The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

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#1,517: Studying the Context of Scripture Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

When you study a verse from the Bible, it can only mean what it means in the context of the surrounding verses. It can only mean what it means in the context of the chapter, the book, and even the whole Bible. When we struggle to understand a particular verse, we should immediately read the verses that come before and after it.

Main Points:
1. One of the critical tools needed to interpret and understand scripture appropriately is context. We must ask, “What is the context in which the verse or the passage was written?” It’s helpful to learn about the author, the audience, the setting, and the culture. It’s also essential to use the theme of the surrounding verses and even the whole chapter to determine the meaning of a particular verse.

2. Having these practices in place as we study scripture, we protect ourselves from cherry-picking verses to make them say what we want them to say. One of the great errors of Bible interpretation has been the forcing of scripture to fit a preconceived viewpoint. This is how cults are sometimes formed.

3. As you read God’s Word today, look for the context which will give you the broader meaning of the text.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Philippians 4:13 - “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

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#1,516: God Promises His Presence Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

Receive this truth: God is standing beside you. He is there. Can you acknowledge His presence? Everything you need, He will provide. Repeatedly in the Bible, He promises that He will be with us.

Main Points:
1. When everyone leaves, when you feel abandoned, and when there is no one else around, God will remain present in your life. In fact, He has promised in Scripture that He will never leave us, nor forsake us.

2. What I love about the Bible is the real-life stories of people who faced all kinds of difficulties and adversity. We learn of their struggles, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But we also see God at work in their lives. We learn of God’s faithfulness. We see God’s compassion, wisdom, and guidance. We discover He is a God who loves His people and who will never abandon them.

3. There is nothing you are facing that God cannot handle. There is no need in your life that God cannot meet. There are no problems that God cannot solve. The eternal God is standing beside you right now.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

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, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.”

Isaiah 41:10 - “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 - “ Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

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#1,515: You Can Be an Encourager Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

I believe every believer has a ministry. Don’t overlook the importance of being an encourager. It costs you nothing but your love, your kindness, and your time.

Main Points:
1. Have you ever had an encourager in your life, someone that whenever you were around them, you found your spirit lifted? This is the kind of person I want to be. I want to be an encourager.

2. You never know the impact of your kindness, your love, and your words of encouragement. I believe people around you today are desperate for encouragement. Everyone around you is fighting a battle you know nothing about. What a difference you could make in someone’s life by encouraging them to trust the Lord, to keep believing, and not to give up.

3. What a difference you could make by encouraging someone to obey God, to step out in faith, and to let God use their lives.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 Thessalonians 5:11 - “encourage one another and build each other up.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 - “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

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#1,514: God's Interruptions Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

God's interruptions remind us that our knowledge and perspective are very limited. We cannot see and know as much as God. So, we surrender to his plan, recognizing we serve a God who has all knowledge and he knows what is best for us. So, if interruptions are God’s plan for us, we must embrace them.

Main Points:
1. So, what do we do when we are interrupted, and we sense that God is at work in the interruption? First, let me encourage you to pause and take a breath. It’s so easy to become irritated and reactive when we face the frustration of an interruption.

2. Second, pray and ask God to help you be aware of what you need to see. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to his direction. Because of the interruption, there may be no clear path forward. In these instances, we have the opportunity to wait on God and seek his direction. Waiting on God is never wasted time.

3. Third, be alert to the possibility of discouragement. When our plans don’t work out, when the door is shut in front of us, and when we can’t move forward, it’s easy to be disappointed. Becoming discouraged is a choice. Don’t give it to it. Praise God anyway. Trust God is working in the interruption and that a testimony is coming soon.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Proverbs 19:21 - “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 16:9 - “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

Romans 8:28 - “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

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#1,513: Joy is a Gift from God Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

Here’s what I want you to remember today. Joy is God-given. Joy is a gift from God that is available to every believer, regardless of one's circumstances.

Main Points:
1. Can I ask you a question? Do you have joy? Are you experiencing the joy of the Lord on a regular basis? Would those around you describe you as a joyful person? When we think of joy, it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that joy is the same as happiness. We confuse the two terms because we think of them as the same emotion.

2. Joy in the Biblical context is not an emotion. Joy is an attitude of the heart. It is not necessarily based on something positive happening. Joy is something that lasts; happiness is something that is temporary. When happiness fades away, joy remains. Joy is something God deposits into us through the Holy Spirit.

3. I remember as a child the church would sing a song that said, “This joy that I have, the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away.” Would you take this truth to heart? Would you really grab hold of it, deep down in your soul? God’s plan for you is that you would experience His joy, regardless of your circumstances.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

James 1:2 - “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

John 16:22 - “…I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

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#1,512: God Keeps His Promises Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

While we have struggled to keep our promises, God does not. God is always faithful, always consistent, and always steadfast. He does not forget, he does not change His mind, and he does not fail. He is a promise keeper.

