After Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He gave His apostles the “Great Commission.” Notice the details of this commission that are recorded in the synoptic gospels:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned’” (Mark 16:15-16).
“And He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things’” (Luke 24:46-48).
In Luke’s account, we also see Jesus’ instruction to “stay in the city [Jerusalem, as] until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). The gospel of Luke closes with the apostles witnessing the ascension of Christ and then returning to Jerusalem as Jesus instructed them to do (Luke 24:50-53).
In the book of Acts, Luke picked up where he left off and provided additional information about what happened during the “forty days” (Acts 1:3) between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. The final recorded statement Jesus made to His apostles was this:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
This verse is essentially a restatement of the Great Commission. It can also be thought of as the theme of the book of Acts, as it tells of the gospel being preached in Jerusalem (Acts 2-7), Judea (Acts 8:1; 11:1), Samaria (Acts 8), and to all the nations (Acts 10; 13-28).
As the book of Acts contains a record of the apostles carrying out the Great Commission, it also shows us two important points about this commission: (1) how to obey the gospel that the apostles were commissioned to preach and (2) how effective the work of preaching can be. Let us consider each of these.
How to Obey the Gospel
When we combine the accounts of the Great Commission, we get a complete picture of Jesus’ instructions for how one would be converted and become one of His disciples. After hearing the gospel (Mark 16:15), they would have to believe in Christ (Mark 16:16), repent of their sins (Luke 24:47), and be baptized (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16).
When the gospel was first preached on the day of Pentecost, we see these instructions being followed by those who responded to the message. Notice what Luke recorded:
“‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified.’ Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.’ And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation!’ So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:36-41).
After hearing the gospel, these people believed in Christ (evidenced by the fact that they were “pierced to the heart” when they learned who He was), repented of their sins, and were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins.
We also find this same pattern in the conversion of Saul (later known as Paul). This is significant because Paul told Timothy that his conversion was “an example for those who would believe in [Christ] for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16). Notice what he did:
“As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do’” (Acts 9:3-6).
“And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying…’” (Acts 9:9-11).
“So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized” (Acts 9:17-18).
Paul (or Saul) believed in Christ (he referred to Him as “Lord”), repented of his sins (his praying and fasting were evidence of this), and was baptized.
The book of Acts contains many accounts of conversion, yet not every one specifically details each of these steps (belief, repentance, and baptism). However, at the beginning of this article, we noticed the three accounts of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-48). None of the accounts specifically mention each step (belief, repentance, and baptism), yet we see the complete picture when we put them all together. In the same way, we see the complete picture of how one is to respond to the gospel when we put together all of the conversion accounts in the book of Acts (belief, repentance, and baptism). We can even include confession (the verbal affirmation of our belief) as this is recorded in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:35-37). Paul also spoke of this as he discussed the conversion of the Christians in Rome (Romans 10:9-10). But even though every account of conversion does not specifically mention each step, every account of conversion is consistent with that pattern – belief (which includes a verbal confession), repentance, and baptism.
The Effectiveness of Preaching
When we study the book of Acts, we ought to be impressed with the rapid growth of the church in a relatively short period of time. What did they do that was so effective? They simply did what Jesus told them to do – “preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15). Consider a few passages:
- “Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Though the Great Commission was given specifically to the apostles (Matthew 28:16; Mark 16:14), all of the disciples were involved in spreading the message of Christ. Even when persecution forced them to flee Jerusalem, they kept preaching wherever they went.
- “When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have upset the world have come here also’” (Acts 17:6). The preaching of the gospel upset the status quo because it called people to repentance. Those who opposed Paul’s preaching saw this as turning “the world upside down” (KJV).
- “But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:9-10). By preaching daily from this location in Ephesus, the gospel spread throughout the province of Asia. Even Demetrius, who was an enemy of Paul and stirred up the crowds against him, confirmed how effective this preaching was: “You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all” (Acts 19:26).
- “If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister” (Colossians 1:23). This was written about thirty years after the gospel was first preached on the day of Pentecost. Yet in that short amount of time, Paul could say that the gospel had reached “all creation,” just as Christ intended (Mark 16:15).
We may be tempted to change the message in order to appeal to a broader group of people. We may think we need some organization larger than or other than the local church through which to work to spread the gospel. We may contemplate using carnal tactics and try to reach people using food, fun, and entertainment. Yet the early church did none of those things, and the gospel spread throughout the world, even in the face of zealous opposition and extreme persecution.
Conclusion
The book of Acts contains a history of the early church from its establishment until Paul arrived as a prisoner in Rome (approximately thirty years). This history is important because it shows us how the apostles carried out the Great Commission, how people obeyed the gospel, and how effective preaching can be.
As we continue the work of preaching today and try to reach people with the gospel, let us remember the lessons we find in the book of Acts. Rather than being discouraged when the visible results of our efforts are not what we would like them to be, let us be encouraged by the work of the apostles and early disciples who boldly preached the word in its simplicity and purity. Let us do the same and trust in God, who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).
