Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (NIV84)

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Matthew 28:18–20 (NIV84)

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.”

In both the Old Testament and the New Testament there is a clear call for us to pursue God personally and help others do the same.  Whether it’s in our families, at work, with our friends at school, together on Sunday mornings, in community group during the week, or any other time we’re with others and we’re alive and breathing, we’re called to be disciples who make disciples who make disciples.

God’s divine power has given us all we need for life and godliness through our relationship with His Son Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3-11).  He’s given us His Word (2 Timothy 3:14-17) and His Spirit (John 16:13-14; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16) to help us know Him and follow Him, and we pursue God best when we do it together (2 Timothy 2:22).

Sometimes, though, we need some practical help on how to utilize God’s Word and Spirit to grow as disciplemakers.  So, below is a list of resources that will help you pursue God through His Word and learn to rely on the presence and power of His Spirit, and help you help others do the same.  What better way to start off 2017 than by taking some practical steps to live out Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Matthew 28:18-20 alongside others?

Resources to help you know and study the Bible as your primary guide to life and godliness:

Living By the Book – Book by Howard Hendricks on how to study the Bible
Knowable Word – Blog about how to grow in your love for and understanding of God’s Word
OIA Resources – Basic Bible study skills infographic and booklet
Taking God at His Word – Book by Kevin DeYoung on why the Bible is necessary and reliable
Look at the Book – Videos by John Piper that walk through different Bible passages
The Bible Project – Visual explanations of the books and major themes in the Bible
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge – Book to help you connect Scripture to Scripture

Resources to help you grow in your awareness of and dependence on the Spirit’s work in your life:

Acts: Seeing the Spirit at Work – Bible study by John Stott through the book of Acts.  Focuses on the work of the Spirit in the early Church and helps you recognize the Spirit’s work in your life.
Forgotten God – Book by Francis Chan about “reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit”
Prayer – Book by Timothy Keller about experiencing awe and intimacy with God.

Resources to help you pursue God together with others:

Let’s Read the Bible Together – Reading plan on YouVersion that takes you through the Bible in a year, one month at a time.  Download the YouVersion app here.
Crosspoint Thru the Gospels 2017 – Reading plan beginning in February to coincide with our time in the Gospels during the Gospel Project.
99 Essential Doctrines – Explanations of all of the doctrines listed in the Gospel Project.  Read them and discuss with others.
New Morning Mercies – Daily Gospel devotional by Paul Tripp.  Great one to read at the breakfast table together before everyone goes to work and school.
The Songs of Jesus – A year of daily devotions through the Psalms, by Timothy Keller.  Great one to do in the evenings together with your spouse.
Paul Tripp App – Mobile app for Apple and Android with videos, articles, blog posts, and messages about marriage, parenting, evangelism, suffering, doctrine, and more.
Jesus Story Book Bible – Great kids’ Bible that connects every story to Jesus.
The Biggest Story – Another great way to tell the overarching story of Scripture to your kids.
New City Catechism – Joint adult and children’s catechism consisting of 52 questions.
Scripture Typer – Great tool to help you memorize Scripture
Echo Prayer App – Great tool to help you pray for others.

Don’t forget about the disciplemaking opportunities for Christmas!  Download our discussion starters and prayer cards to use with your family leading up to Christmas and on Christmas Day.  For more Christmas ideas, check out this blog post from Becky Williamson.

Cheering you on in your disciplemaking adventures in the upcoming year!