If the question was raised, “What is the Great Commission?,” it could be answered that the Great Commission is the command given by Christ Himself as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20 for the church and individual believers to go out into all the world preaching, teaching and baptizing all who hear and come to Christ the world over. New converts are to be baptized in the name of the Father-God, in the name of the Son-Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost – the third person of the Godhead. New converts are to become disciples of Christ, which is a student of Christ as well as being a devoted follower of Him. As each new convert comes to Christ and becomes a disciple of Christ, the church grows, thus adding to God’s kingdom.
The church and individual believers are to go and proclaim the gospel as recorded in the NT scriptures. This gospel is founded upon the faith of the NT apostles and Christ Himself that He is the promised Messiah who came to earth to die for the sins of the world. In doing so, He became our Lord and Savior and Redeemer. Christ became man’s Redeemer because He made the one-time atonement for man’s sin through His shed blood on the cross at Calvary. All who believe in Jesus Christ and His atoning work are saved and will spend eternity with our Lord.
What is the foundation of the gospel message as recorded in Ephesians 2:20?
This scripture speaks to the truth that Christ’s church is founded upon Him as the head and its infallible truth as witnessed by the NT apostles, as they were Christ’s witnesses, His messengers, and His authorized representatives. This is because Christ gave the Great Commission to His disciples first so they would continue what He had begun of bringing lost souls to Christ – and they did. The church and individual believers today and generations to come are commissioned to continue preaching and teaching Christ and baptizing them as outlined above, as this is the only name that saves. The truth of the gospel was given by God the Holy Spirit, and it is the enduring source of faithful living as well as the direction for the church and believers.
It is noteworthy to say that the church and individual believers must not only obey the truth of the gospel but also defend its teaching and guard it against all false accusations that will be presented by false proclaimers.
Why did Christ issue such command for the church and all believers?
This question comes to mind, “Why did Christ issue such command for the church and all believers?” As stated earlier, Christ wanted His mission of saving lost souls to continue long after He had returned to His Father in heaven. Christ also gave specific instructions as to how we as commissioned missionaries are to proclaim His gospel message and how new believers are to be baptized. This is so there would be no division in whose name-new converts are to be baptized because there is only one name that brings salvation: The name is Jesus Christ. Most importantly, by commissioning His disciples and all believers, the church would and will continue to grow as well as God’s kingdom.
These questions come to mind, “Where are the church and believers to go teaching, preaching and baptizing new converts, and by whose authority and power should they do so?” The church and all believers are to begin in our Jerusalem and then proceed to Judea, Samaria and unto the outermost parts of the world. Jerusalem is our immediate area such as our homes. Our Judea and Samaria are our communities, towns, and cities as well as foreign countries. The church and individual believers are operating in the power of the Holy Spirit and on Christ’s authority as He gave the command. Operating in the power of the Holy Spirit brings into focus Acts 1:8 which speaks to being baptized in the Holy Spirit, which He gives every believer the ability to boldly witness Christ.
Obeying the Great Commission, the church and every individual believer can testify to the righteousness of God’s truth by the power of the Holy Spirit. There is no need to fear, for God is with you.
