The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#1,347: The Church is God's Idea Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

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 allows us 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 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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#1,346: Understanding Why Jesus Had to Die Oct 14, 2025

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If you fully understand the gospel and what Jesus has done for us, you comprehend that it was not just executed 2,000 years ago by the Romans. You recognize that He willingly laid down his life as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus died for us. He took our place. With his death on the cross, He paid the penalty for our sins, so we would not have to.

Main Points:

1. Since God is just, he does not sweep our sins under the rug of the universe. He feels holy wrath against them. They deserve to be punished, and he has made this clear: “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). To not punish us would be unjust.

2. Imagine someone has committed a crime against you or your loved ones. You would be at the court demanding justice.

3. But here’s what is truly amazing…Jesus accepts God’s wrath on our behalf. Jesus doesn’t cancel God’s wrath; he absorbs it. He diverts it from us to himself.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Romans 5:6-8 - “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

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.”

1 Peter 2:24 - “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

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#1,345: Approaching God's Throne with Confidence Oct 13, 2025

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When we come to God in prayer, our confidence is not found in ourselves, our ability to pray good prayers, or even the amount of our faith. Our confidence rests solely in God. We are confident in His love, His character, and his power. We are confident in His promises and that He always fulfills His Word.

Main Points:

1. It’s possible to bring a lack of confidence into our prayer lives. We pray without certainty and assurance. We pray lackluster prayers, not really sure that God hears us or that He will answer.

2. I want you to see that our Heavenly Father wants us to come to him with confidence. God wants us to believe in Him, to trust Him, to recognize that He is a good Father who cares about His children. He wants us to feel confident that we can bring any need, whether small or big, to God.

3. When you think about those in your life that you have confidence in, the reason you have such assurance in them is because of your relationship with them. You know them. You know their life and their character. Over time, they have proven they are reliable and trustworthy.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Hebrews 4:16 - “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

1 John 5:13-15 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Psalm 34:15 - “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.”

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#1,344: Your Integrity Matters Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

Character matters. Your integrity matters. Living by biblical values matters. Our integrity will be tested. It will be tried. But if you remain resilient and determined, you can honor God and yourself by refusing to compromise your values.

Main Points:

1. Integrity is the personal choice to hold yourself consistent with your beliefs and moral principles. It is who you are when no one else is looking. In our culture of shifting values, your integrity will come under attack. It is important to pre-determine your values before you face the temptation to compromise.

2. The test of your integrity never starts with the big decisions. It always starts with the small ones. It’s tempting to think that small decisions don’t matter. They seem insignificant. We’ll tell ourselves, “no one knows, and it won’t hurt anyone.” Yet, small decisions matter because they never stay small. A small acorn eventually becomes a mighty oak tree.

3. It’s always easier to resist the winds of change if your roots run deep in God’s truth. God wants to use your life to make a difference, but to do so, you must start with integrity

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Luke 16:10 - “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”

Proverbs 4:23 - “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

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#1,343: God is Always on Time Oct 09, 2025

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Trust today that your steps are being established by the Lord. When it’s time to take the next step, God will make it clear. As you wait, believe that even though the waiting may not make sense, God’s will is being performed in your life. His will, His plan, and His timing are perfect.

Main Points:

1. God is never early, never late, but he’s always on time. Our timing isn't God's timing. For us, God's timing often feels like a long, desperate delay.

2. I’m struck by how many verses there are in the Bible that talk about waiting on God. One Bible scholar has found that the word “wait” is in the Bible 154 times. That is a lot of waiting. I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly enjoy waiting. Yet, if God makes us wait, there is a reason. There is something to be learned in the waiting, and I don’t want to miss the lesson.

3. The Holy Spirit is alive and active in the life of the believer. One of his purposes is to bring guidance and direction to our lives. He is faithful to lead us to God’s plan, but He can also be trusted to guide us to God’s timing.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 31:15 - "My times are in Your hands ..."

Ecclesiastes 3:11 - "He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

Proverbs 16:9 - “In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

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#1,342: Is There a Cure for Worry? Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

I’ve found that often times worry has to do with the fear of what could happen. They haven’t happened. We don’t know if they will happen, but we fear they could happen. This internal stress causes anxiety, fear, and apprehension. Not only can it make us emotionally and mentally unwell, but it can also cause physical illness too. Is there a cure?

Main Points:

1. The dictionary defines worry as giving way to anxiety or unease: to allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulties or trouble, whether actual or potential.

