The Urgency of Kingdom Advancement: Unveiling the Deeper Purpose of the Great Commission
The church's primary mission is to preach the Gospel, make disciples who will preach the Gospel, and make more disciples. This is the “great commission.” However, making disciples has an objective: to bring people into the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are used more than one hundred times in the New Testament.[i] The book of Matthew uses the terms “Kingdom of Heaven” and “Kingdom of God” interchangeably. The other three gospels use the term “Kingdom of God” exclusively. The Hebrew word for “heaven” is shamayim, which the Jewish people used as a circumlocution (substitute) for the name of God. So, the Kingdom of Heaven is also a reference to the Kingdom of God—they are the same.
While the church has spent considerable effort sharing the message of salvation, the announcement of the arrival of God’s Kingdom has largely been neglected. And yet, Jesus mainly preached about His Kingdom, saying it was “at hand,” meaning presently with us. So, while we speak about the church's mission as making disciples, its more crucial underlying purpose is to prepare God’s people for the soon arrival of His Kingdom. In essence, we advance it by inviting people into it, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.[ii]
The word “kingdom” derives from the Greek basileia, and has two primary meanings. It is a king’s right or authority to rule over a kingdom and the territory subject to the king's rule.[iii] W.E. Vine defines “kingdom” as: “Primarily an abstract noun, denoting sovereignty, royal power, dominion, e.g., Revelation 17:18, translated ‘which reigneth,’ lit. ‘hath a kingdom’… then, by metonymy, a concrete noun, denoting the territory or people over whom a king rules, e.g., Matthew 4:8, Mark 3:24.”[iv] In Hebrew, the word is Malchut, and likewise has two meanings: Royal, reign, and the kingdom or realm of a king.[v]
While some scholars of the New Testament emphasize “reign” or “royal power” over the “realm” or “people” of God’s Kingdom, they are mutually interconnected. God’s Kingship is meaningless without His royal subjects. We are reminded, “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, NJKV).[vi] And God’s Kingdom is over the entirety of creation, the spiritual and natural realms. As Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus is Lord and King over the angels in heaven and all mankind whom He made in His image.
But what is meant by the word “kingdom?” Who are its subjects, and how does the church relate to it? Is the Kingdom present or future? And is it an inner spiritual reality or an outward visible rule?
The Kingdom of God is both present and future. It is present in the regenerated hearts of those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. But the realm of Jesus as King over the nations of the earth is in the future and will begin at the Second Advent.[vii] This future (eschatological) Kingdom will be outwardly manifested, prevailing over the whole earth. It will fulfill all the Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel and the Messiah’s reign upon the throne of David.[viii] New Testament saints, and those of ancient Israel and tribulation saints redeemed by Christ, who have been resurrected to eternal life, will rule and reign with Jesus over His Kingdom. It will begin with a one-thousand-year Kingdom (millennium, Latin for one-thousand) and, afterward, a new heaven and earth—an eternal Kingdom.[ix]
The present (soteriological) Kingdom of Jesus, until the resurrection, is momentarily spiritual and invisible. We read, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2); “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19). I say momentarily because the return of Jesus is imminent. And, His Kingdom, for now, being invisibly within us is revealed in His words: “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).
But Jesus was born to be a King, and for anyone to enter His Kingdom, they must be “born again.” Jesus said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).[x] Our salvation is the door to God’s Kingdom, and Jesus is that door.[xi] As Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Hence, to make disciples, we preach and teach “the Gospel of the Kingdom,” not just the message of “salvation.”[xii] This was Jesus’ central message, His inwardly present kingship, and the blessed hope of His future Kingdom.
Those who receive the Gospel of the Kingdom also accept Jesus as their sovereign Lord and King. These citizens of Christ’s Kingdom will enter it when He returns.[xiii] But all others, even the rightful sons of the Kingdom who rejected their King, will be cast out of it into the place of “outer darkness” where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.[xiv] Being denied entry into Christ’s Kingdom can only leave one place for us—the eternal separation from God.
