The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#1,057: There Is No Substitute for Fervent Prayer Aug 15, 2024

Show notes

Let us remember that nothing is a substitute for earnest prayer. Nothing can take its place. Today’s church does many important things, but we must make prayer a priority.

Main Points:

1. This is a remarkable story of God’s power and deliverance, but what stands out to me the most from this story is the commitment of the church to prayer. This miracle happened in the middle of the night. The church was not asleep because they knew the next day Peter would be put on trial. The church was having an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to protect Peter.
2. It was a desperate situation but I believe they remembered that Jesus told them to “ask and it will be given you.” The Greek word tells us that they were “straining in prayer”. It was not a casual prayer, “Lord, bless Peter tonight.” No, it was a desperate prayer, a fervent prayer, and an earnest prayer. They were seeking God. They were crying out to God for Peter’s deliverance. This is intercessory prayer.
3. When was the last time you gathered with other believers and prayed an earnest prayer? Let’s recommit ourselves to prayer. The God who hears will answer.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Acts 12:5-10 - “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.”
James 5:16 - “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Mark 11:17 - “My house shall be called a house of prayer.”

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#1,056: Your New Identity as a Child of God Aug 14, 2024

Show notes

If you have placed your faith in Jesus, you are a child of God. This is your God-given identity and purpose. You are to live for God and his glory. You are to fulfill His purpose for your life. There is no higher calling and no greater joy than to live for God.

Main Points:

1. For the Christian, identity shouldn’t be an issue. The Bible makes it very clear. We have been created in the image of God. Jesus paid for my sins on the cross, verifying my worth to God. The Bible says I have been called, chosen, accepted, forgiven, and redeemed. I am a child of God and my name is written in Heaven.
2. Satan, our culture, and the world around us are all competing with God to give you a new identity. The world says You are nothing unless… You are nothing until…
3. Your identity, value, and worth have all been established by God. Rest in your God-given identity as a child of God. Reject worldly labels. Your identity was purchased at the cross. Walk in it today.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Corinthians 5:17 - “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Galatians 2:20 - “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Hebrews 11:24-26 - “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”

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#1,055: Avoiding The Desire to Become Jealous Aug 13, 2024

Show notes

Jealousy has been defined as “resenting God’s goodness in others’ lives and ignoring God’s goodness in my own life. Jealousy is an enemy of our hearts because it causes a lack of contentment and gratitude toward God.

Main Points:

1. Jealousy can lead us to become angry, bitter, and unforgiving. It can lead us to gossip, lie, or be malicious. Jealousy can lead us to steal, commit adultery, and even murder.
2. The cure for a heart struggling with jealousy is to resist the temptation to compare yourself with others.
3. Here is a great truth: “I already have more than I deserve.” So, why am I complaining and being jealous of others when God has given me more than I can ever possibly deserve?

Today’s Scripture Verses:

James 3:16 – “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”

Proverbs 23:17 - “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.”

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#1,054: What Story Will You Tell The Next Generation? Aug 09, 2024

Show notes

This generation must believe God to move in power so they too, will have their own stories to tell. We cannot let the story of God’s power die with our generation.

Main Points:

1. We must continue telling the next generation the stories of God’s faithfulness. Has God done a miracle in your life? Do you have a God story? Do you have a praise report and a testimony? You must tell your children and grandchildren. We must tell our children and youth ministries what God has done.
2. These stories plant seeds of faith in the hearts of the next generation. These seeds of faith enable the next generation to believe that the God of the past will also work in the present.
3. Tell your story. Find someone from the younger generation and tell them your stories of what God has done. Let them know they too can believe God for their own stories.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Joshua 4:20-24 - “And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

"Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” (Psalm 102:18)=

"Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.” (Psalm 71:18)

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#1,053: Does Your Soul Need a Tune-Up? Aug 08, 2024

Show notes

My heart does not naturally follow after God. It does not naturally seek after Him. With intentionality, I must get back in tune with God.

Main Points:

1. We can ask, “Are my words out of tune with the Spirit of God? Have my words been negative, critical, crass, or even vulgar? Have my words been filled with complaint, gossip, criticism, or profanity?" We can tune our hearts and our words back to things that please the Lord. Our words can be a blessing and a sweet sound to others.
2. We can also ask, “Are my thoughts out of tune with the Spirit of God?” What have we been thinking about lately? No one on earth knows our thoughts, but God sees them all. We can tune our thoughts back to the things that please the Lord.
3. Do you need an adjustment in your spirit? Is your heart slightly out of tune with God? Pray this prayer: “Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight.”

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Jeremiah 17:9 - “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”

David in Psalm 19:14 - “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight.”

