2 Minute Disciple
2 minutes of discovery leads to a lifetime of following Jesus!
About the show
This daily podcast is a chapter a day approach to studying the Gospels to get a clear picture of Jesus and discover how to follow Him. We will read the chapter together and our host, Nick Oyler will give his 2 minute observations. This is a great way to get your day going by spending a few minutes going through the Gospels in community.
Episodes and Blog Entries
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Episode 112: Acts Chapter 22
Episode | March 23rd, 2022 | Season 1 | 6 mins 36 secs
audio bible, courage, daily bible, opportunities, partnership, speak to power, spiritual journey, spirituality
It’s interesting to me how God chooses to partner with people to take the Gospel to those who need to hear it the most. I am struck by the way that God uses what we have been through to shape us for the job ahead. Paul is able to gain access to unique audiences because of where he had been in life. He was an up and coming Jewish leader who was climbing the ranks when Jesus stepped in and he was also born a Roman citizen which will open other doors to him for the Gospel. I know in the moment, the things we go through don’t seem to be important, but God takes those things that have formed us and uses them in partnership with us to spread the Gospel where only we can.
Today, I want you to ponder this question, what have I been through that God can use in partnership with me to spread the Gospel? -
Episode 111: Acts Chapter 21
Episode | March 22nd, 2022 | Season 1 | 6 mins 42 secs
audio bible, daily bible, journey, mission, prayer, spiritual journey, spirituality
This chapter reminds me of Jesus’ last trip to Jerusalem and his passion story. However, this story has the pattern that we have seen of resistance to the message, but God moving the message forward. Paul is sure of his mission and twice he has to tear himself away from the tears of his friends.
I love how this chapter ends with Paul taking advantage of an opportunity to address the crowd so he can spread the message of Jesus. I have two things that I want us to ponder today. First, how sure are we of our mission? Second, how often do we take advantage of our opportunities to share the message of Jesus? -
Episode 110: Acts Chapter 20
Episode | March 21st, 2022 | Season 1 | 6 mins 20 secs
audio bible, daily bible, investing, jesus, prayer, preaching, sharing, spiritual formation, spiritual journey
I love the story of Eutychus falling asleep and falling from the third story window. I can imagine his eyelids just slowly getting more and more heavy. Then he falls to his death. I love that Paul picks him up and says that he’s alive and goes back to teaching. This shows us the determination of Paul to invest in these disciples so they can spread the message. Investing in others with the Gospel message is an integral part of following Jesus. I am investing in you, and I hope that I’m not putting you to sleep, through this journey.
Keep searching, keep growing and keep sharing what you learn with someone else. -
Episode 109: Acts Chapter 19
Episode | March 20th, 2022 | Season 1 | 7 mins 7 secs
astrology, audio bible, daily bible, prayer, self improvement, spiritual formation, spirituality, worship
In this chapter we see the implications of the Gospel on society in Ephesus with people accepting the Gospel, the worship of Artemis is threatened. The message and power of Jesus not only changes individual lives, but society as a whole. Why is the message not having more impact in our society today?
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Episode 108: Acts Chapter 18
Episode | March 18th, 2022 | Season 1 | 5 mins 22 secs
audio bible, daily bible, spirituality
In this chapter, I noticed another pattern emerging. This pattern is one of mentorship of leaders. Paul mentors Aquila and Priscilla and they mentor Apollos and the base of leadership expands. This is the key to movement of the Gospel, one person can’t do it all, there has to be a passing on of the way of Jesus to others so that they too can spread it and lead others to follow Jesus. That made me stop and think, who am I mentoring to follow Jesus? I also want to ask you the same, who are you mentoring?
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Episode 107: Acts Chapter 17
Episode | March 18th, 2022 | Season 1 | 6 mins 8 secs
audio bible, daily bible, jesus, spiritual journey, spirituality
In Acts 17, we find the familiar pattern, Paul and Silas enter a town, preach the good news of Jesus, people respond, others resist and they move on to another town. This pattern repeats three times in this chapter. What strikes me most about this pattern is that in spite of the resistance and pain that it causes, Paul and Silas keep moving and the church keeps spreading. That challenges me to keep sharing with others the good news of Jesus and keep moving with His guidance. What do you think?
