- Chapters: [[Matthew 28]]:16-20 # Intro - [[Christianity]] is a missionary movement and a missionary religion - The [[Gospel]] is by definition good news for the entire world - All four gospels include [[Jesus]] commissioning his disciples to go out to the whole world, including this one (probably the most iconic one) - The reverend doctor wants to share an [[Iran]]ian perspective on [[The Great Commission]] # 5 Totalities ## Total authority - [[Gospel]]'s consistently demonstrate his authority over various parts of the world, including things like death - But now he has received a much greater authority: total! "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" - The church's lord, Our Lord, now has absolute authority over everything - As an Iranian church leader working with a harshly persecuted church, this is great news -- it means that world leaders don't have complete authority over the church. They are all under the complete authority of Our Lord - Without this total authority, the church's mission can seem a bit fantastical, but with it, even a small group of disciples can turn the whole world upside down ## Totality of nations - He is calling us to disciple all nations - New turning point in [[God]]'s plan for salvation! - Till now, [[Jesus]] and the disciples was only discipling to the [[Jew]]s ("coming to find my lost sheep"). But now with total authority, a new era has dawned due to [[Jesus]] being given authority over all - Therefore all Christians have the mandate and the right to go to all nations and evangelize, given by [[Jesus]] - When Rev. Dr. [[Mehrdad Fatehi]] first became a Christian ~50 years ago, there were hardly ~200 former muslim Christians in [[Iran]], but now that number is ~2 million ## Total fellowship - Implicit in this passage ## Total Discipleship ## Total Presence - "Surely I am with you always"