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Topics · Missions

Missions and the Great Commission

Why this matters for following Jesus

The risen Jesus said "as the Father sent me, I send you", and every disciple is part of that sending, whether next door or across an ocean. The Bible's story is God blessing all the families of the earth through Abraham and ending with people from every tribe and language worshipping the Lamb (Rev 7:9-10). Mission is also the place where the church's mistakes (tangled with colonial power) have to be told honestly, because truthful witness cannot hide them.

Study path

  1. 1Blessing to the nationsKnow

    What is God's heart for the nations, and what part did Israel play?

    Gen 12:1-3Ps 67Isa 49:656:3-8Jonah 4:10-11

  2. 2Jesus sendsWitness

    What exactly did Jesus tell us to do, and who is "all nations"?

    Matt 28:16-20Luke 24:44-49John 20:21Acts 1:8

  3. 3The apostles' patternWitnessFollow

    How did the first Christians go, plant churches and decide hard questions?

    Acts 810-1113:1-313-1415Rom 10:14-1715:18-24

  4. 4From everywhere to everywhereFollowWitness

    What is my part today, in my local church and abroad?

    Rev 5:97:9-10Acts 13:1-3

Living it out

Pray for one person who does not know Jesus and one people group, support a missionary or a local ministry, and ask your church how it sends.

Telling others

Share the whole story of Jesus with respect, learn the other person's language and culture, and start where Christ is not yet named (Rom 15:20).

Read for yourself

Classic writing on this topic, free to read. Older English can read differently from today’s, and each author writes from his own tradition, so read widely and test everything against Scripture.

Viewpoints from different traditions and profiles of the leading teachers on this topic are added after scholars review them. Suggest a topic or a correction.