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Incarnate - Ryan Vallee
Sermon Summary
Our special guest, Ryan Vallee , emphasises the power of simply inviting others to "come and see" Jesus, trusting the Holy Spirit to work through everyday relationships to share the good news and transform lives.
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A song sets the tone. The gospel sounds like a love song that started long ago, a song Jesus still leads, a melody some know by heart, others are learning, and many will hear for the first time. Matthew 28 gives the chorus. The commission speaks in the imperative, as you go, make disciples, baptising and teaching, with the risen Jesus promising, I am with you always. The text refuses to be background music. It asks ordinary lives in ordinary places to turn up the volume.
An invitation carries the tune. The call is simple enough to remember and brave enough to pray: come and see. The force of that call is not about me. Convincing and convicting belong to the Spirit. Evangelism, as Darrell Johnson frames it, enters a conversation the Spirit is already having with someone. So prayer sets the key, and sharing becomes a light touch that trusts the Spirit’s lead.
Scripture keeps putting the invitation in everyday hands. Jesus strolls beside the lake and recruits fishermen, not the top students, with a reversal that stuns. He does not wait to be asked. He says, come follow me, and makes them fishers of people. Acts notes the courage of unschooled, ordinary men. The mark that matters is that they had been with Jesus. The Samaritan woman at the well becomes the greatest evangelist in the gospels with three words. Come and see sends a whole town to meet the Saviour of the world. She does not tidy her history first. She simply names the One who told her everything she ever did and still gave living water.
Courage moves the story forward. Fear locked the first disciples in a room, but something greater than their fear passed through the door. A living Saviour turned their whisper into witness. Loyalty makes the invitation visible. Four friends climb a roof, tear it open, and lower their paralysed mate to Jesus. That is what love looks like when it refuses to come back next Sunday. The forgiven man walks out carrying more than a mat. He carries a future.
The movement grows through small yeses. Pray, invite, bring. Celebrate the invitation, not the response. Let the gospel stop being background music, a few sing and but instead become the song every voice learns to carry. Albert McMakin’s truckload of friends and one reluctant driver named Billy show what God can do with a simple come and see offered at the right time.
Key Takeaways
1. Invitation joins the Spirit’s work:
The Spirit goes first, and the church follows. Convincing is not a human project, so anxiety can rest and courage can rise. Prayer tunes a person’s ear to what the Spirit is already saying, then the simple invite gives that whisper a door to walk through.
2. Come and see is enough:
God often entrusts the gospel to three humble words. The Samaritan woman does not polish a testimony; she names the One who met her in truth and mercy. Come and see carries both honesty and hope, and it creates space for people to hear Jesus for themselves.
3. Ordinary people carry extraordinary news:
Fishermen, prisoners, cyclists, and farmers are who Jesus’ picks. The credential that counts is time with Him, not a perfect record or polished speech. God delights to send unschooled, ordinary people whose lives say, He found me and He can find you.
4. Courage moves through locked doors:
Fear does not disqualify; it becomes a doorway when Jesus steps into the room. Courage is not swagger but a steady yes that outlasts the tremor. That is why the call stays simple and repeatable: pray, invite, bring, and let love outlast the excuses.
5. Loyal friendship lowers roofs:
When a friend cannot move toward Jesus, love carries the stretcher. Creative, persistent loyalty opens crowded houses and crowded hearts. Every costly step says, you matter, and every yes creates conditions for forgiveness and healing to meet a name and a face.
Daily Hope Devotionals
Day 1: Riding Maria’s Bicycle into Uncomfortable Invitations
Scripture:
Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2028%3A19-20&version=NIV
Devotional:
The gospel invitation often begins in awkward, vulnerable spaces. Like a grown man pedalling a flower-basket bicycle through Salzburg, discipleship requires leaning into moments that feel unnatural. True evangelism isn’t about polished performances but showing up with humility, trusting the Spirit’s work beneath surface-level discomfort. Courage isn’t the absence of fear but choosing to ring the bell anyway, knowing Christ’s presence rides with us.
Reflection:
What relational “bicycle moment” have you avoided due to fear of awkwardness?
How might embracing discomfort become an act of trust in Christ’s nearness?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I pray for courage as I look at my relationships and embrace the challenge of sharing You with those I do life with. Amen
Day 2: The Woman at the Well’s Three-Word Revolution
Scripture:
John 4:28-30,39 (NIV)
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him... Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%204%3A28-30%2C%2039&version=NIV
In John 4, a socially marginalised woman with five failed marriages became history’s most effective evangelist through three words: “Come and see.” Her story proves God prioritises willing hearts over perfect resumes. When we bring people not to our answers but to the living Christ, brokenness becomes a megaphone for grace. The Spirit amplifies simple invitations far beyond our perceived disqualifications.