Main Points:
1. What is a promise? A promise is a declaration or assurance that someone will do a particular thing or that a specific thing will happen.

2. Because of our humanity and our own sinfulness, all of us have, at times, failed to keep our promises. We’ve made promises to God, others, and even ourselves that we have not kept. Thankfully, we serve a God who is abundant in grace and mercy.

3. He has given us His word in print. We have his promises in black and white. As Jesus told Satan in Luke chapter four, “It is written.” We know He will keep His promises because His character is proven. Today, you and I can trust God’s promise. If He has made a promise, we can be sure that He will keep it.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Numbers 23:19 - “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

Joshua 21:45 - “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”
Luke 1:37 - “For no word from God will ever fail.”

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#1,511: Amazed by Jesus Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

After all the disciples had seen Jesus do, they still lived with a sense of wonder and amazement. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

Main Points:
1. I’m grateful for my relationship with Jesus, the Son of God, but after all I have seen and experienced, I don’t want to lose the wonder of Jesus. I don’t want to depart from my sense of amazement.

2. Don’t lose the wonder of Jesus. Never stop being amazed at who He is. Remember His power, His imminence, and His glory. There is nothing He cannot do. Just as He calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee with one word, He can calm the storm in your life.

3. Let's live everyday in wonder and amazement of our incredible savior.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 8:25-27 - “The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”
John 1:14 - “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

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#1,510: Craving the Word of God Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

In the New Testament book of 1 Peter, there are some verses which says the nourishment of the Word of God is something we desire. We should crave the Scripture because it provides a satisfaction that can’t be found anywhere else.

Main Points:
1. A newborn baby craves milk. Without this nourishment, the baby will cry. In fact, without the nourishment of the milk, the baby will not survive. The Apostle Peter uses this contrast to teach us how important it is for believers to crave spiritual nourishment. Of course, he is speaking of the Bible, the Word of God. He says, by it, that is by the Word of God, we will grow up in our salvation.

2. The key issue is desire. We must have a desire for the Scripture. It’s through the pages of the Bible we come to know the author. My prayer is that we would develop a hunger for the Word of God, because we have a hunger to know God personally.

3. The Scripture, for all of us, is an acquired taste. Before we came to know Jesus we had no appetite for the Word of God. We had a spiritual appetite, but we attempted to satisfy this appetite with the things of the world. But the more we partake of scripture, the more we learn from God, and the more we apply it to our lives, the more we desire the Word.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 Peter 2:1-3 - “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Psalm 119:97 - “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.”

Psalm 119:18 - “Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”

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#1,509: How You Can Leave a Spiritual Legacy May 29, 2026

Show notes

Regardless of how you live your life, you will leave behind a legacy. You will be remembered for something. What is remembered will be determined by how you live your life right now.

Main Points:
1. A legacy is the long-lasting impact of a person’s life. Long after you are gone, your life will continue to tell a story. The memories, lessons learned, and examples of your life will be remembered.

2. From God’s perspective it’s not our resumé or the amount of money we’ve accumulated that matters, but rather the kind of life we have lived.

3. A spiritual legacy is built by faithful instruction and example. Words alone are not enough, our lifestyle and practice must match our words. I’ve noticed sometimes discipleship is more caught, than taught. As others watch our lives, they’ll see the Jesus we love.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Proverbs 22:1 - “A good name is more desirable than great riches.”
Mark 8:36 - “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

Psalm 145:4 - “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.”

1 Corinthians 11:1 - “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

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#1,508: Can We Really Trust the Bible? May 28, 2026

Show notes

Perhaps today you have questions about the Bible. Maybe you wonder about its validity and authenticity. The Bible is under attack today, maybe more than at any time in history. Critics, skeptics, and scoffers say the Bible is a book filled with fables and myths. They claim it is riddled with contradictions and errors.
Yet, the Bible remains the best-selling book in history. No book in history has been so well read, consistently studied, memorized, and applied. No book in history has impacted nations, societies, families, and individuals as much as the Bible.

Main Points:
1. We can consider the unity of the biblical message. The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1,550 years, with at least 40 human writers, most of whom did not know other and were from varying backgrounds. Yet the Bible speaks with amazing unity.

2. We can examine the accuracy of the Bible. Throughout scripture the Bible offers us names and genealogy. It gives us dates and time periods. The Bible gives us clear locations. The Scripture does not offer a stories that are vague and unclear. It speaks with strikingly detailed clarity.

3. We can also look at the fulfillment of prophecy. Some of the biblical writers made claims about future events centuries in advance. If any one of the events predicted had occurred, it would be astounding. But the Bible contains many, many prophecies. There are over 300 messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, some of which were given over 700 years in advance.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Peter 1:21 - “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Timothy 3:16 - “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..”

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