In this post, we’ll explore a vital question: What does the Bible say about missions? We’ll dive into the Great Commission, discover who is called to carry out mission work, and look at key Scriptures from the Old and New Testaments.
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What is the great commission?
The modern word “mission” comes from the Latin word “missio”, which means “to send.” In Greek, the equivalent idea is expressed with the verb apostelló,which means to send out. Interestingly, it’s the very root from which the word “apostle” is derived.
Miissions is important to God. Jesus’ ministry was all about reaching out to the lost (Luke 19:10). In fact, Jesus’ last charge before ascension, dubbed the Great Commission, was a call to reach out to the whole world with the gospel.
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18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
From the anchor text, we see that the Great Commission is essentially a call to:
i. Evangelize: Share the good news of Jesus Christ. with everyone who cares to listen
ii. Evangelize: Share the good news of Jesus Christ. with everyone who cares to listen
iii. Disciple: Not just convert people, but prioritize the spiritual growth of the converts and help them attain maturity.
iv. Disciple: Not just convert people, but prioritize the spiritual growth of the converts and help them attain maturity.
v. Global missions/ world missions: The call is to reach all nations and people groups.
vi. Global missions/ world missions: The call is to reach all nations and people groups.
vii. Go out with authority: Missioners are to reach out in Jesus’ name and authority.
viii. Go out with authority: Missioners are to reach out in Jesus’ name and authority.
ix. Find refuge in God’s presence: God promises to be with His followers always.
x. Find refuge in God’s presence: God promises to be with His followers always.
Who is to engage in the Great Commission?
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All believers.
The call to make disciples of all nations isn’t reserved for a select few with passports and pulpits—it’s a commission for every believer. When Jesus said, “Go and make disciples,” He was speaking to all who follow Him, not just the formally trained ministers or “specially” sent missionaries.
Every believer has something to say about the Savior. It might not be a sermon before a congregation, but a simple testimony can suffice. As such, this is a call to every New Testament Christian.
Moreover, mission is not a destination; it’s a lifestyle. If God calls you to go on foreign missions or missionary journeys like the Apostle Paul, go for it.
However, whether you’re in a boardroom, a classroom, a coffee shop, or your own living room, you carry the light of Christ wherever you go. So, convert where you are into a mission field. Faithfully carry out God’s mission in your sphere of influence.
Beyond individual believers, this ought to be the mission of the church of Jesus Christ. Granted, local churches play a vital role in building and equipping believers. However, if the church does not actively reach out to the lost with the gospel of the kingdom, sooner than later, they will have no one to build up.
If a church wants to thrive in the future and have a lasting impact, it must actively engage in missionary work. It is an unchanging command of a faithful God.
That said, here now is a collection of bible verses about missions.
What does the bible say about missions: Bible verses
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Mission is at the heart of God’s word, the Bible. Let’s now explore a couple of Bible verses about missions.
The call
John 21:15-17
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ He said to him a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Romans 10:14-15
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!
Acts 26:16-18
But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
Matthew 10:16-18
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.
John 6:28-29
Then they said to him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’
Acts 6:3-6
Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
Romans 1:1
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.
Acts 13:2-3
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Willingness to engage
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Isaiah 6:8
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’
And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Ephesians 4:11-14
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Plentiful harvest: what does the bible say about missions
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Luke 10:2
And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’
God’s authority
Romans 15:18-21
For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;
and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.’
Philippians 3:20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Ephesians 6:19-20
[pray] also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
Luke 24:48-49
You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.
John 20:21-22
Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 1:4-6
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
Lifestyle evangelism
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Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
1 Peter 2:11-12
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
2 Timothy 2:21
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
Second Corinthians 5:17-21
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
General
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1 Corinthians 9:19-23
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
Acts 20:22-24
And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
2 Corinthians 5:11
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.
2 Timothy 2:3
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
2 Corinthians 10:15-18
We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’ For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”
Galatians 2:6-9
On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
2 Timothy 4:5
As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Conclusion: what does the bible say about missions?
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Clearly, mission is the heartbeat of God’s redemptive plan, not a side project. From Genesis to Revelation, we see a God who seeks, saves, and sends. Jesus’ final command in Matthew 28 wasn’t optional—it was a commission to every believer to go, teach, and make disciples of all nations.
Whether across the globe or across the street, we’re each called to share the gospel message of Christ. The Great Commission is not just for missionaries; it’s a shared mission for all followers of Christ. When we step into it, we just don’t obey, we participate in the mission of God.
Kendrick Ong'anya is a freelance Christian writer based in Nairobi, Kenya. As a believer in Christ, he is passionate about writing Christian content to deepen believers' faith, even while drawing those who are yet to believe into the fold. He is open to collaborating with individuals and organisations to curate blog posts, articles, devotionals, prayer guides, verse/ chapter commentary, and e-books, among other Christian content. You can follow Kendrick on Facebook.
