Why Is the Great Commission Important?
The Great Commission is important because it was given as a command by Jesus. It isn’t the great suggestion, but instead, the Great Commission. It’s important that each of us ask, why is the Great Commission important to us personally? Does it impact our lives on a daily basis?
The significance of the Great Commission extends beyond personal reflection. Jesus Film Project notes that in John 14:15, Jesus connects obedience to love. Followers express devotion through obedience to His commandments. As believers, our obedience demonstrates love and cultivates spiritual growth.
This final instruction carries weight as Jesus’ last recorded command before His ascension.[1] Throughout Scripture, final words hold special importance. When someone departs, their closing message reveals what matters most.
The Biblical Foundation
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives this Great Commission, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (NKJV).
This commissioning occurred after the disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had directed them.[2] According to Wikipedia, the Great Commission appears in slightly different forms across the four Gospels. Each account offers unique details that together reveal the full picture of Christ’s mandate.
Institute for Creation Research explains that luke 24 provides complementary context, emphasizing that repentance and forgiveness would be proclaimed to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. This geographic progression mirrors the actual spread of the early church throughout the book of Acts.
Why the Great Commission Matters to Every Believer
The Great Commission is important for a variety of reasons, such as:
Making Disciples Spreads the Good News
It is important because making disciples is God’s way of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are called to make disciples of Jesus in all nations, teaching them His ways. We are the means Jesus chose to fill His Kingdom.
Making disciples involves teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded. Got Questions Ministries clarifies that “make disciples” is the primary command. Baptizing and teaching are the means by which we fulfill this command. A disciple is someone who receives instruction and follows Christ completely.
All About Jesus Christ emphasizes that Christians cannot profess Christ as Lord while rejecting certain of His teachings. We must teach others about Jesus Christ and the entirety of His truth. This comprehensive approach ensures believers understand both doctrine and practical application.
The Power Comes From God
It is important because the power for this mission comes from God. The power of the Holy Spirit enables the Great Commission. This power doesn’t come from our own strength but is power given by the Holy Spirit.
Mission to the World emphasizes that Christ’s authority over all peoples and nations anchors this Commission. Because Jesus has universal authority, the command must also be understood as universal. Charles Spurgeon called this “the perpetual commission of the Church of Christ.”[3]
The Holy Spirit equips believers with supernatural ability to accomplish this divine task. This divine-human partnership means we work alongside God rather than merely for Him.
The Scope of the Great Commission
The scope of the great extends to every ethnic, linguistic, and cultural group worldwide. Global Frontier Missions reports that over 7,400 of the world’s 17,000 people groups remain unreached. These communities have little to no access to the Good News. Many live in remote areas or face severe persecution.
Currently, 28 percent of the world’s population lives in areas where they are virtually unreached.[4] Despite this immense need, only three percent of missionaries serve among unreached people groups.[5] This means the task Jesus commissioned remains urgent and unfinished. The gap between need and response reveals troubling priorities.
Radical notes that churches currently spend approximately 99 percent of missions resources in places already reached with the Gospel. Only one percent goes toward the three billion people who have never heard.
The Nations Still Waiting
Over 3.2 billion people live within unreached people groups.[6] They face not just spiritual lostness but the inability to even hear the Gospel message. East-West Ministries emphasizes that “unreached” means people lack access to the Gospel, not that they’ve rejected it.
Without believers actively seeking to reach them, these groups have virtually no chance of hearing about Jesus. The term “all nations” in Matthew 28 refers primarily to ethnic and linguistic groups rather than modern political countries.
God’s Mission Through Obedient Disciples
When believers engage in sharing the Gospel, they participate in God’s mission of reconciliation. The Gospel Coalition explains that Luke’s Great Commission prioritizes the Spirit’s power. Proclamation of the Gospel roots itself in the entire biblical story. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s plan has always centered on bringing all nations to worship Him.
The phrase “obey everything i have commanded” makes the Great Commission holistic in nature.[7] Discipleship transforms lives, helping people conform to the image of Christ. As the Gospel changes hearts, it changes communities and offers hope.
