The Holy Spirit Works in Us, Equips Us, and Sends Us
Primary Scripture: Ephesians 4:1–16
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service.”
—Ephesians 4:11–12
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God does not waste what we experience. He meets us in our trials, forms us through them, and uses our testimony to strengthen others.
But what happens after God gives us a testimony? Does His work end with us, or is it intended to continue through us?
What God has done in us is not meant to end with us. The grace we have received is meant to flow through us into the lives of others. That movement from testimony to multiplication, however, requires action.
A testimony can remain only a memory if we never share it. A lesson can remain only information if we never invest it in another person. A church can agree with the Great Commission while failing to practice it.
Jesus did not tell His followers merely to appreciate the gospel. He told us to carry it. He did not call us simply to attend church. He called us to become His witnesses and make disciples.
The Baton Must Be Passed
Think about a relay race. One runner may run an exceptional portion of the race, but the team cannot finish if the baton is never passed. The runner cannot stand still, hold the baton, and simply celebrate how precious it is. The baton has been entrusted to the runner so it can be carried and passed.
The gospel has been entrusted to us in the same way. We did not receive it so that it would stop in our hands. We received it so that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, it could be carried faithfully to someone else.
Here is the central truth:
Multiplication requires action, but effective action requires the Holy Spirit.
We cannot fulfill a spiritual mission through human strength alone. We need the Holy Spirit. Yet depending upon the Spirit does not mean remaining passive. The Spirit empowers us so that we can obey.
The Holy Spirit Prepares Us for Action
Before Jesus returned to the Father, He gave His disciples this promise:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.”
—Acts 1:8
Before Jesus told His disciples where they would go, He told them where their power would come from.
They had already spent years with Jesus. They had heard His teaching, watched His miracles, witnessed His compassion, and seen His death and resurrection. Yet their knowledge and experience were not enough to accomplish the mission.
Jesus told them to wait for the promised Holy Spirit.
The mission was greater than their natural ability. It is greater than ours as well.
We cannot argue someone into the kingdom of God. We cannot manufacture spiritual life, produce conviction, or change the human heart. Only God can awaken a heart. Only Christ can save. Only the Holy Spirit can convict, draw, guide, and transform.
But waiting was not the disciples’ final assignment. They waited so they could be empowered to go.
There is a difference between waiting upon God and avoiding obedience. There is also a difference between depending upon the Spirit and expecting Him to do what He has commanded us to do.
The Holy Spirit gives us power to witness. He teaches us and reminds us of the words of Jesus. He guides us into truth, helps us pray, gives spiritual gifts for the good of others, and produces the character of Christ within us.
The Spirit works in us so that He can work through us.
Picture a sailboat sitting motionless on the water. The wind may be blowing, but the boat will not travel far if the sail remains lowered. The sailor does not create or control the wind, but the sailor must raise the sail and respond to the wind that is already moving.
We do not create the power of the Holy Spirit, nor do we control Him. But we can surrender, make ourselves available, and obey His leading.
The Holy Spirit does not empower us merely to feel something. He empowers us to do something.
Perhaps our prayer should become:
Holy Spirit, make me attentive.
Make me available.
Give me courage.
Show me the next obedient step.
Then help me take it.
Every Believer Has a Ministry
Ephesians 4 changes how we understand the work of the church. Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip God’s people for works of service.
The passage does not say that pastors and teachers are supposed to perform all the ministry while everyone else watches. Leaders equip, but the whole body participates.
Church is not intended to be an audience watching a few gifted people perform. The church is the living body of Christ, and every member has a place in His mission.
Some teach. Some encourage. Some serve, lead, give, welcome, listen, or pray. Some quietly notice the person everyone else has overlooked.
You may say, “I am not a preacher.” You do not have to be.
You may say, “I am not naturally outgoing.” You do not have to become someone God did not create you to be.
You may say, “I do not know enough.” You do not need to answer every possible question before telling someone what Jesus means to you.
A witness is not required to know everything. A witness faithfully tells what he or she has seen, heard, and experienced.
One person may begin by delivering a meal. Another may make a telephone call. Someone may sit beside a grieving neighbor and listen. Someone may invite a friend to worship. Another person may tell how Jesus carried them through illness, loss, addiction, anxiety, disappointment, or loneliness.
Every person does not have to do everything, but every disciple is called to do something.
Paul writes:
“From him the whole body…grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
—Ephesians 4:16
The body grows as each part does its work. Multiplication happens when equipped believers move from receiving ministry to participating in the ministry of Jesus.
Attendance matters. Worship, biblical teaching, and fellowship matter. But attendance is preparation, not the final destination.
