The Great Commission: We All Have a Role to Play (Part 1)

Over the years, I have often heard a certain phrase from various pastors and missions speakers be repeated. The phrase goes something like this… “There are three types of Christians in this world: Senders, Goers, and Disobedient.” 

The meaning behind such a statement is solid. The inference is that the Great Commission (the command to carry the Gospel and make disciples of all nations) is central to the lives of all Christians, not just an option that a select few take seriously. With these labels, we quickly realize there are only two good options, because we don’t want to be labeled as disobedient to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. So what then does it look like to be a faithful sender or a faithful goer? I’m glad you asked.



Let’s start with the senders and then move to the goers. If we are being honest, many of those in the American Church prioritize safety and comfort in their lives and so the thought of being a goer makes them nervous, to say the least. But sending is something they feel they can get on board with. Many view the world primarily as a dangerous place outside of the relatively “safe” confines of their local community, so they are happy to send others to go in their stead or as their proxy. That sounds like a harsh declaration about people, but let’s take a deep breath and be honest with ourselves and how we live our lives before negating the rest of this article. Does this description reflect what is in our hearts?

We need to remember the promises of the Lord Jesus through His Word, which remind us…

“I am with you always to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”                    (2 Timothy 1:7)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”    (Acts 1:8)

So back to the issue at hand. If the Great Commission is not optional to the life of a Christian (and it is not…it is a vital part of the biblical Christian’s worldview and lifestyle), then we must be active Senders. So what does a faithful Sender look like?

There are four aspects of Great Commission Sending that we want to highlight, although there are probably more out there that could be added to this list. They are: 

• Financial Support
• Prayer Support
• Support at home while someone is on the mission field
• Housing and other needs when they return home

Missionaries need financial support. The task of the Great Commission requires the faithful stewardship of Christians and local churches in order to fund missionaries and efforts around the world in order to make disciples and plant and strengthen churches. So do we give towards missional efforts through our local church? For us as a local church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, a portion of our tithes and offerings that we collect each week go towards the SBC’s Cooperative Program. Through the Cooperative Program, our two missions sending agencies (the IMB and NAMB) are funded as well as our six seminaries that train future pastors and missionaries. Also, our church has other missions partnerships with organizations and missionaries outside of the IMB and NAMB, whereby we help to fund the salaries of specific missionaries around the globe who are affiliated with other missions sending agencies. And on top of that, each year we collect specific offerings that help to further fund the work of NAMB and the IMB around the globe.

The work of the Great Commission also requires prayer support. Do you pray for missionaries who have given their lives to live in a different part of the world in order to take the Gospel to those who have never heard so that they would come to faith in Jesus and worship Him with their lives? Do you pray for the people groups that they are seeking to engage with the Gospel message? Do you pray for the Lord’s guidance and strength for all the leaders and strategies that are employed in order to fulfill the task of the Great Commission? Do you pray for the faith of Christians and the Church to endure through hardship around the world? Do you know where to start? Here are a few tips to help you get started…

• Check out https://www.imb.org/pray/ for a list of people groups or other requests that are coming in from field personnel around the world
• Go to the Open Doors website ( https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/ ) and learn about the Persecuted Church around the world and how you can pray for them to endure in faith in the midst of opposition so that the name of Jesus would be known and worshipped in every corner of the globe
• Grab our church’s quarterly Missions Prayer Guide which is available at the Front Desk or Guest Connections and learn about the different partners that we are involved with around the world

A third way to be a faithful Sender is to show support to the missionary while they are on the field. This can look different from situation to situation, but at the minimum it means to stay in contact with them through various means of communication. The way the world is today, we can be more connected than we ever have been in previous centuries. With all the technology at our disposal, such as smart phones and airplanes and other things, we have the ability to regularly be in contact with missionaries on the field and giving them a connection point back home. The New Testament is filled with letters that Paul wrote to Christians and local churches whom he wanted to stay connected with. We see him giving status reports of what is going on with him and his ministry as well as instructing and addressing needs of those in the churches he is connected with. And all of that was through hand written and hand delivered letters. In today’s world, we can be living here in the United States and be on a phone call to people all over the world and actually see their faces through FaceTime and others calling apps! We don’t have to wait for hand written letters to show up in the mail anymore, although those are nice to receive. A short text or an email is something the Lord might use to encourage a missionary who is going through a struggle currently and just needed a word of encouragement from one of God’s people on a particular day.

Another way to show support to a missionary while they are on the field is to actually go and visit them! Yes, it is costly to do that, but especially if they are members of our local faith family whom we have sent out, why would we not go and see them? Support through relational connectivity is vital for people! When those we know and love need encouragement, we don’t just pray for them and send them money, we rally around them and step into the hard with them. Living our lives in our home culture is hard enough, but as missionaries who move their families to another foreign culture on top of all they are trying to accomplish for the sake of the Gospel, there comes with that added “hard”. Humans are created for relationship and thus it is a greater need than money and prayer in a lot of ways. The ministry of presence is a great way to be a faithful Sender. When the church at Philippi could not go and be with Paul while he was in chains, they sent one of their own to minister to him, Epaphroditus (see Philippians 2:25-30).

The fourth way we want to highlight in being a faithful Sender is to house missionaries and take care of their needs when they come back home for visits. Most every sending agency requires their missionaries to return back home for an extended stay after so many years on the field. The goal is for them to get rest and be recharged as well as to connect with local churches and supporters for mutual encouragement. Helping to take care of logistics like housing and transportation when they are home and even providing meals for them or even babysitting services are great ways to faithfully support missionaries. As we relationally invest into them, the Lord readies them for heading back out to the field with a stronger connection to a local church that hopefully will faithfully send them out and support them well.

There are good and faithful ways that we can all be faithful senders to missionaries and others who are seeking to fulfill the Great Commission. How will you send and support others who are on the front lines of Great Commission work?

Check back in for part 2 as we dig into what it looks like to be a faithful Goer in the Great Commission…