The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

Have you ever thought, “Why does God take so long?” If God is all-knowing, then he knows that I need my prayer answered right now. If God is all-powerful, he can do it right now. Why is there a delay? Main Points: 1. If God makes you wait, there is a reason. God does nothing by accident. God never gets too busy. God never gets pre-occupied. God is always on time…according to his time. 2. God knows...

God desires his church to be in tune with himself and with one another. Nothing interrupts the work of God and discredits the church like disunity. A church that is not in unity with God and one another is dysfunctional and ineffective. Disunity prohibits our message from being a beautiful sound to the community. But when a church comes together in unity, our message is compelling and contagious....

God loves a cheerful giver. I believe this is because God himself is a giver. God loves to give. Every blessing we have is because God has given them to us. When we give with joy we are being like God. Main Points: 1. God blesses those who give. He said if we give sparingly, meaning in a small amount, we will receive a small blessing, but if we give generously, the blessing will be generous. 2. Pa...

I want you to acknowledge an important truth today. God’s purpose for your life is greater than your ability to accomplish it. You need a power greater than your own. You can’t fulfill God’s purpose without God. You don’t have enough strength, wisdom, creativity, or resources to do God's will all by yourself. Main Points: 1. If you are a Christ-follower, it’s likely you already know God wants...

Anyone can rejoice when life is good, but to rejoice when life is hard is a deliberate act of faith. You are deciding that your trust and confidence in God are not circumstantial. Your faith is rooted in the character of God. Main Points: 1. The word "rejoice" means to feel or show great joy or delight. In fact, the word “rejoice” is found in the Bible 154 times. That is a lot of rejoici...

We are not God. We are not little gods, but we were created to be like God in character and lifestyle. Our life should reflect the glory of God to others. When we do this, we are healthy and whole. The Bible describes this as holiness. Main Points: 1. Our sin has distorted the image of God within us, and now we can’t see ourselves as God sees us. We ascribe to labels the world places on us. We str...

God in his sovereignty knows what is keeping us from spiritual growth and bearing fruit. Sometimes there might even be good things in our lives, yet they are occupying our mind, our time, and our resources, and as a result, we are not growing spiritually. Main Points: 1. Here’s an important spiritual truth: God wants your life to bear fruit. He wants you to be a blessing to others. 2. Jesus is our...

As Christians, prayer is always a whisper away. Prayer is communication with God, and we can live each minute of the day in a constant, flowing, conversation with God. You don’t need a special appointment to talk with God. You can do so, anywhere, and at anytime.  Main Points: 1. There is significant value in making a specific time for prayer. In fact, I think that if we are not intentional about...

Of all the things we can pay attention to, we must pay attention to God’s voice and what He is doing. You can’t afford to miss out on the voice of God. Main Points: 1. With so many things calling for our attention, we may find ourselves easily distracted and without focus. To pay attention requires intention.  2. Every day, you can hear the voice of God. We don’t just serve a silent deity. We have...

You and I are going to struggle with our humanity.  Surrender doesn’t seem like a good idea to any of us. It feels like we are giving up and losing control, but when we surrender to God we lose things we don’t need to gain the things we really do. Main Points: 1. Everything you need is on the other side of surrendering your life to God. 2. Everything you need God can provide. Yet, often the provis...

As Christians, we must see that the grace that offers us God’s forgiveness, enables us to forgive others when they sin against us. Main Points: 1. Our forgiveness of others is a response to the forgiveness we have received. If God can forgive me, he can enable me to forgive others. 2. Christianity is a religion of forgiveness and healing. It is about God’s forgiveness of us, and our forgiveness of...

When we have a proper heart for worship we’ll see that worship is not for us. Worship is for God. We worship for an audience of ONE!  He is the audience, we are not. As our hearts are directed in praise, adoration, gratitude, and love for God, in return we experience joy. Main Points: 1. Worship is the response of all that we are to all that God is.  To worship is to declare God’s worth. 2. While...

The Big Idea:  We hear it said all the time.  People don’t change.  Who they are….is who they are.  It’s seems like a hopeless statement.  But Christianity is about change. The Bible is full of stories about messed up people who changed by the power of God.  God takes what people see as useless, worthless, ruined, and broken and makes them new. Main Points: 1. Jesus defeated the curse of sin by hi...

