Missiological Snapshot: The Great Commission Through the Lens of the Mission of God

When we look at the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18–20 through the lens of the mission of God or the missio Dei, we immediately recognize Christ’s authority. He rules and reigns over the heavens and the earth and calls us to be his witnesses, to “Go and Tell” everyone all about Jesus.

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 (Matthew 28:18–20).

The Great Commission is a portrait of God that is undeniably purposeful from Genesis to Revelation.

The missio Dei, in turn, reveals the fact that the church—the universal body of Christ and local churches in contexts everywhere—is missionary by its very nature. In other words, the church is the conduit through which all believers everywhere participate as witnesses in the missio Dei.

Bearing witness to the good news is an integral component of our identity as God’s people. In fact, Jesus, just before he ascended into heaven declared…

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 (Acts 1:8)

The magnificence of the Great Commission centers not the eventual completion of a task, but on the gift of grace displayed most brilliantly in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

This Missiological Snapshot prepares the way for the last video of the series that focuses entirely on practical ways to engage as God’s witnesses whoever we are and wherever we go.