The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

“ You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing...

“ That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but th...

“ the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and it itself set on fire by hell. ” (James 3:5-6) There may not be an area of your life and mine that we need wisdom more,...

" What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? " (Matthew 16:26) If we take this verse at face value, and we should, we learn here that “the value of a soul” is worth more than “the whole world.” Yet many people are using all their time, talents and energy to accumulate wealth and possessions and the...

James 1:12 – “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (NKJV) Every person listening to this podcast knows what it’s like to face temptation. Think about it.  You and I know how difficult it is to battle temptation.  But God says there is a reward for enduring temptation.  First J...

“ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3 ) Though the Bible mentions mercy hundreds of times, and clearly is is one of the attributes of God, but today, I rarely hear the word mentioned.  Could it be that we don’t understand mercy? Definition : Th...

“ But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ” (Philippians 3:13-14) One of the big things that keeps Christians from living in the freedom Jesus provides is our past…our old life. There is history we have a hard time letting go of. We all have a “past.” There...

“ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ” (2 Timothy 3:16) Why do we neglect spiritual disciplines, such as reading the Bible, memorizing and meditating on scripture? • We are busy people – John Ortberg – “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life.” •...

“ Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards ” (Song of Solomon 2:15) Why do we compromise our beliefs, values, and convictions?  We compromise because of comfort and convenience. We give into vices and weaknesses in our life. Others compromise because they’re in conflict. They think they “deserve” something because of the pain they’re in. Whether we realize it or not, areas...

"When evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you...

" May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) The one goal of a disciple is to be like Jesus. Think about the 12 original disciples of Jesus. They spent three years with Jesus. They walked with...

“ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind .” (2 Timothy 1:7) “ I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. ” (Psalm 34:4) Fear often comes because something is unknown and since it is unknown, we don’t know if we are prepared.  We don’t know how we will handle it. Fear can rob us of our ability to function. It can keep y...

“ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ” (John 15:13) Today we have a huge emphasis on the fact that Jesus died for you, that God loves you.  We hear it all the time.  God loves you so much that He gave His Son to die for you.  He wants to redeem you.  He wants to save you.  He wants to forgive your sins.  He wants to take you to Heaven.  This is our central...

“ …not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. ” ( 2 Peter 3:9) “ to seek and save those who are lost." (Lk. 19:10) God’s great desire is that all of humanity would find salvation and forgiveness in Jesus.  God has no other agenda.  He has no other plan. This is why Jesus came.  This is why He established the church, so that in every nation and in every neighbor...

“ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins . (1 John 1:9-10) “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ” (Romans 5:8) There is a deep hunger inside of u...

“I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.” But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” (Luke 22:31-34) If you have read the story you know that when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter and the other disciples fled. When...

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4 NIV). It’s interesting how God uses the challenges of life to work in our lives and to develop of Christ-like character. Some of the...

“ When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will r...

“ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ’” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9) We believe God answers every prayer.  Scripture teaches us to call on Him and He will answer.  But sometimes in His wisdom and purpose, His answer to us is “No.”  or “Not yet.”  We never want to hear this answer, but...

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”   (Hebrews 11:8) Learn more about missionary Hudson Taylor As we follow Jesus, he will continually ask us to take steps of faith. Faith is not something that just exists in our hearts. Faith is something to be lived out. It’s to be acted upon....

Revelation 2:7 - “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says…” We live in a very loud culture. The sound of our day is filled with the voices of media, news, politics, music, movies, sports, social media, friends, teachers, spouses, and much more. We hear it all, but have we heard the voice of God? God doesn’t have a speaking problem. We have a listening problem. He is speaking and it’s...

“ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15) Why is forgiveness necessary?  Why does God make a big deal about forgiveness? • Forgiveness releases us from the offense .  Unforgiveness is a burden.  I think we all know what it feels lik...

1 Peter 3:15 - “ Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. ” Notice those words from the Apostle Peter... " Always be prepared ." Everyone has a story.  If you have never sat down and written out your spiritual testimony in chronological order, when you do, you’ll be amazed at how...

Luke 11:1 – “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” David Wilkerson Teen Challenge Jesus was a source of constant amazement to his disciples.  Imagine hearing him teach.  Imagine seeing him perform the miracles.  Imagine watching Jesus deal with the Jewish Religious leaders who w...

We live in a time where the prevailing message is that  “All religions are equally valid and basically teach the same thing.”  This way of thinking has swept our culture like a storm. Americans love options.  We live in a culture where there are endless options in just about every area of life.  800 channels of TV.   The average supermarket stocks nearly 40,000 different items.  Malls with dozens...