The question is not merely, “What did I receive at church?”
We must also ask, “Whom am I becoming because of Christ, and into whose life am I investing what I have received?”
A reservoir collects water. A river receives water and carries life outward. The church must never become a spiritual reservoir where truth, grace, experience, and blessing collect but never flow.
God Uses Willing People
Acts 2 shows what happened when the promised Holy Spirit came. The disciples were filled with the Spirit, and Peter stood to proclaim Jesus.
This was the same Peter who had denied Jesus because he was afraid. Before Pentecost, he trembled before the questions of a servant girl. After Pentecost, he stood before a crowd and boldly proclaimed the crucified and risen Christ.
Peter was still Peter, but he was now surrendered to and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
God does not wait for fearless people. He fills willing people and gives them courage to act despite their fear.
Fear asks, “What if I say the wrong thing?”
The Spirit reminds us to speak the truth in love.
Fear asks, “What if they reject me?”
The Spirit reminds us that we are responsible for obedience, while God is responsible for the result.
Fear says, “Someone else could do this better.”
The Spirit asks, “Will you be available to the person I have placed before you?”
Peter spoke, but the Spirit brought conviction. Peter explained the gospel, but Jesus saved. The believers obeyed, and the Lord added to their number.
We take the action, but God produces the transformation.
We cannot save anyone, force anyone to believe, or change the human heart.
But we can care.
We can pray.
We can share.
We can invite.
We can listen.
We can serve.
We can obey.
The results belong to God. The obedience belongs to us.
Multiplication Happens Through Relationships
Paul told Timothy:
“What you have heard from me…entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
—2 Timothy 2:2
In that verse, we see multiple generations of discipleship: Paul invested in Timothy, Timothy was to invest in reliable people, and those people would teach others.
That is multiplication.
Discipleship becomes multiplication when we intentionally help another person follow Jesus and prepare that person to help someone else follow Him.
This ministry usually happens through ordinary relationships. It happens across a kitchen table, during a telephone conversation, or when two people open the Bible together. It happens when an older Christian shares wisdom with a younger believer, when someone who has endured grief walks with someone newly grieving, or when a church member notices a newcomer and says, “Come sit with me.”
Multiplication rarely happens accidentally.
Someone must notice. Someone must initiate. Someone must make time, listen, pray, speak about Jesus, and continue walking beside another person.
Good intentions do not make disciples. Spirit-led, loving, obedient action makes disciples.
Programs can be helpful, but multiplication ultimately comes down to people investing in people. If we want to become a multiplying church, we must recover the ministry of walking with people—not merely inviting them into a building, but inviting them into our lives.
Care, Pray, and Share
How can we begin? We can start with three simple actions: care, pray, and share.
Care
Jesus looked upon people with compassion. He did not see interruptions, inconveniences, statistics, or projects. He saw people who needed a shepherd.
Care may mean listening without rushing, learning someone’s story, meeting a practical need, sending an encouraging message, sharing a meal, or simply being consistently present.
People are not evangelistic projects. They are people whom God loves.
Pray
Prayer acknowledges that God is already at work before we arrive.
In Wesleyan theology, we speak of prevenient grace—the grace of God that goes before us. Before we speak, God is working. Before a person understands everything, the Spirit is drawing, awakening, and inviting.
Prayer is not merely preparation for the work. Prayer is part of the work.
Share
Sharing Jesus does not require preaching a sermon. It can begin with a simple testimony:
This is what my life was like.
This is how I encountered Jesus.
This is what Christ is doing in me now.
We might ask, “May I tell you what has helped me?” “Would it be all right if I prayed for you?” or “Would you like to read one of the Gospels together?”
We are not called to pressure people. We are called to love them, tell the truth, and trust the Holy Spirit.
Care builds the relationship.
Prayer invites God’s direction and power.
Sharing points the person toward Jesus.
Write Down One Name
Who has God already placed within your reach?
It may be a relative, friend, neighbor, coworker, newcomer, or someone who has drifted away from God. Ask the Holy Spirit, “Whom are You placing upon my heart?”
Then write down one name.
That name represents a real person with a real story—someone with hopes, fears, disappointments, questions, wounds, and needs. That person is someone Jesus loves.
You cannot save that person, and you do not have to carry the weight of producing the result. But you can make yourself available to the Holy Spirit.
You can care for them.
You can pray for them.
You can share the hope you have found in Christ.
Multiplication begins when one Spirit-filled disciple takes one obedient step toward one person.
The Holy Spirit works in us.
The Holy Spirit equips us.
The Holy Spirit sends us.
Now we must act.
