Hear Me Out | Week 3 | Pastor Ben Pierce
God has entrusted the gospel to ordinary people. The message never changes: Jesus died for our sins, and anyone who calls on his name will be saved. What needs work is how the message gets delivered. This is an invitation to sharpen our methods, our time, talent, and treasure so the Good News moves farther and faster. The next season is not primarily about a building or a program. It is about people coming home.
Why Method Matters as Much as Message
It’s easy to assume the world needs a better sermon, a bigger stage, or flashier signs. Yet the Bible makes a simple, sobering point: Jesus left the evangelizing to us. He is now advocating on our behalf in heaven. That means the message reaches people through the methods God chose for us.
Paul makes this plain in Romans: the promise that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” is only realized when people hear. Hearing requires someone to speak to be sent. That is the biblical chain:
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved… But how can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:13-14)
The implication is striking: methods matter. When a 911 call fails, the message dies, and the consequences are tragic. When the method of communicating grace breaks down, when we let fear, awkwardness, or busyness silence us, the message never gets where it needs to go.
That’s the realignment we’re being asked to make this year. Not because the gospel needs improvement, but because the world needs more of us showing up in the right ways. The harvest is plentiful, and the workers must move from passive attendance to active sending.
Three Rhythms That Change a Generation
If you want practical traction, bring these three rhythms into your life: retell the message, reach the multitudes, and resource the mission. Each rhythm invites a simple change in behavior that produces outsized spiritual results.
1. Retell the message
The gospel is simple enough to pass on. Paul said he passed on what he received “as of first importance.” Passing it on is not optional, or secondary; it is the highest priority of a follower of Jesus.
The fastest way to get started is to practice a three-part testimony anyone can share:
- Where was I? Describe your life before Christ, what was broken, empty, or chaotic.
- What did God do? Share the turning point: how you met Jesus, a step of faith, or a moment of rescue.
- Where am I now? Explain the change: hope, stability, freedom, belonging.
That format keeps the story focused and accessible. It isn’t about theological jargon or trying to win an argument. It’s about sharing a rescue story, a simple testimony of change that invites curiosity and conversation.
2. Reach the multitudes
The church was never meant to be contained by four walls. The Greek word ecclesia points to a people who gather in order to go out. Sunday isn’t the end of the week; it’s the fuel for what follows.
The New Testament shows a pattern of both mass gatherings and one-on-one conversations. Peter preached, and 3,000 responded in one event. Later, thousands were added through other public moments and countless private conversations. Both are necessary. Invite people, yes, but also be the person who stops to speak to the one.
Reaching the multitudes isn’t only about big events. It’s about multiplying conversations. A single bold conversation can begin a chain reaction that impacts families and communities. Historians tell us the early church exploded under the weight of daily witness. Your generation can be the one to reignite that pattern.
3. Resource the mission
Resourcing the mission includes money, but it is broader than that. It means creating space in schedules, in relationships, and in finances so that people who are far from God can come near.
Generosity is a magnifier. A microphone doesn’t create the message; it just carries it much farther. Your time, talent, and treasure do the same. Generous living makes the gospel louder and creates curiosity.
That curiosity matters. When people experience unexpected kindness when a stranger spends time with them, helps with a problem, or leaves an outrageous tip, they naturally wonder, “Why would someone do that?” That question opens the door to explain, “Because God loves you.”
The practical side of resourcing also includes serving in ministries that create food distributions, recovery groups, prison ministry, small groups, and simple hospitality events, such as the kits mentioned for Easter or Christmas. These are not PR stunts. They are doors to spiritual conversations.
Overcoming the Common Excuses
People give reasons for silence that would sound absurd in any other rescue scenario: “It would be awkward.” “I might offend them.” But we would never delay pulling someone from a burning house because it was socially uncomfortable. The eternal stakes are far greater than momentary awkwardness.
On judgment day, the most awkward moment would be standing with someone you were appointed to reach and realizing you never said a word. That image is not meant to shame but to motivate. The gospel creates urgency.
