Matthew doesn’t close his Gospel with the crucifixion or the resurrection. Instead, he chooses to leave the Great Commission resonating in his reader’s hearts. This amazing story of divinity, power, sacrifice, forgiveness and rebirth ends with these words:
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.” — Matthew 28:18-20, New International Version
Matthew, who was there to hear these words, wanted to leave them with us too. He wanted the church to take Jesus’ words to heart and carry the gospel to every nation and people. Here are three reasons why taking the Great Commission seriously requires taking missional giving seriously.
1. If we don’t give to missional work, who will?
In 3 John, the apostle makes this important point:
Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. — 3 John 1:5-8, NIV
John’s third epistle is directed at a man named Gaius, who may very well be the same traveling companion of Paul’s mentioned in Acts 19:29. He compliments the care that Gaius has shown his fellow believers and then requests that he send the missionaries on their way in a manner that honors God. What he’s asking Gaius to do is to ensure that they’re financially equipped for their next trip.
He then makes an obvious but important observation: These missionaries aren’t supported by the people they share the gospel with. The Great Commission can only be fulfilled if God’s people work together for the truth. No one else will invest in spreading the gospel; that’s why it’s up to God’s children.
2. We can’t all go, but we can all give
The Great Commission was for all of us. Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of all nations extends to all His followers. But we can’t all physically go to other nations. We participate in Jesus’ commission by equipping those who can go with the tools they need to reach as many people as possible.
It’s not just the physical going that shows a commitment to the Great Commission; it’s the sacrificial way we respond to the call. Some will go. Others will stay and work with organizations that help equip and organize those who go. Some will stay and evangelize those around them while supporting the organizations and people who do go.
3. The use of our resources demonstrates our priorities
In 2021, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Center for the Study of Global Christianity released some important statistics about the status of global Christianity. They broke the globe down into three distinct groups:
- World A: The 29% of the planet who has never heard of Jesus and has no access to the gospel.
- World B: The 38% of the world that has access to the gospel but has chosen not to follow Jesus.
- World C: The 33% of the world population who identifies as Christian.
When you start looking at the financial breakdown of these three groups, you discover that people from World C collectively earn about $42 trillion and give about $700 billion to Christian causes (that works out to about 1.6%). This $700 billion supports things like churches, ministries and charities. But when we examine all the money given to Christian causes, only about $45 billion is earmarked for missions, and 87% of that money goes to World C. Only 1% of the money mission ($450 million) makes it to World A, people who have no other means of learning about Jesus.*
There is no greater expression of our priorities than how we use our time and expend our resources. We may tell ourselves that something is incredibly important to us, but for that to be true, it should probably translate into a clear investment of time and money.
The people in World A have never heard about Jesus and won’t unless we reach them. That doesn’t mean we should ignore the people in World B and World C who need an opportunity to hear about Jesus and experience His love. But if we want to prioritize the Great Commission, we all need a more committed investment into the people groups who don’t have any access to the gospel message.
*You can learn more about these statistics in our article “Just How Reached Is The World?”
Join us in helping to fulfill the Great Commission
Jesus Film Project® and our partners are working hard at creating and translating Jesus-centered films and digital tools for sharing the gospel worldwide. We’re so grateful for all of you who walk alongside us in prayer that God will continue opening doors for new partnerships and ministry opportunities.
There are numerous ways you can pray with us, become a partner and support us as we ensure that everyone, everywhere has an opportunity to hear about Jesus!
