Third Millennium Church Evangelism and Discipleship
Fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ in Our Generation

by Dr. John B. Sorensen, President/CEO, Evangelism Explosion International

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, 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 (NKJV)

The Big Idea

The Great Commission is not a human invention. The call to reach everyone on earth with the gospel didn’t originate in a conference room or through a group of well-meaning believers brainstorming evangelism strategies.

This command came from none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

And it is only because it comes from Him that we dare to believe we can actually be part of fulfilling such a seemingly impossible task. We hope to make a lasting difference because He said we could… He said we should… and He said we will.

I first fully grasped how impossible the Great Commission seems during a conversation with the late Dr. D. James Kennedy, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Founder and President of Evangelism Explosion International. He was my boss—and a man I deeply admired.

He told me:

“John, the place to begin to change the world is both the easiest and the hardest task before us. It’s easy because it simply requires us to be willing to share a simple but profound message with the men and women of our generation. It’s hard because the response it requires is so all-encompassing that nothing short of a miracle of God can bring it about.

The place to begin changing the world is inside—the hearts and minds of men and women. Unless we can influence the motivations, desires, perspectives, and goals of the people who make up our communities, any other changes will be merely cosmetic and temporary at best. Permanent change begins on the inside.

Unless we are first of all (and continually) concentrating our efforts on changing men and women from the inside out, we are certain to fail in our long-term desire to change the world. No amount of political activism, educational reform, or legislative action will yield lasting fruit unless this foundational matter is addressed.

How do we propose to accomplish such a change?

Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ stood on a hill in Galilee and gave His disciples His plan for lasting transformation:
‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matthew 28:19–20)

This first and continual step—this easiest and hardest of tasks—is sharing with our neighbors and friends the story of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without this, we will not change the world in our time.”