However, an inwardly invisible Kingdom does not mean without the outward manifestation of God’s demonstrative power. At first, it is the power of God unto salvation. Paul said, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake” (1 Thessalonians 1:5). While our salvation is the assurance of entering God’s Kingdom in the future, it is also our entering into His Kingdom in the present. Paul said, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13). In other words, Jesus declared the arrival of the Kingdom of God in this present age, His power over Satan and the dominion of darkness has moved us positionally in the spiritual realm into His Kingdom, even though our physical condition in the realm of darkness is unchanged.[xv]
The power of God is also our ongoing regeneration and by the Holy Spirit until we are perfected in the resurrection. We read, “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). And, it is the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority given to the church to preach and teach, cast out demons, and move in the miraculous with signs and wonders, bringing others into Christ’s Kingdom and discipling them as His royal subjects.[xvi]
Jesus gave His church the keys (meaning knowledge) to the Kingdom of God.[xvii] While the church is presently not the Kingdom of God, it is the instrument for advancing God’s Kingdom and will soon inherit it.[xviii] The ultimate Kingdom must include the restoration of Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people who survived the tribulation. God’s Kingdom will also join a remnant of the nations who came out of the tribulation and all who were martyred for Christ during it.[xix] The final and complete manifestation of God’s eschatological Kingdom and His dominion over the nations is yet to come. Still, the Kingdom as God’s dominion over His people, the church, has already arrived.
Hence, the “great commission” is more than preaching the Gospel. It is the whole operation of the church moving in the power of the Holy Spirit and every gift of the spirit to advance God’s present (soteriological) Kingdom.[xx] There are two Greek words used more than one hundred and fifteen in the New Testament. Kerusso means “to… herald,” as in a royal proclamation, and euaggelizo means “to bring good news.”
Luke emphasized that repentance and remission of sins should be preached to all nations in the name of Jesus.[xxi] The good news comes with a call to repent. We read, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:20). And more than sharing, Jesus emphasized that we are to be His witnesses.[xxii] We cannot merely preach repentance; we must live and experience it and then demonstrate it to others. Jesus said to Paul, “Rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you” (Acts 26:16).
While preaching is motivational, teaching is for maturity. We read, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).[xxiii]
However, preaching and teaching are both needed for the church. The Bible inspires us with the Gospel and gives us much wisdom for spiritual growth, and the New Testament, in particular, provides organizational and leadership instruction to the church.[xxiv] Jesus emphasized the teaching mission of the church, saying: “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” (Matthew 28:18-20).
The central mission of Jesus’ message to the church is to make disciples of all nations.[xxv] In Greek, the word for teaching is matheteauo, which means to “disciple.” Preaching encourages people to seek the hidden things of God, and teaching helps us to understand them, but discipleship takes God’s knowledge and applies His wisdom to it. Discipleship can utilize examples, including those from scripture. We read, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). But knowledge alone cannot transform or redeem the soul. That work is exclusively of the Holy Spirit. As Paul said, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).
Discipleship begins with the knowledge of our need to be transformed, followed by the desire for the Holy Spirit to do so. There must be a voluntary surrendering of our will to the Lord. And while God can disciple any person of His choosing, the work of discipleship has been gifted to the church. Therefore, discipleship requires a teacher. And experts in the field largely agree that discipleship can only occur in small, committed, gender-specific groups with mature and seasoned leaders that have been properly discipled.
The definition of a disciple is: “One who is a convinced adherent of a school or individual, in this case, Jesus. One who copies, mimics, resembles, or imitates another person’s behavior and appearance. One who does things the same way by following a pattern, model, or example. One who appears like and produces a copy of the same.”[xxvi] In other words, disciples imitate their leaders and make more disciples. The Apostle Paul said it this way, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Discipleship establishes the way by which we are to live our lives for Jesus. The Jewish sages distinguish between a ‘path’ (derech) and a ‘way’ (orach). A ‘path’ signifies a well-trodden track cleared for everyday use, while a ‘way’ suggests a trail presently being blazed according to the spiritual needs of the individual’s divine service.[xxvii]
Jesus said, “I am the way [the orach], the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 3:16). And He said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way [the common path, the derech] that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way [the newly blazed trail, the orach] which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).
