The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#596: Pursuing Spiritual Maturity Apr 24, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

The author of the Book of Hebrews makes the case that we simply can’t stay with the basic, elementary teachings about faith and spiritual growth. We must move forward to a deeper and more mature understanding of our life in Christ. This makes sense, doesn’t it?

Main Points:

1. Here’s an important truth: God wants you to grow spiritually. He wants you to mature and develop a strong faith. He wants your understanding of his Word to grow so that you can move past the elementary stages and move on to deeper doctrines.
2. We grow by being diligent in our pursuit of knowing God. We read and study His Word. We develop a consistent prayer life. We grow as we regularly gather with other believers and we share our faith together.
3. If you want to grow in your faith, begin to take small steps of obedience to Jesus. With every step, you move away from the basic, elementary teaching and advance to maturity.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Hebrews 6:1 New Living Translation - “So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.”
2 Timothy 2:15 - “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

James 1:22 - “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

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#595: Developing our Convictions Apr 23, 2022

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The Big Idea:

As Christians, our convictions are shaped by biblical principles. Since we believe the Bible is God’s Word and that its truth lasts forever, our beliefs and convictions cannot change regardless of the changes in our society.

Main Points:

1. What are your core convictions? Have you ever made a list? A conviction is a firmly held belief. It is part of who you are as a person. It shapes your choices and decisions. A conviction does change with the winds of time. It is part of your character.
2. The first category is biblical convictions. These convictions are the clear teachings of Scripture for doctrine and lifestyle. They are clearly outlined in scripture for us and they are the will of God for our faith and practice. These biblical convictions never change. They are the same in every generation because the Word of God never changes.
3. The second category is personal convictions. A personal conviction is a specific boundary of behavior that God has set for a person individually; however it is not necessarily a commandment defined in the Bible, nor is it a behavior meant for others to follow.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

James 4:17 - “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

1 Timothy 4:12 - “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” This means, no matter your age, you should let God’s Word inform how you live your life. As you do so, you are an example to others.

1 Corinthians 16:13 - “Stand firm in the faith.”
Isaiah 40:8 - “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

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#594: The High Cost of Forgiveness Apr 22, 2022

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The Big Idea:

Jesus paid our debt on the cross. He bore our sins upon his body. He suffered and died in our place, as our substitute. Jesus took the shame, condemnation, and pain we were to bear. He carried our cross and paid the ultimate price. It was a very high price to pay for our forgiveness.

Main Points:

1. Forgiveness comes at a cost. If you forgive someone, you bear the cost rather than insisting that the wrongdoer does. And that is what Jesus, the Mighty God, was doing when he came to earth and lived as a man and died a criminal's death on a wooden cross.
2. Here is an important understanding about our forgiveness: Jesus didn’t have to do it. He was not obligated to take our penalty. He was not forced to do so. He did not have to love us. We are not worthy of his love. Yet, Christ chose to love us. He chose to take our place. He chose to lay down his life for us.
3. What a great and awful price was paid for our freedom. Let us never forget there was a high cost to our forgiveness, but it was a cost Jesus was willing to pay.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 Peter 1:18-19 - “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

John 10:18 - "No one takes my life from me; I lay it down of my own accord.”

Galatians 2:20 - “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.”

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#593: How Great is the Love of God? Apr 21, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

Let this truth fill your soul today. You are loved by God. No matter who you are, where you have been, or what you have done, God loves you. And his love is as high as the heavens.

Main Points:

1. Have you ever questioned the love of God? Have you ever thought, “How could God love someone like me?” May you wonder if there was a limit to God’s love.
2. When we understand the depth of his love for us it creates security. We will believe His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. We are confident in his grace and mercy. We will trust that His Word is true and that He can be counted on.
3. In this life, love can sometimes be conditional. If expectations are not met, if trust if violated, if mistakes are made, sometimes people will withdraw their love. But God’s love for us is unconditional. Even though we have failed God many times, his love for us remains.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 103:11 - “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.”
Ephesians 3:17-19 - “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
1 John 3:1 - “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God, and that is what we are!”

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#592: Those Who Do The Will Of God Apr 20, 2022

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The Big Idea:

There is a struggle that all of us face and it is the struggle of submitting to God’s will. Why is this so difficult for us? Because we really want to do our will. We have our own desires, dreams, goals, and ambitions, and often these desire conflict with God’s will for our lives.

Main Points:

1. But I have discovered that the more we know Jesus and the closer we are to Him in relationship, the more our desires align with God’s desires. The more our will lines up with God’s will.
2. We should first focus on the will of God that is clearly revealed to us in Scripture. Sometimes we are focused on knowing God’s will for our future, but we are not paying attention to what He has already revealed.
3. Trust that God wants to lead you every day in his perfect will.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 John 2:17 - “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

Matthew 26:39 - “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Romans 12:1-2 - “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

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#591: The Essentials of Salvation Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

There is only one path for salvation and it runs through Jesus. Salvation is a precious gift, provided for us by the grace of God and the death of Jesus on our behalf. To receive it, we must believe and confess.

