Preach the Gospel: TELL!
The second practice needed to fulfill the Great Commission is evangelism. Christians have to tell non-believers the message of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection for their sins. The Commission states “repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be preached” (Luke 24:47). Believers are to “preach the good news” with the goal of leading them to “believe” (Mark 16:15). The result of preaching the Gospel should be “making disciples” (Matt. 28:19). The content of the Gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 15, where the apostle Paul writes:
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
Baptize Converts: BAPTIZE!
The third action that must be taken in fulfilling the Great Commission is “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). This involves incorporating them into the group of people who identify themselves by the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—in other words, the Church. Since baptism is an ordinance of the local church, it is obvious the Great Commission cannot be fulfilled without the creation of local churches.
Teach and Train Believers: DISCIPLE!
It is not enough to pursue the lost, win them to Christ and baptize them. The fulfillment of the Great Commission requires obeying Jesus’ words to be “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). The process does not stop at baptism. In order to fulfill the commission, the believer must be taught to live the teachings of Jesus. As William Hendricksen writes, “The truth learned must be practiced” (3). The best place for a young believer to be taught is in the local church. There, they not only hear the Word but also have abundant opportunity to put it into practice.
Conclusions
After examining the Great Commission, the obvious question that begs to be answered is, “How does God expect His followers to implement it?” The obvious answer is, “By planting churches.”
Church planting involves all the elements of the fulfilling the Great Commission. Churches result from Christians invading a culture, preaching the Gospel, baptizing believers and training them to live for Christ.
According Aubrey Malphurs, “A careful reading of Acts reveals that the early church implemented the Great Commission mandate primarily by planting churches.” This view is seconded by Ed Stetzer, who writes: “It is evident that the first hearers of the Great Commission assumed its fulfillment required multiplying disciples and forming new congregations. The early church fulfilled the Great Commission by planting churches. … The best indication of what Jesus meant can be found in how the hearers responded.”
Stetzer adds, “New Testament Christians acted out these commands as any spiritually healthy, obedient believers would; they planted more New Testament churches.” He concludes, “The Great Commission is church planting.”
As Malphurs and Stetzer attest, the way the first followers of Jesus carried out the Great Commission directly resulted in the planting of churches. Peter (and others) preached the Gospel (Acts 2:14-36), the people were baptized (Acts 2:37-41) and the baptized believers were immediately incorporated into the life of obeying what Jesus had taught (Acts 2:42-47).
The ultimate fulfillment of the Great Commission is church planting!
NOTES
1. Alan Cole, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1961), 261.
2. Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1971), 846.
3. William Hendricksen, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1973), 1000.