The new trail is difficult because God is taking us through a process of change, delving into the deepest parts of our soul and mind that need to be healed and transformed, and taking us from darkness into His marvelous light. Notice the root of the Hebrew word ‘orach’ is light. Jesus is the light of the world and the life of all men.[xxviii]
Christian discipleship also requires a community; the early church was rich in fellowship.[xxix] The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia, which means “joint participation” or “communion.” The Biblical term for fellowship is often misunderstood or misapplied to social interactions. While fellowship requires having a personal relationship with others in the body of Christ, from a scriptural application, fellowship requires a personal intimate relationship with Jesus and our Heavenly Father. We read, “That you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ… If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:3-7).
Fellowship requires our sharing in the salvation and mystery of Christ, our acceptance into the body of Christ and our participation with it, ministering to the saints (charities), and the unity of the Spirit.[xxx] The church must be united by the Spirit in the bonds of love and singleness of purposes, namely, to invite people from every nation into God’s Kingdom (evangelization) and then disciple them to spiritual maturity in “the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).[xxxi]
More specifically, spiritual maturity requires growing in prayer, reading God’s word, exercising our faith, being tested in patience, love, and grace, serving in church ministry, and exercising our spiritual gifts.[xxxii] In every area of our lives, we willingly yield and surrender to the Holy Spirit, daily crucifying the flesh, humbling ourselves, renewing our minds, and serving the Lord wherever He needs us. Paul said, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). While it is important to get alone with our Heavenly Father as Jesus frequently did, our spiritual growth requires fellowship. And fellowship requires our participation in ministry with other believers. Hence, we are told not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.[xxxiii]
In addition to preaching and teaching, another vital mission of the church is to provide an environment for the Holy Spirit to minister in prayer, praise, and worship.[xxxiv] In the Old Testament, worship in the Temple was accompanied by an offering or an animal sacrifice. King David appointed thousands of Levites to sing with musical instruments and raise their voices with joy every day and hour in the Temple.[xxxv] But Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4:23). Jesus was telling us that the church was to be His Temple, and the altar of praise was to be our hearts. We read, “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:8); “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).[xxxvi]
As we previously learned, the early church did not meet in church buildings for about three hundred years. They gathered in homes, the nucleus of the family, and God’s model of what true fellowship in the church should look like.[xxxvii] Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Hence, the church is more than a body; it is a family—God’s family. While the church's mission derives from its nuclear family, it is not exclusively outward but also inward. The church should be concerned about the cohesion of the family unit, its spiritual leadership, and the concern and love for the wellbeing of its children.[xxxviii] We are given instructions for all Christian family members and instructions for what qualifies as good leadership.[xxxix]
The early church living in fellowship and community as a family enabled the church to provide for the material needs of all who participated, notably all who served in ministry. We read, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need” (Acts 2:44-45). Contrary to Western thought, the early church was far more communal and less individualistic. Operating in a continuation of Biblical commands, Jewish disciples would have cared for aging parents and provided for the care of widows and orphans. We read, “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8); “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
Contrary to what some liberal scholars teach about the Bible, Jesus did not preach a social Gospel. He preached a message of love, compassion, and forgiveness for all people, even those who have wronged us or sinned against God. Our underlying motivation must always be love, not self-gratitude, reward, or appeasement of guilt, but unconditional love with no preconditions. God is love, and we are reminded that any person who does not love does not know God.[xl]
Out of this love, the early church in Jerusalem maintained a food service for widows.[xli] Dorcas of Joppa’s ministry was sewing garments for the poor and widowed.[xlii] During the famine in Judea, the Christians at Antioch sent financial assistance.[xliii] Paul and his co-laborers took collections in all the Gentile churches for the poor saints in Jerusalem.[xliv] Paul also sent special instructions in his letter to Timothy for the care of widows.[xlv]
On the other side are ministries so focused on charitable giving that they neglect or intentionally refrain from preaching the Gospel. It has been said many times that Saint Francis of Assisi told us always to preach the Gospel and use words if necessary. While this phrase sounds heartful, it is not only unbiblical, but Saint Francis never said it. He was an avid preacher of the Gospel, but He also understood that Christ’s work of redemption was for the whole person—spirit, soul, and body.
