Great Commission

The Great Commission is the name given to Jesus' command found in the Gospel of Matthew. The command is to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age," (Matt. 28:19-20).

Other versions of the Great Commission are found in Mark 16:14-18, Luke 24:44-49, Acts 1:4-8 and John 20:21.

The instructions from Jesus suggest that his followers have the duty to go, teach, and baptize. Although, the command was initially given directly only to Christ's Eleven Apostles, Christian theology has typically interpreted the commission as a directive to all Christians of every time and place.

Evangelicals often contrast this Great Commission with the earlier Limited Commission of Matthew 10:5-42, in which they were to restrict their mission to their fellow Israelites, to whom Jesus referred as "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" Matthew 15:24.

See also

• Gospel message
• Missiology
• Ethnos

It must be noted that the goal of the Great Commission is not to produce mere converts, but rather mature believers in Christ who are obedient to His commands. Christ modeled this approach with the 12 disciples. Instead of working to produce a great number of converts with very little depth or maturity to their faith, Christ focused most of His energy and time with a select few with the hope that they would pour all that they had learned into the lives of others.