This individual study guide draws directly from the sermon “Showcase - 12:30pm Sunday Service | Live from Rossview” so you can keep engaging with the message all week. Read, reflect, and share it with your small group or friends.

In-Depth Bible Study Guide

The Sent Church: God's Mission, Our Participation

Primary Texts: Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; Hebrews 11:1

1. Introduction & Overview

The sermon delivered as part of the Sent series pressed deeply into the heart of what it means to be a missionary people. Drawing on the biblical conviction that God has always been on mission to restore broken relationship with humanity, the message established that missions is not a program the church runs — it is the very reason the church exists. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture tells one unified story: God pursuing people far from him, and calling his people to join that pursuit. The sermon grounded this vision in three concrete responses every Christian should embrace: praying for the lost, going to the lost, and giving generously to fund the advance of the gospel.

Key Passages: Matthew 28:18–20 (the Great Commission), Acts 1:8 (witnesses to the ends of the earth), Hebrews 11:1 (faith as the substance of things hoped for)

Study Objectives: Through this guide, you will (1) understand the biblical foundations of the missio Dei — God's own mission — and how it structures the entire canon of Scripture; (2) explore the theological depth behind the three missionary postures of prayer, going, and giving; (3) examine how Hebrews 11:1 functions as a theology of active, working faith; and (4) consider how these truths shape your daily life as a sent person.

Estimated Study Time: 2.5–3 hours

Why This Matters: The Great Commission is not a peripheral text. It is the culminating charge of Matthew's Gospel and the organizing principle of the church's existence. Serious students of Scripture need to understand not just what these texts say, but why they are structured as they are, what they meant to their original audiences, and how they connect to the grand narrative of Scripture.

2. Exegetical Analysis

Matthew 28:18–20 — The Great Commission

Matthew's Gospel closes with one of the most carefully constructed passages in the New Testament. The literary structure is built around a single main verb surrounded by three participles.

Literary Structure: The passage contains one imperative verb — mathēteusate ("make disciples") — and three participles that describe how this command is carried out: poreuthentes ("going"), baptizontes ("baptizing"), and didaskontes ("teaching"). This is not a list of four equal commands. It is one command — make disciples — accomplished through three ongoing activities. The grammatical center of the Great Commission is discipleship, not merely evangelism, baptism, or education in isolation.

The Authority Claim (v. 18): Jesus prefaces the commission with a staggering claim: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." This is a direct echo of Daniel 7:13–14, where the Son of Man receives dominion, glory, and kingdom from the Ancient of Days. Matthew's Jewish readers would have recognized this immediately. Jesus is not merely a teacher giving instructions — he is the enthroned king issuing a royal decree. The commission flows from his authority, not ours.

"All Nations" (v. 19): The phrase panta ta ethnē ("all nations" or "all peoples") is missiologically significant. Ethnē refers not to political nations but to people groups — ethnic, linguistic, and cultural communities. The Great Commission is an expansion of the covenant promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:3) that through his seed "all peoples on earth will be blessed." Matthew's Gospel, written to a Jewish audience, ends with the radical inclusion of all peoples in the covenant community.

The Promise (v. 20): "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." This closing promise echoes God's presence-language throughout Scripture — the same promise given to Moses (Exodus 3:12), Joshua (Joshua 1:5), and the returning exiles (Isaiah 43:2). The Great Commission is not a burden left to human effort; it is a task undertaken in the company of the risen King.

Acts 1:8 — Witnesses to the Ends of the Earth

Luke structures the geographic expansion of Acts around this single verse: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. The word martys ("witness") carries legal and testimonial weight — a witness is someone who has seen something and is compelled to testify to it. Witnessing is not optional for those who have encountered the risen Christ. The Spirit's empowerment is given precisely for this purpose, not as a private spiritual benefit.

Hebrews 11:1 — Faith as Substance and Evidence

The preacher in the sermon quoted Hebrews 11:1 as a personal life verse: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The author of Hebrews uses this verse to introduce a gallery of faithful ancestors who acted on God's promises before seeing their fulfillment. The verse is not a definition of generic optimism — it is a description of covenant trust in a promise-keeping God, expressed through concrete action.

