January 12th, 2025 - "Hit the Easy Button: Do We Make Discipleship Too Complicated?" - Mr. Bill Fernandez

Matt Nelson: Welcome to the sermon podcast from First United Methodist

Church in downtown Bentonville.

If you have questions related to what you hear today, or just want to

find out more about the ministries at First United Methodist Church, please

visit us online at fumcbentonville.

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Mr. Bill Fernandez: Good

morning.

Today's scripture lesson is going to be Romans 15, one through seven.

Hear now the word from God.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak,

and not to please ourselves.

Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the insults of

those who insult you have fallen on me.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that

through endurance and the encouragement of the scripture, we might have hope.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of

unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus so that with one heart

and mouth you may glorify the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Accept one another then as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to God.

These are the words of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Lord, may the word from my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts

be pleasing in your sight, O God.

Amen.

So I am a mountain man at heart.

For those that don't know me, my name is Bill Fernandez and Kim and I, we've been

in this church now for about 24 years.

And so this week when it snowed, I think the world is the most beautiful

place when there's snow on the ground and it's pure and pristine.

Pastor Michelle, I think, thinks the other way, because she's on vacation and we're

in climate and couldn't be here today.

So, I am thankful to be here and, and Pastor Ray, let's keep

them in their prayers as they are with their new grandbaby as well.

So, we're in a series where we're talking about epiphany or surprises in Scripture.

And last week, Michelle shared with you that no matter where you are in

your faith journey, Scripture changes.

to meet you there.

So, before I get to mine, I've got to, I've got to set the stage a little bit.

So, gosh, early on in our attendance in this church, a group of people

started what has now become our contemporary service in this sanctuary

in the evenings, and it quickly grew, and in a short order, we moved

that service over to Old High Middle School in the auditorium over there.

Beautiful auditorium, wonderful history there, and it really served

their purpose as that service started to grow and take shape.

And I found myself sitting out there watching the men and women

lead that worship and seeing how close they were to Christ.

And I felt this longing to be up there, which is strange because

at that time, I had never sung in front of anybody at any time.

in my life.

Matter of fact, after that first Sunday, people were coming up to Kim afterwards

and saying, I didn't know Bill could sing.

And she says, I'm not sure he can.

Um, and I still think Miss Sarah kept the mics off until they finally

moved me to the drums where I played in that service for about 20 years.

But during that time, I had opportunity to lead service from time to time.

And I would have people come up to me over those first couple

years and say, you know, we think you're being led to the ministry.

I just laugh at him.

No, no, I'm not.

And it would quickly go in one ear and out the other and I would go on

about my day, but it kept happening.

And my good friend, Robert Dare.

came to me, and I think he recognized the change as well, and he said,

I want you to go to the Walk to Emmaus, this secret society, right?

And some of you are smiling because you've heard about the Walk to

Emmaus, and the reason why it was so secret, they didn't want to tell

you much about what was to happen because it would take away the impact.

And so obviously if Rob suggested I go to walk to Emmaus, I'm

gonna go to the walk to Emmaus.

And I remember the first day, Friday night, literally on my knees crying.

For the first time, I realized that I was not the Christian man that God

had evidently been calling me to be.

I was, um, a paramedic and a firefighter at the time, in a not very Christian

environment, and I found myself.

And I realized that night that there was more that God needed and it was

like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders and the next two

days I find myself listening to others, loving on others and clergy

were coming up to me and saying, you are being called to the ministry.

And for the first time I listened.

Okay, there's something to this.

God has got something going on.

I don't know what it is, but let's figure it out.

So by sunday evening, as we had a chance to address the community, I

made a statement that, you know, I think God's calling me to do something.

I don't know what it is, but I am gonna least listen.

And so coming back to church, Dennis Spence was our pastor at the time, and

there was a ministry of inquiry process.

So it is a process where you go through and discern if you are in fact being

called to the ministry and in what areas.

And he assigned me a mentor, Brother Joe Wood.

A lot of folks in here know Virginia and Joe, and Joe had a tremendous

impact on my life at that time.

