Missionary Bob Mach from Ivory Coast delivered a powerful Sunday School message at FaithWay Baptist Church in Ajax, Ontario. Speaking from Matthew 28:18-20, he challenged the congregation to see the Great Commission not as a single command but as a complete, inseparable process that must shape every aspect of missionary work and local-church outreach.
The Foundation: Christ’s Absolute Authority
Jesus begins with a declaration that changes everything: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18, KJV).
In the Western world we often read this verse quickly because we already assume one sovereign God. In much of the non-Western world, however, this claim is revolutionary. In animistic cultures (the dominant worldview where we serve in West Africa), people believe a distant high God exists but is completely inaccessible. Daily life revolves around appeasing an active, dangerous spirit world. Before the gospel can take root, people must first grasp that there is one Almighty God, that all power truly belongs to Him, and that He has made Himself knowable through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Command: Go and Teach All Nations
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…” (Matthew 28:19a, KJV).
The Greek word for “nations” is ethne, meaning ethno-linguistic people groups, not modern countries. Ivory Coast, one geopolitical nation, contains over 72 distinct people groups. Colonial borders deliberately divided tribes. Reaching every ethne demands intentional, cross-cultural strategy rather than simply planting a flag inside a country’s borders.
Component One: Evangelism to Every People Group
The first imperative is clear, proclaim the gospel everywhere. Methods vary by culture:
- In North America: once door-to-door, now more relational and creative
- In Quebec: mailbox literature and door hangers
- In Ivory Coast: street evangelism, literacy centres for Muslims, medical outreaches, basketball ministries, educational programmes
Real-life fruit includes a current pastor saved when my wife and son handed a tract on the road, and a former palm-wine maker who trusted Christ, abandoned his trade, and saw God immediately provide new work.
Component Two: Baptizing Them into the Local Church
“…baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19b, KJV).
Baptism is a local-church ordinance. The New Testament knows nothing of unbaptized believers living outside the membership, authority, and care of a visible church. Passages that link believing and baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38) are not teaching baptismal regeneration; they describe the normal, expected outcome of genuine conversion under the complete Great Commission.
Component Three: Teaching Them to Observe All Things
“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20a, KJV).
Salvation brings joy in heaven, but a lifetime of obedient discipleship brings continuing glory to God on earth. The local church is God’s appointed place for progressive sanctification through expository preaching, purposeful discipleship, leadership training, and varied ministries. New converts become deacons, Sunday school teachers, pastors, and missionaries themselves.
The Complete Cycle in Action
A young man learns to read in our literacy centre, trusts Christ, and rises to serve as a deacon. Another accepts Christ at a village medical clinic and recently married a godly young woman from the church. A released juvenile delinquent, saved while our team preached in a detention centre, now seeks baptism and church membership. These stories endure because a biblical local church exists to receive, teach, and send believers.
Established Church vs. Pioneer Mission Fields
For an established congregation like Faithway Baptist in Ajax, the daily emphasis rightly falls on evangelism, bringing people into the already-planted church where discipleship happens. For missionaries in unreached areas, the task includes planting that very church so the full cycle can continue long after the missionary is gone.
Conclusion
The Great Commission is not three optional strategies; it is one divine mandate with three essential movements: proclaim the gospel to every people group, baptize the converts into biblical local churches, and teach them to observe everything Christ commanded. Only when all three are pursued together do we fulfil what Jesus called “Our Complete Commission.” May the Lord give every believer and every church fresh vision and courage to obey Him fully until He returns.