3. Historical & Cultural Context

The Great Commission in Its First-Century Setting

Matthew's Gospel was almost certainly written to a predominantly Jewish-Christian community, likely in Antioch of Syria, sometime between AD 60–85. This community was wrestling with a profound question: what is the relationship between Israel's covenant story and the emerging Gentile mission? The Great Commission answers this question definitively.

In the first century, Jewish understanding of the nations (goyim in Hebrew, ethnē in Greek) was complex. The Hebrew prophets had long anticipated a day when the nations would stream to Zion (Isaiah 2:2–4; 60:1–3). But the dominant expectation was centripetal — the nations coming in to Israel. Jesus' commission is centrifugal — the community going out to the nations. This was a stunning reversal of expectation.

The mountain setting in Matthew 28 is theologically deliberate. Matthew structures his Gospel around five major teaching blocks, each associated with a mountain or elevated location, echoing Moses and the giving of the Torah on Sinai. The final mountain scene signals a new Torah, a new covenant charter for a new covenant people.

Acts 1:8 and the Geography of Mission

Luke's geographic schema in Acts 1:8 maps the mission of the early church onto the political and cultural landscape of the Roman Empire. Judea and Samaria were the immediate vicinity; "the ends of the earth" (eschatos tēs gēs) was an expression drawn from Isaiah 49:6, where God promises that his servant will be "a light for the Gentiles" to bring salvation "to the ends of the earth." Luke deliberately echoes Isaiah to show that the church's mission is the fulfillment of Israel's servant vocation.

Hebrews 11 and the Jewish Tradition of Faithful Ancestors

The "hall of faith" in Hebrews 11 draws on a well-established Jewish literary tradition of celebrating the faithful ancestors (Sirach 44–50 offers a similar catalogue). The author of Hebrews reframes this tradition around the theme of not yet — all these heroes acted on promises they did not live to see fulfilled. This context is crucial: faith in Hebrews 11 is not a feeling of confidence; it is a posture of forward-leaning trust that takes costly action in the present based on God's future promises.

4. Word Studies

"Authority" (Greek, exousia, ex-oo-SEE-ah)

Meaning: Power, right, or authority — specifically the right to act or command. It combines ex (out of) and ousia (being/substance), suggesting authority that flows from one's very nature.
Etymology: Derived from exesti ("it is permitted/lawful"), emphasizing legitimate rather than coercive power.
Biblical Usage: Used of Jesus' teaching authority (Matthew 7:29), his power over demons (Mark 1:27), and his authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:10). In Romans 13:1, it describes governing authorities. In Revelation 12:10, it describes Christ's kingdom authority.
Theological Significance: Jesus claims all authority — not regional, not temporary, not partial. This is the basis for the universal scope of the commission. The mission is as wide as his authority, which is total.
Translation Considerations: Some versions render it "power" (KJV), but "authority" (NIV, ESV, NASB) better captures the legal/royal sense.

"Nations/Peoples" (Greek, ethnē, ETH-nay)

Meaning: Peoples, ethnic groups, Gentiles. The singular ethnos refers to a people group defined by shared culture, language, or ancestry.
Etymology: Related to ethos (custom, habit), emphasizing cultural identity rather than political borders.
Biblical Usage: Used in the Septuagint (Greek OT) to translate Hebrew goyim (non-Israelite peoples). In Galatians 3:8, Paul quotes Genesis 12:3 using ethnē to show Abraham's blessing was always intended for all peoples. Revelation 7:9 pictures a redeemed multitude from every ethnos.
Theological Significance: The commission is not to make disciples of political states but of every human cultural community. Modern missiologists use this term to identify "unreached people groups" — communities with no indigenous church capable of evangelizing them without outside help.

"Witness" (Greek, martys, MAR-toos)

Meaning: A witness; one who testifies to what they have personally seen or experienced. The English word "martyr" derives from this term because many witnesses died for their testimony.
Etymology: From the legal sphere — a martys is a courtroom witness whose testimony carries evidential weight.
Biblical Usage: Used of the apostles as eyewitnesses to the resurrection (Acts 1:22; 2:32; 3:15). In Revelation 2:13, Antipas is called "my faithful witness" (martys) who was killed for his testimony.
Theological Significance: Christian witness is not merely sharing information — it is testifying to something personally encountered. The resurrection is not a doctrine to be argued but an event to be reported. This gives mission its urgency and its authority.