And it was me and a couple other gentlemen that actually had come back from May.

It's kind of having that same calling.

And so we would meet weekly, and we were going through the studies

and really trying to discern what areas of ministry really suited us.

And at that time, there was a little country church here in

Benton County, Miller Church, and some of you may know that.

Been there for a long, long, long time.

And so they had lost their pastor.

And so Joe approached us and said, how about we each take a Sunday a

month and lead worship and have an opportunity to preach at the church?

And we did that for probably eight or nine months.

And it was an incredible time.

You know, sometimes there would be eight people.

Sometimes there would be 20.

And wonderful people for out there in that community.

And having a chance to do that, it really started to shape where

I felt like I was being called.

And it was the lay ministry.

See, this passage in my epiphany is how it changed me.

See, I read this passage on how it now speaks to me that weekend at Emmaus.

It opened my eyes.

See, up until that point, I had made discipleship so hard, because my

examples were, of course, the disciples.

And the only thing I had in common with any of them was Peter's, because I was

hard headed and I didn't listen very well.

But see, you know, the disciples were able to, to plant the seeds, right, but

then to nurture, fertilize, water, and see that, that growth in the Christian.

And then that's what I thought discipleship was.

So in verse one and two, that night, this is what he spoke to me.

We who are strong ought to bear the failings of the weak

and not to please ourselves.

See, I was still saying I. In discipleship, wanted to plant the seeds,

wanted to water, wanted to fertilize.

I wanted to see that growth in the people that I had an opportunity to impact.

And for the first time, this scripture changed for me.

And he said, no, that's not what I'm asking.

He says, I want you to love on those that don't have the

strength at that point in time.

That are weak in their faith or whatever is going in their life.

Each of us should please his neighbor for his good to build him up.

And that was, all of a sudden, my easy button.

In all aspects, no matter what was going on, if you just

love on others, that's enough.

And so the first time I knew what my calling was, and I started

practicing that in the firehouse.

And I'd start by listening.

learning about others and where they were in their life and their struggles.

Not preaching, just loving.

The back of my ambulance had become a place not only to take

care of physical hurts, but there was many opportunities to care for

and pray just for spiritual hurts.

I had started a non profit here locally that is still going on today in youth

basketball and it was a faith based and so we had an opportunity to share the

faith with these boys and girls and we tried to pour into them not just on the

court but in life what you were to face.

And in verse 3, For even Christ did not please himself, but it is as written,

The insults of those who insult you.

have fallen on me.

So that gave us strength knowing that he would, if we allow him,

will help carry our burdens.

But really what it spoke to me is that he will also help

us carry others in their time.

Verse four, for everything that was written in the past was written to

teach us so that through endurance and encouragement of the scriptures,

we might have hope no matter where you are in your journey.

It's a marathon, right?

He puts us where he needs us.

And it was funny, early on in this calling, I would

say, and I'm not equipped.

And people would say, God equips the cult.

He gives you what you need.

And in this scripture, when we stay within the scripture and we

stay connected with one another, he gives us the ability to endure the

challenges that we face in life.

And in verses five through seven.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of

unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart

and mouth you may glorify the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Accept one another just as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to God.

See that word unity can be a challenge.

See I, sometimes it sounds easy, but there's challenges that we face.

Every day.

Earlier this year, I faced maybe the biggest challenge that

I've faced in many, many years.

See, I was in that position of not being strong in my faith, in

my life, and I see many faces in this room that were there for me.

See, they were strong in their walk, and they reached out and they

touched my heart, and they continue to because I struggle every day.

Right?

And that's how this changed me.

Right?

We can't be strong all the time.

It's not possible.

But again, God puts us where He needs us.

So no matter what the struggle, a challenge is accepting from

others that grace and that love.

I'm going to leave you with a passage that simplifies it and is the easy

button when you have those challenges.

And it's 1 Corinthians, verse 13.

And now these remain faith, hope, and love.

But the greatest of these is love.

Amen.

Matt Nelson: Thanks for listening to the sermon podcast from First United

Methodist Church in downtown Bentonville.

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Grace and peace.