The Family Disciple Me Podcast // Discipleship Starts With a Conversation

Seek Him Speak Him | Where Devotion Becomes Discipleship | Convo #2: Moved to Bear Witness

• Tosha Williams for FDM

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Ever notice how we can gush about a great meal or a new show, yet freeze when it’s time to talk about Jesus? We open that tension with a straight path forward: boldness doesn’t start with a megaphone, it starts with presence. Walking through Acts 4, we sit with Peter and John as they heal a man, face arrest, and announce the line that still shakes timid hearts today: we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.

We share how this kind of courage grows from a simple, repeatable rhythm: Seek Him Speak Him. That means leaning into Scripture with practical prompts, lingering long enough to hear God’s voice, and letting that overflow spill into natural conversations with the people entrusted to us. You’ll hear why boldness is leadership, not loudness, and how everyday discipleship can move from forced to fluent. We also tackle common barriers—fear of awkwardness, not knowing enough, or worrying about pushback—and offer clear steps that make faith talk feel honest and inviting.

Along the way, we connect key passages like Psalm 107:2 and 1 John 1:3, show how presence produces clarity, and how clarity makes courage reasonable. You’ll leave with language you can use today, from simple questions that turn reading into dialogue to ideas for sharing your story with a child, spouse, friend, or neighbor. Ready to be known for time with Jesus and to make Him known in your world? Press play, try the companion conversation guide, and tell us who you’ll speak with this week. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the show.

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The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media.

Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

SPEAKER_00:

