The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#734: Do it Today Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

Do you have a dream? Do you have a God-given dream? Is there something God has put into your heart to do, accomplish, and fulfill? Does the dream stay with you and never seem to leave? Is there something God is calling you to do?

Main Points:

1. Maybe you need a little encouragement. What God has called you to do, you need to do it. Do it now. Don’t put it off. Don’t say someday. Someday may not come, but you do have today. What action step can you take today?
2. We take time for granted. We live as if our time is unlimited, but we know deep down inside that is not true. We only have a limited amount of time and we don’t know how much.
3. We always have plenty of time to do everything we need to do. This means that all of my time belongs to God, and therefore how I spend my days is a sacred issue. Someday I will answer for what I did today.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 -
"There is a time for everything,
And a season for every activity under heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die,
A time to plant and a time to uproot,
A time to kill and a time to heal,
A time to tear down and a time to build,
A time to weep and a time to laugh,
A time to mourn and a time to dance."
Proverbs 27:1 - “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

James 4:13-15 - “ Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10 – “Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.”

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#733: Created to Bring God Glory Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

That is what we live for: to experience the glory of God, to reflect it, to bring it to the world around us, not for our own sake but for the praise of His glory and honor.

Main Points:

1. The glory of God refers to his beauty, majesty, purity, and power. It speaks of the greatness and wonder of God.
2. In His love for us, God created us to experience himself. He created us to experience his glory. We get to experience God’s beauty, power, love, and mercy.
3. Not only do we experience His glory, but we were also created to reflect it. Like the moon reflects the light and radiance of the son, we are to reflect the glory of God to others around us. People should see and notice there is something different about our lives.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Isaiah 43:7 - “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 - “For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 - “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Matthew 5:16 - “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

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#732: Managing the Time God has Given Us Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

Our problem is not that we don’t have enough time. The problem is that we don’t always use our time wisely. We all have the same amount of time. When it comes to time every single one of us has the exact same amount. We all get 168 hours each week. The good news is the Bible has a lot to say about how we can honor God with our time. The Bible teaches us how to manage our time in a way that pleases God.

Main Points:

1. I have learned it’s important to do a time audit. Ask yourself, “how am I spending my time? Am I being wise with the use of my time? Am I losing time somewhere? Am I wasting time? It’s good to analyze where our time is being spent.
2. Then ask yourself the question… “Is this really how I want to spend my life? Remember your time is your life.” God is only giving you so much. How are you going to use it?
3. Time is a gift. Your life is a gift. You and I are managers of the time God has given us. Will you and I choose to use the most valuable resource God has given us for his glory and for his purpose?

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 31:14-15 - “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand…”

Ephesians 5:15-16 - “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…”

Haggai 1:7 – “This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.”

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#731: Determined to Stand for Christ Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

Every day, you make decisions about whether you will stand for Christ or not. In how we live our lives, the choices we make, the attitudes we portray, and the words we say, we are telling others that we stand for Christ, or we are communicating that we do not stand with him.

Main Points:

1. Jesus knew we would face a strong temptation to hide our light. When we are open and public about our testimony for Christ, it draws attention to us. We face potential rejection, scorn, and persecution. No one wants to experience such things. It’s so much easier to keep our faith and our testimony hidden. After all, isn’t faith in God supposed to be a personal, private matter?
2. Unfortunately, this is a lie we have come to believe. Satan wants your voice to be silenced. If you can be intimated to keep your witness for Christ quiet, then that is the temptation you will face.
3. Today you’ll have an opportunity to stand for God. In a conversation, at your office, with your family, or on social media, there will be a moment of decision. Choose to speak up. Choose to be identified with Christ. Don’t hide your witness. You can stand for Christ, but do it in a way that is gentle and respectful.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Isaiah 7:9 - “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

Matthew 5:15 - “No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.”
Romans 1:16 - “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”

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#730: Patience is Required in the Work of God Nov 16, 2022

Show notes

As we serve the Lord in our various ministries, patience is required. Like a farmer, we till the soil, we plant the seed, and we water the seed. We get excited when we see a little shoot begin to appear. Yet, we must wait for the harvest.

