Is The Great Commission for everyone?

Is the great commission for everyone? Throughout the gospels we can read many things that Jesus said. He was talking about a different kind of kingdom, about how the sick need a doctor and he was inviting the children to come close to Him. Now let us take a look at the last thing He said before He was taken up to heaven, the verses that we call the great commission, and what those words can mean for us here and today. 

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

Matt 28:18-20

Jesus clearly left the disciples with a task. A task to make disciples of all nations, to baptize them and to teach them. And as the time went by this was passed on to generation after generation of people following Jesus and this brings us to today, and to you and to me. Now it’s our turn to follow these famous last words of Jesus. To become missionaries. 

But what is then a missionary? The picture most of us may have is someone living in a country far away from their home, sharing the gospel with people who have never heard about Jesus, learning new languages and a new culture. Someone who is in a place of material lack, working in education or healthcare. Or someone preaching on the streets among gang members or substance users.  These become the picture we have of the missionary heroes of our times. 

Is the great commission for everyone?

But what happens then for the ones that can’t see themselves in any of these scenarios? Who are living a “normal life”, with a 9-5 job, a house, a family and two dogs. Are these people disqualified from the title missionary, or is there something in those words of Jesus that are relevant also for this group? 

I would like to suggest that when he says all nations he is also talking about your nation. Some people will of course be called away from their home country, but if we for now zoom in on those who are “at home”. Your nation also includes your city, your workplace and your family. Your world and the people in it, where you feel like God has placed you to live your life.  There you have it; your mission field. 

To go into the whole world also means going into your world. Discipling, baptizing and teaching. Together as the body of Christ building His kingdom on this earth, in villages deep in the jungle, in inner cities and suburbs,  in offices, schools and homes. In the nations, in your nation.