The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#626: Where is God When we Suffer? May 29, 2022

Show notes

One of Satan’s temptations is to cause us to believe God has abandoned us in our times of suffering. But it’s not true. Right now, wherever you are, whatever you are facing, God is with you.

Main Points:

1. As a result of sin there is suffering and pain in the world. But many wonder, “Does God care when we suffering? Does he know? Where is He when we go through pain and difficulty? These are normal questions that at some point, everyone asks.
2. The answer is that God enters our suffering. He joins us in our pain.
3. God can provide what you desperately need. He can give us strength, peace, comfort, guidance, wisdom, protection, provision, rest, and relief.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Romans 5:12 - “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”

Hebrews 4:15 - “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.”

Hebrews 2:15 - “Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”

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#625: Calculating Your Self Worth May 28, 2022

Show notes

I started this episode talking about how the world calculates self-worth, but the truth is, you can’t calculate your self-worth. It’s already been determined. Your self-worth was set by Jesus. You are so valuable Jesus laid down his life for you. Paul said, “I live by faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave himself for me.”

Main Points:

1. So, don’t buy into the lies that your value is determined by your performance. Don’t accept the labels others put on your life. Don’t let the rejection you have received from others keep you from receiving acceptance from Jesus.
2. The opinion of others makes no difference in your self-worth. Because who you are, with Jesus, matters more than what other people tell you about yourself. Because you are made in His image, He is the one who determines your self-worth.
3. Rest in this truth: Your life has value. God has established your worth.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Galatians 2:20 - “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

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#624: What is Morality? May 27, 2022

Show notes

Some of the basic questions of life are what is right, and what is wrong? What is good? And what is bad? What is morality, and do you, as a person, have morals?” Is there a code of ethics for everyone to ascribe to? Morality in its simplest definition is “the distinction between right and wrong, but should we all define what is moral the same way?

Main Points:

1. Throughout history people, society, and culture have wrestled with these questions. For the Christian, we live with a biblical worldview. We believe the Bible is God’s Word to us. It is the final authority for belief, life, and practice. It is our compass and our roadmap. It shows us how to live and how to please God.
2. Without a belief in the authority of the Bible, we are left to our own thoughts, ideas, and opinions. We make ourselves the god and authority over our own lives. Morality then becomes relative. Right and wrong become inventions of our own minds. After all, who are you to tell me what is moral, and what is not?
3. As Christians, our worldview, which is how we see and interpret the world, comes from the Bible. The Christian worldview is founded upon two principles: God exists, and he has spoken to us in his word. The Bible, which contains God’s revealed moral will in His law and commandments, is His revelation to His people. As such, the Bible becomes our source of definition of right and wrong.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Timothy 3:16 - “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

2 Peter 1:21 - “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

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#623: God Never Changes May 26, 2022

Show notes

In a world of mistrust, God can be trusted. He can be counted upon. He keeps his promises, he fulfills his word, and he does what he says he will do. God is worthy of your trust, your faith, and your confidence.

Main Points:

1. The Bible teaches us that God is faithful. This means God is always reliable, all of the time. He does not fail or forget. He always keeps his word. His character is consistent and He never changes.
2. Think about the implications of this wonderful truth. If God never changes, his love never changes. His grace never changes. His forgiveness never changes. His power and his presence never change. His ability never changes.
3. If you are struggling to trust God, be assured of his character. There is no one like God. He does not change. He will be faithful in your life.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

Psalm 119:89-90 - “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations.”
Malachi 3:6, "I the Lord do not change."
James 1:17 - “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

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#622: Keeping our Spiritual Zeal May 25, 2022

Show notes

Zeal is defined as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.” Wow! Does this describe your relationship with God? Can you say you are pursuing Jesus with great energy and enthusiasm?

Main Points:

1. As we look at scripture, we discover that having a zeal for the Lord is a heart issue. It’s not so much about personality or family background as it is the focus and priority of our hearts.
2. I want you to know that you don’t have to lose your spiritual zeal. Your relationship with God can be as real, as relevant, and as exciting as you want it to be. It’s a matter of where you focus your heart and how you set your priorities.
3. If your spiritual tank is leaning towards empty, know there is a gracious God who desires a close relationship with you. He’s waiting. Take a step towards him today and regain your zeal for Jesus.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Romans 12:11 - “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

Matthew 22:37 - “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Matthew 6:33 - “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”

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#621: The Hard Sayings of Jesus May 24, 2022

Show notes

I love the words of Jesus. I’ve discovered that most people do, even non-believers. You can even purchase Bibles that only have the words of Jesus printed. It’s been said that no one speaks like Jesus and I would agree. His words have power and they have life. These truths are encouraging, uplifting, inspiring, and challenging. They changed people’s lives in the first century, and they are still changing lives today. But you would have to agree that as much as we love the words of Jesus, we also recognize that Jesus said some hard things, some very hard things.

