Mission

The Great Commission
and the Mission of the Church

Called to make disciples of all nations for the glory of God—proclaiming Christ, trusting God's sovereignty, and serving in love.

📜 "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" — Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

📜 "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'" — Romans 10:14-15 (ESV)

What We Believe

At Teaching Bridge Fellowship, we believe that the church exists not for itself, but for the glory of God and the good of the world. We are called to proclaim the gospel to every tribe, tongue, and nation, make disciples of all peoples, and serve as ambassadors of Christ until He returns.

This is the Great Commission—the marching orders Jesus gave to His church before He ascended to heaven. It is not optional. It is not just for missionaries or pastors. It is the mission of every believer and every local church.

The Authority Behind the Mission

The Great Commission begins with a declaration of authority: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). Jesus is the risen, reigning King who possesses absolute authority over all creation. He is not asking us to go—He is commanding us to go, and He does so with the full weight of His kingly authority.

This means:

• The mission is non-negotiable. We don't get to decide whether or not to obey. Christ has commanded it.

• The mission is backed by divine power. We go in the authority of the One who has conquered sin, death, and Satan.

• The mission is guaranteed to succeed. Christ will build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

We are not pioneering a new movement or hoping the gospel might work. We are participating in Christ's victorious reign, advancing a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

The Command: Make Disciples

The heart of the Great Commission is the command to "make disciples" (Matthew 28:19). This is not merely evangelism—it is discipleship. It is not just getting people to pray a prayer or raise a hand—it is teaching them to follow Jesus with their whole lives.

Disciple-making involves three key actions:

1. Going

"Go therefore..." (Matthew 28:19)

We don't wait for the world to come to us—we go to the world. This doesn't mean everyone must move overseas, but it does mean that every believer is a missionary in their context. Your workplace, your neighborhood, your family—these are your mission field. Wherever God has placed you, you are called to be a witness for Christ.

2. Baptizing

"...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19)

Baptism is the sign of entrance into the covenant community. When someone repents and believes, they are to be baptized as a public profession of faith. This is not optional—it is part of the disciple-making process. Baptism marks the beginning of a person's visible identification with Christ and His church.

3. Teaching

"...teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20)

Disciple-making doesn't end at conversion or baptism—it continues through ongoing teaching and training. New believers need to be grounded in sound doctrine, taught to obey Christ's commands, and equipped to live as faithful followers of Jesus.

This is the full picture of the Great Commission: go, baptize, teach. Evangelize, incorporate into the church, and disciple toward maturity. Anything less is incomplete obedience.

The Promise: Christ's Presence

The Great Commission ends with a glorious promise: "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

We do not go alone. Christ goes with us. He is with us in our evangelism, our teaching, our suffering, and our joy. His presence empowers, sustains, and encourages us when the mission feels hard, when doors seem closed, and when opposition arises.

This promise is our confidence. We are not trusting in our eloquence, our strategies, or our resources—we are trusting in the risen Christ who has promised never to leave us.

The Gospel We Proclaim

The message we are called to proclaim is the gospel—the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ to save sinners.

The gospel is not:

• A self-help plan

• A political agenda

• A set of moral principles

• A way to improve your life

The gospel is:

• God is holy, and His wrath rests on sin (Romans 1:18; 3:23)

• We are sinners, dead in trespasses, unable to save ourselves (Ephesians 2:1-3)

• Christ came, lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

• Salvation is offered freely to all who repent and believe (Acts 20:21; Romans 10:9-10)

• God commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30)

• Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13)

This is the message that saves. It is not our opinions, our experiences, or our wisdom—it is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). We must proclaim it clearly, faithfully, and urgently.

Sovereignty and Human Responsibility

One of the most beautiful truths about the mission of the church is that God's sovereignty and human responsibility work together perfectly.

God's Sovereignty in Salvation

God has ordained who will be saved (Ephesians 1:4-5; Acts 13:48). The elect will come to Christ—not one will be lost (John 6:37-39). The Spirit effectually calls, regenerates, and draws sinners to faith (John 6:44; 1 Corinthians 2:14). Salvation is entirely God's work, from beginning to end.

Human Responsibility in Proclamation

Yet God has chosen to save His people through the preaching of the gospel (Romans 10:14-17; 1 Corinthians 1:21). He commands us to go, preach, and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15). We are not passive observers—we are active instruments in God's saving purposes.

We don't know who the elect are, so we preach the gospel to everyone, trusting that God will save those He has chosen. We don't evangelize because God is sovereign—we evangelize knowing God is sovereign, and that His purposes cannot fail.

This is liberating. The success of the mission does not depend on our eloquence, our methods, or our cleverness. It depends on God's sovereign grace. We are called to faithfulness, not results.

The Local Church and Mission

The Great Commission is given to the church, not just to individuals. Mission is a corporate calling, not just a personal one.

The Church Sends

Local churches are to send out missionaries, evangelists, and church planters (Acts 13:1-3; Romans 10:15). This requires prayer, financial support, training, and accountability. The church is the base of operations for global mission.

The Church Equips

The church is to equip believers for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12). Every member is a minister, called to use their gifts for the building up of the body and the advancement of the gospel.

The Church Models

The church is to be a visible display of the gospel—a community marked by love, unity, holiness, and service (John 13:34-35; Ephesians 2:14-16). When the world sees the church living as a foretaste of the kingdom, it becomes a powerful witness to the reality of Christ.

Mercy Ministry and Compassion

The mission of the church includes not only proclamation but also demonstration—living out the love of Christ through acts of mercy, compassion, and justice.

