The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#606: Yes, You Can Change May 04, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

We hear it said all the time. People don’t change. Who they are….is who they are. It’s seems like a hopeless statement. But Christianity is about change. The Bible is full of stories about messed up people who changed by the power of God. God takes what people see as useless, worthless, ruined, and broken and makes them new.

Main Points:

1. Jesus defeated the curse of sin by his sacrificial death on the cross. He did not die on the cross so we would stay bound to sin. He died on the cross to set us free.
2. Do you ever wonder why people can’t bring themselves to say yes to Jesus? It requires faith. It requires courage. It’s so hard for people to believe they can change.
3. True change always begins with faith in God. I know we make feeble attempts to change our lives, but until the heart is changed we are not truly changed. Behavior modification is nice, but God’s change goes much deeper.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

John 8:44 - “He has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Joshua 2:9-11 - “I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt…..for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”

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#605: Our Belief in the Local Church May 03, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

I believe God wants us to catch a vision of the importance of the church in our lives and community; and the church’s role in fulfilling the mission of Jesus in our world. God is at work in this world and he has chosen to use the church as his agent.

Main Points:

1. The church, as a collection of people with hurts, hang-ups, hiccups, and habits provide us an opportunity to learn and to grow. We learn to love those who are difficult to love. We learn to bear with one another. We learn to pray, to serve, to encourage, to develop patience, and yes, to forgive.
2. The church provides a community for us so that we do not practice our faith alone. It’s very difficult to grow spiritually all by yourself. You need other believers in your life, and they need you. Remember this: Friction is what sharpens an axe.
3. The church provides my family the opportunity to worship with others, to hear God’s Word taught and explained, to be encouraged, and to make a difference. While far from imperfect, we are better together.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Genesis 2:18 - “It is not good for man to be alone.”
Matthew 16:18 - “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.”

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#604: The Inspiration of Scripture May 02, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

In the biblical sense inspiration is unique. God was the primary author of the Bible; He was the One who inspired the writers to speak truths. He was the initiator. God was the source, the writers were the recipients.

Main Points:

1. The Bible is the product of God himself. The ideas are not human thoughts but come from God’s will. We also need to understand though, that the writers of the Bible were not just writing machines. God did not punch them like keys on a keyboard. His Holy Spirit prompted their hearts and minds, but it is clear that each writer had a style of his own.
2. One of ways we see the divine inspiration of scripture is in the unity of the Bible. There is amazing clarity in the central message of the Bible. The unity of the Bible is simply amazing. It’s even more amazing when you understand how it came together. The Bible was not written by one man, but by 45 different authors over a period of 1500 years in places all the way from Babylon to Rome.
3. Think for a moment about the diversity of these authors: kings, poets, prophets, a physician, farmers, shepherds, fisherman, a tax collector, apostles, and pastors. All of these men writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and when the writings are gathered together in the canon of Scripture, they tell a complete story.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Timothy 3:16 - “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…”

1 Peter 1:21 - “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

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#603: Understanding the Love of God May 01, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

We’ll spend the rest of our lives trying to understand God’s love, but the best way to get started is to experience it. His love will change your life.

Main Points:

1. The world tells us that love is a feeling, something that comes and goes. Many marriages have ended because couples claim that they have “fallen out of love.” Some people say they don’t feel God’s love. Our feelings are fickle, they come and they go, but the truth remains: We are deeply loved by God and that will never change.
2. God’s love is holy love. His love is built upon his holiness and could not exist apart from it.
3. Here’s what we know is true: God cannot overlook sin. He will never contradict his own nature. In his love he doesn’t overlook our sin, his love compelled him to provide for us a solution to our sin problem.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 John 4:7-8 – “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

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#602: Those Who Are Lost Apr 30, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

The word lost is not a derogatory term or even a negative one. It’s simply the term Jesus used to describe those who have not yet come to a point of faith and trust in Christ. They may even be searching for truth, but they are looking in all the wrong places. They are lost. God wants them to be found, to be saved, and to be right with God.

Main Points:

1. The most basic definition of the word lost is “to be unable to find one’s way.”
2. God’s great desire is that all of humanity would find salvation and forgiveness in Jesus. God has no other agenda. He has no other plan. This is why Jesus came. This is why He established the church, so that in every nation and in every neighborhood there would be a witness of the saving grace of Jesus.
3. This is the reason Jesus came to die for us. All throughout the Bible and all throughout history he has been focused on one task – saving lost people. It is the one mission of God. When we have God’s heart, when what concerns God concerns us, we are moved into action.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Luke 19:10 - “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

2 Peter 3:9 - (God is) “…not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

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#601: The Theology of Rest Apr 29, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

I think you and I know intuitively that rest is important for us. Not only is it important, but rest is also vital. Without rest, we are not at our best. Rest sharpens our soul, our mind, our body, and our spirit.

