The Great Commission

The Great Commission is Jesus inviting ordinary people like you and me to continue the mission He began.

Philippians 2:5–7

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant..."

Matthew 28:18–20

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.'"

• 51% of American churchgoers have never even heard the phrase "The Great Commission."
• 85% of pastors believe the Great Commission is a mandate for every Christian.
• Only 25% of churchgoers believe the Great Commission is a mandate for every Christian.

Is there anything about my life that looks like I'm obeying the Great Commission?

The Great Commission isn't good advice from a wise teacher — it's the marching orders of the One who has all authority in heaven and on earth.

We Are Called To Go!

1. Going Is the Nature of the Gospel

Going isn't just something Jesus commands; going is something God has always done.

God doesn't stand back hoping broken people somehow find Him; He pursues, He moves toward the broken. Our God goes.

Galatians 4:4–5

"When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons."

Before Jesus ever told us to go, Jesus went. Jesus went and now we're sent!

John 20:21

"As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you."

Before "go" is about geography, it's about identity.

The Greek construction reads, "As you are going..." You're already going. The question is: will you go as someone who has been sent?

Jesus lived intentionally, but He also lived interruptibly.

Some of God's greatest opportunities come disguised as interruptions.

2. Jesus Sends Us Near, Far, and Everywhere In Between

Matthew 28:19

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…"

Acts 1:8

"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."

• Jerusalem
• Judea
• Samaria

Ben Sira, 180 BC "My soul detests two kinds of nations, and the third is not even a people... the inhabitants of Seir, the Philistines, and the foolish people who live in Shechem."

"Nations" (ethnē) - People groups. Ethnic groups. Every tribe. Every language. Every culture.

Jesus isn't just telling us to cross borders; He's telling us to cross barriers.

Galatians 3:28

"There is neither Jew nor Greek... for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Colossians 3:11

"Here there is not Greek and Jew... barbarian, Scythian... but Christ is all, and in all."

Jesus didn't save us so we could build bigger walls; He saved us so we'd carry His love across them.

To the Ends of the Earth

Don't stop until everyone has had an opportunity to hear.

It's not sequential, it's simultaneous.

The Gospel was never meant to stop with us. The Gospel came to you because God was pursuing you. But it didn't stop there. It came to you so it could go through you. So don't let it stop with you.