"Faith/Substance" (Greek, hypostasis, hoo-POS-ta-sis)

Meaning: Foundation, substance, assurance, or confident expectation. In Hebrews 11:1, it describes what faith is in relation to hope.
Etymology: From hypo (under) + stasis (standing) — literally "that which stands under," a foundation or guarantee.
Biblical Usage: Used in 2 Corinthians 9:4 and 11:17 for confident boasting. In Hebrews 1:3, Christ is the hypostasis of God's very being — his exact representation. In Hebrews 3:14, believers are called to hold their original hypostasis firm.
Theological Significance: Faith is not wishful thinking. Hypostasis is a term used in Greek commerce for a title deed or legal guarantee. Faith in Hebrews 11 is the present reality of a future promise — the title deed to what God has sworn. This gives the long catalogue of heroes their coherence: they all acted on the legal certainty of God's word before they saw its fulfillment.

"Sent/Apostle" (Greek, apostellō, ah-po-STEL-oh)

Meaning: To send forth with a commission and authority; to dispatch as a representative.
Etymology: From apo (from) + stellō (to send/set in order). The noun form apostolos gives us "apostle."
Biblical Usage: Used of Jesus being sent by the Father (John 3:17; 5:36). Used of the Twelve being sent by Jesus (Matthew 10:5). In John 20:21, Jesus says, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
Theological Significance: The entire missionary enterprise is grounded in a chain of sending: the Father sends the Son, the Son sends the Spirit, and together they send the church. Being "sent" is not a role for professionals — it is the defining posture of every disciple.

5. Cross-References & Biblical Theology

The Scripture Web of Mission

Genesis 12:1–3 — God calls Abram to go and promises that "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." This is the first missionary commission in Scripture. The Great Commission in Matthew 28 is its fulfillment.

Exodus 19:5–6 — Israel is called to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Priests mediate between God and people. Israel's vocation was always missionary — to be a light to the nations.

Isaiah 49:6 — "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth." This is the text Acts 1:8 deliberately echoes, showing the church fulfilling Israel's servant vocation.

Isaiah 52:7 — "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news." Paul quotes this in Romans 10:15 to describe the missionary task. The beauty of mission is the beauty of the gospel itself.

Jonah 4:2 — Jonah's complaint that God is "gracious and compassionate... slow to anger and abounding in love" reveals that Israel's God was always concerned for pagan Nineveh. The book of Jonah is a missionary parable.

Matthew 9:37–38 — "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers." Prayer is the first missionary act — Jesus himself commands it.

John 20:21 — "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." The mission of the church is an extension of the mission of the Son. We are not creating a mission; we are joining one already in progress.

Romans 10:14–15 — Paul's missionary logic: How can they believe without hearing? How can they hear without a preacher? How can they preach unless they are sent? The chain of sending, preaching, hearing, and believing is the architecture of mission.

2 Corinthians 5:18–20 — "God... gave us the ministry of reconciliation... We are therefore Christ's ambassadors." The church does not merely talk about reconciliation — it embodies and extends it as Christ's official representatives.

Hebrews 11:8–10 — Abraham "obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." This is the paradigm of missionary faith: obedience before clarity, movement before map.

Revelation 5:9 — The Lamb is worshiped because he "purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation." The diversity of the redeemed community in heaven is the goal toward which all mission moves.

6. Interpretive Considerations

The Scope of "All Nations"

Some interpreters in the Reformed tradition have historically read panta ta ethnē as referring to elect individuals drawn from all nations, emphasizing God's sovereign selection. Most contemporary evangelical scholars, however, read it as a genuine call to pursue every people group with the gospel, consistent with the Revelation 7:9 vision of a redeemed multitude from every tribe. Both readings agree on the universal scope of the commission; they differ on the mechanism of its fulfillment.

Is the Great Commission Only for Apostles?

Some interpreters have argued that Matthew 28:18–20 was addressed specifically to the eleven apostles and therefore applies directly only to them. This view is a minority position and is generally rejected by scholars across traditions. The promise "I am with you always, to the very end of the age" extends the commission beyond the apostles' lifetimes. The commission is addressed to the apostles as representatives of the entire covenant community, just as God's commission to Israel was addressed to the nation through its leaders.

