The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

The Big Idea:  This abiding faith cannot be taken away from us, neither by the world, nor the devil, but as the scripture says, “it can be thrown away.” It can be discarded. It can be given up. It can be left behind.  Main Points: 1. We don’t always live with strong faith and confidence in God. Sometimes life beats us down. Sometimes we don’t see God working. Sometimes we don’t understand his ways...

The Big Idea:  Far too many people are waiting on some supernatural event to prove the existence of God. The fact is, God has already proven that He exists! While the world is looking for a sign, God tells us that He’s visible in the ordinary things of this world. Main Points: 1. When it comes to the proof of God’s existence and the reality of his presence and power, God has given us many signs. S...

The Big Idea:  I’m sure there is some area of your life in which you need God’s provision. Whether it be the provision of finances, strength, peace, encouragement, direction, or even hope. Let’s choose to believe that God will never fail. Main Points: 1. I am struck by the sheer, raw faith of Abraham. At this time, Abraham didn’t know how God would provide. He didn’t know what would happen, but he...

The Big Idea:  The only capacity we have to live out the Golden Rule is with the love of God flowing through us. Let’s ask God to fill our hearts with his love so that we can genuinely reflect it to others. Main Points: 1. In Matthew chapters five, six, and seven, Jesus gives his most famous teaching, and his lengthiest recorded sermon. We call it the Sermon on the Mount. In these chapters Jesus t...

The Big Idea:  Imagine being ashamed to speak about Jesus because we were more concerned about someone’s opinion of us, potentially someone we don’t even know. Yet, this happens all the time. Main Points: 1. Christians have been told by our culture that we are not to share our faith in Jesus. It’s rude, inconsiderate, and even offensive to talk about Christ, or so we’ve been told. 2. I don’t share...

The Big Idea:  My prayer is that your faith in God will be so strong that you will continue to trust God, even when he says no. I’m praying that you will hold onto God, even when you don’t understand. I’m praying you’ll be able to say along with Job, “God is faithful, and though He slay me, I will still trust in Him. Main Points: 1. Every person listening to this podcast has struggled with the sov...

The Big Idea:  Sin thrives in the darkness, but confession brings it in the light. Freedom is found in confession. Now you are no longer alone in the struggle. You have a trusted friend and prayer partner who will join you in the struggle and who can hold you accountable. Main Points: 1. Is there a place for confessing our sins to one another? Is there a biblical call for this type of confession?...

The Big Idea:  It seems to be human nature that you and I tend to find our security in everything else except God.  We find security in our bank account, our family, our job, our home, our relationships, you name it.  And often, it isn’t until these things are taken away that we finally learn to lean on the Lord. Main Points: 1. In life it’s possible for us to develop crutches that help us stand s...

The Big Idea:  A sometimes forgotten area in which we need deliberate feeding is our spiritual life. Without spiritual nourishment, we will be weak. We won't have the strength to stand for God in times of difficulty, temptation, and testing. Just as we daily feed our physical bodies, we must learn to daily feed our souls. Main Points: 1. If you are expecting one sermon a week to provide all t...

The Big Idea:  It takes humility to become a Christian. We first humble ourselves and admit that we are sinners and that we can’t make it on our own.  We confess our need for Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Prise is rejected by God, but grace is given to those who humble themselves before him. Main Points: 1. Though humility is rarely talked about in today’s culture, it is a character trait...

The Big Idea:  God has given us the weapons necessary to fight this inner battle. Why is this important? Why are our thoughts important?  Because our emotional life follows our thought life, and our choices, decisions, and behaviors follow our emotions.  All of your battles begin in the inner life. How will you respond? How will you react? Main Points: 1. We develop well-worn thought patterns with...

The Big Idea:  Though we are in a spiritual battle, God has given us the armor necessary to withstand Satan’s attacks. An essential piece of our battlefield equipment is our shield. This shield is our faith. Confidence in God’s character and power extinguishes all the flaming attacks we face. Main Points: 1. Because we have a limited vision and an insufficient perspective we don’t always see and w...

