Closing

You have walked through the Great Commission from every angle the text provides.

The authority of Christ stands above the mission. All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him. This is what makes the mission possible and what makes it binding on every church.

Go is the command to cross every boundary with the gospel. The church is sent. It does not wait for the world to come to it.

Baptize is the command to gather new disciples into Christ and His church through the visible sign of identification with His death and resurrection.

Teach is the command to form obedient followers who know and keep all that Christ has commanded.

The gospel stands at the center. It is the message that gives the mission its content, its urgency, and its power. Christ died for sinners, was buried, and was raised on the third day.

The sending church is the base of operations. Through prayer, giving, equipping, and commissioning, the local church sends workers into the harvest. Some go. All send.

The promise of Christ's presence sustains the mission from beginning to end. "I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Missions is not a department in the church. It is the heartbeat of the church. Every member, every ministry, every dollar, and every prayer is connected to the Great Commission. You do not need to board an airplane to participate. You need to live as one who is sent. To your neighbor. To your coworker. To your city. And through your church, to the nations.

Three things to take into this week.

First, practice the Three Circles. Out loud. With a friend or your spouse or in front of the mirror. The first time you share the gospel with a real person, you do not want it to be the first time you have spoken it.

Second, pick up your Companion booklet. Fill in the "Where will you go?" worksheet. Be specific.

Third, pray for the church to be a sending church. Pray for the missionaries Mayflower already supports. Pray for the missionaries Mayflower has not yet sent.

The King has spoken. The Spirit is at work. The promise stands.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

The next course in Pathmark is Discipleship. The Commission says, "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded." Discipleship is what that teaching looks like in actual lives over actual years.

Go.