Main Points:

1. In these verses, the Apostle Paul identifies to essentials for salvation. They are faith and confession. There is an inner and an outer component. Faith is the inner part. He said we must believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is, of course, faith that the death and resurrection of Jesus paid the penalty for our sins.
2. Second, there is confession, not confession of our sins to man, but a public confession of our inner faith. He said that with our mouths we declare Jesus is Lord. With our mouths, we publicly profess our faith. Both the inner faith and the outer proclamation are essential.
3. If you are depending on anything other than Jesus for your salvation, I pray you will receive this word from God today, “Faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus and the public declaration of our faith is God’s path to salvation.”

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Romans 10:9-10 - “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Acts 16:31 - “They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

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#590: Experiencing the Fullness of God's Joy Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

Joy in the Biblical context is not an emotion. Joy is an attitude of the heart. It is not necessarily based on something positive happening. Joy is something that lasts; happiness is something that is temporary. When happiness fades away, joy remains. Joy is something God deposits into us through the Holy Spirit.

Main Points:

1. In these verses, Jesus actually gives us the key to living our lives with joy. We also see that God intends that His joy would remain in us and that our joy may be full. Imagine being full of joy! How would that change your life? Your outlook? Your attitude and your words? Being full of joy would change a lot of things in our lives.
2. But here is the key. It’s found in “abiding with Jesus.” What does that mean? It means living your life in a close relationship with Christ. It’s daily spending time with him. Pursuing a close and intimate relationship with God on a daily basis. The result of this relationship with God is a joy that only He can give.
3. If you find yourself living a joyless life, recognize that it can change today. Begin pursuing more of God. Press into God. Seek Him. Abide in Him. His joy will be yours.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

John 15:9-11 - ““As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Psalm 16:11 - "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

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#589: A Hunger Only God Can Satisfy Apr 15, 2022

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The Big Idea:

Any attempts at finding joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment apart from God always leave us empty. Yes, there may be temporary moments of happiness and perceived satisfaction, but it is never lasting. Millions of people can testify that they never knew real joy until they knew Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Main Points:

1. As real as our physical hunger is, we have another type of hunger that is just as real. It’s spiritual hunger. There is an emptiness that we will attempt to satisfy. Often we will not recognize this hunger is spiritual in nature.
2. There is satisfaction found in Christ that cannot be found elsewhere. The sweetness of God’s presence, the richness of His grace, and the fellowship with the Holy Spirit bring us to a place of being complete in God. There is no lack. Our needs are being met. Our hearts are full of joy and our lives are at peace with God.
3. Jesus did not simply die and rise again so we could gain Heaven. He gave His all so that we could know him and live in a relationship with the living God. It is in this pursuit of knowing and serving God that we find fulfillment.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 37:4 - “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

John 6:35 - “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
Psalm 63:1-5 - “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”

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#588: What to do with our Regrets? Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

What do we do with our regrets? If your faith is in Jesus, you must see that the gospel of Christ grants us freedom from the condemnation that still burdens us daily.

Main Points:

1. Everyone listening today to this episode has had the feeling of regret. You feel regret over a word spoken, a mistake made, a poor decision, or a missed opportunity. We all have things we’ve said or done that we wish we could do-over. What would you go back and change?
2. At times, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us opportunities we have to ask forgiveness, seek reconciliation and do our part to correct mistakes in the past. Other times, there is simply nothing that can be done accept submit them to the grace of God.
3. So if your regrets are weighing you down, examine them. What is giving them life? Once you know, lay them aside and turn your eyes to Jesus. Surrender your regrets to your Savior.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Romans 8:1-2 - “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 be your verses for this week. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

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#587: The Church Defined Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

The Big Idea:

The church of Jesus Christ is not a building and it’s not an event. Sometimes we’ll say we are “going to church” or we “went to church.” But it’s not a building, it’s not an event, and it’s not a worship service. The church is a community of people. Together, you and I are the church.

Main Points:

1. The word “church” is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia, which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of church is not that of a building, but of people.
2. What makes the church a beautiful thing is that God gives us the opportunity to serve Him together. We share our lives with one another. God has created the church so that we would not be alone. In fact, it’s difficult to grow spiritually unless we are in context with other followers of Jesus.
3. Embrace the church, with all the positive, and the negative. Be a part of a local group of believers. Join in worship, find ways to use your gifts, and to serve. Be a blessing. I’m confident you’ll be blessed too.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 16:18 - “I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.”

Romans 12:5 - “so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

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