Why Is The Great Commission So "Great"?

An Unforgettable Communion

Over 7 years ago, I was co-leading worship in a room full of believers pouring out their love to our Heavenly Father in songs of praise. As we finished, the pastor began to lead us in Communion by passing out pieces of bread and tiny, plastic cups of grape juice. He then began to share the importance of Communion and its significance thanks to Jesus' sacrifice for us. It was like any other Communion that I had experienced. That is, until we realized that he hadn't passed out the elements to everyone.

Three individuals were skipped. As he shared Jesus' words during the "Last Supper", one politely spoke up, "Ummm, pastor, could you also give me some bread and juice?"

But our pastor didn't seem to hear her and kept going on about the bread. Then, another said, "Pastor, you forgot to give me the elements too."

He still did not acknowledge them, and we all became alarmed with concern. The third boldly spoke up, "Hey pastor, what about me? Hello?"

However, he did not pause. Others in the room began to speak up too, and some began to scramble tearing their little pieces of bread in half to share with the three. When it seemed like the situation had reached a peak of awkward confusion, all three suddenly yelled at once, "WHAT ABOUT US?!?!"

Everyone, including the pastor now, were completely silent. I was in shock wondering what the heck was happening and what was going to happen next. Then, one of the three spoke, "I live in the Himalayan mountains, and my people struggle against the elements of cold and scarcity. We desire to know the one, true God, but no one has come to tell us about Him. No one cares about us enough to fight the snow and the altitude. Do any of you care about us?"

"I am in the Middle East, surrounded by religion," said another. "I have heard about a man named Jesus, but I have no idea who He really is. I have many questions, but whom can I ask? No one that I know has answers, and the religious leaders forbid me to search outside of our community. So, will you join my community and tell me more about this Jesus?"

The third declared, "My tribe is in the Amazon rainforest. We fight against the fierce python and swarms of bugs in this humid climate. We fear the spirits and desire to please the Great Spirit. But everything we have tried has not led to victory, and we are overcome by the darkness. We hope for the Great Light, but we do not know where to find it. Do you know? Can you come and tell us where to look?"

With the whole room in tears, the three continued, "We cannot participate in this Communion with you because we have yet to hear about your Jesus. We long to know Him. We need to know Him! We are dying without knowing Him..."

Then, the pastor continued our time of Communion, asking the Father to forgive the Church for not completing the call He had given us 2,000 years ago and thanking Jesus for His precious body and blood that were broken and shed for our sins.

Of all the Communions that I have partaken in with brothers and sisters, that has been the most memorable. Even as I type right now, fresh tears flow from my eyes because the skit done then is still the reality of unreached people groups all around the globe. The Church has yet to complete the final assignment given by Jesus, and souls are dying without any gospel hope due to this. Oh Lord, forgive us for our slowness to obey You!

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What is "The Great Commission"?

When Christians talk about "The Great Commission", we are referring to Jesus' final command to His eleven disciples to go into all the earth proclaiming the Good News of His salvation for the whole world. We typically refer to Matthew's account of this. However, what has fascinated me over the last several years is that The Great Commission can be found in all four gospels as well as Luke's sequel Acts:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and 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.” - Matthew 28:18-20 1

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned...After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. - Mark 16:15-16, 19-20

He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” - Luke 24:46-49

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” - John 20:21-23

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:7-8

Although everything in the Bible is important, I especially pay attention to things recorded more than once. Seeing The Great Commission recorded at least these five times for us, I believe it should hold exceptional importance. With this in mind, it raises an important question for Followers of Jesus to consider.

Is Everyone Called to Go?

Every Christian is called to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have" (1 Peter 3:15-17). However, does that mean that every Christian should leave their hometown and travel to the other side of the globe to share the gospel as a missionary? Not necessarily. As seen in Luke and Acts, we start in Jerusalem (our hometown) and then go on to Judea and Samaria (neighboring regions) and ultimately to "the ends of the earth". Yet, not every believer will be called to leave their hometown.

For example, during Jesus' ministry, He performed many signs and miracles including the healing of a demon-possessed man in the Decapolis region. After his healing, the man begged to join Jesus' group of followers. However, Jesus told him no and commanded him to go back to his hometown and to tell everyone about the Lord's mercy in his life. The man obeyed Jesus and shared his testimony, and many were amazed as a result. (Mark 5:18-20)

Another example was during a prayer meeting in the church of Antioch (Acts 13:1-4). Five men are specifically mentioned during this time of fasting and praying, but the Holy Spirit only selects Barnabas and Saul for missional work. Once they completed their days of fasting and praying, they sent these two off to wherever the Lord led them. However, it seems clear that the other three men were called to stay in Antioch, at least for the time being.