Why is it that we can talk so freely about so many things? You know, things like, well, our favorite restaurants or a really good movie that we watched or a great win that we had. We can easily share about a great book or a show that we saw that was life-changing. We don't have a problem bragging about our kids or gushing about our grandkids. We can talk freely and easily about so many things with the people that we love. But when it comes to Jesus and God's word, so many times suddenly we hesitate. Why is it that conversation can feel so natural in so many areas and yet then be so intimidating when it comes to God and with things about the Lord? I think that this is a challenge that every single Christ follower faces and must make a decision about. So that's what we're going to talk about in today's episode. Today we're going to talk about real boldness, the kind of courage that comes from having spent time with Jesus. This is the kind of boldness that bubbles up out of our hearts when we lean into him, when we listen to his voice, when we linger in his presence, so much so that we cannot stay silent, that we have to speak up, that we simply must lead someone else closer to him as well. So with that, welcome back to the Family Disciple Me Ministry. I'm so glad that you're here with us in this second conversation in our Seek Him, Speak Him collection. This is an invitation to walk with Jesus in a way that isn't forced, but becomes natural and, well, eventually even becomes bold because you've spent time with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This is a rhythm of following Jesus, leaning in, learning to listen to his voice, lingering in his presence, and then eventually leading others into his presence as well. This is the heartbeat of this collection of conversations, and it's also the heartbeat of the Family Disciple Me Ministry. So I'm so glad that you're here with me today. And the truth is, what we're going to talk about today, it's not just for us, it's for all those that God has entrusted to us. Because as we grow in courage and boldness, that overflow is going to affect all of those that God has entrusted to us. So let's get started and let's go back to Scripture and pick up with the story of Peter and John in Acts chapter four. Now you may remember from our last episode that Peter and John had just healed a man who had been lame since birth. In the name of Jesus, they said, rise up and walk. And that's exactly what he did. And well, when this happened, it gathered a crowd. And Peter and John used it as an opportunity to share about Jesus. That was so amazing. It was such a pivotal moment that over 5,000 people gave their lives to Christ. It was incredible. The reality was back then and still is today that boldness attracts opposition. The religious leaders, they recognized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. And well, what they did was to arrest them and to command them to stop talking about Jesus completely. Peter and John were risking so much. They could lose everything about their lives, their livelihood, their freedom, their reputation, their safety. But what Peter and John wanted to be known for the most was Jesus. And because they had listened to him, because they had lingered with him, in this pivotal moment, their courage did not fade. And that's where we arrive to Acts chapter 4, verse 20, where they responded to all those who had arrested them, to all those who commanded them to be quiet. Peter and John said this. Oh friend, that response isn't arrogance. That response wasn't about strong personalities. That response was about boldness because they'd seen too much when they were with Jesus. They had heard too much when they spent time with him. Their lives have been changed too much to ever go back to who they were before. And friend, that is exactly why the Family Disciple Me ministry exists, to catalyze common Christians. That's all of us, just like Peter and John and me and you to catalyze all of us into lives that are bold and courageous as we live devotion-driven discipleship throughout our days, as we begin meaningful, intentional conversations about Jesus with those that he's entrusted to us. You see, we seek him, we lean in, we listen, we linger in his presence. And then out of that overflow, we turn around and we speak him. We lead others into his presence as well. Because why? Because, well, Acts chapter 4, verse 20, there's nothing else we can do. We have to speak about the things we've seen and heard. This rhythm, it's so simple, but it will change our lives, and it will change eternity as well. But here's the thing: you might not feel so bold and courageous. You may feel more stuck in the common and ordinary than the uncommon and extraordinary. You may feel unsure, you may feel unqualified, you may feel uneducated, you may feel that you don't have what it takes, but friend, here's the truth. So do I. And so did Peter and John. And yet scripture tells us over and over again that that boldness to not just seek him, but turn around and speak him is exactly what God wants every single one of his people to do. Psalm 107, verse 2 says, Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story. And then in 1 John chapter 1, verse 3, it says, We proclaim what we've seen and heard. Here's the thing your boldness, my courage, well, it begins in the exact same place as well, the psalmist did, and John's did and Piers did. It comes from leaning in. It comes from listening to the Lord. It comes from lingering in his presence, in his word. And then out of that rises up the ability to lead others into real relationship with him as well. Here's the thing: if you want that boldness, if you want that confidence, that courage, if you want Acts chapter 4, verse 20 to become your rhythm, your heartbeat, well, then you must first seek him. You have to lean into his presence. That's where the transformation begins. Not with willpower, not with I'm just going to do it better, but with presence, with abiding and lingering with the Lord. That's why the Family Disciple Me Ministry has created devotion-driven discipleship guides. There's one that goes along with this episode, just like there was one that went along with that last episode. And in fact, there's one that goes along with every episode. Because as you seek him, that conversation guide is going to teach you to ask him questions like, God, what are you saying through the scripture? God, why does this scripture matter? God, how do you want me to respond to this truth? Let those questions become part of the rhythm of your life. Whether you're in the conversation guide or you're simply picking up scripture along life's way, God, speak to me. Show me what you're saying through this scripture. Show me why it matters. Show me how you want me to respond. And then out of that, as we seek him, we begin to speak him, where we lead others into meaningful, intentional discipleship conversations along life's way. Once you've lingered with Jesus and listened to his voice, speaking about him becomes such a natural next step. That's what happened with Peter and John. They weren't trying to be impressive. They weren't trying to make themselves known. They weren't trying to be famous as they were going to the temple. They were simply going there to pray. And yet, because they had been with Jesus, this opportunity for conversation came with this lame man, which then led to an opportunity for them to share about Jesus with so many others, which became the opportunity for them to lead over 5,000 people to Jesus. And then from there, history just becomes a tidal wave about how their lives affected the rest of the world for eternity, including you and including me. You see, boldness is not about loudness. Boldness for Jesus is about leadership. And so with that, I want to go back to that first question that we talked about at the top of this episode. Why is it that it's so easy to talk about everything? But then we feel intimidated when it comes to talking about Jesus. Discipleship doesn't have to be intimidating. The thing is, discipleship starts with a conversation, and we can skip the intimidation and get straight to those conversations that really matter when we've spent time with Jesus. So, friend, I challenge you to go with this today. I challenge you to seek him along life's way today. Spend some time in the accompanying devotion-driven discipleship guide. And then as you do, my friend, turn around and speak him into the life of someone entrusted to you. That may be your child, your grandchild, a neighbor, a friend, someone you're mentoring, your spouse, someone in your small group, your roommate, you know who that person is, just like I know who those people are in my life. But all of us have the opportunity, one, to be known for having spent time with Jesus, and number two, for making him known. There are so many more devotion-driven discipleship guides and episodes and conversations that we have within the Family Disciple Me Ministry. But for right now, I encourage you to lean into this rhythm of seek him, speak him, because I believe it will absolutely change your life and change eternity as well. I can't wait to hear what God does in your life and in the lives of those that he's entrusted to you. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he turn his countenance toward you and give you peace. Oh, go with God, friend. Until next time, be encouraged.