What Does The Great Commission Mean?

Have you heard about the “Great Commission?” What does this mean exactly? Does this apply to the believer today or only to the disciples in the first century?

The Great Commission

When Jesus told the disciples to be His witnesses and go into all the world, He was not asking them to or seeking to get their permission or even if they agreed with Him. It was an imperative command like a parent would give to a child that was playing in the middle of the street to “get out of the street, right now…immediately!” There is no “plan B” for the disciples nor is there for us. Jesus, just before His ascension back up into heaven, said “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:19-20). They didn’t need anyone’s permission to take the gospel into the world because Jesus has previously said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18) and so He was passing on this authority to them to take His message into a lost and dying world.

The Power of the Spirit

When Jesus sent out the disciples by giving them their marching orders, He didn’t send them out with no power. Just prior to Jesus’ ascension, He said “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This a promise of God and since Jesus is God and God never lies and is forever faithful, here we have the promise that God will empower us by His Spirit and that God-power will come upon us to preach the gospel of repentance and belief, which is exactly what Jesus preached (Mark 1:15). If we fail at this, then we are living in disobedience to Christ. We are commanded to go into all the world yet less than 5% of Christians will even go next door to proclaim the wrath of God on those who refuse to believe in Christ (John 3:36b). We must tell others that there is no other way to the Father and no other name that is given by which we can possibly be saved (Acts 4:12). No, it’s not politically correct but it is correct nonetheless. You cannot even spell “gospel” without “Go!”

Being a Light?

I have heard the phrase, “preach the gospel and if necessary, use words.” Nothing could be further from the truth because Paul said “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim)” (Rom 10:8) but some say, “Well, I’ll just let my light shine so that others will see” but they also have ears and must hear it! Paul wrote that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom 10:13) but then he asks but “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching” (Rom 10:14)? Romans 10:14 is literally rendered “how are they to believe in him of “whom they have never heard” (Rom 10:14b) meaning that words are necessary. Why did Paul travel throughout the Roman Empire? Because he knew that they wouldn’t hear about Christ unless someone verbally tells them for how “will they call on him in whom they have not believed!?” And “how are they to hear without someone preaching?” The truth is that they cannot hear how they might be saved without someone telling them and that takes words, therefor words are always necessary.

Paul’s Directive

Paul understood that God chose him to be the apostle to the Gentiles (Rom 11:13) and said “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Rom 15:10) which is why he said “I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome” (Rom 1:15). This is what Isaiah meant when he wrote “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns” (Isaiah 52:7) and Nahum wrote “Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace” (Nahum 1:15)! Even the Ethiopian Eunuch said “How can I, unless someone guides me” (Acts 8:31)! Philipp had an evangelist’s heart which is why he “ran up to the chariot” (Acts 8:30) to tell the eunuch Who the prophet Isaiah was writing about!

God’s Desire

Don’t think for a moment that God doesn’t want to use us because we know in many places that “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2nd Pet 3:9) and that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1st Tim 2:4) so my question to you, is that your desire too that none should perish apart from faith in Christ? I would hope so. God makes it clear through Ezekiel by asking the rhetorical question “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live” (Ezk 18:23) as He says “I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live” (Ezk 18:32)!

Conclusion

If you care about lost people, you should be willing to be hated and persecuted for sharing the gospel.  Remember it’s not you they hate…it is the message; it’s not the messenger but the message that they despise. The greatest act of love is to be willing to offend in order that some might be saved. Instead, most Christians are living out the “great omission” instead of obeying the Great Commission. Do we really care about lost souls? God does and so should we.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon.