The Great Commission ???

I will warn you, this is a trick question! Ready? Here it is: What is the “Great Commission”?

If you have attended a church for a while, you may know it is something about “going and making disciples” and it is found at the end of Matthew. If you have been in a “missions minded” church all of your life, you may have immediately quoted Matthew 28:19-20. Technically you would be correct. This passage has often been labeled “The Great Commission.” But I want to suggest to you that the label is wrong!

Here is my point: The Bible does not have a “Great Commission.” Instead, there are five different “commissions” that Christ gives to believers. To label Matthew 28 as the “great” commission runs the risk of making the other 4 commands less important.

Here is your assignment: See if you can find the five commissioning statements Jesus gives. Take time to study them. In coming weeks I will write about each of them and how each one gives us valuable instructions of what we are commanded to do as a church. Together they help us understand what really makes up the “Great Commission.”