Hebrews 11:1 — Definition or Description?

Some readers treat Hebrews 11:1 as a formal definition of faith. Most Hebrews scholars, including F.F. Bruce and William Lane, treat it as a description of how faith functioned in the lives of the heroes that follow. The distinction matters: the verse is not a philosophical statement about the nature of belief in general, but a characterization of the forward-leaning, promise-trusting posture that enabled the faithful ancestors to act before they saw results. This reading makes the verse far more practically powerful.

The Relationship Between Evangelism and Social Action

The Great Commission's emphasis on "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded" raises the question of whether mission includes social concern. Evangelical traditions have sometimes separated evangelism from social action; many scholars argue this is a false dichotomy. The Lausanne Covenant (1974) and subsequent evangelical statements have affirmed that the whole gospel addresses the whole person in the whole world, consistent with Jesus' own ministry of word and deed.

7. Theological Implications

The Missio Dei — God's Own Mission

The most significant theological development in twentieth-century missiology is the recovery of missio Dei — the idea that mission does not originate with the church but with God himself. As theologian David Bosch argued in Transforming Mission, "Mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God." The Father sends the Son. The Son sends the Spirit. The Spirit sends the church. The church does not have a mission; the church is sent by the God who is himself a missionary God.

This has profound implications. It means the church's mission is grounded in the character of God, not in human strategy or institutional planning. It means that when the church fails to engage in mission, it is not merely neglecting a program — it is failing to reflect the very nature of the God it worships.

Faith as Active Trust

Hebrews 11 presents a theology of faith that directly challenges passive or merely intellectual understandings. Faith in the biblical sense is not agreement with propositions — it is hypostasis, a standing-under, a staking-one's-life-on-it trust in God's promises. Every hero in Hebrews 11 did something. Abraham went. Moses refused. Rahab hid the spies. Faith that does not move is not the faith of Hebrews 11.

The Eschatological Horizon of Mission

Matthew 28:20 ends "to the very end of the age" and Revelation 7:9 pictures the completed mission as a redeemed multitude from every people group. Mission is not merely a present activity — it is an eschatological task that will be completed. Every act of faithful witness, every gift that funds a Bible school, every prayer for a lost neighbor is a participation in the movement of history toward its God-appointed conclusion.

8. Practical Application

The scholarship deepens rather than complicates the sermon's call. Understanding that the Great Commission is a royal decree from the enthroned King — not merely a suggestion — changes how we relate to it. Understanding that ethnē means unreached people groups gives specificity to the global vision. Understanding that hypostasis in Hebrews 11:1 is a legal term for a title deed transforms faith from sentiment to solid ground.

Prayer: If witnessing is the work of those who have personally encountered the risen Christ, then prayer for the lost is not optional — it is the first act of witness. Begin keeping a list of specific people far from God. Pray for them by name, regularly, with the expectation that God will use you in their lives.

Going: The "shortest missions trip is across the street," as the pastor observed. The Greek poreuthentes ("going") in the Great Commission is a participle of attendant circumstance — it describes the manner of life in which discipleship happens. We make disciples as we go through our ordinary lives. Every relationship is a mission field.

Giving: Understanding the eternal ROI of kingdom investment — that training one pastor who plants a church that reaches hundreds, who in turn train others — gives generosity a multigenerational horizon. The biblical theology of seed and harvest (2 Corinthians 9:6–11) frames giving not as loss but as planting.

Personal Reflection: Where in your life are you currently acting on a promise of God that you cannot yet see fulfilled? Is there an area where God is calling you to obedient movement before you have clarity? Hebrews 11:8 says Abraham "obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."

9. Discussion Questions

Observational

In Matthew 28:18–20, what is the single main command, and what are the three participles that describe how it is carried out? Why does this grammatical structure matter for how we understand the Great Commission?
Read Hebrews 11:1–12. What specific actions did each person take in response to God's promise? What do these actions have in common?
In Acts 1:8, Jesus describes a geographic expansion of witness. How does this map onto Isaiah 49:6? What does Luke's deliberate echo of Isaiah suggest about the church's identity?

