THE GREAT COMMISSION

The Great Commission is recorded in all four Gospels and in chapter one of the book of Acts. After the crucifixion of Christ and His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples with instructions that they were to continue to carry out the work that He started. The referenced passages of scripture are as follows:

And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28: 18-20)
And as they thus spoke, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
And he said unto them, why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
And he took it and did eat before them.
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
And said unto them, thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
And ye are witnesses of these things.
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24: 36-49)

The above passage from the book of Luke gives greater detail about the preparing of Jesus’ followers for things to come. It is lengthy, but it adds needed context to this meeting and dialogue between a Risen Savior and the disciples, some of whom still had doubt.

In John 20, we see the disciples are assembled in a locked room when Jesus appeared to them apparently by walking through a wall. Interestingly, He showed them the scars on His hands.

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:21–23)

Basically, to remit is to forgive and to retain is to not forgive. It appears that Jesus provided this group a precursor of that which was to come in the way of the Holy Ghost. They were the first to receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost.

Further instructions were given to the disciples in Acts chapter one verses 4–9:

And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Above, in the passage from John chapter 20 we see the disciples receiving the indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost after having been breathed on by the Lord and in the Acts, chapter one passage there is the reference to the Holy Ghost that would come upon them. This was actualized at Pentecost (see Acts 2:4) and shows a two-fold working of the Holy Ghost—that which is necessary for fulfilling upcoming Great Commission assignments.

In Mark chapter 16, verses 15-20, probably the most cited occasion of the Lord tasking the disciples with The Great Commission, He gives specific details of what they were to do:

And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

It should be said that The Great Commission is Jesus’ way of completing the work that he came forth to do in the earth. He went about preaching that The Kingdom of Heaven was at hand meaning substantially that the way of Kingdom life is accessible. He healed the sick and cast devils out of folks. He worked miracles.
The following bible verses illustrates in no uncertain terms that the Lord Jesus Christ was manifested to destroy the works of the devil in 1 John, chapter 3. He disarmed the devil (principalities and powers) in Colossians chapter 2 and in Ephesians chapter 3 it is made clear that the work has been delegated to the Church:

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2: 9-15)

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. (Ephesians 3: 8-12)