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Episode 106: Acts Chapter 16
Episode | March 16th, 2022 | Season 1 | 6 mins 30 secs
audio bible, daily bible, spiritual formation, spirituality
In the book of Acts, we have seen two ways that God has moved his people and grown the church. First, he has moved them to new fields through visions and we see that in this chapter, a vision of a man from Macedonia. This vision changes the map for Paul and Silas’ missionary journey, which takes them to Philippi. In Philippi, the circumstances bring growth to the church. Paul and Silas are in jail when they are released and the jailer is saved along with his whole household. There is a church established in Philippi and they move on.
This pattern makes me ponder God’s movements in my life. Take some time today to consider how God is moving you to where he wants you. -
Episode 105: Acts Chapter 15
Episode | March 15th, 2022 | Season 1 | 6 mins 41 secs
audio bible, daily bible, spiritual formation, spirituality
This chapter contains the most important moment for these Jesus followers. There was a divide in their ranks over what to do with new believers who are not Jewish. There was a movement that wanted new believers to convert to Judaism before becoming a Jesus follower. The leaders of the church decided that it was not necessary to become a Jew first. These are the requirements that they passed on to new believers: Be careful to not get involved in activities connected with idols, to guard the morality of sex and marriage, to not serve food offensive to Jewish Christians—blood, for instance.’ This is basic wisdom from Moses, preached and honored for centuries now in city after city as we have met and kept the Sabbath” (Acts 15:20-21 MSG).
Those non-Jewish believers were thrilled with the news.
The Christian life tends to be this big list of do’s and don’ts, but this chapter teaches us to keep it simple. -
Episode 104: Acts Chapter 14
Episode | March 13th, 2022 | Season 1 | 4 mins 37 secs
audio bible, daily bible, jesus, self improvement, spiritual formation, spirituality
Paul and Barnabas were mistaken for gods when they healed a man. Check out how it turned out for them.
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Episode 103: Acts Chapter 13
Episode | March 12th, 2022 | Season 1 | 8 mins 51 secs
audio bible, daily bible, discipleship, jealousy, jesus, spiritual journey, spirituality
The theme of the Book of Acts is clearly that the disciples of Jesus would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. God is moving his people in this direction and we keep seeing this resistance to the message going forward. However, each time, God pushes the message past this resistance. This chapter is no different, because when Sergius Paulus wants to hear the message there is resistance. Again when the people of Antioch Pisidia hear the message and respond positively, we see strong resistance. However, every resistance is met with God moving his message forward and more people joining his movement.
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Episode 102: Acts Chapter 12
Episode | March 11th, 2022 | Season 1 | 4 mins 35 secs
audio bible, church growth, daily bible, prayer, spirituality
I love verse 5 in this chapter, "But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him." I love this because of two things that happened. First, Peter was released from prison by the angel and he went to where the prayer meeting was happening. When he arrived at the door, they couldn’t believe that he was really there because they were praying for him to get out of prison. I love that God answers prayer and sometimes we miss it.
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Episode 101: Acts Chapter 11
Episode | March 10th, 2022 | Season 1 | 5 mins 25 secs
antioch, audio bible, barriers, christians, daily bible, holy spirit, spiritual journey, witness
It's funny how the church today is not that different from the first church. We see the church not wanting to break barriers, but God moving them to break barriers. We also see the way that God is uses the church to take care of one another. We see the church in action in this episode for bad and good.
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Episode 100: Acts Chapter 10
Episode | March 9th, 2022 | Season 1 | 6 mins 25 secs
100 episodes, eat, food, gentiles, holy spirit, pour out, sheet, unclean
100 Episodes! We are still on our journey through the Gospels. Thank you for showing up with me and reading the Gospels together.
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Episode 99: Acts Chapter 9
Episode | March 8th, 2022 | Season 1 | 7 mins 12 secs
audio bible, basket, blinded, daily bible, mistrust, persecute, preach, resurrection, scales, transformation
Saul goes from #1 enemy of Christ and his Church to the #1 preacher of the Gospel. Check out the transformation in today's episode.
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Episode 98: Acts Chapter 8
Episode | March 7th, 2022 | Season 1 | 5 mins 45 secs
baptized, jesus christ, persecution, scattered, wizard
God moved the church out of it's comfort zone and into the zone that he wanted them. Is he doing that today?
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Episode 97: Acts Chapter 7
Episode | March 6th, 2022 | Season 1 | 8 mins 43 secs
audio bible, daily bible, history, preached, stoned
After a great sermon, Stephen got stoned...by an angry mob. More about this story in today's episode.