Rico Hill

Hartland Fall Convocation 2025: Engage Clarity Mode

Hartland Institute of Health and Education

Story-Driven Evangelism: How to Reach a Netflix Audience (Without Compromise)

In the Bible, Jesus teaches some very important lessons.

And yesterday in our afternoon session where we talked about how Jesus takes the simple things.

They're simple to our minds, but in heaven, they are impactful, they are powerful, they are significant.

And you know, when Jesus came the first time, When He came the first time, a lamb was just too simple.

But the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 1, it tells us that He will take the weak things to confound the...

Oh, I need to hear from you this morning.

He'll take the weak things to confound the strong or the mighty.

He'll take the foolish things to confound the wise.

So we understand that when God wants to demonstrate Himself and His power, He'll use the base things of earth.

That's why when Jesus came, He would often talk to people in such a way, using parables.

The Bible tells us when he spoke he never spoke in anything but parables.

And the 1 I, the parable, well, I love all the parables, but 1 of the ones that I think is most impactful is the parable of the sower who sows a seed.

And he was speaking to an audience who understood about seed sowing, agriculture, right?

He's talking about how to reach a Netflix audience, but he's showing a strawberry, and he's got a kiwi in his hands.

So, so Jesus presents this, this message to people who were quite agrarian.

They were farmers, and they understood exactly what he was talking about.

So it was Simple enough that they understood it, but it was deep enough that the disciples knew that there was more to the story.

And they came to him and they said, what did you mean when you talked about the sower and the seed and the harvest and all these things?

And then Jesus began to break down to them that which he did not share with those who were a part of the audience.

Now, in that audience of farmers, there may have been people who didn't believe at all.

In the gospel, But they certainly believed in farming and seed sowing.

In that audience, there may have been some people who were angry at God.

There may have been people who, you know, have been of other faith orientations.

Maybe there were some Samaritans in that audience.

And so Jesus was giving a very ubiquitous story.

He was giving a story that would reach them all.

I love his ability to communicate in such a way that as He was talking about seeds.

He was planting them Can we do any better than that we cannot But we can learn from that lesson.

So the disciples come to Him and they want to know, what were you really saying?

He says, well, the sower is the Son of Man, talking about Himself.

He said the reapers are the and the 1 who comes again is the evil 1 and the harvest is the end of the world.

So he was talking about deeper things but using something so simple to plant in the hearts of the people something that they could understand but then they would go off listen they'd go off and be tilling the ground working the harvest or working in the garden and the Holy Spirit would begin to water that seed.

And then they may stop right in their tracks and say, wait a minute, he was saying something more.

The average strawberry, the average strawberry, anybody like strawberries?

There are an average of 200 seeds on a strawberry.

I'm gonna say something that might be a little radical a little bit radical So what I'm talking about today with you is I'm going to talk to you about How we now must be much more creative in our evangelism but we have to do it in the way that Jesus did it.

And I'm using this illustration to help us understand where I'm going with this.

Now, the example was not set when Jesus gave that parable.

The example of how the gospel and evangelism works was set and established in the Garden of Eden when God first gave the first meal.

Okay, so I Don't believe that Adam and Eve's menu or their food source was really fruit.

I believe the fruit was merely a delivery system for the seeds.

Because I'm kinda switching hats back and forth because I'm a health evangelist, but I'm also a television producer.

And I'm going to combine them today, or at least lay the foundation to help us to understand where I'm going.

Now, I believe that because when you consider the menu that God gave, it was fruits, nuts, grains, and seeds.

And He says, behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed.

I have given you every herb yielding seed.

Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, but the herb wasn't a part of the diet.

So then we have to refocus our attention and say, why does he mention herbs when he's giving the diet?

Because it's not what it is, it's what it does.

And see, this lesson became very clear to me when I began to live here in Maryland and I began to do my own little bit of farming and learning how to garden and I noticed something.

I noticed something that I had some evangelists who lived on my property.

Yeah, yeah, because see wild black raspberries grow all around my property.

