It is true that the visible church is a body of saved people who are in the world but are not of the world, but to conclude that the church has no obligation to the world would be far from true. We, as individual members of that body have an obligation to the world and we are deeply indebted to God to fulfil it. This obligation comes to us through what we call the GREAT COMMISSION. This commission is reiterated to us in other forms in other books of the New Testament, but in the gospels it assumes its most impressive form. The Gospels are written in synoptic form, that is they are only summaries of the story which they tell. God being the author of all four saw fit to have them written so that each adds to, and confirms the story of the other. This makes it necessary to study their combined accounts to get the full force of the teaching on this . subject.

The importance of the speaker, the occasion, the subject, and the great multitude of people concerned, have rightfully earned for this message the distinctive title of the GREAT COMMISSION. This commission was given by Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the living God, with all authority in heaven and on earth, not long after he had proved to the world by his resurrection that he had the right to so command. The commission is distinctly a marching order to the whole church to be carried to the whole world and not to be slackened as long as the age lasts. The previous commission under which the apostles had labored was limited to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 10:5-6) but no such limitation is placed on this commission. It is for all the people, in all the world, for all the age. The direct recipients of this commission being Jews, and having served under the previous limited commission, it was necessary for the Lord to state very clearly to them that the gospel was for all, and even then they were slow about grasping the full significance of it, and no marvel, for it seems that many members of the church have not grasped it to this day.

Let us notice briefly Matthew’s record of the great commission: "And Jesus came unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Matt. 28:18-20. It certainly is made very clear that disciples are to be made of ALL NATIONS, and that those that made the disciples were to GO TO THE NATIONS and not wait for them to come to them. The word "all" is used as an adjective in this sentence, modifying nations, and means "the whole number of" from which it appears that Christ surely meant to include every nation in the world under this commission.

In Mark’s account—"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation."—We are impressed again with the obligation and privilege we have of going to the whole world with the gospel. Go is a word of action and action or movement is one of the manifestations of life. Are we as Churches of Christ alive or dead? Judging from the present manifestation of missionary activity among us, there surely is not much life in many professed Churches of Christ in America.

In Luke’s account, Luke 24:45-47, we are told that the preaching should be done "UNTO ALL NATIONS." I wonder where we ever got the idea that after a certain period of time or change of circumstances we were to cease preaching the gospel to ALL NATIONS and limit our efforts, feeble enough they are, to a few of the most favored ones. Surely it did not come from this passage.

But some one begins to say; "This commission was given to the apostles and they carried it out within thirty years and therefore it is not binding on us today. But surely such reasoning is vain. Did not Christ command the apostles to go make disciples of ALL THE NATIONS? All agree that he did. Did not Christ command the apostles to teach the baptized ones ALL HE HAD COMMANDED? Again all agree. Then if the apostles faithfully carried out the GREAT COMMISSION they surely taught the baptized ones to "GOAND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS" as ONE of the "things" that Jesus commanded. Therefore, do we not have the same authority today for preaching the gospel to ALL NATIONS that we have for preaching it to ANY NATION? Was this not one of the most stringent commands that Jesus gave his apostles and would they not in like manner impress it on the minds of their converts as urgent and binding?

Furthermore, if you limit the great commission to those specificially mentioned as being present at the time it was given you must leave out one of the apostles as only eleven are mentioned as being present. The apostle Paul, one of the greatest of missionaries, is not, mentioned, nor are his co-workers, Timothy, Titus, Silas, and Barnabas. They evidently did not understand the commission to apply only to the twelve apostles or they would never have given so much of their lives to aid in carrying it out. One of the characteristics of the early church was a burning desire to carry the gospel to the whole world and probably very few if any of those so concerned were present when the great commission was given. Do we not go to this commission for our authority to preach the gospel? Do we not go to this same commission for authority to baptize and to teach? Surely then, the obligation rests today upon us, you and me, to GO MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS." Why hinder we the work of God by not carrying the gospel, the power of God unto salvation to ALL NATIONS?