The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#784: Is the Bible Still Relevant? Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

Unless the author of the Bible is God, the scripture is simply the collection of ancient man’s thoughts and idea, it might be uplighting and even inspiring, but we wouldn’t consider it authoritative. Yet, if the author is truly God Almighty, then His words are as eternal as He is. His words are relevant for every generation. His words and life-changing are transformative.

Main Points:
1. There is a question today in our culture about the continued validity and relevance of the Bible. Many no longer consider the Scripture to be inspired by God and they certainly do not regard it to hold any kind of authority over their beliefs or actions.
2. The relevance and authority of the Bible are still in place, in fact they are eternal, because of its source, the very mouth of God.
3. The Bible is the eternal, unchanging, always-relevant, Word of God. Through its pages we are introduced to the author. We come to know Him in a personal way and we are transformed.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 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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#783: Those who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

The question Jesus asks in Matthew 5:6 is….”Do we possess a craving hunger and thirst for God’s righteous life? The promise? “If we do, we will be filled.”

Main Points:
1. Because of our lack of hunger, it may be difficult for us to understand this particular beatitude. We rarely hunger and thirst after anything, so we miss the urgency of these words.
2. If you and I want righteousness, we can have it. If you want a closer relationship with God, you can have it. Jesus provides the way. If you want to do God’s will, you can. If you want to grow spiritually, you can. You have to hunger for it.
3. How do we maintain a hunger for the righteousness of God? We make knowing God our number one goal in life.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 5:6 - “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

James 4:8 - “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

Psalm 107:9 - “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

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#782: Integrity is Required Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

In a recent meeting our team discussed our value of integrity. Here’s how we state it: We require integrity to the Scripture, our families, our team members, and ourselves. What is integrity? The dictionary defines it as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. It is moral uprightness. Perhaps you have heard this definition. Integrity is who you are when no one else is looking.

Main Points:
1. There is a popular phrase in our society that says, “What I do in my private life is my business and it has no effect on my public life.” I think we all know this is not true.
2. Integrity gives us credibility with others. As Christ-followers we want to share an honest testimony with our words, but also with the life we live.
3. We guard our integrity by protecting our heart, by being faithful to our families, and by keeping our promises.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Proverbs 10:9 - “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.”

1 Chronicles 29:17 - “I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.”

Proverbs 11:3 - “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”

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#781: Our Days are Numbered by the Lord Feb 16, 2023

Show notes

Here’s what I want you to think about today: Whatever you are going to do for God, you need to do it now. What is it that God has put on your heart to do? What burden are you carrying? What calling do you have on your life? Have you been saying, “Someday I want to serve God in a particular way? Someday I want to do this for God.” Hear this word. Someday is today. Someday is now.

Main Points:
1. We cannot put off until tomorrow what God is calling us to do today. The days, weeks, months, and years are going by, and they are going by quickly. We cannot go back and change the past, but we can do something about today.
2. So, let’s get to it. Let’s get started. Not tomorrow, but today. What has God put on your heart to do? What passion to serve the Lord do you carry? Let’s get started. What can you do today? What small step can you take right now?
3. I don’t know what God is speaking to your heart, but I do know the Holy Spirit is always calling us to go, to serve, and to step out into the plan of God. Fear and busyness cause us to delay and to wait. They lead us to put off until tomorrow the things God has put on our hearts.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 49:7 - “No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them.”
Job 14:5 - “A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

Ephesians 5:16 - “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

Proverbs 27:1 - “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”
James 4:13-15 - “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

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#780: The Gospel is for Everyone Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

While we are thankful we have received such a great salvation, we may wonder if God can truly save anyone? We know people who are far from God. They have no interest in God or the things of God. Their hearts seem hardened and they are not open to the gospel of Christ. Can God break through their darkness? Is the gospel for everyone?

Main Points:
1. Perhaps you have wondered if God could save you. Maybe you have thought you have sinned too much, gone too far, and are beyond saving. Possibly you have thought God could save and forgive others, but you are a lost cause.
2. The wonderful thing about God’s grace is that it is for every sinner. That includes you and me. No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross paid the penalty for all of our sins, opening the door to a relationship with God.
3. The word “gospel” means “good news.” Let’s share this good news with everyone we can and let them know Jesus saves.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

John 3:16—“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

Romans 10:13 - “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
John 3:15 - “everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
Titus 2:11 - “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.”

1 Timothy 1:15 - “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…”

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#779: When You are on the Far Side of the Wilderness Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

Maybe today you feel alone. Perhaps due to your mistakes and failures you have isolated yourself from others. Maybe you are struggling and you wonder where God is. Possibly, you feel as if you are on the far side of the wilderness. Stand on this truth from God’s Word: He will never leave you or forsake you.

