Our mission statement says, Christ the King Church exists to help people know, love, and obey Jesus as Lord over all of life.
This is a restatement of the Great Commission for our ministry context. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” ( Matt 28:18-20).
Jesus says he has “all authority in heaven and on earth.” His authority is not limited merely to the church, or to the hearts of men, but the victory he accomplished in his death and resurrection is absolute and comprehensive. He has authority over the entire unseen, spiritual realm (“in heaven”), and over the entire visible, material realm (“on earth”).
The two primary thrusts of the Great Commission are (1) evangelism and (2) teaching. The evangelism part is reflected in the word “baptizing,” which indicates the conversion of lost souls and joining them into local churches. The work of evangelism inevitably produces new churches.
The teaching part encompasses the whole of Christian discipleship, as Jesus commands us to teach people to “observe all that I have commanded you.” Jesus is not savior alone; he is also Lord over all of life. Our duty in discipleship is to help people surrender to Christ’s Lordship with their minds (“know”), their hearts (“love”), and their actions (“obey”).
The scope of the Great Commission is global: we are to make disciples of “all nations.” This means at least two things. First, the gospel must be proclaimed to every nation on earth to fulfill Jesus’ command. Second, the gospel comes to nations as nations, not merely to individuals within those nations. This means we must proclaim the Lordship of Christ in the public square, calling on our civil and cultural leaders to repent and follow him.
In other words, obeying the fullness of the Great Commission should include (1) evangelism that leads to personal conversion, (2) rigorous and thorough discipleship for all of life, (3) expanding the work through church planting, revitalization, and missions, and (4) doing the work in such ways that brings nations into subjection to Christ under his absolute and comprehensive authority.
We do all these things in obedience to Christ’s command, recognizing that doing so is the most blessed, joyful, and fulfilling way to live. This is the life of true happiness and satisfaction, as it is living under Christ’s authority as the firstfruits of the new creation ( James 1:18, Revelation 14:4).