Main Points:

1. Today, as Christians, we view the cross as a symbol of forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented nothing but torturous death. The Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion.
2. For the followers of Jesus, taking up our cross means “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender. It means choosing Jesus above all things. It means putting him first and dying to our desires, ambitions, and worldly pleasures. Jesus said if we “lose our life, we will find it.” The reward for choosing Christ over everything else is matchless.
3. We carry our cross and die to ourselves because Jesus alone is worthy.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Luke 9:23 - “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

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#620: Why People Don't Respond to the Gospel May 23, 2022

Show notes

Our enemy will do everything he can to prevent people from seeing Jesus and experience his love and grace. He will cause them to believe lies. He will attempt to prevent them from believing the truth. He will distract people by causing them to focus on other things, rather than the gospel.

Main Points:

1. In the darkness of sin and the isolation of a relationship with God, our Heavenly Father wants to let his light shine. His light wants to remove our darkness so we can see the glory of Jesus and the joy of knowing Him.
2. This spiritual blindness explains why people, many of whom we know and love, have not responded to the gospel. This explains why they have rejected Christ. They simply cannot see.
3. Thankfully, there is still hope. This is why Jesus came. Luke 4:18 - God sent Jesus to bring “deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind.” This is not just referring to the healing of physical blindness, but more importantly, the healing of the “spiritual blindness” that everyone has apart from Christ.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Corinthians 4:4 - “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 - “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”

John 3:19 - “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

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#619: The Blessing of Being a Peacemaker May 21, 2022

Show notes

The children of God are peacemakers. A peacemaker is someone who intentionally works to help people reconcile with God and others. Anyone who does the hard work of peacemaking will be blessed by God.

Main Points:

1. The word “peace” in Matthew 5:9 combines two Greek words. Together they mean to bring about wholeness, to bring all the essential parts together in wholeness.
2. Peace-making requires God’s power. Real and lasting peace is impossible to create without God’s help. You can’t make what you don’t have. The only way to have inner peace is to make peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
3. Peacemaking is such hard work that it’s easier to say…. “I’m staying out it.” We try and fail and get discouraged, so we give up. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can all work to be peacemakers, and in doing so we are a reflection of God’s character.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 5:9 - “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Romans 5:1 - “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians chapter 5:18 - “God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

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#618: Waiting on God's Timing May 20, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever thought, “Why does God take so long?” If God is all-knowing, then he knows that I need my prayer answered right now. If God is all-powerful, he can do it right now. Why is there a delay?

Main Points:

1. If God makes you wait, there is a reason. God does nothing by accident. God never gets too busy. God never gets pre-occupied. God is always on time…according to his time.
2. God knows what he is doing. His delays are always purposeful. When we dare to live by God’s timing, great things happen.
3. Just because it’s not happening now, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Just because God hasn’t answered the prayer or met the need, doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. It may just be a matter of God’s timing.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Exodus 2:11-15 - "One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian.”

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#617: The Unity of Believers May 19, 2022

Show notes

God desires his church to be in tune with himself and with one another. Nothing interrupts the work of God and discredits the church like disunity. A church that is not in unity with God and one another is dysfunctional and ineffective. Disunity prohibits our message from being a beautiful sound to the community. But when a church comes together in unity, our message is compelling and contagious.

Main Points:

1. The goal is not unity in everything. Being humans, it’s normal to have differing ideas and opinions. We won’t always see eye to eye, and that’s not a bad thing.
2. The goal, as Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 is to make every effort to keep the “unity of the Spirit.” When a group of believers comes together in unity around the scripture, the work of the Spirit, and the great commission, that church will have an impact for Christ.
3. Let’s unite around the purpose of God, the mission of the church, the inerrancy of scripture, the power of the Holy Spirit, and a prevailing love for one another. If we can commit to this kind of unity, we will be in tune with one another and together we will make beautiful music for the world to hear.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 Corinthians 1:10 - “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

Ephesians 4:2-3 - “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Psalm 133:1 - “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

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