52:57pastor they see that they have no idea
53:01it's a lonely road at times and you lead
53:03while you're
53:05bleeding so watch this you really want
53:08the church to sustain itself and to be
53:10strong listen to me I'm bold enough to
53:13tell you this is where you need to pray
53:15for
53:18me this is where you need to pray
53:22God strengthen my pastor God give him
53:27wisdom God cover
53:30him God build a fence of protection
53:33around him strengthen him and his
53:38family because if the enemy can strike
53:42the
53:43shepherd He
53:45scattered the Sheep so you pray you pray
53:51God take care of my
53:53pastor I'm I'm going to pray for him I'm
53:57going to support the work
54:00volunteer I'm going to give to make sure
54:04that this work continues and then you
54:06give service support to the
54:08church you know what I worry about and I
54:11close with this as a pastor this is what
54:14I worry about I've been telling you guys
54:16this and you all may not believe
54:19me
54:20um I know my time is winding
54:24down
54:25oh
54:27yeah oh yeah I've been doing this 33
54:32years I know I have to step down from
54:38this and I am okay being number two
54:42serving the new number
54:48one you know why cuz this don't belong
54:52to
54:54me
54:55there's a generation that's coming
54:58that's going to take over from us and
55:01because I know my time is winding
55:05down I am fully
55:09committed to making sure that this
55:12church becomes a healthy
55:16Church
55:20healthy I want you to Bow your heads
55:22with me everybody all over the building
55:25we're about to go home and I know you're
55:28excited about your parties and stuff
55:32that you're going to be doing but can
55:34you just let me pray for you before I
55:36let you
55:39go I want to challenge
55:42you to
55:44become a part of the army of
55:49people who will make sure you
55:52recruit and you help retain people into
55:56the kingdom of God cuz you're going to
55:59be held
56:00accountable cuz guess what we're all
56:04aging you won't always be like
56:07that I have sense enough to know I won't
56:10I won't always
56:11be this way I hope I can live to be 100
56:16but I know one day I won't be able to
56:19have the strength to stand on this stage
56:20and to preach with this much
56:23enthusiasm
56:25that's why I'm preparing the stage for
56:28the Next
56:30Generation that's why I'm making
56:33sure that I pray that God will send the
56:36right
56:37people to take the Baton over for the
56:41Faith Center please don't get
56:43comfortable sitting in your seat to be
56:48entertained when you leave these
56:50doors what are you going to do when it
56:53comes to the gospel
56:56father today we repent of our
57:00selfishness and
57:03pride and how we have so focused on what
57:07we can get from you and cared
57:10little
57:12about our
57:16assignment there are family members
57:19co-workers and
57:21friends
57:23strangers who we must share our faith
57:28with may you bless each and every person
57:32under the sound of my voice that we'll
57:34be
57:35bold to share our faith not in an
57:39arrogant way share it with love not in a
57:43condemning
57:45way but to share it with people no
57:48matter the color of their skin no matter
57:51their culture no matter their preference
57:54in life that we would give them
57:59hope that we would let them
58:01know that we truly love you and care
58:05about you and we know your
58:08word and we don't want to keep this to
58:10ourselves we want to help them to come
58:13into the
58:15kingdom and then once they're in the
58:18Kingdom help us to love one
58:22another not participate and backbiting
58:26and jealousy and bringing each other
58:30down saying negative
58:33words but we would live the life that is
58:35pleasing to you and be build each
58:38other's Faith up support each other that
58:42even when we're wrong we're willing to
58:44admit that we're wrong and we're willing
58:47to embrace people in the
58:50faith God the faith centers
58:53committed to open in the doors of this
58:56facility to whosoever will let them
59:00come we're willing God that once they're
59:03in regardless of what they have done
59:07that there's still room at the
59:09cross for every human being for every
59:13person there's still room there's still
59:16room for the
59:17doubters there's still room for the
59:20betrayers there's room for everybody you
59:23made room for Thomas you made room for
59:27Judas you made room for Peter who had an
59:31anger
59:32issue you made room we too as the body
59:36can make room I pray for people who are
59:39streaming and in this building that God
59:42we will truly be about our father's
59:45business and we give you praise honor
59:48and glory for it in Jesus name amen come
59:53on give the Lord a hand of Praise every
59:54everybody would you stand on your
59:57feet as we release you in the name of
60:00the Lord hopefully you enjoy today's
60:04service amen praise God amen amen could
60:08you say it
60:10again next conference merchandise okay
60:14so before you leave I want to encourage
60:15you please go to the website Henry
60:18fernandez. org or the box office and get
60:21your tickets for the conference we also
60:23have merchandise TI t-shirts and caps
60:25for the conference you can get it and
60:28then save the date everybody say May 3rd
60:32may say it again May 3rd may 3r say the
60:36date or save the date I should say May
60:383rd that is going to be my birthday
60:43celebration you got to save it I got
60:45something good cooking I only 61 and I'm
60:49coming out big with my 60th so save the
60:53day faith in your God
60:55will always move mountains out of your
60:58life God bless you I'll see you
61:00Wednesday if not next Sunday God bless
61:03you go and reach the Lost share your
61:06faith would you God bless you