The Mission of Christ

What does Christ want his followers to do? There’s more than one answer to that question, but I have been struck by one thought in particular: spread the gospel.

Consider Mark 3:13-15:

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

Before Jesus called the twelve men to himself, he had a plan for them—to “send them out to preach.” Three chapters later Jesus sends them out two by two and “they went out and preached that people should repent” (6:12). Jesus could have kept the twelve to himself, creating an isolated community. But he wanted them to reach others. That was his plan for their lives.

The twelve were not the only people Jesus called to follow him with the goal of sending them out to preach. In Luke 9, Jesus says to another man, “follow me,” but the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” In other words, the man said, “not now.” Instead of giving him permission to go and bury his father, Jesus told him to go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (vv. 59-60). Following Jesus means spreading his message.

In the next chapter of Luke, Jesus sends out another group:

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. . . Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”’ (10:1-9)

During his ministry, Jesus gathered people to himself then he sent them out with a mission and a message. Why? Because he wanted to use them to reach others.

Did the mission end during Jesus’ lifetime? No, it actually expands after Jesus’ resurrection. Near the end of each Gospel, Jesus sends his followers on another mission, only this time it was to the whole world:

• 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. (Matt 28:19-20)
• Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (Mk 16:15; cf. 13:10)
• 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.” (LK 24:46-48)
• Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (Jn 20:21)

Although some argued that the Great Commission at the end of Matthew only applied to the apostles, William Carey (1761-1834) noticed that the promise of Christ’s presence “to the very end of the age” means this work should continue for as long as this age endures. Hence, each generation of believers should be involved in making disciples of all nations. After publishing his views on missions, Carey moved to India with his family where he stayed for 41 years without furlough. He is known as “the father of modern missions.”

The mission Jesus set in motion in the Gospels is carried out in book of Acts. In the first chapter, Jesus tells his followers:

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 1:8)

After showing how the gospel spread throughout Judea, Samaria, and the Roman Empire, Luke ends with the gospel being proclaimed in Rome:

For two whole years Paul stayed there [Rome] in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance! (28:30-31)

Conclusion

Christ wants his followers spread his message and he is passionate about it. This might be an exciting prospect for you or it might be a scary prospect. If it is the latter, start small. You don’t have to give a 30-minute sermon. Support missionaries. Start a neighborhood Bible study. Offer to pray for someone or interject a comment about Jesus.

When I was sixteen years old, I worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant. One day I overheard one of the servers talking with a coworker about her struggles and I felt the urge to tell her about Jesus. I didn’t know what to say and my heart began to race. I passed her a few times then I finally said something like, “Jesus can help you with your problems.” It took all of my courage to make that one comment because I had no idea how she would respond. To my surprise, she said, “I know he can.”

Jesus died, rose from the dead, and offers forgiveness to all. Let’s get his message out.

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia and the U.S. I am passionate about the Bible and Bible related topics. Here’s a link to my book page.