God

Encouragement and Prayer: Learn the Commands of God! (8/29/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Learn the Commands of God! (8/29/23)

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This is the audio from the August 29, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
John 6:45 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis is on our need to learn.  While most schools have resumed following summer break, learning is not just for school students — in fact, God continually teaches each of us and desires that we learn from Him each day!  The lessons we learn each day are often dependent on our willingness seek God for direction in all things and to accept His instruction, rebuke, correction, and training.

“Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.”
Psalm 119:73 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you have the heart, mind, and soul of a learner.  Pray that your awareness of God making you would increase your desire to learn His commands.  Pray that God would fill you with the understanding necessary to both learn and follow His commands.  Pray for the courage to live according to God’s commands in a way that helps others to learn what God desires.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Learn To Revere God! (8/28/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Learn To Revere God! (8/28/23)

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This is the audio from the August 28, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
John 6:45 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis is on our need to learn.  While most schools have resumed following summer break, learning is not just for school students — in fact, God continually teaches each of us and desires that we learn from Him each day!  The lessons we learn each day are often dependent on our willingness seek God for direction in all things and to accept His instruction, rebuke, correction, and training.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you have the heart, mind, and soul of a learner.  Pray that you would pay attention to the many ways God attempts to instruct you each day.  Pray that you would look for the lessons to be learned in every situation you face.  Pray that you would know the value of learning so that you would be more active in seeking it out.  Pray that you would be a teacher of the things you learn from God.  Pray for a spirit of unity within your church congregation and within the body of Christ as a whole.

“Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”
Deuteronomy 31:12 (NIV)

Pray that you would always be open to hearing God’s Word, both to learn and to teach to others.  Pray that you would learn to revere God by being both a student and teacher of His Word.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Good News: Learning Something NEW! (Sermon Audio)
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Good News: Learning Something NEW! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the August 27, 2023 sermon, “Good News: Learning Something New”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 6

“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.”
John 6:45 (NIV)

Today I continued a series from the gospel of Luke as we gaze deeply into God’s Word to find the good news of Jesus shared with us by Luke the physician.  As we continue our Good News From the Doctor series, we find that as Jesus went about life on earth He used the everyday activities of life to teach lessons about God and how we can live in ways that please Him.  While all of His teaching was based on the truth of God’s Word that many of His listeners would be very familiar with, He taught in such a way that they would constantly be learning something . . .

  • Necessary: (Luke 6:1-5)

    • Many of the lessons Jesus taught the crowds were designed to teach them the necessity of living in relationship with God.  When the religious leaders watched Jesus and His disciples, they often observed actions that seemed contradictory to their understanding of what God required.  In our text today, Jesus makes it clear that the necessity of life and caring for the needs of people was the application of God’s Word.  When we choose to be taught by God’s Word and the example of Jesus, we find that we learn what is truly necessary.

  • Eternal: — (Luke 6:20-23)

    • Because the world we live in is full of trouble, it is very easy to get caught up in the difficulties of life and even begin to question God’s goodness.  When Jesus begins to teach about the blessings of things that don’t sound that desirable, he does so with the purpose of teaching us to see with an eternal perspective.  Jesus made it clear in His teaching that all who would follow Him would face troubles and opposition of various kinds.  But He doesn’t just warn us of the troubles, He reminds us that He has overcome the world and that an eternity with Him awaits all who persevere and are faithful to the end.  When we choose to be taught by God’s Word and the example of Jesus, we find that what we learn is eternal.

  • Wise: — (Luke 6:46-49)

    • Because most people want to be thought of as wise, we often define wisdom according to our standards and thus struggle to understand the nature of true wisdom.  As Jesus teaches the crowds, He addresses the fact that many want to claim association by calling Him Lord but few want to actually do what He says.  Jesus teaches that the one who hears the Word of God and does what it says is the one who truly understands the transforming power of God’s wisdom.  When we choose to be taught by God’s Word and the example of Jesus, we find that we learn to be wise by applying to our own life everything within Scripture.