Reflection:
Where has shame over your past kept you silent?
How might your story of encountering Christ, even the unresolved parts, invite others to “come and see”?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the example of the woman at the well and her words, “Come and see”. Please help me to acknowledge the shame which keeps me from saying the same words, “come and see!”. Amen.
Day 3: Digging Through Roofs for Friends in Need
Scripture:
Mark 2:3-5 (NIV)
Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%202%3A3-5&version=NIV
Devotional:
Four friends refused to let crowds, cultural norms, or a ceiling stop them from bringing their paralysed friend to Jesus. True spiritual friendship tears through barriers, prioritising eternal outcomes over temporary messiness. Loyalty looks like shouldering others’ helplessness into Christ’s presence, trusting He meets us mid-desperation.
Reflection:
Who in your life needs you to “dig through the roof” for them?
What practical step could you take this week to bring them closer to Jesus?
Prayer:
Oh Lord, thank You for the people around me. You know who they are, and I ask for You to lead me to the one person with whom I can step out in faith and witness You. Father, help me tell others what You have done in my life. Amen,
Day 4: Driving the Truck for a Future Evangelist
Scripture:
John 1:40-42
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201%3A40-42&version=NIV
Devotional:
Albert McMakin didn’t preach to Billy Graham; he asked him to drive the truck. Ordinary obedience often fuels extraordinary Kingdom impact. Our role isn’t to be the hero but the faithful asker, creating space for others to encounter Christ. Eternal legacies grow from small, consistent “yeses” to inconvenient invitations.
Reflection:
What “truck driver” act of service have you undervalued?
How might faithful small obediences plant seeds for harvests you’ll never see?
Prayer:
Abba Father, there have been times in my life when I have put things down to coincidences when, in actual fact, it has been you working in my life. Please forgive me! I don’t want to miss opportunities of sharing what You have done in my life, help me to acknowledge You in all things every day to all people. Amen
Day 5: Singing Off-Key in the Spirit’s Choir
Scripture:
Romans 10:14-15
How, then, 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 to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2010%3A14-15%2C%20&version=NIV
Devotional:
The gospel isn’t a solo performance but a chorus of mismatched voices. Like cyclists belting Sound of Music lyrics off-rhythm, our awkward attempts join heaven’s symphony. The Spirit harmonises our fumbling invitations into transformative grace notes. Our task isn’t perfection but participation in the eternal song.
Reflection:
Where have you muted your voice because it doesn’t sound “Christian enough”?
How might embracing your unique quality amplify Christ’s melody?
Prayer:
Father, I don’t have to sing the same tune as everyone else, it must be Your tune. I pray I will be able to sing Your melody in the way that I can do. I recognise I don’t need to sound the same as other, I just need to be me. Amen.
Day 6: The Power of a Simple Invitation
Scripture:
John 1:39
“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201%3A39&version=NIV
Devotional:
In the sermon, Neil explained how Jesus called ordinary fishermen to follow Him, not because of their abilities, but because of His purpose for their lives. Likewise, the Samaritan woman at the well, despite her broken past, became a powerful witness simply by inviting others to “come and see” Jesus. We don’t need to have all the answers or be perfect; we just need to be willing to invite others into the story of Jesus.
Reflection:
Who in your life might be ready to hear this simple invitation?
Pray for courage to say, “Come and see,” trusting that God is already at work.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I pray You will bring the person to mind who is ready to accept the invitation to “come and see”, thank You for the work that has already begun, and use me as the next part of the story. Amen
Day 7: Courage to Share the Good News
Scripture:
2 Timothy 1:7
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%201%3A7&version=NIV
Devotional:
The disciples were initially afraid and locked themselves away after Jesus’ crucifixion. But the risen Christ came to them, giving them hope and courage to step out and share the good news. We see this same courage in ordinary people like Sherry, who found new life through an invitation and now leads others, and Albert McMakin, whose simple act of inviting a friend changed the world through Billy Graham. God uses our willingness to step out, not our perfection.
Reflection:
Ask God to fill you with His Spirit of courage today. Who can you invite to explore faith, even if you feel afraid or unsure?
Remember, the Spirit leads and empowers us.
Prayer:
Dear God, You already know the apprehension I have in stepping out. Thank you for the Spirit of Courage today. Lord, I go in Your name and in Your power, and I remember it is Good News, I share! Amen.
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