The Surprising God Blog notes that Western culture often resists the word “obey.” Yet Jesus explicitly commands His followers to teach obedience to His instructions.
The Church’s Ongoing Responsibility
God desires all people to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth.[8] The Great Commission serves as God’s primary method for accomplishing this desire.
This responsibility falls on every generation of believers until Christ returns. Jesus promised to remain with His disciples “even to the end of the age,” indicating the mission’s ongoing nature.
GFA World’s Response to the Commission
At GFA World, we take the Great Commission very seriously. We’ve been active in disciple-making in South Asia since 1979 when K.P. Yohannan (Metropolitan Yohan) started the ministry to support national missionaries and pastors. That was just the beginning of an organization that has helped thousands of people in Asia and now Africa as well—through caring for the poor, for widows, for orphans, for leprosy patients and more, all in the name of Jesus Christ.
Our missionaries preach the Gospel by demonstrating Christ’s love through practical compassion. They serve as His hands and feet, bringing hope to communities that desperately need transformation.
According to Christianity Today, missions activity has become polycentric, meaning “from all nations to all nations.” The report notes that every region except Europe now both sends and receives more missionaries than 50 years ago.
National Missionaries: An Effective Strategy
National missionaries possess distinct advantages in fulfilling the Great Commission within their own cultures. They already know the language, understand local customs, and cannot be deported by authorities. Global Commission Partners reports that indigenous missionaries can be supported at a fraction of the cost of sending foreign workers.
Despite representing the most effective missionary force, national workers receive only 10 percent of resources allocated to reaching unreached groups.[9] For every $100 given toward missions, only 10 cents goes to native missionaries serving in unreached communities.
When you support a national missionary through GFA World, you empower someone already embedded in their community to share Christ’s love effectively. Your partnership enables them to focus full-time on ministry rather than survival.
The Urgency of This Commission
How are you fulfilling the Great Commission that Jesus gave to you? Are you making disciples? Jesus said, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38, NKJV).
The task remains urgent because billions still have no access to the message of Christ. The Traveling Team reports that more than 3.2 billion people live in unreached people groups. Without believers actively seeking to take the Gospel to them, there is little to no chance these groups will ever hear the Good News.
Understanding why the Great Commission matters compels us to action. It represents God’s heart for every nation, tribe, and tongue to worship Him. This vision drives everything we do at GFA World.
Your Role in God’s Global Plan
Every believer has a part to play in the Great Commission, though not everyone is called to cross-cultural missions. Global Frontier Missions notes that approximately 7 million churches exist worldwide, meaning about 1,000 congregations for every unreached people group.
If the global church worked in unity with strategic giving, going, praying, and welcoming, we could see all nations reached in our lifetime. Will you be part of closing the gap between Christ’s command and its fulfillment?
What is the Great Commission? Find out how GFA World is fulfilling it today.
[1] “Why Is the Great Commission Still Important Today?” Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-the-great-commission-700702. Accessed February 20, 2026.
[2] “Great Commission.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Commission. Accessed February 20, 2026.
[3] “God’s Mission for the Church: A Look at Matthew 28:18-20.” Mission to the World. https://mtw.org/stories/details/gods-mission-for-the-church-a-look-at-matthew-281820/. Accessed February 20, 2026.
[4] “State of the World / The Task Remaining.” Global Frontier Missions. https://www.globalfrontiermissions.org/missions-101/state-of-the-world-the-task-remaining. Accessed February 20, 2026.
[5] Ibid.
[6] “Understanding the Great Commission (Part 1).” East-West Ministries. https://www.eastwest.org/blog/what-the-great-commission-means-for-every-believer/. Accessed February 20, 2026.
[7] “The Great Commission Explained – Matthew 28:18–20.” Southern Nazarene University. https://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/greatco.htm. Accessed February 20, 2026.
[8] 1 Timothy 2:4 (NKJV).
[9] “Statistics.” Global Commission Partners. https://www.globalcp.org/statistics/. Accessed February 20, 2026.