The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

So, what motivates us to speak up, while the culture is trying to silence our voice? What enables us to push past our fear of offending someone to let them know what Jesus has done for us?  There is only one answer: it is our love for Jesus. We speak up because we love Jesus. Main Points: 1. It’s as simple as this: If we love Jesus, we will obey his command to make disciples. If we love Jesus, we...

Through our relationship with Jesus, we possess the ability to live with joy, regardless of our circumstances. While the world around us may be falling apart, feeling defeated, and living in despair, Christians have the blessing of choosing to live with joy. Main Points: 1. How does this happen? How can you be joyful when life isn’t going well? It’s here we often confuse joy with happiness. They a...

By selecting the shepherds, God is making a statement. God wanted to show that His love does not discriminate on the basis of class, wealth, or social standing.  He does not respect kings and princes more than hourly laborers, he does not value priests and pastors above the people on the street.  God does not show favoritism.  He does not give preferential treatment to one group of people over ano...

We have a Father who is always there. Night or day, whenever the going gets tough, we can trust that He will never abandon us. He has promised to care for us, and He knows better than we do what we need. Main Points: 1. God knows. He knows what I need. He knows what I am going through. He knows what I am facing right now. My heavenly Father knows. How comforting this is to an anxious heart. 2. We...

When it comes to the church. I believe unity is our foundation. The whole church stands or falls on the strength of this foundation.  As long as there are people, there will be a wide variety of opinions. That’s okay. It’s not essential to have a unity of opinion in every matter. What is crucial is that we have unity around mission, vision, and purpose. It’s necessary that we have a strong biblica...

God has given us to power to overcome our fears. We don’t have a spirit of fear, we possess the Holy Spirit, which enables us to face life with the confidence that the Lord is with us in every situation.  Main Points: 1. Fear goes by many names. Perhaps in your life fear manifests itself as worry, anxiety, dread, concern, apprehension, nervousness, panic, or timidity. Regardless of the label, we g...

As Christians, we’ve been taught the importance of the Word of God. We have been instructed to read the Bible every day. We know the significance of spending time with God every day.  So, are there things we can do to develop a fresh love for the Word of God?  Main Points: 1. Start by praying a new prayer. Begin to ask God to give you a love for His Word. It’s a simple prayer you can start praying...

Our minds are not renewed automatically when we come to Christ. There are still old patterns of thinking that do not please God. But every day we have the choice to set our minds on things above. Will we allow the world to conform our minds, or will we invite God to transform our minds?  Main Points: 1. How do we do that? How do we set our minds on things above? Does that mean we go outside and lo...

Our financial health is not the only thing that requires an investment, our spiritual growth requires one too. No, not a financial investment, though God may ask that of us, an investment of time, effort, passion, and heart. God will ask for an investment of sacrifice, faithfulness, and commitment.  He will ask us to invest in the lives of others with love, support, and encouragement. God will spe...

It was a long-awaited night. Mary had waited nine months, but the waiting had started long ago. Throughout the Old Testament, the Prophets spoke of a coming Messiah. He would be a suffering servant that would save His people from their sins. Year after year the people waited for this coming Messiah. When would He come? Main Points: 1. Jesus came at just the right time in God’s redemptive plan, whe...

The call to discipleship is a call to deny ourselves. We take up our cross as we die to earthly sin, values, and lifestyle. It is to wholeheartedly embrace the life of Christ. It is a life of surrender to Christ and an abandonment to things of this world. To take up the cross means to identify with Christ in His rejection, shame, suffering, and death. Main Points: 1. It’s common today when speakin...

It is not the will of God that we be alone or that we go through life isolated from others. He has created the church to be our spiritual family. It’s here that we find fellowship, encouragement, support, and accountability. It’s also here that we are able to offer these same gifts to others. Main Points: 1. Sometimes the reason for such isolation is the pain we have experienced in the church. May...

No matter where you are or how far away from God you have run, you can always come home.  Our loving Heavenly Father is waiting with open arms. He is calling once again for you to come home. Today’s Scripture Verses: Luke 15:20 - “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms...

Prayer is an adventure in trust. We put our needs into the hands of an almighty God, who has the power to meet our needs according to His will. What will God do? We don’t know, but we do know that what God does is right. His answer and His actions may not make sense to our finite minds and limited understanding, but the will and purpose of God are always correct. Main Points: 1. When we have a nee...

As children of God, we desire the Lord’s hand of guidance and protection to be upon our lives. Why? Because He can see what we cannot see. He knows what we do not know. He holds our purpose and our future in His hands. Main Points: 1. I believe each day the Holy Spirit is active in our lives too. He is speaking, leading, guiding, and directing. Are we listening? Are our ears open to the voice of t...

Citizens not only have rights and privileges, but they also have responsibilities. The same is true for us as citizens of Heaven. Let’s not only experience the blessings of our new citizenship but let’s conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. Main Points: 1. You may not have thought about this, Heaven is not just a place you are waiting to see, but it’s a place of which you are already...

When you love Jesus it makes you different. You are not the same. There will be a noticeable difference in how you live and what you live for. In Christianity, some of the words we use to describe this new life are changed, transformed, converted, and born again. Main Points: 1. We are still in the world, but we are not of the world. We live by different values. We have different ambitions. We hav...

“How good is good enough?”  Here’s the short answer. We could never be good enough to go to Heaven. It’s simply not possible for humans to satisfy the justice of God with our efforts at being good.  The Bible teaches us that being a good person could never save us. Instead, salvation is based on the goodness of Jesus, on our behalf. Main Points: 1. Jesus, in kindness and love, took our sins upon h...

As Christians, the Bible describes us as children of God. As children, we are learning how to walk in Christ. We sometimes stumble and fall. God, with his grace and mercy, is patient and helps us get up and get going again. Yet, sometimes other believers aren’t as gracious. Main Points: 1. Sadly, sometimes the fallen are shunned, excluded, and look down upon. Sometimes the fallen Christian is goss...

We stand on Jesus’ promise that the gospel will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. As we see this being fulfilled, we know the end is near and Jesus’ return is soon. Main Points: 1. There are still locations in our world where the gospel message is not being preached. There are places where there are no churches, no missionaries, no translations of the Bible in local lan...

I talk to a lot of Christians who are unsatisfied with their prayer life. They even feel guilty, knowing prayer should be a more consistent part of their Christian life. But sometimes, it feels difficult to get going again. It seems hard to restart your prayer life. Here are some things that will help. Main Points: 1. First, ask God to give you a renewed passion for his presence. It’s a prayer God...

Do you need a guide? Are you in need of guidance and direction? God has given you two sources, His Word and His Spirit. Main Points: 1. Where does this guidance come from? How does God become our guide? He guides us in two ways. He guides us by His Word and by the Holy Spirit. 2. Psalm 119 says God’s Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path, meaning, it illuminates the steps we are to ta...

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...

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 glor...

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 pl...