Main Points:
1. This morning as I was reading my Bible, I found myself in Exodus chapter three. It’s the story where Moses meets God at the burning bush. Six words leaped off the page as I read the familiar story. It says Moses was on “the far side of the wilderness.” Moses wasn’t just in the wilderness, he was on the far side of the wilderness. What is the wilderness? The dictionary defines it as “an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region.” In other words, Moses was as isolated as a person could get.
2. Yet, on the far side of the wilderness, with not another person in sight, Moses was not alone. It’s here Moses has a life-changing encounter with God. He is reminded he is not alone, he is not forgotten, and God’s purpose for his life has not changed.
3. Moses never forgot about the day he encountered God at the burning bush. It was a revelation of God’s continued purpose and plan for his life, but the greater lesson for Moses was the necessity of God’s presence.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Exodus 3:1 - "Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness..."
Psalm 139:7-10 - “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
Exodus 33:15-16 - “Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

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#778: What is Amazing About God's Grace? Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

Grace is God's undeserved kindness. The doctrine of grace is that God treats us better than we deserve to be treated. Grace is "the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it.” Grace comes from the Greek Word “charis” literally meaning “gift, kindness, generosity.”

Main Points:
1. God’s Word teaches us that we are all sinners. We are all in need of God’s grace. Jesus came, and by his death on the cross, paid the penalty for our sins. Salvation doesn’t happen automatically because God is good. Because God is good, there is now a path for salvation, but it must be received. We receive grace by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone.
2. Eternal life is not a reward for good people; it’s God’s gift to forgiven people. When Jesus died on the cross he was lifted up to carry the sins of the world. Your sin and mine. His death satisfied sin’s requirements. Whatever you think you owed God, Jesus paid it.
3. To receive God’s amazing grace, we must recognize we are lost. We must agree with God that we are sinners in need of His salvation. This is where we offer God our confession and repentance. Through faith we believe in Jesus, and by grace we are saved. It’s only here that those who are lost are found. Those who are blind, now can see. God’s grace is truly amazing.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

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

Romans 5:20 - “… But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

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#777: You Have Been Chosen Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

Did you know you have been chosen by God? There is a place for all of us on God’s team. God has a place for you. It’s the right fit, the right opportunity, and the right assignment. God has place for you where you will thrive, a place that fits your gifting, your passions, and your calling. You have been chosen.

Main Points:
1. In the sovereignty of God, he prepared us for this moment in our lives. Not only has He given us opportunity, but he has equipped us through our various kinds of training. He has given us experiences that would give us the necessary knowledge and understanding. He has place mentors in our lives that will help shape our character. He has placed within you spiritual gifts. He has given you aptitudes, talents, and skills. You are right where God wants you to be. Why? Because He has chosen and appoint you.
2. Why did God select us? We feel so unworthy. We often feel unqualified. Surely, God could have found someone else who is more capable and more proficient.
3. Yet, God is not looking for the most talented, the most qualified, the most educated. He does not select on the criteria that men do. God is looking at the heart. Do you have a heart after me? Will you follow me? Will you serve for my glory? Will your ambition be the glory of God?

Today’s Scripture Verses:

John 15:16 - “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

John 15:4 - “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

John 15:5 - “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

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#776: Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

Out of His abundance, God will supply what we are lacking, if we ask. It’s important to see that God doesn’t just bestow wisdom upon us automatically. Not every walking around today is living in the wisdom of God.

Main Points:
1. It is this deep awe, reverence, and respect for God and His Word that leads us to pay attention to His Word. We begin to listen and to obey the Word. We value God’s Word over our own thoughts and intuition.
2. The Lord says we should seek for God’s wisdom like a person seeking for a hidden treasure. If we do, we’ll find it. God will bless us with His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.
3. It’s likely you are facing something today in which you need God’s wisdom. Is there a decision to be made? Are you facing a family crisis, a challenge at work, or choice about your future? Ask God to help you like in the fear of the Lord. It’s here that our become open to the wisdom of God.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Proverbs 1:7 - “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”

James 1:5 - “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

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#775: People of the Word Feb 06, 2023

Show notes

I sat and thought for a moment. How much do I love the Word of God? Having access to the Bible my entire life, has it become common place? Do I take it for granted? I began to pray and ask God for a renewed love for His Word. I prayed for a fresh hunger to know God more through the pages of Scripture.

Main Points:
1. You and I are to be people of the Word. The Bibles we possess are the very words of God. The chapters and verses are not simply the thoughts and insights of man, nor are they just historical stories of ancient peoples.
2. Because God has revealed His Word through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and because it is infallible and without error, the Bible is authoritative rule of faith and conduct. We accept the Bible as the final and unchanging authority for what we believe and how we are to live.
3. Since this is true, the Bible must become our daily spiritual food. We must become people of the Word. We must allow scripture to shape our worldview. Through the pages of the Bible we come to know God in a personal way. We discover His will for our lives and we learn how to please Him.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Peter 1:20-21 - “Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”

Psalm 119:105 - “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

Psalm 119:47-48 - “…for I delight in your commands because I love them. I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees.”

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