The In-Between

I was recently on a panel with John Piper. After I shared a handful of stories about what God is doing around the world, he turned to me—half amused, half amazed—and asked, "Darren, where do you get all these stories?" I answered, "You have to talk to people."

Why have I personally made it my mission to tell stories of what God is doing around the world?

Acts 15 records the most important meeting of the early church, but before the council convenes in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas must travel there. Luke refuses to summarize the journey with a bland "they went up to Jerusalem." Instead, he writes:

As they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they described in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers (Acts 15:3).

There is a principle here. The "in-between time" matters. Between the urgent summons from Antioch and the decisive council in Jerusalem—over hundreds of miles and many ordinary stops—Paul and Barnabas steward the road for gospel encouragement. They don't use the trip to rehearse frustrations or throw believers in Jerusalem under the bus.

They use the trip to tell grace-stories—updates about how the crucified and risen Jesus is saving people who were far off and bringing them near. And the result? "Great joy." Not shallow cheerfulness, but joy rooted in Christ's finished work, applied by the Spirit, spreading from one community to another.

That's what I want the stories I tell to do: make Christians glad in God.

Acts shows us that in-between time matters and that you can use it. Reports of grace are not self-promotion; they are Christ-promotion. When we narrate what Jesus is doing—how his cross forgives, how his resurrection gives new life, how his Spirit opens hearts—we are not manufacturing optimism; we are distributing joy. We are bearing witness that the gospel still comes to people with power.

We live with tunnel vision. We are finite, and the news we hear shapes the horizons we expect. If the only stories we absorb are of decline, conflict, and exhaustion, we will quietly begin to believe that the best days of gospel fruitfulness are behind us. Go to your favorite news feed, and you might feel your anxiety rise as the world rages against God and each other. But the risen Christ did not retire in Acts 28. He reigns now. He is gathering people from every tribe and tongue now. He is building his church now, and the gates of hell are still losing ground.

Expect God to meet you in the "in-between." A commute, a checkout line, a hospital hallway—these are stages where the Spirit loves to work. Tell what you've seen and heard (Acts 4:20), and let joy run through the church like electricity as you tell the story.

Make it a habit to watch for the Lord's fingerprints and then retell stories of his grace. Don't aim to entertain or sensationalize; do what Paul and Barnabas did: "describe in detail the conversion of the Gentiles" so that "great joy" spreads among the brothers and sisters (Acts 15:3). Testimony is not fluff; it's fuel. It magnifies Christ, strengthens the church, and pushes back the darkness.

When we bear witness to God's work:

• It emboldens ordinary saints. Courage is contagious. Hearing how Jesus saves, sustains, and sends real people helps timid hearts speak up (Phil. 1:12–14; Rev. 12:11).
• It catalyzes prayer. Concrete stories turn vague intentions into specific intercession (Col. 4:2–4).
• It restores joy. In a world that siphons hope, accounts of grace remind us the risen Christ is active now (Ps. 145:4; Rom. 15:13).

Come, Holy Spirit—make us faithful witnesses; make the church glad.