Main Points:

1. Let me remind you of an important principle about the work of God: The harvest belongs to God. You and I have no power over the harvest. We are called to serve, love, work, obey and use our gifts, talents, and time for God. He is the one that makes things grow. He is the one that produces the fruit.
2. We are responsible for our own obedience to God. We must do what he asks us to do, but then leave the results to Him. Only the Holy Spirit can produce growth.
3. So, if you are serving God, if you are working hard if you have been obedient, and the results still haven’t come, it may be a matter of waiting on the right time and the right season. Be patient and remember the harvest is in God’s hands.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 Corinthians 3:6-8 - “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.”

Galatians 6:9 - “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

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#729: Taste and See that the Lord is Good Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

God has created us with a spiritual hunger that can only be satisfied by Himself. Everything else leaves us empty and unfulfilled.

Main Points:

1. In Psalm 34, David is telling us to taste and see that the Lord is good. He’s inviting us to experience God’s goodness. But we won’t experience his goodness unless we take a taste and unless we encounter God for ourselves.
2. Sadly, there are many people who have missed out on knowing the Lord because they refused to give God a try. They just don’t know how much goodness they have missed out on because they make a decision about God without giving a taste.
3. So, let me give you an invitation. Today is a good day to taste and see that the Lord is good. You do this by trusting him with your heart and life. You taste His goodness by putting your faith in Him and believing He is the Son of God, who died and rose again for our sins.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 34:8 - “Taste and see that the LORD is good…”

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

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#728: What To Do When You Feel Anxious Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

We need to recognize that God knows about our anxiety. He is with us and He cares about how we feel. What can we do with our anxiety? The answer is to fight back. Anxiety is a form of fear.

Main Points:

1. Anxiety by other names: worry, apprehension, nervousness, concern, and fear. Questions anxiety asks: What will happen? Will will they think? Will I be accepted? Will I be okay? What if I look foolish? What does the future hold?
2. In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul is saying when you take your burdens, your concerns, and even your anxious thoughts to the Lord, he replaces your worries with something much greater: peace that transcends human understanding. And he says this peace of God will guard your heart and mind.
3. What is it that is causing you to be anxious? Can you trust Jesus with it?

Today’s Scripture Verses:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” (Psalm 139:23)

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
“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.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life…” (Luke 12:22)
Click here to watch the full sermon: "Fresh Hope: A Conversation about Anxiety."

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#727: Is the Bible Authoritative in your Life? Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

I believe in the authority of the Word of God. The Bible is not just a book. It is an authoritative book. What makes it an authoritative book is the authority of the author.

Main Points:

1. The Word of God cannot change us unless we obey it. We will not obey it unless we believe it to be God’s very words.
2. This phrase “breathed out by God” means inspired. This doesn’t mean the Bible writers woke up one morning, had a cup of coffee, and felt inspired to write something. No, it means God divinely influenced the human authors of the Scriptures in such a way that what they wrote was the very Word of God.
3. Determine to read, study, and obey the scripture because these words come from God himself. Let the Bible be authoritative in your life.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Timothy 3:16 - “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”

2 Peter 1:20-21 - “Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

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#726: Why Did Jesus Come? Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

The most important question you will ever answer for yourself is: “Who is Jesus?” The question swirled on the streets of Galilee and Jerusalem. In the marketplace, in neighborhoods, and out in the fields, people were talking about Jesus. Who is this man and why has he come? After 2,000 years, the questions are still being asked.

Main Points:

1. Once we understand who Jesus is, we begin to understand why He came.
2. He didn’t come to be a great humanitarian, teacher, rabbi, philosopher, miracle worker, or revolutionary. He didn’t come to start an earthly kingdom or to overthrow the rule of the Roman Empire.
3. Jesus came to save sinners. This is good news for you and me because we are sinners in need of a savior.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 16:13-16 - “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

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

Luke 19;10 - “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

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#725: Enduring Hardship for Christ Nov 09, 2022

Show notes

We have a temptation to think that if we are living in God’s will that we won’t suffer, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, God, in His sovereignty, allows us to go through hardship as a part of his greater purpose.

Main Points:

1. Sometimes hardship is part of the growth and development of our faith and spiritual growth. Other times hardship is a part of the testimony and ministry God wants to give us.
2. God calls us to endure difficulties for his name's sake, knowing that His grace is sufficient and that he will be with us and sustain us through it all.
3. Ask God for the strength to endure whatever hardship you are facing so that your testimony for Christ will be evident to others.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 - “have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, and I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”

2 Timothy 2:3 - “You, therefore, must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 12:2 - “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

2 Timothy 2:10 - “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.”

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