The Big Idea:  I believe God wants us to catch a vision of the importance of the church in our lives and community; and the church’s role in fulfilling the mission of Jesus in our world.  God is at work in this world and he has chosen to use the church as his agent. Main Points: 1. The church, as a collection of people with hurts, hang-ups, hiccups, and habits provide us an opportunity to learn an...

The Big Idea:  In the biblical sense inspiration is unique.  God was the primary author of the Bible; He was the One who inspired the writers to speak truths.  He was the initiator.  God was the source, the writers were the recipients. Main Points: 1. The Bible is the product of God himself.  The ideas are not human thoughts but come from God’s will.  We also need to understand though, that the wr...

The Big Idea:  We’ll spend the rest of our lives trying to understand God’s love, but the best way to get started is to experience it. His love will change your life. Main Points: 1. The world tells us that love is a feeling, something that comes and goes. Many marriages have ended because couples claim that they have “fallen out of love.” Some people say they don’t feel God’s love. Our feelings a...

The Big Idea:  The word lost is not a derogatory term or even a negative one. It’s simply the term Jesus used to describe those who have not yet come to a point of faith and trust in Christ. They may even be searching for truth, but they are looking in all the wrong places. They are lost. God wants them to be found, to be saved, and to be right with God. Main Points: 1. The most basic definition o...

The Big Idea:  I think you and I know intuitively that rest is important for us. Not only is it important, but rest is also vital. Without rest, we are not at our best. Rest sharpens our soul, our mind, our body, and our spirit. Main Points: 1. So, if God doesn’t get tired, and he never needs to sleep, why did He rest? I believe God rested to set an example for us. Rest would not only be a physica...

The Big Idea:  I believe some of you listening today are discouraged. You have lost your hope and confidence in God. But no matter what your visible circumstances might be, God has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Today regain your hope in Him. Put your confidence in him. In God’s time and in His way, He will come through. Main Points: 1. Instead of grumbling, instead of...

The Big Idea:  Fear of the Lord is deep respect, awe, and reverence for God.  We give God the glory, honor, reverence, gratitude, and praise, he deserves.  God holds this preeminent position in our hearts and lives.  We regard his desires over and above our own. Main Points: 1. We should fear or respect the Lord as one who has authority over us. It is a recognition that we are accountable to Him. ...

The Big Idea:  Your story is one of your greatest ministry tools. I meet people who feel they have nothing to offer the Lord. In their minds, they feel incapable of serving in some ministry. Yet, every one of us has a story. It’s a God story. It’s a story of how we met Jesus, the circumstances of your salvation, and how Jesus has changed your life. Main Points: 1. When I think of the explosive gro...

The Big Idea:  An interruption can be God’s tool to help us become more patient, more loving, and more understanding. It can be God’s way of guiding our steps and pointing us in the right direction. Divine interruptions can be God’s hand of protection in our lives when we are starting to move in the wrong direction. God’s interruptions are always for a reason. Main Points: 1. As you read the Gospe...

The Big Idea:  The author of the Book of Hebrews makes the case that we simply can’t stay with the basic, elementary teachings about faith and spiritual growth. We must move forward to a deeper and more mature understanding of our life in Christ. This makes sense, doesn’t it? Main Points: 1. Here’s an important truth: God wants you to grow spiritually. He wants you to mature and develop a strong f...

The Big Idea:  As Christians, our convictions are shaped by biblical principles. Since we believe the Bible is God’s Word and that its truth lasts forever, our beliefs and convictions cannot change regardless of the changes in our society. Main Points: 1. What are your core convictions? Have you ever made a list? A conviction is a firmly held belief. It is part of who you are as a person. It shape...

The Big Idea:  Jesus paid our debt on the cross. He bore our sins upon his body. He suffered and died in our place, as our substitute. Jesus took the shame, condemnation, and pain we were to bear. He carried our cross and paid the ultimate price. It was a very high price to pay for our forgiveness. Main Points: 1. Forgiveness comes at a cost. If you forgive someone, you bear the cost rather than i...