Great Commission

In Christianity, the Great Commission is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to His disciples to spread the gospel to all the nations of the world. The Great Commission is outlined in Matthew 28:16–20, where on a mountain in Galilee Jesus calls on his followers to make disciples of and baptize all nations in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The impetus for the Great Commission springs from the heart and love of God. The disciples are sent out to accomplish what God had started in the sending of his Son (John 3:16). The Great Commission is thus linked to God’s words to Abraham: that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen 12:3 ).

The Great Commission is accomplished through witnessing, preaching, baptizing, and teaching. The Holy Spirit is the empowering agent for those who witness, as well as the one who convicts sinners of their need for Jesus ( John 16:8-11 ). The Great Commission necessitates taking the gospel message to “the ends of the earth” ( Acts 1:8 ), to “all nations” ( Matt 28:19 ). The Good News is to be shared with all peoples, for all are sinners, Jews and Gentile alike, and in need of deliverance from sin ( Rom 3 ). “Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world” (Matt 28:20)! We have been given the power, authority, mandate, and “commission” to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us declare through the power of the Holy Spirit that we have the “will.”