Assemble the People Disciple-making

In Deuteronomy 31:12 (ESV), we read some disciple-making instructions:

Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law…

There are three instructions I want to point out in this verse followed by few comments:

  1. Assemble the people…that they may hear…the LORD your God. When we gather the people, we should be careful that they hear Him. That means we will open God’s Word and lead them to encounter Him in His Word.
  2. Assemble the people that they may…fear the LORD your God. Those who have a relationship with Him will be careful to help those gathered to meet Him in Bible study in such a way that they are changed as a result. We will appropriately communicate how big and awesome He is. We will show Him the respect and “fear” or awe He deserves. We will point to what He has done and what He deserves from us.
  3. Assemble the people that they may…be careful to do all the words of this law. Out of hearing and fearing come a relationship with God made possible through Jesus Christ. As a result of what God did through Christ on the cross and out of the grave, that relationship will be lived out in the world by following where He leads (Matthew 4:19), being obedient to what He commands (Matthew 28:19-20). We will show them in our lives and words.

Jesus in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) told us as His disciples to go. We must go in order to assemble them in our disciple-making efforts. We must meet them before we can disciple them. Who are we to meet and disciple? Men, women, and children and even strangers and foreigners (sojourners) living among us.

How large should our disciple-making groups be? In this verse, the word “people” is plural. That would mean groups of two or more. But many of our efforts to “go” will lead to connections with individuals. Start with one and connect them with another individual or more. Relationships, encouragement, and disciple-making efforts matter. Make disciples!

For more ideas about disciple-making, check out these blog posts:

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