The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

How is it possible to have all of our sins forgiven, to have the promise of eternal life, to daily live with a relationship with God, and not have joy? How is it possible? If we have experienced such amazing gifts from God, shouldn’t our lives radiate the joy of the Lord?  Main Points: 1. Joy in the Biblical context, is not an emotion.  Joy is an attitude of the heart.  It is not necessarily based...

In my life, I have discovered that when it comes to the choices of fear and faith, it’s not always one or the other. Life produces fear, it’s an emotion we feel, but with God’s help, I can choose faith anyway. Though I may feel fear, I choose to trust God.  Main Points: 1. As Christians, we acknowledge that fear is a choice. We can also make another choice. It’s the decision to live by faith.  2....

Temptation is a battle because sin is more than just a choice – it is a power, an intimidating force in our lives.  We live in this world surrounded by influences that pull at our soul, lure our affections, and seduce our wills. Main Points: 1. This prayer recognizes our spiritual weakness.  Our tendency to yield to temptation.  This prayer is saying, “God I’m too weak on my own.  I need your help...

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 lon...

At its heart, the Bible is a book about relationships – how we relate to God, and how we relate to each other. Main Points: 1. You need to know this about God.  He is concerned with your aloneness.  2. I believe God is calling the church to be a place of hope.  A place of life.  A place of love.  A place of honesty and genuine friendships and relationships.   3. You can’t read the New Testament an...

I discovered that Jesus could offer me something that nothing or no one else could offer.  He could quench my spiritual thirst.  He offered me a relationship.  He offered me purpose for my life.  As I began to sincerely follow him, my life was filled with contentment.  I realized that Jesus could satisfy the thirst and the longing that I had inside. Main Points: 1. You and I have experienced physi...

The Bible is a book of miracles, from the beginning to the end. If you read through the Bible, you will be left with this amazing truth: God can do anything. There is no limit to his power. He is a miracle-working God. He specializes in doing what seems to be impossible to us. Main Points: 1. What is a miracle? Webster's dictionary defines a miracle as an "extraordinary event manifesting...

According to the Joshua Project, there are still 7,415 unreached people groups around the world. An unreached or least-reached people is a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group without outside assistance. Main Points: 1. Why should we care? Why should this be a priority for the church? B...

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 t...

From generation to generation, the Word of God endures. It is timeless in its relevance. It speaks to the hearts of men, women, teenagers, boys, and girls. Seasons come and go, but the Scripture is still powerful in its application to the human condition. Main Points: 1. The Word of God we have is precious. God has spoken and we have it in print and in digital form. It cannot and will not be destr...

I pray that we pursue Jesus with this same sense of desperation. May we recognize that nothing in this world will satisfy the deepest longings of our souls. A relationship with Jesus is nourishing to our soul, just like a cool drink of water to a thirsty body. A strong spiritual life is sustained by this relationship with Christ. Nothing else will do. Main Points: 1. The word “passion” describes a...

Offense is a growth opportunity. How will you respond when another Christian hurts you? Will you become offended and bitter? Will you ignore them and refuse to talk with them? Will you leave the church in an attempt to find a better one?  Or, will you allow the experience to become a tool that helps you grow spiritually?  Main Points: 1. Every Christian is in process. We are not who we used to be,...

With our everyday lives being presented with so many options, it only makes sense that we would have spiritual options as well. Why narrow your beliefs down to one religion, one path, or even one God? Main Points: We like the idea of a path of our own choosing, but this is not something God allows. To reject God’s path and to be insistent that you will find your own path is a decision that ends in...

By faith, I believe that when we get to Heaven we will rejoice with our families for the salvation Jesus has given us. With this picture in your heart, pray with sincerity and never give up for the salvation of your family. Main Points: Maybe as you listen to this episode you have one family member in mind. At this point, you are not even sure how to pray anymore. Let me encourage you. Pray for th...

As we grow in the character of Christ, it’s his love that compels us to do more than expected. Anyone can do the minimum. Anyone can meet the lowest standard of expectation. Jesus is challenging us to serve others with love. He’s calling us to give of ourselves and to live with greater generosity. Main Points: It’s not natural for us to want to go the second mile. It requires the strength of the H...

It’s in times like these that we go back to scripture. What does God ask of us in difficult times? We are called, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to endure. Yes, endure it. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Don’t throw in the towel. Don’t become bitter and angry. Simply endure. Main Points: We can endure because He gives us the power to endure. We can endure and still display the fruit of the Spiri...

We hear it said all the time.  People don’t change.  Who they are….is who they are.  It seems like a hopeless statement.  But Christianity is about change.  God is in the change business.   Main Points: The Bible is full of stories about messed-up people who were changed by the power of God.  Right now, listening to this podcast episode are many people whose lives have been changed by Jesus.  You...

We all know what it feels like to be physically hungry.  But our hunger in life is much deeper than our need for the next meal.  Our greatest hunger is spiritual.  This hunger is what drives all of life.  It impacts our search, our ambition, our goals, and our direction in life.  We will do just about anything in our search to satisfy this hunger, and it can get us into a lot of trouble. Main Poin...

Most of us have had those moments when we struggled with our faith in Jesus. The moments of difficulty usually aren’t about our belief in God’s ability. They are about God’s willingness. In other words, we know he can help us, we are just not sure if he will. Main Points: I wish I could say I have never struggled with my faith, but that would not be true. Sometimes we are weary. We are tired. Some...

Isn’t it true that we grow the most in the hard times? When going through a struggle or a difficult season, I often ask myself, “What is God saying to me? What can I learn from this?” I don’t want to miss the lesson. Main Points: Sufferings can lead us to God, cause us to pay more attention to his Word, and lead us to open our ears to his voice.  So many people have the testimony of finding God an...

If we were to go out to a local street corner and ask people what their questions of God would be, there is no doubt the question of suffering is at the top of everyone’s list. You’ve struggled with this, haven’t you? I mean, why would a good God allow suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? Main Points: We have to start with the recognition that we there are some things we don’t know....

As believers, we are waiting for Christ’s return, but our waiting is not passive. It is an active waiting. I believe there are three primary things we are to do as we wait for the return of Christ. Main Points: 1. God gives each of us opportunities to represent him and to tell of his saving grace. As we wait for his appearance, we take advantage of these opportunities. We don’t ignore them. We don...

As I record this podcast episode, I know that many of you find yourselves in the midst of a storm. Some of you are facing storms in your relationships. Some are facing heath storms or financial storms. Others are facing storms in your work or even your ministry. Main Points: 1. Remember this, we serve a God who can bring peace in the midst of the fiercest storm. He’s never faced a storm he couldn’...

Anxiety is something we all face. It’s likely that this week you have been anxious about something. Maybe it’s your health, your family, your finances, or your job, but anxiety is something we are all familiar with. Main Points: 1. Present your request to God through prayer. God is inviting us to bring our needs to him. He says in every situation, prayer is the answer. This is something all of us...

According to Jesus, money is a spiritual issue.  Loving money is a root cause for many kinds of sin. Greed and materialism can consume our hearts.  The ambition and drive for more and more and more can turn into idolatry and can lead us away from the Lord. Jesus is not saying wealth is bad in and of itself.  There were many wealthy people in the Bible.  He is not pushing poverty as a way to godlin...