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The Great Commission

Seven days in Jesus' last command — to make disciples of all nations.

7 days · 10 min/day
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Before Jesus returned to heaven, He gave His followers one great mission: to go and make disciples everywhere. Over seven days, your family will trace that command from a mountain in Galilee to the ends of the earth — and discover that you are part of the story God is still writing.

How to use this

Pick a time you already gather — dinner, or just before bed — and keep it there. The whole thing takes about ten minutes.

Each day

  1. Read the passage together. On a busy night, just read the memory verse — that counts.
  2. Read the short devotion out loud.
  3. Talk through the questions. Let everyone answer in their own words; there are no wrong answers.
  4. Say the memory verse together, and try to remember it tomorrow.
  • Take turns being the reader — let the kids have a night.
  • Missed a day or three? That’s okay. Pick the thread back up. It’s a rhythm, not a streak.
  1. Day 1

    Go and Make Disciples

    Matthew 28:16-20

    Just before Jesus returned to heaven, He gave His followers their mission: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Notice He didn't say make admirers or make a crowd — but disciples, people who follow Jesus and learn to obey Him. And He didn't send them alone. His very last words were a promise: “I am with you always.” We go because He goes with us.

    Talk about it

    • What's the difference between a fan of Jesus and a disciple of Jesus?
    • Jesus promised, “I am with you always.” How does that change how we share our faith?
    • Who is one person God might want your family to help follow Jesus?

    Memory verse · Matthew 28:19

    “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

  2. Day 2

    Preach the Gospel

    Mark 16:15-20

    Mark records Jesus saying, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” The good news (the gospel) is simple but world-changing: Jesus died for sinners and rose again, and everyone who trusts Him is forgiven and made new. It isn't advice to follow — it's news to announce. And news that good is meant to be shared.

    Talk about it

    • In a sentence or two, what IS the good news about Jesus?
    • Why is the gospel “news” to share, not just “advice” to follow?
    • Who first shared the good news with you?

    Memory verse · Mark 16:15

    “He said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation.”

  3. Day 3

    Repentance and Forgiveness

    Luke 24:44-49

    When the risen Jesus explained the mission, He said repentance and forgiveness of sins would be preached in His name to all nations. To repent means to turn — to turn away from going our own way and turn back to God. And the promise that meets us when we turn is forgiveness, full and free, because of what Jesus did. That's the heart of the message we carry.

    Talk about it

    • What does it mean to “repent” — to turn?
    • Why is forgiveness only possible because of Jesus, not because we earn it?
    • Is there something you need to turn from and bring to God today?

    Memory verse · Luke 24:47

    “and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

  4. Day 4

    As the Father Sent Me

    John 20:19-23

    After the resurrection, Jesus said to His disciples, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Think about that — we are sent the same way Jesus was sent: on purpose, with love, into a world that needs Him. Then He gave them the Holy Spirit, because this is not a mission we do in our own power. God sends us, and God equips us.

    Talk about it

    • What does it mean that we are “sent” the way Jesus was sent?
    • Why can't we do this mission in our own strength?
    • Where has God “sent” you right now — your school, street, team, family?

    Memory verse · John 20:21

    “Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.””

  5. Day 5

    Power to Witness

    Acts 1:6-11

    Right before Jesus rose into heaven, He told His followers to wait — the Holy Spirit was coming, and with Him, power. “You will be my witnesses,” Jesus said, “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” A witness simply tells what they have seen and know. We don't have to be experts; we tell what Jesus has done.

    Talk about it

    • A witness tells what they've seen — what has Jesus done that you could tell someone about?
    • Why do we need the Holy Spirit's help to be witnesses?
    • Who is near you, and who is far away, that needs to hear about Jesus?

    Memory verse · Acts 1:8

    “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.””

  6. Day 6

    The Church Spreads

    Acts 8:1-8; 11:19-21

    When trouble and persecution scattered the first Christians, something surprising happened — instead of stopping the good news, it spread it. “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” God used even hard times to carry the gospel further. Nothing — not opposition, not distance — can stop the mission God has set in motion.

    Talk about it

    • How did God use a hard situation to spread the good news?
    • Have you ever seen God bring something good out of something hard?
    • How does it help to know that nothing can stop God's plan?

    Memory verse · Acts 8:4

    “Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.”

  7. Day 7

    To the Ends of the Earth

    Acts 13:1-5; Romans 10:13-15

    The mission that started on a hill in Galilee is still going — and it has reached you. Paul asks: how can people call on Jesus if they've never heard, and how will they hear unless someone tells them? That “someone” includes us. The story God began two thousand years ago is still being written, and your family gets to be part of it.

    Talk about it

    • The good news reached YOU because someone passed it on. Who?
    • Paul says people need someone to tell them — how could your family be that “someone” for others?
    • What's one step your family could take to be part of God's mission this year?

    Memory verse · Romans 10:13

    “For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.””

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain). Devotions and reflection questions © Genesis Labs.

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