Who Is Responsible to Fulfill the Great Commission?
- All Christians. In John 20:21, Jesus says to all his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Jesus was sent into the world to become the savior of those who would believe. We are sent into the world to proclaim what Christ has done and call people to faith in him. Therefore, every Christian should evangelize locally and, if possible, support the work of bringing the gospel to the ends of the earth.
- Local churches. The Great Commission is to be fulfilled not merely through individual Christians, but through local churches sending people to preach the gospel with the goal of establishing local churches wherever they go. In the New Testament, the church at Antioch commissioned Paul and Barnabas to preach the gospel throughout the region, and Paul and Barnabas established local churches wherever they went (Acts 14:21-23). This means that local churches are responsible to raise up, send out, and support missionaries whose goal is not merely to see individuals come to Christ, but to see local churches established in regions where there are none.
- 9Marks
