Moving in the Apostolic

C H A P T E R

T H R E E

3 E ND -T IMES C OMMISSION , E ND -T IMES A NOINTING Many believers have heard the term "the Great Commission.'' This is a reference to the words of our Lord Jesus to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature," and to "make disciples of [teach] all the nations" (Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:19). But though many believers are familiar with the term, not all understand its importance—or their part in its completion. Preaching the gospel and making disciples throughout the world is not just a job for missionaries; it is an assignment given to all believers. Each of us who has received Jesus Christ as Savior has a part to play in the fulfillment of this commission. However, we cannot successfully fulfill our part without an understanding and appropriation of the apostolic dimension in our lives. To better understand the necessity of the apostolic dimension in the fulfillment of the Great Commission, let's first define the word commission. It means an authoritative order, a charge, a direction. To commission means to authorize or to send on a mission. Another word synonymous with commission is the word mandate. A mandate is an authoritative order or a command. This commission from our Lord is called the Great Commission for several reasons. These reasons can be found in defining the word great, which means unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions; large in numbers; numerous; unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity; important; highly significant or consequential. By this definition, there are four reasons why ours is called "the Great