And from 1 year to the next, I'll notice that in an area where they weren't growing before, they're now growing.

And I'm like, how did they get over here now, this year?

Well, it turns out the deer don't like the seeds that are in the black raspberries.

They do like the sweetness of them though, and they eat them, and then they become evangelists, and they drop the seeds.

Jesus Without Cringe: How to Actually Make an Impact and Not Be Awkward

So we come to you with that in mind, Lord, recognizing that it will not be by might nor by power but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

So once again, Lord, we pray the prayer, realizing that I have not seen or heard nor entered into the heart of man the things with God had prepared for them that love him.

But God, you offer these things to us by your spirit for the spirit search of all things, yea, the deep things of God.

So give us your Holy Spirit, Lord, that we may go deeply, that we might be fortified for the work that is before us.

I'm going to talk through a little bit about what this is, community health advocate training.

I believe that the greatest work of the gospel that we can do is when we do it in the way that Christ did it.

He had a method and He used that method from start to finish.

If I asked you the question, did Jesus do more preaching or did he do more healing?

It says that Jesus did more healing than he did preaching.

In fact, we are even told that when we separate the gospel ministry from the health work that we bring a terrible, terrible woe upon the church.

Because when we meddle with this idea, this method, we are attacking Christ himself.

Because it wasn't what he did as much as it was who he was and who he is in fact the Bible calls him Jehovah Rapha the God who heals and he says in Psalm 103 bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits.

He forgives all of our iniquities and heals all of our diseases.

So God is not only a forgiver, but He is a healer.

And separate those things and you've messed with the character of God.

So Jesus had a method for reaching people.

It was the way that he drew people to himself.

You know, it was amazing when you think about it.

There was so much psychology in what Christ did.

There was so much methodology in what Christ did.

There were no newspapers to publish that he was coming to town.

There were no radios that were actually sending out a signal and a message and advertising His coming to town.

There were no televisions to broadcast or to mark, to advertise and to market His coming to town.

If there ever, here's a statement right here, it says, if there ever, if ever it has been essential that we understand and follow right methods of teaching and follow the example of Christ, when is it?

I said it was going to be a fireside chat.

We never know how much time we have left.

Wait a minute, maybe you don't feel the urgency.

Somebody said because we can, Jesus is approaching?

She just quoted from the Bible that it says, Woe unto the inhabitants of the earth, for the devil has come down unto you, knowing that he has but a short time left.

And so if he knows that he has a short time Then he's going to double this efforts.

I believe that's the phrase that is used He's going to double and triple his efforts and the more he does that it becomes more Difficult for you to reach people and that which we failed to do in a time of peace.

We'll have to do it when Under Duress We'll have to do it under very severe Circumstances, So that's why I wanted to have a fireside chat.

We have to change the way that we are thinking about these things.

I don't see a lot of young people here this afternoon, so I'm going to get off, I'm going to come off the script a little bit.

We have to really talk about where we are.

Let me just have you consider something as we talk about the timing of things and how much time we have left and how it's a short amount of time.

The Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 7.

Revelation chapter 7, it tells us that God has a plan.

He has a destination that's on your person.

God has a plan to reach a certain part of your anatomy.

Do you know what part of that part of your anatomy it is?

Just so happens that the devil also has a plan and a destination that happens to be on your person.

So in Revelation chapter 7 it says, excuse me, it says, Hurt not the earth or the seas until I have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads, in their foreheads.

We understand that the Sabbath is connected to that.

But the Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 13 that those who do not receive the mark in their hands or their foreheads they will not be able to buy or sell.

So when we clear all the clutter, When we move everything out of the way, we have this to understand.

Arise and Shine

And the reason why I'm so honored is because I'm a ram in the thicket.

And whenever God can use me as a ram in the thicket, you have to be honored.

So I'm honored to actually be used in this way by the Lord.

And I think you'll understand a little bit why, a little more why, as I share some of my story, some of my testimony.

You know, it's always good, as I mentioned in the earlier session, it's good to share your story.

