HBC Website
The Call of the Church: Understanding the Great Commission
The Great Commission is not just for specialized missionaries but for all believers. As we explore Matthew 28:16-20, we discover Jesus' marching orders to His church—commands that follow His crucifixion and resurrection, marking the beginning of a new era in God's redemptive plan.
The Context: A New Beginning
Jesus' Great Commission comes at a pivotal moment in redemptive history. After His crucifixion on Friday (the sixth day), He rested in the tomb on Saturday (the seventh day), keeping the law even in death. Then Sunday marked the beginning of a new week—a new era.
On this first day, Jesus emerged as "the firstborn of a new humanity, victorious over sin and death." This new epoch in history established Christ's authority in a powerful new way, setting the stage for His commission to the disciples.
The resurrection on the first day of the week signaled the first fruits of a new humanity forged on the cross.
All Authority Has Been Given
Jesus begins the Great Commission with a profound statement: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." This wasn't merely affirming His eternal deity but announcing something new had occurred—a specific authority had been entrusted to Him at this moment in time.
Prophesied in Daniel 7
Daniel's vision showed "one like a Son of Man" being presented before the Ancient of Days and receiving "dominion and glory, and a kingdom that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him."
Fulfilled at Resurrection
At the cross, Jesus defeated the enemy. Through His resurrection, He was "declared with power to be worthy," and dominion was granted to Him by the Father.
Total Authority
Jesus now has absolute dominion—authority over creation, over kings and kingdoms, and even over our pain and suffering.
God's Heart for the Nations
The Great Commission isn't a New Testament innovation but the fulfillment of God's consistent plan throughout Scripture. God's desire to reach all nations is woven throughout the Old Testament.
Isaiah 19:21-25
God declares that Egypt and Assyria—former enemies of Israel—would become "my people" and "the work of my hands," joining Israel as a "blessing in the midst of the earth."
Isaiah 23:17-18
Tyre (modern Lebanon), once an enemy, would bear the designation "holy to the Lord"—a phrase previously reserved for the high priest.
Malachi 1:11
"My name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts." God's plan to redeem the Gentiles has been part of His mission from the beginning.
The Mission: Make Disciples
With Christ's authority established, He gives a clear command: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." This mission isn't complicated, though it is challenging.
1
Evangelization
The initial phase of Christian ministry—the authoritative proclamation of truth that demands a decision. This is sharing Christ and presenting the gospel in a way that requires response.
2
Christianization
The process of enculturating new believers in gospel truth and Christian ethics. This transforms believers into disciples through teaching them how to live out their faith.
3
Socialization
Bringing believers into community context where they grow together as a church, conforming to Christian ideals and standards as a people.

The church gets in trouble when they flip evangelization and Christianization—trying to Christianize the culture before showing them Jesus.
The Promise: I Am With You
The Great Commission is bookended by two immovable truths: Christ's authority and His presence. "I am with you always, to the end of the age" isn't just comforting words—it's the power that makes the mission possible.
How is God with us? He is literally with us in every moment, but deeper than that, He is in us through His Spirit. Even more profoundly, through the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, Jesus is bonded to our humanity.
"You go into no conversation, no situation, no context alone. If you are in Christ, the God of heaven is with you."
Authority Over Suffering
Christ's authority extends even over our pain and suffering. This doesn't make suffering easy, but it gives us confidence that nothing happens outside God's control.
The Cross Shows God's Sovereignty
"The gospel is the plan of God to murder his son for you." God is big enough to steward evil without being stained by it. The cross wasn't an accident but part of God's redemptive plan.
Comfort in Trials
"If I had not felt certain that every additional trial was ordered by infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated sufferings." - Adoniram Judson
Present in Our Pain
"When you walk that trial, I will be with you. I'll be right there with you in every tear, in every grief and every hardship and every suffering and every pain."
The Urgency: Jesus Is Coming Again
We are in the great ingathering of nations—the next major step before Christ's return. This gives urgency to our mission.
The mission isn't easy. It comes with warnings: conflict, angst, division, confusion, hostility from the world, betrayals, doctrinal conflicts, and possibly even death. Yet we go because our Captain commands it, and because He has all authority.
"All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord. And all the families of the nation shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations." - Psalm 22
Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. And soon, "all of these struggles, all of the goodbyes and all of the pains will be forever gone."