Zambia Hunt

The closing scene of Matthew’s Gospel gives us one of the clearest and most compelling pictures of the church’s purpose. In Matthew 28:16–20, the risen Christ meets His disciples—some worshiping, some still wrestling with doubt—and speaks with unmistakable authority into their uncertainty. What He says not only addresses their doubts, but defines the mission of the church until He returns.

Christ begins with a declaration: all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. He is sovereign. There is no place beyond His rule and no people beyond His reach. This truth anchors everything that follows. The mission of the church does not rest on human ability, creativity, or courage, but on the absolute authority of Christ Himself.

Because Christ has all authority, there is something we ought to do.

If we are looking for instructions for the church—for what we are supposed to be doing while we await the return of Jesus Christ—we find them here. The task is clear: make disciples.

This command unfolds in a deliberate and practical way. As we go, we are to make disciples of all nations. This is not a passive calling, but an active, outward movement toward a world that does not yet know Him.

We make disciples by baptizing. There are no lone rangers in the Christian life—this is the work of the local church. Disciples are brought into the visible body, identified with Christ and His people, authorized and sent by the church.

We also make disciples by teaching—teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded. This is not merely the transfer of information, but the cultivation of obedience. The goal is not just knowledge, but lives shaped and submitted to the lordship of Christ.

This work includes the labor and gifting of the whole body of Christ. Some are gifted in evangelism, others in teaching and training, but all are participants in the mission. Through this pattern, we see the ongoing cycles of missionary church planting—disciples made, churches established, and the mission continuing outward.

Yet Christ does not only give a command—He gives an assurance.

“I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This is the sovereign God who created the universe. This is the One who formed the very people groups who do not yet know Him. No harm comes to us apart from His sovereign will. And should He allow trial or suffering, He is just, He is right, and He is good. Every trial comes through the purposes of His everlasting love.

The presence of Christ is not abstract or distant—it is the sustaining reality of the church’s mission. We go with confidence not because the task is easy, but because He is with us.

The Great Commission, then, is not merely a suggestion or a program—it is the defining work of the church in this age. Grounded in Christ’s authority, carried out through His people, and sustained by His presence, it calls us to faithful obedience until He returns.

And so we go.