Why Are Christians Called to Missions? | Faith FAQ

How would you respond if someone offered you power over every country in the world? This was Satan’s offer to Jesus right before He began His ministry. In Matthew 4:8-11, we see Satan take Jesus to a mountain, show Him the kingdoms of the world, and offer Jesus all authority if He would only bow and worship Satan.

But Jesus does not yield to this temptation. Instead, He rebukes Satan, declaring a truer authority: that of His Father, God.

As I prepared for Global Missions Week, I reviewed the Great Commission passage found in Matthew 28 and read something very similar. I noticed for the first time that, as a final exclamation point to the victory of Jesus, He directly contrasts Satan’s false promise of power with an authoritative command of His own. Matthew 28:16-20 describes Jesus' disciples meeting Him after the resurrection on a mountain—where He declares that He has all authority and commands them to make disciples of all nations. It’s an emphatic final word in Jesus’ earthly ministry and a call that can lead to confidence in our lives as we obey His commands today.

However, I know for many of you, the connection between the Great Commission and the way missions appears in the Church today may not seem clear. So, I sat down with two of our missionaries—studied theologians themselves—to discuss some important questions about missions and what it means for our lives today.

Titi Bulzan, Director of European Partnership across Central and Eastern Europe and a Crossroads missionary, reminded me, “From the get-go, it was God’s idea to be a missionary God, to go out, to reach out.”

As we discussed, we saw that even from the beginning, God’s intention was to gather the whole world to himself. Jose Reyna, Director of Pastor2Pastor in Mexico and Latin America and Crossroads missionary for the last 30 years, said: “I think the Bible starts with missions in Genesis 12, when God said He would bless all the nations.”

Jose was referencing Genesis 12:3, where God promises that through Abraham “all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” That promise begins to unfold as the nation of Israel grows—and over thousands of years, He guides His people through trials and the consequences of their own sinful state.

But God’s chosen people were not the only ones He cared for. There are multiple instances where people from different cultural backgrounds—like Ruth the Moabite and Rahab the Canaanite—turn to God and become part of His faithful people.

And regarding the promised Savior, who would come from Abraham's line, Isaiah 49:6 says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

In this verse, we see God’s intention in sending Jesus: to make His salvation reach the ends of the earth. The Great Commission calls us to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey all that God has commanded.

Titi expressed it this way: “God wants us, His people, to be a holy nation, a royal priesthood...a people that would teach and embody for everybody His sovereign will,” referencing 1 Peter 2:9.

Paul is one of the first missionaries after Jesus. In the book of Acts, we see him taking an active role in fulfilling the Great Commission: crossing national borders, engaging with different cultures, and sharing the good news of Jesus.

And in the very last pages of Scripture, we learn who heaven will be filled with: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” (Revelation 7:9).

Scripture makes it clear that God’s heart is for all people, which is why the Great Commission is such a focal point for Christians today. Being like God means reflecting His sacrificial love by going not just to our immediate neighbors, but to people beyond our borders, spreading the Gospel, and making disciples.

But that leads us to another question. If we know that missions flows from the heart of God, how then do we adopt that same posture and begin to make disciples?

Jose reminded me that while many people know about God, many do not follow God. This may be the simplest way to understand what a disciple is. More than observation and knowledge, following Christ in obedience is what distinguishes a disciple.

It also involves a level of buy-in that shapes our lives. Titi said that discipleship means “to be absolutely in love with what God does in our generation and not be happy with what ‘church-ianity’ offers us.” I appreciate how clearly our brother Titi explains things! Instead of living out Christianity culturally, discipleship is a heart-level commitment that allows us to grow in Christlikeness over time.

Paul’s letters to the churches incorporate this practice as well. Paul doesn’t only write to inform, but to call them to a deeper commitment. Jose recognized that Paul’s letters were written “for people, for churches, for cities…to disciple them.”

Titi also clarified that discipleship “is not mentorship. In mentorship, you and your issues, your concerns, your problems are my agenda. In discipleship, it’s like a drill sergeant saying ‘no.’ In order to really be a good athlete, a good soldier, a good farmer, you need to respect the layout of the place, the rules of the game, and the fact that you are under attack.”

Jesus commands us to not only react to what the world throws at us, helping people with their challenges and questions, but to also be proactive in making disciples, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19). Though it’s a challenge to take this proactive path, Jesus also encourages us when He reminds us (1) that He has all authority in heaven and on earth and (2) that He is always with us to the end of the age.

If we can walk in confidence knowing God will provide what we need to fulfill the Great Commission, how then do we do that in our everyday context?

Consider this: The matador (bullfighter) gets in the ring, ducking, weaving, dodging. Others sit in the stands and watch. Now, they can both say they’ve been to the same bullfight—but have they really both experienced it?

In the same way, Titi said, God’s Kingdom work is an ongoing fight. But he also reminded us that while we can always point fingers at those who are not engaged, there’s hope from history that those of us in the balcony will have the opportunity to join in the work of missions.

When we look to the New Testament, we see that each of Jesus’ followers matured. Jose referenced the story of Paul not wanting to take Mark with him on a missionary journey, because Mark had previously chosen to turn back from the work (Acts 15:38). However, we see them both grow in faith—and eventually, Paul asks for Mark, saying that he is helpful in ministry (2 Timothy 4:11).

The reality is, wherever we are now, wherever we have come from, and wherever God may lead next, He calls us to the mission—and He equips us for the mission. Perhaps the next mission God is calling you to is serving your neighbor, learning their name, and sharing the hope of Jesus with them. Maybe it’s entrusting your finances to God by supporting a missionary, as those in the early church did for Paul on his journeys. Maybe, like Mark, you’ve had doubts about taking on a mission trip—but you choose to trust God and go, knowing He will equip you along the way.

Though it’s difficult, I encourage you to remember what Jesus says in His commandment, that He is with us always to the end of the age. So pray and ask what step the Holy Spirit is asking you to take. God will guide you and guard you along the way. And at Crossroads, we’re always here to support, encourage, and equip you as you follow God’s command to make disciples of all nations.

At Crossroads, we see the mission field as both local and global—and we're intentional about engaging in both. Read about our mission trips, our missionaries, and the ways we show Jesus' love to our local communities on our Missions page.

Want to dive a little deeper into this topic? Access Pastor John's interview with missionaries Titi Bulzan and Jose Reyna via the button below! Drawing from years of experience in ministry, their conversation offers further perspective on some of the questions and challenges that can make it difficult to engage in the Great Commission.