The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#396: The High Cost of our Salvation Sep 11, 2021

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Episode 396 - Show Notes

As people who read and understand the Bible, we believe it’s true that Jesus Christ was crucified some 2,000 years ago for the sins of the world. Jesus died in our place. He took our sins upon himself and became our substitute. His death on the cross satisfied the justice of a righteous and holy God. Jesus death on the cross was motivated by his love, but it was necessitated by his justice.
Our salvation came at a great cost. What Jesus has done for us was no small thing. Jesus was condemned by the Jews and executed by the Romans. It’s believe that the form of execution called crucifixion was invented by the Persians, but history tell us it was perfected by the Romans.
But why? Why did Jesus have to die? What does Jesus’ death on the cross have to do with me? Jesus seems to take my sin personally, as if it were directed toward him. We must understand that when we sin, we don’t just sin against ourselves, or even against others. All sin is against God.
Jesus came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. There is nothing lovely in us. We are not worthy or deserving of God’s salvation. Motivated by grace and mercy we will never fully understand, Jesus steps in our place and takes our death.
There was simply no other way. Jesus’ death on the cross satisfied God’s justice and purchased mercy. Justice demands that sin be paid for. Dying on our behalf, Jesus died the death we deserve so that we could have mercy we don’t deserve.
Here’s the good news. Not only did Jesus die for us, but on the third day he rose from the dead. Today he offers you and I mercy, forgiveness, and a relationship with the living God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Isaiah 53:3-6 - “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

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#395: Death Has Been Defeated Sep 10, 2021

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Episode 395 - Show Notes

We are afraid to die. We are afraid of what happens when we die. Death is the fundamental human problem.
Life is short and so uncertain. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14).

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 - "“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I love these verses. Death has been defeated. Our fears have been relieved. Our victory is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. If God would not leave his Son in the grave, he will not abandon those who trusted in his Son. Death cannot win in the end because our Lord conquered the grave.
Be encouraged by the knowledge that death is not the end of the story for those who know the Lord. The Bible tells us what lies ahead for those who know Jesus. We will spend eternity with our Lord.
Death cannot win in the end. Death has been defeated. And the day is coming when death itself will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). Death was defeated when Jesus rose from the dead, and one day death will be no more.

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#394: The Importance of Your Spiritual Diet Sep 09, 2021

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Episode 394 - Show Notes

Your spiritual and emotional heath is directly connected to what you consume. Did you know that you can feed your anxiety? You can feed your anger. You can feed your frustration. You can feed your depression. What you feed get stronger. For example, if you feed your anger, you’ll only experience more of it in your life.
It’s so easy to become consumed by the stress, frustration, and anxiety of this life. If we eat a steady diet of negative news and commentary, if we eat a steady diet of negative social media posts, if we consume a steady diet of anger and frustration, it will impact our spiritual health.
We have to pay careful attention to what we feed our spirit. We must learn to do two things: We must learn to feed our souls and we must also guard what we allow in our hearts and minds.
You can feed your spiritual man. You can feast daily on those things that give you peace, joy, encouragement, and spiritual passion.
Take inventory of your spiritual and emotional diet. What have you been consuming lately? Is it making you healthier as a Christ follower? Or, is it feeding your frustration, anger, anxiety, or stress? Let’s consume those things that contribute to spiritual health and vitality.

John 6:35 - “Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Isaiah 55:2-3 - “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.”

#393: Never Alone Sep 08, 2021

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Episode 393 - Show Notes:

You and I were not meant to be alone. In fact, we are told in Genesis that God said it is not good for man to be alone. We are created for community and togetherness. There is a vast need inside of each of us to be loved, accepted, and cared for.

What is amazing about God is that he himself has determined to meet this great need. God cares so much about our loneliness that he promises his own presence. He will be with us.

Maybe you were abandoned by family. The Bible says in Psalm 27:10 - “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.”

