Hear Me Out | Week 1 | Pastor Ben Pierce
If you have ever felt uncomfortable talking about faith, worried you are not ready, or convinced people won’t listen, this is for you. What I want to say plainly is this: you are already an evangelist. Yes, you. Not because you have a title or a pulpit, but because you already share what matters to you: restaurants, TV shows, and the latest gadget. The same impulse that makes you tell a friend about an air fryer or a great contractor is the impulse God uses to invite people into life with Jesus.
The Problem We Must Face
The last words Jesus gave his followers were not a conference schedule or a list of programs. They were a simple charge: go and make disciples. Over the decades, the church rightly learned to be more welcoming, to remove the stone-faced gatekeepers, and become a place where people can belong. That change was necessary. But the pendulum swung too far in the other direction: we began outsourcing evangelism.
Inviting someone to a service or event is essential, but it cannot be the only thing we do. The Great Commission is both come-and-see and go-and-tell. The deeper problem today is not that people are hostile to the gospel. Often, they are spiritually hungry. The problem is that followers of Jesus have disconnected themselves from those who need him most.
You Are Already Evangelizing Something, So Evangelize What Matters Most
We evangelize all the time. We talk about what has changed our lives because we want others to experience it. That makes evangelism less foreign and more natural. The barrier isn’t an inability to speak; it is a choice about what we share. Will we be known for sharing recipes and gadgets, or for sharing the story that changes eternity?
Key shift: move from feeling like an outsider to seeing yourself as an ambassador. Your identity matters. Scripture says,
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God.
That sentence is loaded. It means your faith is not a private hobby or a weekly hour of comfort. It is a public identity. God is making his appeal through you. The harvest is ready; the laborers need to be cultivated.
Called Before Confident, the Core Idea
Many of us wait until we feel “ready.” We wait to know enough theology, to be bold enough, to have the perfect words. That waiting never ends. The truth is more straightforward and braver: you are called before you are confident. Your confidence is built by obedience. When you begin to take small steps of faith, confidence grows.
Look at Scripture: Jeremiah protested that he could not speak, Moses said he was slow of speech, and Gideon claimed he was the least in his family. God’s answer to each was not “be more confident” but “go. I will be with you.” You do not need to be polished. You need to be obedient.
What to Stop Asking
- Stop asking, “Am I confident enough?”
- Start asking, “Am I obedient enough?”
Obedience precedes confidence. If you wait until you feel ready, you will never speak. You were called the moment you said yes to Jesus. That calling is your starting line, not your finish line.
God Goes First. He is Already Working with the People You Know
A comforting and strategic truth: God is already at work in the hearts of those you care about. John 6:44 says no one comes to Jesus unless the Father draws them. You are not starting from zero. Things are happening below the surface that you cannot see. The field has been prepared; you are invited to join the work God is doing.
Practical implication: You do not have to force a conversion moment. You join God’s work by noticing, by listening, and by asking simple, courageous questions:
- “Can I pray for you?”
- “What has been hard for you this week?”
- “Would you like me to share how I found hope?”
Almost no one refuses a sincere offer to pray. That single question opens doors. When people answer yes, they often begin to tell their story, and in telling it, healing and hope can enter.
Compassion, Not Contempt
One of the most significant barriers to evangelism is not fear but offense. We see lifestyles, politics, poor decisions, and crude language, and react with contempt. Jesus saw crowds and felt compassion because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. That is the posture we are asked to take: not judgment, but compassion.
Compassion changes everything. It shifts our goal from correcting behavior to restoring the relationship. When you cultivate compassion, you stop being repelled by what people do and start being moved by their need. You consistently pray for them and enter their lives with humility.
Three Practical Steps to Cultivate Evangelism This Year
Here are three concrete habits to adopt. These are not a program but a spiritual rhythm that will change how you live and speak.