Main Points:

1. So, if God doesn’t get tired, and he never needs to sleep, why did He rest? I believe God rested to set an example for us. Rest would not only be a physical necessity for us, but also a spiritual one.
2. We need to see that rest is a gift from God. It’s a blessing to receive, yet it seems so few of us take it seriously.
3. Like all spiritual disciplines, they are only done when we are intentional. You and I can do this. It’s God’s will for us to rest. As we do, we will find ourselves refreshed and renewed and more capable to do what God has called us to do. You’ll do more with rest than you will without it.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Genesis 2:2 - “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”

Isaiah 40:28 - “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary.”
Psalm 121:4 - (God) “will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalm 127:2 - “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”

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#600: A Message to the Discouraged Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

I believe some of you listening today are discouraged. You have lost your hope and confidence in God. But no matter what your visible circumstances might be, God has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Today regain your hope in Him. Put your confidence in him. In God’s time and in His way, He will come through.

Main Points:

1. Instead of grumbling, instead of complaining, instead of becoming better and depressed, instead of giving up on God, let’s ask some better questions, What am I learning? How am I growing? How can God use this situation? What are my experiences teaching me? In what ways am I experiencing God that I haven’t before? What can I be grateful for?
2. Gratitude is the antidote to discouragement. Count your blessings. Even in the darkest days, you can find something to be thankful for. When you invite gratitude into the front door of your heart, discouragement goes out the back. It’s hard to be grateful and discouraged at the same time.
3. As I think about the times I have been discouraged, I realize that just about every time, I became discouraged because I took my focus off of Jesus and put it on myself and my circumstances. I pray you won’t make the same mistake. Whatever you do, don’t throw away your confidence in God.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Hebrews 10:35 - “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”

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#599: What Does it Mean to Live with the Fear of the Lord? Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

Fear of the Lord is deep respect, awe, and reverence for God. We give God the glory, honor, reverence, gratitude, and praise, he deserves. God holds this preeminent position in our hearts and lives. We regard his desires over and above our own.

Main Points:

1. We should fear or respect the Lord as one who has authority over us. It is a recognition that we are accountable to Him. He is so great, He is so holy, He is so righteous, how can I not humble myself before him? How could I ever think that I know better than God?
2. The fear of the Lord causes us to repent of our pride and our selfishness. It brings us to a place of humility before the Lord. It is a recognition of his holiness and greatness.
3. Without the fear of the Lord we make decisions based on our human understanding. But when we live with the fear of the Lord we make decisions based upon His approval. We live with the knowledge that the Creator of the universe is intimately involved in our lives. He sees, knows, and evaluates all of our choices, and we will one day stand before him.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Ephesians 2:4 - “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.”

Proverbs 19:10 - “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Proverbs 14:26 - “He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge”

Proverbs 14:27 - “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death”

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#598: The Power of Your God-Story Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

Your story is one of your greatest ministry tools. I meet people who feel they have nothing to offer the Lord. In their minds, they feel incapable of serving in some ministry. Yet, every one of us has a story. It’s a God story. It’s a story of how we met Jesus, the circumstances of your salvation, and how Jesus has changed your life.

Main Points:

1. When I think of the explosive growth of the New Testament church in the Book of Acts, we see two things at work. People were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and second, they shared their testimony with others. Sadly, it seems as if today we have stopped telling our story. But you have a story to tell. It is a story of God’s grace.
2. A personal testimony is the most non-threatening way to tell an unbeliever why Jesus is important to you. It allows you to be open about your life while giving God the glory. You can rave about the power of Jesus to transform a life and even someone who is hostile to the gospel will listen because you are not asking anything of them.
3. Your story is simply an account of how God has changed your life. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, then surely He has done miraculous things for you. People are looking for evidence that God exists and that He is personally involved in people’s lives. You can’t make God appear on the spot to prove His existence, but you can certainly point straight to Him by talking about how He has worked in your life.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

John 7:46 - “No one ever spoke the way this man does.”

Acts 4:33 - “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”

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#597: Divine Interruptions Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

An interruption can be God’s tool to help us become more patient, more loving, and more understanding. It can be God’s way of guiding our steps and pointing us in the right direction. Divine interruptions can be God’s hand of protection in our lives when we are starting to move in the wrong direction. God’s interruptions are always for a reason.

Main Points:

1. As you read the Gospels, you can’t help but notice that Jesus was interrupted just about every day. There was always someone reaching out to him for healing, deliverance, provision, or simply a question. But then we see Jesus embracing the interruptions and serving those he came in contact with. For Jesus, the interruptions did not stop his ministry, the interruptions were his ministry.
2. Divine interruptions remind us that our knowledge and perspective are very limited. We cannot see and know as much as God. So, we surrender to his plan, recognizing we serve a God who has all knowledge, and he knows what is best for us. So, if interruptions are God’s plan for us, we must embrace them.
3. Have you been interrupted lately? Has God closed a door that you were prepared to walk through? Trust that it is no accident. God has promised to direct your steps. His plans are always the best.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Proverbs 19:21 - “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 16:9 - “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

Romans 8:28 - “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

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