Maybe you were abandoned by friends. The Bible says in Proverbs 18:24 that God is a “but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Maybe you were abandoned by fellow believers. In 2 Timothy 4:16-17 - “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength.”

In fact, God has promised that you will never be alone. Deuteronomy 31:8 - “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

While we believe and stand on these amazing verses, faith is not passive, it’s active. When you feel lonely, there are things you can do.

First, in your loneliness, decide that you will pursue God with a greater fervency. Dig deeper into his word, sing an extra worship song, listen to another faith building podcast, attend a bible study or prayer meeting, in addition to your Sunday worship experience. As we press in to God, he rewards our seeking with a greater awareness of himself.

Second, in your loneliness, decide to pursue community. It’s so easy when we are lonely to wallow in our emotions and expect others to run to our rescue. But instead, let’s refuse the pity party and reach out to someone. Send a text, make a call, initiate a coffee meeting or a lunch date. Invite a few friends to get together. If you are like most of us, it’s been to long since you have been together.

Third, in your loneliness, decide to serve others. Nothing pulls us out of our emotional distress like serving someone else who is in need. As we serve, we gain amazing perspective. We take the focus off of ourselves and put it on others. It’s here we find healing.

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#392: The Benefits of Memorizing Scripture Sep 07, 2021

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Episode 392 - Show Notes:

I have ofter heard people say they cannot memorize scripture. Why do we say that? If you think about your life, you have memorized many things. You have memorized process and certain ways of doing things. You have memorized recipes. You have memorized how to get places and so much more.
We don’t lack the ability, but it may be that we lack the desire.
The Word of God should be in us, not just in a book on a shelf or in an app on our phone. Imagine if you knew several verses by heart, verses that encourage, inspire, and equip you. Imagine being able to quickly recite verses in an effort to lead someone to place their faith in Christ.
We memorize scripture because it helps guard us against sin. God’s Word give us the necessary strength to recognize the temptation that is about to lead us into a sinful decision. With an applicable verse on your heart you’ll have the power to say no to sin.
We memorize scripture because God promises to bless us if we do so. Imagine this! God will give us stability and success if we keep His Word on our hearts and minds.
There aren’t many guarantees in life, but here is one: if you memorize Scripture, meditate on it, and act on it, you will have spiritual success!

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 - “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

Psalm 119:11 says, “"Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You”

Joshua 1:8 - “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

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#391: Giving Your Life to God Sep 06, 2021

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Episode 391 - Show Notes:

Let me ask you, “What would it look like for you to give your life to Christ?” What would it look like for you to say “yes” to God?
think of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed. He prayed, “Not my will, but your will be done.” May this be our prayer, as well.
thing we must remember is that when we say yes to Jesus we are saying no to something else.
You can’t follow Jesus and stay where you are. You will leave something behind. You can’t say yes to Jesus without saying no to yourself at some point. You’ll have to say no to sin and worldly passions and desires. God may even ask you to say no to some “good things in order to fully surrender.
Remember this truth…giving your life to Jesus is worth it. Nothing compares to knowing and serving Jesus.

Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

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#390: Rest for your Soul Sep 05, 2021

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Episode 390 - Show Notes:

In addition to the spiritual warfare we face as believers, you and I live in a fallen, broken world. We experience uncertainty, fear, stress, anxiety, and pressure. I wonder if today you need God to bring rest to your soul
Jesus invites us to come to him. He is the one who can provide the rest our souls so desperately need. If we could only see this. If we could stop for a moment, if we could leave our work, our ambitions, and our striving. If we could push pause on our anger, our frustrations, and our anxiety we could come to Jesus.
When we come to Jesus we must realize he alone can satisfy the deep longings of our hearts. People can’t. Work can’t. Success and money certainly cannot. Accomplishments leaves us wanting more. The deep rest our souls need can only be met by Jesus.
We come to him in worship. We recognize this sovereignty and his lordship. We worship him for who he is, not just what he does. We bring glory and honor to his name.
We come to him in surrender. We yield, not only our time, talents, and treasure to Jesus, but we give him our very lives.
It’s here that a great exchange takes place. He takes our burdens and give us peace and rest for our souls.