Today, what will you learn that is NEW?

Encouragement and Prayer: Powerful Work! (8/25/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Powerful Work! (8/25/23)

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This is the audio from the August 25, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

This week we will pray about the new job we have as Christians and what God wants our work to look like.  The good news of Jesus says there is a job for each of us to do and our job is one that not only benefits us, but it is designed to benefit the body of Christ.  We learn to work for the Lord when we carry a new journey, observation, and belief into our work.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

As you pray this week, consider the work you do, as well as the ability that God gives you to do that work.  Pray for the courage to see the bigger things God has called you to.  Pray for the humility to allow God’s power to work in you.  Pray that the people around you today would recognize the powerful work of God as they see His work in you.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Effective Work! (8/24/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Effective Work! (8/24/23)

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This is the audio from the August 24, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

This week we will pray about the new job we have as Christians and what God wants our work to look like.  The good news of Jesus says there is a job for each of us to do and our job is one that not only benefits us, but it is designed to benefit the body of Christ.  We learn to work for the Lord when we carry a new journey, observation, and belief into our work.

“But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.”
1 Corinthians 16:8-9 (NIV)

As you pray this week, consider the work you do, as well as the ability that God gives you to do that work.  Pray that you would know the satisfaction of being involved in a work which is effective.  Pray that opposition would  not cause you to give up on effective work.  Pray that the people around you would come to know Jesus because of the effective work you are doing.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Tested Work! (8/23/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Tested Work! (8/23/23)

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This is the audio from the August 23, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

This week we will pray about the new job we have as Christians and what God wants our work to look like.  The good news of Jesus says there is a job for each of us to do and our job is one that not only benefits us, but it is designed to benefit the body of Christ.  We learn to work for the Lord when we carry a new journey, observation, and belief into our work.

“His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.”
1 Corinthians 3:13 (NIV)

As you pray this week, consider the work you do, as well as the ability that God gives you to do that work.  Pray that you would pay close attention to what your life’s work is being built with.  Pray that your diligent work for the kingdom would stand up to the testing by God.  Pray that the people around you would come to know work that stands up to the testing of God.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Helpful Work! (8/22/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Helpful Work! (8/22/23)

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This is the audio from the August 22, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

This week we will pray about the new job we have as Christians and what God wants our work to look like.  The good news of Jesus says there is a job for each of us to do and our job is one that not only benefits us, but it is designed to benefit the body of Christ.  We learn to work for the Lord when we carry a new journey, observation, and belief into our work.

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”
Acts 20:35 (NIV)

As you pray this week, consider the work you do, as well as the ability that God gives you to do that work.  Pray that your work for the Lord would help others.  Pray that you would see the value of helping the weak.  Pray that the people around you would see by your example the great blessing of giving.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom

Encouragement and Prayer: Required Work! (8/21/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Required Work! (8/21/23)

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This is the audio from the August 21, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

This week we will pray about the new job we have as Christians and what God wants our work to look like.  The good news of Jesus says there is a job for each of us to do and our job is one that not only benefits us, but it is designed to benefit the body of Christ.  We learn to work for the Lord when we carry a new journey, observation, and belief into our work.  As you pray this week, consider the work you do, as well as the ability that God gives you to do that work.  Pray that you would recognize the value of the work God has called you to and that you would value the work that others do.  Pray for a growing awareness of how your work should be a benefit to the body of Christ.  Pray that your attitude about the work you do, whether a paid work or not, would always be focused on honoring God.  Pray for an eagerness in doing the new job that is yours as a follower of Jesus.

“Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’  Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'”
John 6:28-29 (NIV)

Pray that you would desire to do the work God expects from those who are His.  Pray that you would not lose sight of God’s requirement of belief in Jesus.  Pray that the people around you would understand the importance of believing in Jesus.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page.

In prayer,
Tom