Interpretive

The sermon described missions as "God's desire to win people back to him" — a story that begins in Genesis with broken relationship. How does this frame the entire biblical narrative as a missionary story? What passages support or complicate this reading?
Hebrews 11:1 uses the word hypostasis (translated "substance" or "assurance"). How does understanding this as a legal/commercial term for a title deed change how you understand what faith is? How is this different from how faith is commonly understood in contemporary culture?
The Great Commission commands making disciples of panta ta ethnē — all people groups. How does this differ from simply "reaching everyone"? What are the implications of a people-group framework for how a local church thinks about global mission?

Theological

The concept of missio Dei holds that mission originates in God's own nature, not in the church's programs. If this is true, what does it mean for how a local church evaluates its own health and faithfulness? What would a church look like that has forgotten the missio Dei?
The sermon noted that "all of Scripture is a story of God preserving a people to bring us Jesus." How does this Christ-centered reading of Scripture affect how you read Old Testament texts like the call of Abraham, the Exodus, or the Psalms of lament?

Applicational

The sermon identified three forms of missionary participation: praying, going, and giving. Which of these is most underdeveloped in your own life right now? What would it look like to take a concrete step in that area this week?
Hebrews 11 describes faith as acting on promises not yet seen. Is there a specific area of your life where God is calling you to "obey and go" before you have full clarity — in a relationship, a vocation, a financial decision, or a ministry commitment?
The sermon described the "eternal ROI" of kingdom investment — the multigenerational impact of training pastors who plant churches who reach communities. How does this long-horizon perspective challenge or change how you think about your own financial generosity?

Investigative

Research the concept of "unreached people groups" as used by missiologists like Ralph Winter or the Joshua Project. How does the biblical term ethnē in Matthew 28:19 inform this modern missiological framework? What does it reveal about how much of the Great Commission remains unfinished?

10. Recommended Resources

Accessible (For Motivated Lay Readers)

John Stott, The Message of Acts (Bible Speaks Today Series, IVP) A warm, scholarly, and accessible commentary on Acts that treats the missionary theology of Acts 1:8 with great care. Stott was one of the primary architects of the Lausanne Covenant and brings both academic depth and pastoral heart to the text.

David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (Multnomah) A pastoral and accessible exploration of the Great Commission and what it demands of ordinary Christians. Grounded in Matthew 28 and deeply practical.

The Lausanne Covenant (1974) — freely available at lausanne.org A landmark evangelical statement on the theology of mission, drafted under John Stott's leadership. Readable, biblically grounded, and historically significant. An excellent introduction to evangelical missiology.

Intermediate (For Those Comfortable with Theological Terms)

David Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Orbis Books) The most comprehensive treatment of the theology of mission in print. Bosch traces the development of missionary thinking from the New Testament through the modern era. Dense but rewarding.

F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews (New International Commentary on the New Testament, Eerdmans) The standard evangelical commentary on Hebrews. Bruce's treatment of Hebrews 11:1 and the hypostasis word study is particularly valuable and accessible to serious lay readers.

Craig Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (IVP Academic) An essential reference for understanding the historical and cultural context of New Testament passages. Particularly useful for Matthew 28 and Acts 1. Organized by verse for easy reference.

Advanced (For Seminary-Level Engagement)

R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (New International Commentary on the New Testament, Eerdmans) The premier scholarly commentary on Matthew's Gospel. France's exegesis of Matthew 28:16–20 is thorough, grammatically precise, and theologically rich. Essential for serious study of the Great Commission.

William L. Lane, Hebrews 9–13 (Word Biblical Commentary, Zondervan) The most detailed scholarly commentary on the second half of Hebrews, including the definitive treatment of Hebrews 11:1 and the hypostasis/elenchos word pair. Technical but rewarding.

Christopher Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative (IVP Academic) A magisterial work of biblical theology arguing that mission is not merely one theme among many in Scripture but the organizing framework of the entire canon. Wright's treatment of the Abrahamic covenant, the servant songs of Isaiah, and the Great Commission is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the biblical foundations of mission at a deep level.

This study guide is designed to be used over 2.5–3 hours, either individually or in a small group setting. Consider reading each primary passage aloud before working through the relevant sections, and allow the word studies to slow you down — the richest insights in biblical study often come from lingering over a single word.