2. So, is there an answer? Is there a cure for worry? Is Jesus’ command to not worry about our lives possible? What can we do?

3. I believe the answer is found in worship. In fact, it’s very hard to worry and worship at the same time. Worship reorients our focus. A shift is made. A transition happens in our thoughts and in our spirit. As we worship our savior, we focus on his greatness, his goodness, and his faithfulness. We begin to remember that he is in control and there is nothing he cannot do.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 6:25 - “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life."
Matthew 6:25-26 - ““Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Matthew 6:27 - “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
Philippians 4:6-7 - “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

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#1,341: God's Power is Limitless Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

If you read the Bible from cover to cover, you will come away with the knowledge that God is great. There is no limit to His power. There is no end to His creativity. He is a miracle-working God.

Main Points:

1. As much as we would like to, we cannot fully understand the greatness of God. We are finite, but He is infinite.

2. Over the centuries, Bible scholars have done their best to describe and articulate the greatness of God, but when it comes to God, words will always fail us. The language of humans is incapable of accurately describing the greatness of God.

3. He is the one true God. He has no beginning and no end. He created all things, and all things exist by his divine power. He has no peers. No one gives God advice. No one can fully understand him. God is perfectly holy. He is pure and righteous in every way.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 145:3-7 - “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”
Job 23:13 - “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases”

Isaiah 55:9 - “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

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#1,340: The Belt of Truth Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

Where do we find absolute truth? We find truth in the Bible. What God says is true, and it is true absolutely. There is no wavering in God’s truth. Truth does not change according to polling data or by decisions handed down by Congress or the Supreme Court. Why? It is God’s truth. Truth is what God says.

Main Points:

1. We don’t usually think of a belt as a piece of armor, but the belt was important because the breastplate was tied into it. The belt even held the sword and the helmet when they were not in use. It was the first piece of armor that was installed.

2. The Apostle Paul gives us this image: we should tie up all the loose things in our lives with the belt of God’s truth. If we are going to stand when attacked, we must have a firm grip on spiritual truth.

3. Studies conducted by the Barna organization showed that only 22% of Americans believe in absolute truth. It is no wonder so many people lose more spiritual battles than they win. It’s no wonder they get tripped up in Satan’s schemes.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Ephesians 6:14 - “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.”
John 18:37b-38 - "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate.
John 8:32 - “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

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#1,339: Are You Listening for God's Voice? Oct 03, 2025

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We live in a very loud culture. The sound of our day is filled with the voices of media, news, politics, music, movies, sports, social media, friends, teachers, spouses, and much more. We hear it all, but have we heard the voice of God? God doesn’t have a speaking problem. We have a listening problem. He is speaking, and it’s critical to hear what He is saying.

Main Points:

1. I believe God is a speaking God. In fact, I know He is a speaking God. On many occasions, I have heard the voice of God. No, not in an audible voice, but in the quiet of my spirit. God has confirmed his voice many times. You can’t convince me that God does not speak today.

2. The struggle is not God speaking; I believe He is always speaking. The challenge is in listening. We struggle to get quiet before the Lord. We don’t always make time for Him, and sometimes we haven’t been in the practice of listening for his voice.

3. When someone speaks in a whisper, you have to get very close to hear. In fact, you have to put your ear near the person’s mouth. We lean toward a whisper, and that’s what God wants. The goal of hearing your heavenly Father’s voice isn’t just hearing his voice; it’s intimacy with Him.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Revelation 2:7 - “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says…”
John 10:27 - “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

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#1,338: God's Word Will Last Forever Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

God has ordained that His Word would last forever. No man can destroy the Word of God. It remains throughout every season and every generation.

Main Points:

1. Scripture has never been more available than it is today. As of September 2020, the full Bible has been translated into 704 languages, and the New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,551 languages. Now, through the means of technology, Scripture is even more available to us than it ever has been before.

2. Since the enemy’s attempt to destroy the Word of God has failed, he has changed his strategy. Today, his work is to discredit the Bible. We are told that any thinking person couldn’t possibly take the Bible seriously.

3. Since the devil cannot keep this book out of our hands, he now attempts to keep the book out of our hearts. As we read Scripture, we come to know the author of the book. These words are life to us. Satan knows that if you read the Word of God, it will change your life.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Isaiah 40:8 - “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
1 Peter 1:25 - “But the Word of the Lord remains forever.”

Matthew 24:35 - “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

Psalm 119:89 - “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”

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