Luke 6:45 - “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

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#1,052: Let God Restore Your Hope Aug 07, 2024

Show notes

Remember this: our hope in God isn't just a wish or a dream, but sure confidence that what God says will happen. Every other hope will disappoint. Every other hope will come up short. God is the one who never fails, he never leaves us, and he never forsakes us.

Main Points:

1. Today, I ask you to let the Word of God penetrate the dark place in your soul. Let the light of God’s truth illuminate your situation. If you feel hopelessness, despair, discouragement, or depression, receive this Word from the Lord.
2. Just because you can’t see him, it doesn’t mean God is not at work in your life. Just because you don’t recognize it at the moment, it doesn’t mean there is no way out. Just because you don’t feel him, it doesn’t mean the Lord is not with you.
3. Discouragement, despair, and hopelessness are not God’s will for your life. Let his truth fill your heart and mind. Meditate on His Word. Let God restore your hope.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 34:17-19 - “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”

Psalm 113:4-5 - “For the Lord is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?”

Matthew 19:26 - “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
1 John 4:16 - “ We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

Psalm 25:3 - “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame”

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#1051: God Will Meet You in the Storm Aug 02, 2024

Show notes

If storms are inevitable, unpredictable, and impartial, then the issue really becomes “what is my response going to be to the storms that are inevitably going to happen in my life?” Where will you turn? Where will you go? What will you do?

Main Points:

1. We can turn to Jesus during our storm. He is there. He is available. He cares. Don’t ride out the rough seas without turning to the one who can either calm the storm around you or the storm within you.
2. There will be nothing you will face for the rest of your life that you face alone. God is with you. Jesus is in your boat. We tend to forget that in storms. We think we're all alone. We think that God is far away.
3. The disciples had no reason to fear. They had what every one of us have. They had the close presence of Christ. Like the disciples, let’s turn to Christ and find God in our storm.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

James 1:2 - "When you face trials..."
Matthew 5:45 "He sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
Mark 4:38 - “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
Isaiah 43:1-2 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you!"

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#1,050: Do You Have the Fear of Man? Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

There is a very common type of fear identified in the Bible that is not talked about much. It is the fear of man. It’s a fear of people and it can include intimidation, peer pressure, social anxiety, isolation, and insecurity. The fear of man can lead us to make choices that aren’t right for us or avoid making decisions at all.

Main Points:

1. When we are filled with the fear of man we are no longer focused on God, his presence, and his power in our lives. The fear of man leads us to a place of bondage and enslavement. We become slaves to our fears and unable to move forward.
2. The fear of man asks: What do people think of me? Will they accept me? What if I’m rejected? What if they don’t like what I’m doing? How can I face something like that?
3. The will of God for your life is peace and rest. God’s will is for you to live with confidence in your Heavenly Father’s love. When we fear others we live for their approval. As believers, we are to live for the approval of God.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 29:25 - “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

Hebrews 13:6 - “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Galatians 1:10 - “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Psalm 27:1 - “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”

Proverbs 14:27 - “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

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#1,049: What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Jul 31, 2024

Show notes

In my years of serving as a pastor, I’ve discovered that often people have an incomplete understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we share the message of faith in Jesus, people are often ready to receive Jesus in their life. They certainly want forgiveness, they want God’s blessings, and they want the assurance of Heaven.

But is that all there is to it? Why did Jesus come? Why did he have to die on the cross? Why do we need salvation? What happens when we put our faith in Jesus? What does it mean to be a Christian? The answers to these questions are so important.

Main Points:

1. The word “gospel” simply means good news. The word “gospel” appears 93 times in the New Testament. It is the good news concerning Christ and the way of salvation.
2. The gospel is the message of forgiveness for sin through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. It is essentially God’s rescue plan of redemption for those who will trust in His divine Son to be reconciled to a just and holy God.
3. Have you received the gospel? Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your savior? You can do so today by placing your faith in Jesus, his death, and resurrection for your sins.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”(Ephesians 2:8–9).

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#1,048: Building Christian Character Jul 30, 2024

Show notes

Character is never built in a classroom. Character is built in the circumstances of life. God builds character in our lives by allowing us to experience situations where we are tempted to do the exact opposite of the character quality. Character development always involves a choice. When we make the right choice, our character grows more like Christ.

Main Points:

1. We don’t know why tragic circumstances happen in our lives. We don’t know why accidents happen. We don’t know why people receive bad news from the doctor. Life and its difficulties come to us all. Live long enough and you will experience suffering.
2. God will use every circumstance of our lives to help us be more like Jesus. If you think back over your life you’ll realize that you have grown through the things you suffered.
3. Christ-like character is the goal of the Christian life. To settle for anything less is to miss the point of spiritual growth.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Isaiah 43:2 - “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

Hebrews 5:8 - “Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.”

Romans 8:28 - “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:29 - “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”

Ephesians 4:13 - We are to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

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