Answer

Great Commissions

In Christianity the great commission is known as the instruction Jesus gave to his disciples after resurrection to spread the gospel to all nations of the world.  The most famous of great commission can be found in Mathew 28: 16-20 where Jesus called on his disciples to reach out to people baptize them in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit.

The two great commissions that have been discussed by Sweazey are evangelism and discipleship. By definition, evangelism is the spread of the Christian gospel by personal witness or public preaching. On the other hand, discipleship is teaching biblical principles, while guiding and modeling others towards living virtuously as true followers of Jesus Christ. While both commissions are biblical concepts, they differ since they focus on separate levels of spiritual growth.

Mainly, evangelism is aimed at non-believers who want to learn more about God and live by the teachings of the Lord. Christians reach out to such individuals through evangelism to share the gospel and good news with the main aim to persuade them to follow Jesus.  In its simple understanding, evangelism is an action through which several individuals are brought to the initial acknowledgment and repentance of the need for God and to live as per the teachings of the Lord. On the other hand, discipleship is a long-term activity that involves mentoring and teaching believers along the path of faith to assist them espouse the likeness of Christ and live as per the teaching of the lord. Notably, discipleship goes beyond simple prayers of confession and conversion, it is a total life time commitment to God.  Therefore, Evangelism is classically used with nonbelievers, while discipleship is used for both unbelievers and the development of believers.