The Big Idea:  As we participate in the Lord’s Supper, we recognize that you and I are called to be a part of the body of Christ.  We are the church.  We belong to each other.  We need each other.  It is a celebration of our friendship and fellowship with each other.  It is Christ and his sacrifice for us that unites us.  It’s what makes us overlook each other’s faults.  It’s what helps us put up...

The Big Idea:  Let our words be full of boasting about Jesus and his death on the cross. It is only because of Jesus and his sacrifice for our sins that we have received this salvation. Our testimony is found in the cross of Jesus. Main Points: 1. If the Bible is clear about anything, it is clear about this one thing: Faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is essential for our salvati...

The Big Idea:  Strong faith is tested faith. Wrestling with your faith does not mean it is non-existent. It means you are in the battle of faith. God is not threatened, nor offended by our struggle with doubt. But what you do at that moment is critical. Main Points: 1. The Bible doesn’t just portray stories of people who have perfect faith. It doesn’t paint a picture that true believers never doub...

The Big Idea:  There is only one thing that can give you lasting hope and that is a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Our hope is credible because it is rooted in three realities: the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the reliability of God’s Word, and the realization of God’s grace. Main Points: 1. For the believer in Jesus, we have hope. In the midst of troubles and trials, we have hope. In the midst...

The Big Idea:  Time is a gift.  Your life is a gift.  You and I are managers of the time God has given us. As we start this new year consider what God is calling you to do. Don’t procrastinate. What steps do you need to take this month, this year to re-arrange your priorities to put God first in your life? Main Points: 1. Live your life on purpose, not on accident.  Why should we be careful?  Beca...

The Big Idea:  Since creation, this is what humans have done when they sin: they hide. They wear masks. They lie to cover their shame. They attempt to cover their guilt so that their sin is not obvious to others. And we attempt to hide from God. Main Points: 1. Though our natural inclination might be to hide our sin from God, the path to forgiveness is through confession. When sin is revealed, con...

The Big Idea:  The same call to follow Jesus has been given to you and me. We are not just called to salvation, we are called to live the life of a disciple, a follower of Christ. In this following we learn and grow and are changed. In the following, we too are able to fulfill our purpose. Main Points: 1. Jesus tells us that if our desire is to serve God, we must follow him. What happens when we f...

The Big Idea:  James is telling us that as we hear and read God’s Word it reveals who we really are. We see ourselves in the Word. It is a mirror. Just like a physical mirror, the Word of God always tells the truth. It is incapable of deceiving us. God’s Word will reveal our motives, our desires, and our inward condition. Main Points: 1. Once we discover our true condition, once we see it in the m...

The Big Idea:  Here’s something worth remembering: You and I are not who we will be. You see, God is not finished with us yet. Our transformation is not complete. There is a sanctifying work God wants to complete in all of our lives, and if we submit to God’s process, He will complete his work in us. Main Points: 1. When God looks at you and me, he sees our potential. He knows what we can be throu...

The Big Idea:  As you look out in front of you today, there is a new day, a new horizon, and a new opportunity. What will you make of it? Where will you be in your life 365 days from today? The decisions you and I make today determine what we’re going to be tomorrow.  The best way we ensure our preferred future is by doing the right thing today. Main Points: 1. “Be more concerned about what is in...

The Big Idea:  When your faith is tested, when you face trials and difficulties what you do in that moment matters. What will you do when you are discouraged? What will you do when you face doubt. In those moments we don’t need to tear apart our faith, we need to press in to God like never before. Main Points: 1. Living for Jesus in this life is filled with challenges. We battle our flesh, the wor...

The Big Idea:  Wherever you find yourself this Christmas Day, I invite you into the light. I invite you to experience the wonder of the birth of the Savior. The same God who spoke light into existence at Creation has sent His Son as the light of the world.  Main Points: 1. From Creation, the Bible leads us through the story of humanity’s progression from the light of God’s perfection to the darkne...

The Big Idea:  The Christmas narrative is in danger of being relegated to a sweet story that is just read once a year. Some of us have heard it so much that we’re no longer moved by the magnitude of the Majesty becoming a man. We must never forget that this is holy history that should be approached with awe and astonishment.  Main Points: 1. As we prepare for Christmas, sometimes I wonder if we ha...