Zambia Hunt

When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He didn’t launch a new idea. He revealed the fulfillment of a story the Old Testament had been telling all along—the story of a King who would reign over all nations. To understand the mission of the church, we must root it in the Christological storyline of Scripture: the promised King has come, He now reigns, and the world must be told.

The Christological Context of the Great Commission in the Old Testament

Long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Old Testament pointed forward to a coming King—One who would rule not only Israel, but the nations.

Psalm 2:7–12 announces the Son, “begotten”—a term that Acts 13:27 37 connects directly to His resurrection. And what is given to this resurrected King? “The nations as Your inheritance.” The psalm points the nations to Jesus as the rightful, reigning King.

Psalm 110:1–2, the most quoted psalm in the New Testament, identifies the Messiah as the Son of David who will “rule in the midst of His enemies.” His authority is absolute because He is the divinely enthroned King.

And Isaiah 52:7 celebrates the beautiful feet of those who proclaim this message: “Our God reigns!” Paul reaches back to this very verse in Romans 10:15, anchoring gospel proclamation in the announcement of the King’s reign.

The Old Testament’s hope for Israel and the nations was the arrival of the King who reigns over all.

The Christological Context of the Great Commission in the New Testament

When we step into the Gospels, the King arrives.

John the Baptist begins the drumbeat:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2)

Jesus takes up the same message:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!” (Matthew 4:17)

But instead of welcoming their King, the Jews cried out, “We will not have this man reign over us!” and they crucified Him. Yet the cross was never the end; it was the means to the proper end: the universal reign of Christ.

That is why salvation requires confessing what the world rejected:
“If you will confess… that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9–10)

The Plan and the Proclamation

PLAN: The cross fulfilled the predetermined plan of God. God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him to reign as King (Acts 2:33).

PROCLAMATION: The message is unmistakable:
“God has made Him both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36)
The only proper response is submission to the rightful King.

From the resurrection and ascension at the end of Matthew through the book of Revelation, there is one dominant reality: Jesus is reigning on the throne.

As Pastor Mark Minnick has said, “Between the end of Matthew and the Revelation, Scripture is dealing with this fact—that the world does not know Jesus is reigning, and what we must do about it.”

Acts and the Epistles: What We Do About It

Acts and the epistles show us exactly how to live and minister in light of the fact that Jesus is reigning and most people do not know it.

Our mission is to proclaim the message in order to bring all people willingly under the authority of the reigning Lord Jesus Christ.

And Revelation reminds us where history is heading: God will destroy everything that opposes the sovereign rule of Christ. The end of the story is the universal acknowledgment of the King.

So we take that message to the world.

A Simple New Testament Timeline

• The Gospels introduce the facts about Christ.
• Acts proclaims the facts about Christ.
• The Epistles explain the facts about Christ.
• Revelation culminates the facts about Christ.

This is the flow of the New Testament. Every part of it is pressing one truth: Jesus is the reigning King, and the nations must hear.

What This Means for Us

If Jesus truly reigns, then the implications are unavoidable:

1. There is nowhere we cannot go.

No place is off-limits when the King has all authority.

2. There is no one we cannot tell.

Every person—every tribe, every culture, every background—belongs to the inheritance promised to Him.

3. There are no excuses that are acceptable.

Not lack of resources.
Not family background.
Not fear, hesitation, or personal reasons for non-compliance.

The risen King has spoken.
The nations are His.
And the mission is ours.

So, let’s move forward, together, in faith in the God who is fulfilling his mission of calling out a people for His name from every tribe and nation. Let’s go to the nations with confidence and courage that God will accomplish through us what He purposed, to exalt his Son, Jesus Christ!