Psalm 62:1 - “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”

Matthew 11:28-29 - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.“

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#389: When It's Hard to Believe Sep 04, 2021

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Episode 389 - Show Notes:

As Christ followers we are believers. It was faith in Jesus that led to our salvation, forgiveness of sins, and relationship with God. In fact, the Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 - “Without faith it impossible to please God.” Faith is essential to all we do. But if we are honest, sometimes it’s hard to believe.
Imagine this father’s desperation. His son is dying. No doubt he has done everything he could possibly do for his son. He has spent everything he had on doctors to no avail. But now he hears about Jesus. He meets Jesus and the Bible says, “he begs.” This is what any of us would do.
I don’t know if this has been your experience or not, but I tend to have a lot of faith when I am praying for others. I can believe God for your healing. I can trust God for the salvation of your family member. But when it’s personal, when the need is in my own family, when I feel desperate, it’s in those times that it’s much harder to believe.
This story reminds us that faith often starts in a crisis! When things are good, it’s easy to forget God, but when life begins to crumble around us, we suddenly start looking to heaven for help.
Once we bring our problems to him, we must then go our way and trust him to do what he knows is best. This is true faith.
You may be experiencing a situation that has left you struggling with your faith. Be encouraged to know that, like this father, you can come to Jesus. He welcomes you. All it takes is one word from God and your situation can change. Be willing to take Jesus at his word and believe that it will come to pass.

John 4. Verse 47 says, “man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.”

In verse 50, Jesus’ instructions are very simple… “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

Verses 51-53 - “While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.”

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#388: God Can Change Anyone Sep 03, 2021

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Episode 388 - Show Notes:

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. God is in the change business.
The Bible is full of stories about messed up people who were changed by the power of God. Right now, listening to this podcast episode are many people whose lives have been changed by Jesus. You probably have a testimony of what God has done in your own life. God takes what people see as useless, worthless, ruined, and broken and makes them new.
The Bible is full of stories about messed up people who were changed by the power of God. Right now, listening to this podcast episode are many people whose lives have been changed by Jesus. You probably have a testimony of what God has done in your own life. God takes what people see as useless, worthless, ruined, and broken and makes them new.
The good news is that God doesn’t look at us the way the world does, or even the way we see ourselves. God looks at us and sees what He can make of us. We see our failures, our mistakes, and our sin, but God looks at us and says: “I see what you can be.”
Don’t write anyone off. No matter where they are, what they have done, or how lost they may be, they are not beyond God’s ability to reach and change them. Let’s pray and believe God to restore.

Joshua 2 - “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.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

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#387: Battling our Sinful Nature Sep 02, 2021

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Episode 387 - Show Notes:

Most of you listening today are Christ followers. You have placed your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. You are trusting Him as your savior and your Lord, but still have a sinful nature. Living in this life, we still battle our flesh, our carnal man.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit we can live victorious over sin, but we are not exempt from temptation. The Bible says Jesus was tempted and was without sin. While we are still in this life we will battle our sinful nature.
Maybe you are still carrying around your old man, your old life. Maybe there are still hurts, hangups, and habits that you are carrying around and they are weighing you down.
We must refuse to feed our sinful nature. Paul talks about the battle between our spirit and our flesh again in Galatians 5:17 – “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”
Whatever desires you feed in your life will be the strongest. You have spiritual desires and you have carnal, sinful desires. When temptation comes, every one of us has to make a decision. This is where things get tough. But I want you to remember that the Holy Spirit within us is leading us to make righteous decisions. He will give us the necessary power.
The principle that we must learn and apply is to take off the old man--to be renewed in the spirit of the mind --and put on the new man. This must become part of the many choices we face every day.

Ephesians 4:22-24 - “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

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