Remember: you do not have to be perfect to be present. The call is not for flawless spokespeople but for faithful ones. Being an ambassador of Christ means trusting God to use honest, humble people to speak his message.
Practical Steps to Start This Week
Small, consistent actions add up. Try these practical steps and place them on repeat:
- Practice your three-part story until you can share it in two minutes. Start with friends you know will listen, and then take it into everyday conversations.
- Look for one Holy Spirit moment each day, a person at the grocery, a co-worker, someone you serve with, and then start a conversation.
- Be generous with time and ability by offering help or mentorship to someone going through what you once faced.
- Use the tools available host a backyard “barbecue in a box” or invite neighbors to “Easter in an egg.” Simple hospitality creates natural gospel moments.
- Making space with your treasure giving creates opportunities for people to hear the gospel. Generosity is an act of worship that multiplies reach.
- Create curiosity, an extra-large tip, a surprising act of service, or a consistent presence with someone will prompt, “Why?” Be ready to answer with the reason for your hope.
Scriptural Anchors to Carry With You
Let God’s words reset your posture. Keep these verses near your heart:
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, doing this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)
These passages remind us of two important things: God uses people as his method, and the way we give our reason matters, gentleness and respect, open hearts, more than anything else.
What This Looks Like in the Community
When a church commits to these rhythms, the impact is both immediate and communal. A single converted life changes families, workplaces, neighborhoods, and eventually generations. Small groups become training grounds. Ministries become natural platforms for sharing the gospel. Hospitality becomes an evangelistic strategy.
There are wins to celebrate: recent gatherings led to dozens of people saying yes to Jesus 50 across Christmas services, then more in the weeks that followed. In the past 30 days alone, 76 people answered the call. These numbers are not trophies; they are reminders that people matter to God and that ordinary witness produces extraordinary fruit.
Leadership Rhythm: Monthly Giving and Ongoing Witness
The community is stepping into a two-year rhythm to resource the mission. Monthly giving is not the point; it’s a practical tool that makes space for the gospel to be heard. When finances are mobilized, ministries can exist, teams can serve, and hospitality events can be offered without barriers.
But remember: the financial commitment is the easier side of generosity. The harder, more sacrificial part is making room with your time and talent. Those are the investments that often change lives in the most lasting ways.
If you’ve made a pledge, begin fulfilling it this month. If you haven’t, consider how you might resource the mission in a way that fits your season. Giving is an opportunity, not an obligation, a way to create space for people who are far from God.
How This Becomes Your Story Too
Every follower has a story worth sharing. Whether you have been walking with God for five minutes or fifty years, your testimony is a tool, not a trophy. Treat it like that.
Start small. Share with one person. Then another. Train your small group to testify and to ask for opportunities to connect needs with the gospel. Host a simple meal and let stories do the work. Equip your kids and teens to speak about what Jesus has done. Multiply conversations, and you will multiply lives.
One Week Challenge
Put these three commitments on your calendar for the coming week:
- Retell your story, tell your three-part testimony to at least one person.
- Reach someone new, initiate an intentional conversation outside your regular circles.
- Resources, in one way, give time, talent, or treasure to create space for someone to hear the gospel.
Small steps, repeated, create movements. One spark becomes a flame; a flame becomes a fire that can change a neighborhood and a generation.
Final Encouragement
The world is full of hungry people. They may be hungry for food, but more importantly, they are hungry for a Savior. The way forward is not a new sign or a viral moment; it is faithful people speaking the rescue story, creating curious moments through generosity, and prioritizing the call to go and make disciples.
Be present. Share your story. Look for the person God puts in front of you. Make room with your resources. The harvest is ready. Your voice, your life, and your generosity are exactly the methods God intends to use.
To learn more about or access practical resources and kits offered this year, visit generationchurch.com. Make room in your heart today for what God wants to do through ordinary people with extraordinary generosity.