The Supreme Task
Multitudes among the billions of people populating planet Earth have never heard of Jesus in a way that they can understand. Therefore, presenting Jesus to them is a task of first magnitude which challenges the energies of the entire Church of God . In the light of this challenge, this emphasizes the urgency of our task. It is evident that the command of Christ obligates his church to preach the gospel in all the world for a witness to all nations . The world is the scope of our commission, while the bounds of the earth are the church's only limitations. The gospel must be published among all nations, and every tribe and tongue must hear. Such is the explicit will of our risen Lord.
Missions Involvement is a Spiritual Task
The great commission,
Matthew 28:19, 20, does set forth the basic framework of our missionary assignment. The New Testament sets forth patterns of evangelization which must be adopted quickly if the great commission is to be taken seriously by the church. If the church fails to preach God's way of forgiveness of sins, no one else will. Thus, the world will remain in sin, separated from God. The Church is God’s instrument for preaching the gospel—the whole gospel for the whole man for the whole world.
The Bible Way -- Involvement by the People
The New Testament church is an organism drawn together through spiritual ties. Opportunities are available for personal involvement in the missions’ task of communicating the gospel. Many sincerely believe in the missionary cause but do not know how to develop a meaningful program in their churches. The pastor who accepts the great commission as a personal responsibility will eventually develop a missionary church. A church is responsible for its community, nation and world. The church must get back to the bedrock of the life and ministry of Christ, the cross, the empty tomb and Pentecost. The task of the church is still to make disciples of all people. This great, always valid commission is the start***ing point of discipleship. Christians who have a personal relationship with Christ will commit themselves in obeying the commission of our Lord as given to us.
Apostolic Missionary Vision
In the Book of Acts, we see the apostles at work, first as missionaries to their own people and later as ambassadors of Christ to the nations of the world. Retrospectively, Mark the apostle writes: "And they went forth, and preached every***where, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with signs following" -
Mark 16:20 . New Testament missions began a progressive course of realization. There***fore, the missionary significance of Pentecost is beyond human estimation. The fullest missionary presentation is made by John in the Book of Revelation where most dramatically God is presented as the God of all the earth and all the nations, no realm excluded.
Summary
The great commission does not spell out all the duties of the church in this world or the total mission of the church. It concerns itself primarily with the outreach of the church into the world of non-church people, whoever and wherever they may be. The emphasis, therefore, is to make disciples and to evangelize the nations until the total world has had the opportunity to hear the good news of salvation of God in Christ Jesus .
by World Missions Editorial Staff
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