The Great Commission is Jesus' final command to his disciples: 'Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you' (Matthew 28:19-20). It is the mission of every Christian — make disciples of all nations.
The Great Commission is Christ's final command before his ascension. Several biblical truths. (1) All authority undergirds the mission. Matthew 28:18 — Jesus said: 'All power [authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth.' The commission rests on Christ's universal authority. (2) The main verb is 'make disciples.' The Greek 'mathēteusate' (make disciples) is the central command. 'Go,' 'baptizing,' and 'teaching' are participles describing how. (3) The scope is all nations. Greek 'panta ta ethnē' — every people group. The gospel is for every culture, language, and ethnicity. (4) The pattern: go, baptize, teach. Go — evangelism, mission, sending. Baptize — initiation into the Christian community. Teach — ongoing discipleship in everything Christ commanded. (5) Triune name. Baptizing 'in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' The Trinitarian baptismal formula has been used by the church for 2,000 years. (6) The promise. Matthew 28:20 — 'lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.' Christ's presence empowers the mission. (7) The command is for all disciples, not just clergy. Every Christian is to make disciples. Acts 8:1, 4 — when persecution scattered the church, they 'went everywhere preaching the word.' (8) Other Great Commission passages. Mark 16:15 — 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.' Luke 24:47 — 'repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.' Acts 1:8 — 'ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem... unto the uttermost part of the earth.' The Commission appears in multiple forms. The Great Commission has shaped church history — sending missionaries to every corner of the world, founding hospitals, schools, and translation work, and producing the global church we see today. It continues today. Every Christian shares in this mission.
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway.”
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
Live as a disciple-maker. Share the gospel with your neighbor, coworker, family. Support missions. Pour into one or two people deeply. Help your local church reach others. The Great Commission is not optional; it is the marching order of the church. Christ is with you (Matthew 28:20) — go.
The Great Commission is Jesus' final command in Matthew 28:18-20: 'Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.' It is the mission of every Christian — make disciples of all nations, baptize them, teach them, with Christ's authority and presence.
Every Christian. Matthew 28:18-20 is given to the eleven disciples, but the command to 'make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you' includes the command to evangelize and disciple. Every disciple is to make disciples. Some are gifted as evangelists (Ephesians 4:11); all are called to witness (Acts 1:8).
Not just to evangelize (gain converts) but to make disciples (committed followers of Christ). The Great Commission includes: going (proclamation, going to the unreached), baptizing (initiating into the Christian community), and teaching them to observe everything Christ commanded (ongoing instruction in obedience). Disciple-making is comprehensive.
(1) Be a disciple yourself first. (2) Live as a witness — your life adorns or contradicts the gospel. (3) Share the gospel with people in your sphere. (4) Pray for the unreached. (5) Support missions and missionaries. (6) Disciple one or two people deeply. (7) Help your local church reach others. (8) Stay close to Christ — he is with you 'alway.'