As disciples commissioned by Jesus the Messiah, we willingly know and do the gospel, telling it to all we meet in the world.
Christ has delegated to his Body and all her members the authority to embrace and spread his teachings. He expects us to work as a team and take personal responsibility to train to deeply know and live the gospel by submitting and centering life on him. We do this together to proclaim simply the core and structure of the good news of Jesus.
The purpose of the Great Commission is the simple proclamation of the core of the gospel. The simple declaration of the Gospel describes its essentials in a clear and accessible way, using plain and unadorned language that does not mince words, obscure meaning, or keep stuff back. Simple proclamation concentrates on the core of the Gospel: Jesus died for our sin and was raised for our justification (1 Corinthians 15:1-11).
In the great commission, Jesus delegated to us the authority to embrace and spread the good news about him, and in response, we submit to him and center our communal life around him (Matthew 28:16-20). He assigned this ministry to his people, giving us the responsibility and authority to live in his image and make more disciples by teaching hearers to obey him and commit themselves to him and his family. Our proclamation is not ours but his, but we have been authorized to preach in his stead. We are expected to embrace him and his message wholeheartedly, willingly going where he goes and doing what he does. We spread his message widely by portraying and proclaiming him before the church and the world.
Our life together as responsible disciples includes training to understand and obey the gospel with depth so we might proclaim it with clarity. We train as a team by living, learning, and loving in life groups where we can point one another toward Jesus, take responsibility for our faith, and share responsibility for faith with our siblings. We train as a team by worshiping, serving, and studying together to deepen our understanding of Jesus.