And as I share my story, some of it anyway, I think you'll understand why I'm so honored to be in this position.

I'm going to jump right in because this service has gone along with all the preliminaries.

It's been a blessed convocation though, hasn't it?

I was sharing with Sister Mayer that when I used to live in Arizona, I used to listen faithfully and I would wear out those CDs from the 3 Angels Chorale.

Ah, if there's some latest additions to that, I would like to have it.

Let's have a word of prayer and let's get right into the message, okay?

Gracious loving Father and our God in heaven, Lord, we're so thankful for the opportunity to come and to speak a word on your behalf But Lord No man or woman is worthy of such a task So Lord we need your spirit.

And the Bible says, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

So I want to claim the promise with my brothers and sisters here today, that if we being evil know how to give good gifts to our children how much more shall our Heavenly Father give the gift of the Holy Spirit to them that ask and Lord we're asking yea pleading in Jesus name amen okay so the message is rise arise and shine you're familiar with that text from Isaiah yeah arise and shine for thy light has come now in every generation God has raised up called people to carry the torch and to pass the torch on.

And I need to let the older ones here know that they have specifically given me the assignment to really target this message to our Gen Z and our Alpha generation.

So God has called specifically this generation, you know, consider track.

I ran track for a short period when I was in like grade school and I ran relay and relay the whole idea in running relay is to not to win the race alone The idea is that you would run as fast as you could, get the baton to the next person, and then they would get it to the next person, and then that last person, that last person, woof, they had to bring it home.

Many believe that when we talk to Gen Z and this Alpha generation, you're receiving the baton for the final final lap, for the final sprint.

But God, God who has called you, I read somewhere that all of his biddings are enablings.

So if he's called you, he's going to equip you.

Now in sharing my story a little bit, I want to sort of frame it this way for you.

I think if we can get through this life with the least amount of regrets, with the least amount of guilt.

Because I read somewhere again that when we have guilt and regrets it weighs down the vital force.

So as I speak to younger people, notice I use that, younger people, you want to minimize the amount of regrets.

I know that there are older people here today who wish they could go back and change a few things, modify a few things, adjust some things.

As I said, I was not raised in this church.

And there were times, there were times when I didn't realize God was calling me.

In fact, I didn't realize it until I became an adult.

And I went back and I said, wow, you were trying to get a hold of me then, weren't you?

But I'm thankful that basically in our lives, as we walk with God, Even when we don't walk with him, he walks with us.

I'm also a producer with 1 of our networks.

And everything is based on a three-act structure, isn't it?

And you have like the first act, the second act, and the third act of your life.

That first act I realized, you know what?

Didn't decide who were going to be my parents.

Didn't decide any of those things and yet that's my experience.

In that second act That's when you start to develop your own experience.

You started to, as the old people say, you start to smother yourself.

You start to come into that position where you have to Know God for yourself and make choices.

Many of us, myself included, fell miserably in that second act.

So I want to share with you how I grew up in the streets of Washington, D.C.

Now I grew up on the mean streets of DC, and I was getting in trouble all the time.

And There was a family who lived right next door.

My neighborhood was black, but they were white.

And I befriended their son And he invited me 1 day to go on a fishing trip.

I had never been fishing before, but I loved animals and I love fishing.

So I go on this fishing trip and they gave every kid, we got up super early, somewhere off the coast of Maryland, we went way out into the water and they gave each 1 of us a fishing pole.

And it must have been about 30 kids, maybe 40.

And we're all around the boat and we're all excited and we throw our line into the water and we're fishing and it was early and you know they threw out some bait just to kind of get the fish you know and before I knew it the guy next to me said I got 1 and then the next person said I got 1 and then the next and everybody was catching a fish.

And then I still haven't caught not 1 fish.

And then the next thing I know, somebody else catches 1.

They're on their second 1 and I have none.

Back to Menu

Presenter

Rico Hill

All Recordings

Story-Driven Evangelism: How to Reach a Netflix Audience (Without Compromise)

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Jesus Without Cringe: How to Actually Make an Impact and Not Be Awkward

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