But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 

---

Have you ever been to Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood? Do you know Ambassador Ertharin Cousin? If you’re familiar with either, you might know what it takes to go from humble beginnings to becoming a world changer—God’s grace. The place where Ms. Cousin grew up is a broken and beautiful community. I’ve served there, and something I learned still stuns me. How did Ertharin reach Rome and beyond while her neighbors might never have made it 7.5 miles to Lake Michigan in their lifetime?! I won’t dive into the complexities of this now. Just let the question linger as we wrestle with Jesus’ mandate in Acts 1:8.

Put yourself in the Disciple’s sandals. Christ comes back from the dead, tells them to launch God’s church, and then He disappears. It’s a rollercoaster of joy, confusion, fear, excitement, and more. Up to this point, Peter, James, John and the rest had only served 80-90 miles from home with and for Jesus. Suddenly, they’re sent as God’s worldwide ambassadors! Let me paraphrase the mission: “Start close to home (Jerusalem), go places you love (Judea) and hate (Samaria), and then just keep going until you run out of people and nations to reach.” It’s thrilling and terrifying. It was then and still is, unless you lean on the whole verse before launching out.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” builds on Jesus’ authority-backed promise: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). No one knows why some Christ-followers only make it down the block and others go global. But both are needed, and every disciple of Jesus is empowered to go as far as God guides.

Wherever you go, represent Christ. You don’t have to change the world for Jesus to change the world through you. You’re sent by Him. You’re fueled by the Holy Spirit. You are part of an unstoppable movement as God builds His church. So, next time you meet another believer, feel free to say with confidence, “Hello, Ambassador.” Jesus says the same of you.

Next Steps

Ask God to point you toward two people that you care about—one who lives close and one who lives far away. What can you do to let them know that Jesus is making a difference in your life these days? Don’t feel pressured to change them. Just share how your God is impacting your life or working through your church lately.

Don’t forget, throughout this series, we’re reading the book of Acts as a church. Take a look at the reading plan and join in!

And, in case you weren’t at church in person or online this past weekend, this summer, we are committing to a goal of 50,000 Acts of Service! As we continue on in our Unleashed series, we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus to our neighbors in our communities. You can log your act of service here. Let’s be bold, commit to acts of kindness, and witness God move powerfully through our communities!