Additionally, Paul (who was Saul in the previous paragraph) told the church in Galatia that he and Peter had different callings (Galatians 2:7-10). Peter had received the vision to evangelize to his own people group (the Jews) while Paul was called to serve other people groups (the Gentiles). Though they both participated in The Great Commission, each calling demanded very different needs and sacrifices from each man.

In short, every believer is to be an ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-21) proclaiming the good news of Jesus' gracious salvation to all who will listen, but not every believer is called to pack up their bags and live as a missionary. God has prepared each of us for good works (Eph. 2:10), whether that is in Judea, Samaria, or the other side of the globe, and all contexts need the gospel in order to complete The Great Commission. Yet, what do we as the Church do with the staggering reality that there are still 4,485 unreached people groups (UPGs) that have not heard of nor received the gospel? 2

Everyone Is Called to Participate

As a cross-cultural missionary myself, I accepted Jesus' call to GO to the ends of the earth to be His beautiful feet proclaiming the gospel to whoever has ears to hear (Romans 10:13-15). It is a calling that, although all followers of Jesus must do as well, clearly exemplifies the surrender of everything in the present moment for the sake of the gospel while looking forward to the promised gains in His eternal glory (Mark 10:29-30). It is a humble, honorable calling.

Yet, it is not one to be done alone. No missionary, not even the Apostle Paul, can nor should go to the ends of the earth without the support of other brothers and sisters in Christ. It would be foolish and unsustainable, a quick recipe for burnout and failure. Reaching the unreached is not a task just for the frontline missionaries; it is a final assignment for all Christians. That is why it has been named The Great Commission. So, what are the practical ways every believer can participate in Jesus' Great Commission?

First and foremost, all must pray! In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus Himself told His disciples,“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” To reach the 4,485 remaining UPGs, we must cry out to our loving God. He is the sovereign Lord of everyone, and He alone is our source of hope. Thus, to Him we pray for His Kingdom to come and for His will to be done across the earth so that all may hear and know about Jesus' sacrificial gift of salvation for all who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior.

While we all pray, there are many ways to joyfully participate in The Great Commission, as many as God's holy creativity inspires and empowers us. Some will be gospel patrons using their financial gifts to support pioneering missionaries and organizations. Others will provide practical help and skills through empowering trainings, in person and online. Some will visit on short term mission trips to offer presence and encouragement. Some will reach the nations in their hometowns, becoming a much needed friend to the foreigners within their borders (Leviticus 19:33-34). Others will storm down hell's gates bringing gospel advancements through song and worship (2 Chronicles 20:21-23). Some will send care packages and letters to missionaries reminding them that they have a cloud of witnesses cheering for them (Hebrews 12:1-3). And so much more.

Why Is this Important?

First and foremost, this greatly matters because Jesus commanded it, in various moments and ways to His followers. That should be the main reason for us to follow through in obedience.

Secondly, I personally believe that Jesus will not return until we complete The Great Commission. I know that's quite a claim, but I hold it due to Jesus' own words. In Matthew 24, Jesus tells His disciples what signs to look for to signal the end times. He gives many signs including wars, earthquakes, and famines, which are only the beginning. After more horrible signs including persecution and betrayal, He states,

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." - Matthew 24:14

I do not know if Jesus is waiting for our humanly calculated number of 4,485 UPGs to hear and accept the gospel before He comes back as promised (Revelation 22:12-13). I doubt it is that specific, since He also promised that we will never be able to predict the exact time of His return (Matthew 24:36-44). However, I do believe in God's character, that all His promises will be accomplished (Matthew 24:35), that He is full of love and incredible compassion (Exodus 34:6-7), and that His vision of Heaven is incomplete without image bearers from every nation, tribe, people, and language worshipping Him (Revelation 7:9-10).

Therefore, if our obedience to The Great Commission speeds Jesus' second coming, what are we waiting for?

What Will You Do?

You, my fellow follower of Jesus, have a vital role in The Great Commission. The Church, as Christ's body with many members, must all work together through the Holy Spirit to bring the gospel to every unreached soul so that His holy communion and banquet will not have any vacant seats. The question is: what is your specific part and will you be faithful to participate? I pray that His Holy Spirit gives you wisdom and courage to do as He commands you (Joshua 1:9). May you also be His beautiful feet proclaiming His good news of Salvation to all wherever you go (Romans 10:13-15).

"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen."

- Revelations 22:20-21

Footnotes:

1. All Scripture references and links are from the NIV Bible translation.

2. As of August 2026, Joshua Project stated that 4,485 people groups are still unreached, roughly 3.62 billion people (44% of the global population). Their definition of UPG is "Few evangelicals and few who identify as Christians. Little, if any, history of Christianity."