- Pray: Ask God for one or two names. Write them down in your phone, on a sticky note, or in your Bible. Pray for those people every day. Pray for opportunities and for the Father to remove the blinders from their eyes.
- Prepare: Join a focused time of prayer and fasting. Spiritual disciplines sharpen you. Jesus fasted before he began his public ministry. You cannot speak with a dull knife; fasting and prayer hone your spiritual senses and clarity.
- Practice: Take one small step every week: one conversation, one invitation, one act of courage. Start with asking, “Can I pray for you?” Then follow up with listening and asking if you can share how Jesus helped you.
Small, consistent steps produce long-term fruit. If every follower of Jesus reached two people this year, the world would look very different. Two people are not impossible. It is an invitation.
God Sharpens Us Before We Speak
Preparation matters. Go into this year asking God to sharpen your spirit. A season of prayer and fasting recalibrates your heart and words. When you practice these disciplines, you will notice a change; your words will carry more clarity, courage, and compassion.
Think of it like sharpening a knife before you cook. When your spiritual life is sharpened, conversations about faith are less awkward and more natural. You will still be learning as you go, and that is okay. Ambassadors often learn on the job.
A Simple Identity to Remember
Repeat this with me in your head, out loud, or with friends: We belong to Christ. We are his ambassadors. God speaks through us. Our message is reconciliation to God.
Turn that sentence into action by living it. This identity removes the paralysis that comes from performance. You are an ambassador. Ambassadors represent where they came from, even when they do not have every answer.
Practical Examples of What This Looks Like
- At the grocery store: ask the cashier if you can pray for their shift.
- After a neighbor complains about life, offer to listen and pray for the specific stress they’re experiencing.
- With a coworker who lost a loved one: offer to pray and, if they accept, ask permission to share a short story of hope.
- Invite one person to a service, a watch party, or a small gathering, but know that the invitation is a doorway, not the whole work.
What to Expect When You Start
Expect awkwardness. Expect learning. Expect grace. Expect that God will use imperfect words and lives to accomplish perfect results. When you engage in prayer, preparation, and practice, you will be surprised at how often people are ready to receive a word, a prayer, or a simple act of kindness.
Most important: celebrate the small wins. When someone says yes to prayer, that is a harvest moment. When someone asks a question, that is an open door. Remember: God gives the increase. Your faithful obedience joins him in what he is already doing.
Invite a Brief Moment of Commitment
If this resonates with your heart, consider these three immediate steps to begin cultivating evangelism in your life:
- Write down one or two names you will pray for daily.
- Sign up for a focused week of prayer and fasting to sharpen your spirit.
- Practice one courageous conversation each week, start by asking, “Can I pray for you?”
Those three actions are small, precise, and repeatable. They will change how you live this year.
For Those Who Are Curious About a Relationship With God
If you have been wondering who God is, or if you do not yet have a personal relationship with him, here is a simple way to begin: open your heart and ask. A short prayer of surrender is the doorway. You do not need a perfect vocabulary. Say with honest curiosity: “God, if you are real, would you come into my life? Would you forgive me and show me how to follow you?”
That simple step matters more than any list of rules. If you take it, tell someone or write it down. Seek community. Pray and keep looking for people who will walk with you as you explore this new life.
Final Encouragement
This year can be the year we reclaim evangelism as personal, humble, and joyful. We do not need to perform. We need to be present. We need compassion, a sharpened spirit, and daily, obedient steps. God goes first. He is already working in the lives of the people you love. He calls you before your confidence arrives. Your obedience will produce the confidence you seek.
Let this be a year of uncomplicated faithfulness, prayer, preparation, and practice. Ask God for names. Pray. Fast. Start conversations. Be an ambassador. The harvest is plentiful. The laborers are being called. Will you accept the challenge?
Key phrases to remember:
- Called before confident
- God goes first
- Pray, prepare, practice
- We are Christ’s ambassadors
If you’re ready, take one step today, write one name down, and pray for them. That small act is the beginning of a life that can change eternity.