How the Holy Spirit Sends Every Believer into God’s Mission
(Featuring my interview with Dr. Darren Carlson)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…” — Acts 1:8
There is something deeply personal about those words.
Jesus did not say, You will become platform builders.
He did not say, You will be influencers.
He said, You will be my witnesses.
A witness does not manufacture a story. A witness simply testifies to what he or she has seen, heard, and experienced.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gathered His followers—men and women who had walked dusty roads with Him, who had watched Him heal the sick, who had stood trembling at the cross and stunned at the empty tomb.
To them He gave the Great Commission:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19–20).
We often imagine this command addressed only to the twelve disciples. But Scripture makes clear that Jesus appeared to many followers after His resurrection:
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:6).
The Great Commission was not meant for a private leadership team. It was a community mandate.
The call was never limited to apostles.
It was always intended for believers.
The Great Commission is for:
• The doctor who prays quietly before entering an exam room.
• The schoolteacher who models patience to a difficult child.
• The stay-at-home mother discipling little hearts at the kitchen table.
• The engineer who works with integrity when cutting corners would be easier.
Too often, we reduce missions to passports and plane tickets. But the Book of Acts shows us something richer. The Gospel spread through ordinary believers who carried extraordinary power—the indwelling Holy Spirit. In Acts 8, persecution scattered the believers. And what happened?
“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” (Acts 8:4).
Not just the apostles.
The scattered preached. And the fire kept spreading throughout the world.
Halfway through the Book of Acts, we see ordinary people doing extraordinary things because they believed the Gospel was not information to preserve but good news to proclaim. The same Spirit who emboldened Peter, who guided Philip, who sustained Paul—that Spirit has not retired.
He still empowers. He still sends out.
It was this truth that shaped my recent conversation with Dr. Darren Carlson, pastor and founder of Training Leaders International.
In his new devotional, Witness: Missional Devotions from the Book of Acts, Darren draws on both Scripture and firsthand accounts of global ministry to remind believers that God’s mission is not confined to a continent.
Through 60 days of reflections, Witness invites readers to step into their identity as everyday missionaries—right where they live.
The stories Darren shares from the global Church echo the pattern we see in Acts: faithfulness, perseverance, and Spirit-empowered courage.
The book challenges the reader to embrace the Great Commission in the place where God has planted them, reminding us that we do not need a microphone to fulfill it or relocate to another nation. All we need is a surrendered heart.
Jesus did not say, Go and build your name.
He said, Go and make disciples.
And disciples are formed through conversations, integrity, prayer, hospitality, courage, and compassion. Through lives that reflect Christ so clearly that others cannot help but want to know more about the reason for the hope within us (1 Peter 3:15).
The Great Commission belongs to the Church.
And if you belong to Christ, you belong to His mission.
Today, wherever God has placed you—that is your Jerusalem (Acts 1:8).
Your workplace, neighborhood, or your family table.
The question is not whether you are called.
The question is whether you are willing to say YES to that call.
If you would like to explore this further, I encourage you to listen to my full conversation with Darren Carlson and consider walking through the devotional with Darren’s insights, experience and wisdom. It is a timely resource for believers who want to move from passive faith to active participation in God’s redemptive story.
Purchase Dr. Darren Carlson‘s Book:
Purchase Here from Amazon
