The Great Commission
We believe that the risen Lord Jesus Christ has commanded His Church to make disciples of all nations. Believers are to proclaim the Gospel, baptize disciples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything Christ has commanded. This mission rests upon Christ’s authority and is carried out with confidence in His continuing presence.
The message entrusted to the Church is the Gospel of Jesus Christ: that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures. People everywhere are called to repent and believe in Him. The Gospel must not be altered, hidden, or confused with the idea that salvation can be earned through human effort.
The Great Commission is the responsibility of every believer and of the whole Church, although believers carry it out in different ways. Every Christian’s life should point others toward Christ through conduct that reflects His character and through words that make the Gospel known.
Some believers are called to carry the Gospel across cultures or to places where Christ is not widely known. Others bear witness within their families, workplaces, churches, and communities. Believers also participate by praying, giving, teaching, encouraging, welcoming, and supporting those who are sent. Local churches should prepare disciples and faithfully send workers as God provides opportunity.
The Great Commission must be carried out in dependence upon the Holy Spirit and in a manner consistent with the character of Christ. Christians should speak truthfully, lovingly, courageously, and respectfully, without manipulation or coercion. Believers are responsible for faithful witness; only God can change hearts and produce spiritual growth.
Supporting Scriptures
Christ’s Command to Make Disciples
Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:44-49; John 20:21; Acts 1:6-8
The Gospel We Proclaim
Romans 1:16-17; I Corinthians 15:1-4; II Corinthians 5:17-21; Acts 20:20-21
Making and Teaching Disciples
Acts 2:37-42; Acts 14:21-23; Colossians 1:24-29; II Timothy 2:1-2
The Whole Church Participates
Romans 10:13-15; Philippians 1:27-30; III John 1:5-8
Faithful and Loving Witness
II Corinthians 4:1-6; Colossians 4:2-6; I Thessalonians 2:3-8; I Peter 3:15-16
God Produces the Growth
John 6:44; Acts 16:13-14; I Corinthians 3:5-7
Layman's Terms
Before Jesus returned to the Father, He gave His followers continuing work to do. They were to take the good news about Him to people everywhere and help those who believed become faithful disciples.
The Great Commission involves more than obtaining a profession of faith. A disciple must be taught who Jesus is, what He has done, and how to follow Him. Evangelism and discipleship therefore belong together. We proclaim the Gospel, baptize, teach Scripture, and help one another grow in obedience to Christ.
Not every Christian will become a missionary, pastor, or public teacher, but every believer shares responsibility for the Great Commission. The way that responsibility is carried out will differ according to God-given gifts, opportunities, and circumstances.
A Christian’s conduct should point others toward Christ. Acts of compassion, integrity, mercy, and service can demonstrate His love and character. Those actions do not, however, explain who Jesus is, why He died, or how a person can be reconciled to God. The Gospel must also be communicated in words.
We cannot argue, pressure, or manipulate anyone into genuine faith. Christians should explain the Gospel clearly, answer questions honestly, and treat people with love and respect. We are responsible for faithfully presenting the truth. Only God can open a heart and bring someone to saving faith.
Further Study
The Content of the Gospel
The Church has not been authorized to invent its own message. The Gospel centers upon the person and work of Jesus Christ—His death for our sins, His burial, and His bodily resurrection. It calls people to repent and believe in Him.
The Gospel must not be reduced to moral improvement, political action, emotional experience, or the promise of a more comfortable life. These things may become connected to broader Christian concerns, but none of them is the Gospel itself.
Christians should explain both the problem of sin and the saving work of Christ. The message includes God’s holiness, human guilt, Christ’s substitutionary death, His resurrection, and the call to repentance and faith. It also offers the genuine hope of forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and eternal life through Christ.
Making Disciples, Not Merely Converts
In Matthew 28, the central command is to make disciples. Going, baptizing, and teaching describe the continuing work involved in carrying out that command.
A profession of faith should not be treated as the completion of Christian ministry. New believers need Scripture, prayer, fellowship, instruction, encouragement, correction, and opportunities to serve. The Great Commission therefore includes both introducing people to Christ and helping them mature in Him.
Discipleship does not mean making people dependent upon a particular teacher or organization. The goal is to help believers know Christ, understand His Word, participate in the life of His Church, and grow in faithful obedience to Him.
The Responsibility of Every Believer and the Whole Church
Jesus gave the Great Commission to His followers, and the New Testament shows local churches participating together in its fulfillment. Churches prayed, taught, gave, sent workers, supported them, and received reports about the work God had done.
Every believer shares responsibility for the Great Commission, but believers do not all serve in the same way. Some are called to cross cultures or travel great distances. Others bear witness and make disciples where God has placed them. Believers also participate through prayer, giving, encouragement, hospitality, teaching, and support for those who are sent.
No Christian can personally reach every nation or fulfill every aspect of the commission. The responsibility belongs to every believer, while the work is carried out by the whole Church acting together under the authority and power of Christ.
All Nations
The Gospel is not limited to one nation, culture, language, social class, or ethnic group. Jesus commanded His disciples to carry the message to all nations, and Revelation presents people from every tribe, language, people, and nation worshiping Him.
This worldwide mission does not make nearby opportunities less important. In Acts 1:8, Christ directed His followers toward Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. The Church must be concerned with both its immediate neighbors and people in distant places.
Cross-cultural ministry requires humility. The Gospel must never be confused with the assumption that one human culture is superior to another. Scripture must be communicated clearly within different cultures without changing its truth.
Christ’s Authority, Presence, and Power
The Great Commission begins with Christ’s declaration that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. It ends with His promise to remain with His followers. The mission therefore belongs to Christ and is carried out under His authority.
Jesus also told His disciples to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit. Christian mission cannot be sustained merely through planning, personality, resources, or human determination. Believers must depend upon the Holy Spirit for courage, wisdom, opportunity, and effective witness.
Christ’s authority gives the Church its mandate. His presence gives believers confidence. The Holy Spirit gives them power to bear witness.
Faithful Witness and God’s Work
Christians are called to proclaim the Gospel openly and honestly. The message must not be advanced through deception, manipulation, intimidation, or promises God has not made. The manner in which Christians communicate should be consistent with the message they proclaim.
A believer’s conduct should commend the Gospel, while the Gospel itself must be communicated in words. Acts of compassion can demonstrate the love of Christ, but they do not by themselves explain His death, resurrection, or call to repentance and faith. Likewise, spoken witness should be supported by a life increasingly shaped by the message being proclaimed.
Faithful witness includes clarity, patience, courage, gentleness, and respect. Christians will not live perfectly, but they should be prepared to acknowledge failure, seek forgiveness, and demonstrate the transforming grace they proclaim.
Visible results are not entirely within our control. One believer may plant, another may water, but God gives the growth. This truth guards against both pride when many respond and despair when response appears limited. Our responsibility is faithful obedience; the results belong to God.
Memory Passage
Matthew 28:18-20