Paul said, “How shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!’… So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:15-17). This message of the Gospel is not only preached in word but demonstrated in actionable love. As it says: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” (James 2:14-16). The world will know that God loves them by the words we speak and the compassion we demonstrate: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26).
[i] Matthew 3:2, 4:7, 17, 5:3, 10:6, 13:11, 24-30, 19:23-24. Luke 6:20, 9:2. Mark 4:11.
[ii] Matthew 16:18.
[iii] Duffield, Guy P. and Van Cleave, Nathaniel M. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology. Foursquare Media. 1910.
[iv] Vine, William Edwy. Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Publishing Company, 1958. 294-296.
[v] Daniel 1:1.
[vi] All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Bible (NKJV) unless otherwise noted, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.
[vii] 2 Timothy 4:1. Revelation 11:15.
[viii] Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-10, 24:23, 32:1. Daniel 2:44, 7:18, 27. Micah 4:7.
[ix] Matthew 25:21, 23. 1 Timothy 6:14-15. Revelation 5:9, 10, 19:14-16, 20:4-6.
[x] John 18:36-37.
[xi] John 10:3-16.
[xii] Matthew 4:23-24, 9:15, 24:14. Mark 1:14. Luke 4:43. Acts 1:3, 8:12, 19:8, 28:23, 31.
[xiii] Philippians 3:20.
[xiv] Matthew 8:12.
[xv] Colossians 1:13.
[xvi] 1 Thessalonians 1:9. Luke 11:20.
[xvii] Matthew 16:18-19.
[xviii] James 2:5. 2 Peter 1:11.
[xix] Matthew 25:32-33. Revelation 20:4. Isaiah 66:18-23. Jeremiah 3:16-18, 23:3-6, 31:10-12. Zechariah 14:8-9.
[xx] Mark 16:15, 17-2. John 20:21-23. Acts 1:8.
[xxi] Luke 24:47-49.
[xxii] 1 John 1:3. Luke 24:48. Acts 1:8, 10:40-42. 1 Corinthians 1:17-24, 9:16.
[xxiii] 1 Corinthians 3:1-2.
[xxiv] Acts 2:42, 5:42, 11:26, 15:35, 18:11, 20:20, 28:31.
[xxv] Matthew 28:19.
[xxvi] Merriam-Webster.
[xxvii] Lessons in the Tanya. Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 27—Sifrei (quoted in Rashi) on Devarim 6:7. Chabad.org.
[xxviii] John 1:4, 3:19.
[xxix] Acts 2:42.
[xxx] 2 Corinthians 8:4. Galatians 2:9. Ephesians 3:9. Philippians 2:1.
[xxxi] Acts 1:8, 8:1, 11:19-20. Romans 15:19-21. 2 Corinthians 10:14-16. Isaiah 52:10.
[xxxii] Colossians 3:14, 4:12. 1 Peter 1:7, 2:2. 1 Thessalonians 1:3, 3:10. James 1:2-4. 1 John 2:5, 4:12. 2 Peter 3:18. Hebrews 6:1, 13:21. Romans 1:11. 1 Corinthians 3:1-2. 2 Timothy 2:15.
[xxxiii] Hebrews 10:25.
[xxxiv] Romans 8:26. 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4.
[xxxv] 1 Chronicles 15:16.
[xxxvi] 1 Peter 2:9.
[xxxvii] Colossians 4:15. Romans 16:5. 1 Corinthians 16:19. Acts 21:4, 8-9.
[xxxviii] Mark 10:13-16. Acts 2:39, 16:15, 34, 18:8.
[xxxix] Ephesians 5:33-6:4. Colossians 3:18-21. 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 12. Titus 1:6.
[xl] 1 John 4:8.
[xli] Acts 6:1-7.
[xlii] Acts 9:36-42.
[xliii] Acts 11:27-30.
[xliv] 2 Corinthians 8-9.
[xlv] 1 Timothy 5:3-10.