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Matthew 28: 18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 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 alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." - The Components of the Mission 

Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." -The Command of the Mission

Luke 24: 48-49 "And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." – The Capability to complete the Mission

John 20:21  "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." – The Commission of the Mission

Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." – The Carrying out of the Mission

In each of the above verses, God’s Word outlines what has been labeled by some as the Great Commission. The mission is laid out in each of the Gospel accounts, including the book of Acts. Each of these verses presents the same mission but varies in detail.  The first verse listed is Matthew 28:18-20 and speaks to the components of the mission.
 
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 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 alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

The components spoken of here suggest a multifaceted mission. Jesus speaking to the apostles presents His authority in giving the mission. “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”  Because of the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, He commands us to “Go.” This directive statement declares what we are to do. What specifically are we to go and do? 

First, we are to “teach all nations.” The message we are to teach is none other than the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The context for this Gospel message is the individual and their need for Salvation that can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Next, the Bible declares that those who accept this Gospel message and our saved by God’s grace are to be baptized. As this verse says, “baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost:” The proper order is declared in this command that Salvation precedes believer’s baptism. 

The semi-colon suggests a connection to the third part of this continuing mission: “Teaching them to observe whatsoever things I commanded you:” This third part of the commission includes discipleship and church membership. Teaching is done through the local New Testament church and the Christian home. The equipping work for this continuing mission is accomplished in part by those who are spiritually gifted to teach and preach God’s Word, as described in Ephesians 4. These are the components of the task. Secondly, we have recorded for us in Mark chapter 16 the command of the mission.  

Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

This command is universal in its audience, as indicated by the personal pronoun “ye,” which is plural. The Lord Jesus Christ was speaking to His followers. Not only is this command universal for every Christian, but it is also universal in scope. The Gospel message is to be proclaimed by all Christians to the world. Thus, the Lord includes “preach the gospel to every creature.” There are no exclusive rights to the Gospel message. It is a message that applies to all men, regardless of nationality or ethnic background. It applies to all geography; wherever man lives, the message is to be brought to him. We are to bring this message by going and delivering the message. Thus, it is said in Romans chapter 10 and verse 14, “…how shall they hear without a preacher?”  As we move down this list of verses, we come to Luke chapter 24, where the Lord gives us the capability to complete the mission.

Luke 24: 48-49 “And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."

In Matthew 19: 16-29, the Lord encounters a rich young ruler who exclaims, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Sadly, this young man mistakenly believed heaven could be obtained through works. At the end of this narrative, Jesus gives the assessment, “Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” This statement shocks the disciples, who perhaps reexamine in their minds this young man’s status in life. 

Here was a man who was successful in the world. Here was a man who was successful in religious matters, yet the Lord had uttered these words, “how hardly….” Jesus’ disciples exclaim the impossibility of Salvation: “When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?”  Jesus replies, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

What a wonderful truth, the possible impossibility! Left to our own devices, Salvation is impossible, but man can be saved through faith in Jesus Christ by God’s grace. The same statement could be made for you and me concerning the monumental task of world evangelism, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”  The possibility of completing this task does not lie in what man can do but rather in what God can do. And so, in Luke 24, our Lord and Savior instructed that the power to complete the mission will be sent from the Father, which is the Holy Ghost. 

As we continue examining these verses in the book of John, we are given the commission of the mission. 

John 20:21 "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you."

Our mission of world evangelism is not a mission to be completed alone but rather is a co-mission. As the Father has sent the Son, so the Son sends us. This mission is not ours; instead, we become co-laborers with God. We are ambassadors for Jesus Christ, and as stated in 1 Corinthians 3:9, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.” Our mission is not our mission but His mission that we, by His grace, get to participate in. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33) 

Lastly, in the book of Acts, we are shown the pattern for carrying out the mission. As we read through the book of Acts, we discover that this pattern was followed:

Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

According to Acts 2, the power and presence of the Holy Spirit was given. Moving forward from Acts 2, the carrying out of the mission has been underway. It started in Jerusalem and moved into Judaea. From there, the Gospel was brought to Samaria and went to the uttermost through Paul’s labor. But in every generation, there is a Jerusalem to be reached, a Judaea to be reached, and a Samaria that needs the Gospel. The Gospel is to continue to the edge of the map, the uttermost. This is the carrying out of the mission. It starts from the local New Testament church and moves out to all nations, step by step and place by place. 

In totality, the: who, what, when, where, why, and how questions are answered by these verses concerning the Great Commission.