Jump Start Of The Great Commission In Acts 2

Some think Matt 28:19-20 records a gospel preaching commission only for the apostles, but verse 20 (“teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”) proves all those converted were also instructed to carry out this “great commission.” It is like a multi-level marketing model in the business world.

And think of the kick start this directive to all Christians was sparked in Acts 2. There were Jews present “out of every nation under heaven” (verse 5). God then supernaturally enabled the apostles to speak in the respective tongues/languages (4,6) of their audience, so those gathered could hear and understand the gospel immediately / on the spot. Waiting until the apostles could spend months studying the various languages represented would be too late. This preaching resulted in “three thousand souls” being converted to Christ (41). And so when those visiting Jews went back to where they came from, the converted were able to carry out the great commission in their home nation. Meaning within probably a few weeks of when the gospel was preached for the first time, three thousand were preaching the gospel all over the world. In this way the gospel was “preached to every creature which is under heaven” by the time Col 1:23 was written.

Thinking about this Acts 2 jump start of spreading the gospel, I imagine well over 99% of the great commission was carried out in the first century by Christians other than the apostles. Isn’t that what we see in Acts 8:1,4? And if we consider since the first century, that percentage approaches 100%.

Of course, this gospel kick start would have never happened if the first century Christians thought it was “the preacher” of the congregation’s job to evangelize. Application for today?: All Christians need to get off our duff and start trying to persuade the lost of God’s truth (II Cor 5:10-11)!

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