Jesus Himself ministered to the sick, the poor, the marginalized, and the broken (Matthew 9:35-36; Luke 4:18-19). He commanded us to love our neighbors (Matthew 22:39), care for the vulnerable (Matthew 25:31-46), and do good to all people, especially to those of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).

Mercy ministry is not a replacement for evangelism—it is a complement to it. We preach the gospel with our mouths and demonstrate it with our lives. We meet physical needs while proclaiming the One who meets the deepest spiritual need.

But we must be careful: mercy ministry without the gospel is merely social work. The gospel without mercy ministry can seem cold and uncaring. The church is called to do both—proclaim Christ and serve in love.

Cultural Engagement

Christians are called to be in the world but not of the world (John 17:14-18). We are not to withdraw from culture, nor are we to be absorbed by it. We are to engage culture with gospel clarity and wisdom.

This means:

• Speaking truth in a culture of lies (Ephesians 4:25)

• Pursuing justice in a culture of oppression (Micah 6:8)

• Defending the vulnerable in a culture that devalues life (Proverbs 31:8-9)

• Living with integrity in a culture of compromise (1 Peter 2:12)

We do not put our hope in political movements, social activism, or cultural transformation. Our hope is in Christ and His coming kingdom. But while we wait, we live as salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), influencing the world around us with the truth and love of the gospel.

Why It Matters

The mission of the church is not a side project—it is the reason we are still here. If the only goal of salvation was to get us to heaven, God would take us home the moment we believed. But He leaves us here to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8), His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), and His co-laborers in the harvest (1 Corinthians 3:9).

Every believer has a role to play. Some are called to preach, some to teach, some to serve, some to give, some to go overseas. But all are called to make disciples. All are called to live on mission. All are called to proclaim Christ with their lives and their lips.

The fields are white for harvest (John 4:35). The laborers are few (Matthew 9:37-38). The time is short (Ephesians 5:16). And the King is coming (Revelation 22:20). So let us be faithful—proclaiming, loving, serving, and praying—until He returns.

What Scripture Says

Acts 1:8

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

The Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses—starting locally (Jerusalem), expanding regionally (Judea and Samaria), and reaching globally (the ends of the earth).

2 Corinthians 5:18-20

"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."

We are ambassadors—official representatives of King Jesus, carrying His message of reconciliation to a lost world.

Romans 1:16

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

The gospel is powerful. It saves. It transforms. And we proclaim it without shame, knowing it is God's instrument for salvation.

1 Corinthians 9:16

"For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!"

Paul felt the weight of the call to preach. It was not optional—it was a divine compulsion. We, too, should feel the urgency of making Christ known.

Colossians 4:5-6

"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

Mission requires wisdom, grace, and readiness. We represent Christ in how we speak, how we live, and how we love.

Historical & Confessional Grounding

The 1689 London Baptist Confession does not have a specific chapter on missions, but the doctrine flows naturally from the theology of the church (Chapter 26) and God's decree (Chapter 3).

Throughout history, Reformed Christians have been at the forefront of missionary work:

• William Carey (the "Father of Modern Missions")

• Adoniram Judson (missionary to Burma)

• David Livingstone (missionary to Africa)

• Hudson Taylor (missionary to China)

These men believed in God's sovereignty and human responsibility—and they labored tirelessly to make Christ known, trusting that God would save His elect through the preaching of the gospel.

Common Misunderstandings

"If God has already chosen who will be saved, why evangelize?"

Because God commands it (Matthew 28:19-20), and because God uses means (Romans 10:14-17). God has ordained not only the end (the salvation of the elect) but also the means (the preaching of the gospel). We evangelize because we trust God's sovereignty, not in spite of it.

"Isn't it arrogant to say Jesus is the only way?"

No—it's humble submission to what Jesus Himself taught (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). We didn't invent this claim—Jesus did. And if He is who He says He is, then He has the authority to make it.

"Shouldn't we just focus on meeting people's physical needs and let the gospel speak for itself?"

Mercy ministry is important, but it cannot replace the proclamation of the gospel. People need food, water, shelter—but most of all, they need Jesus. Love serves, but love also speaks the truth (Ephesians 4:15).

"What if I'm not gifted in evangelism?"

You may not be called to be an evangelist (Ephesians 4:11), but you are called to be a witness (Acts 1:8). Share your testimony. Invite people to church. Pray for the lost. Support missionaries. Live a life that reflects Christ. Evangelism isn't just for the "gifted"—it's for every believer.

A Word of Application

Where has God placed you? Who are the people in your life who don't know Christ? What opportunities do you have to proclaim the gospel or demonstrate His love?

Don't wait for perfect circumstances. Don't wait until you feel ready. Start where you are, with what you have, trusting that God will use you as you step out in faith.

And remember: you're not alone. The same Christ who commanded the mission is the Christ who promised, "I am with you always." So go—boldly, joyfully, faithfully—and make disciples of all nations, knowing that your labor in the Lord is never in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Prayer

Father, thank You for sending Your Son to save sinners like me. Thank You for calling me to participate in Your mission—to proclaim the gospel, make disciples, and serve in love. Give me boldness to speak, wisdom to know when and how, and compassion for those who are lost. Help me to live on mission wherever You've placed me. Use me for Your glory. In Jesus' name, amen. 🙏

Related Resources:

📖 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 26 – "Of the Church"
📘 The Gospel and the Christian Life (TBF Page 10)
🎙️ Recommended Sermon: John Piper – "Let the Nations Be Glad"
📚 Recommended Book: The Mission of God by Christopher J.H. Wright

Next: How We Interpret Scripture →

In Sum:

TBF believes the church is called to make disciples of all nations—proclaiming Christ, trusting God's sovereignty, and serving in love. Learn what we believe about mission.