Life Lessons

Encouragement and Prayer: All In During Suffering! (1/2/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: All In During Suffering! (1/2/23)

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This is the audio from the January 2, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will be about living as those who are “all in” when it comes to our commitment to Christ and His church.  It is far too easy to sit on the sidelines and become very guarded about our actual involvement within the kingdom of God.  Perhaps there are even times when we tune out the Word of God because we don’t want to feel the conviction of His Spirit.  And how often does an awareness of our own weaknesses keep us from being as involved as we ought to be?.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you notice when you become distracted.  Pray that your commitment to God and to the fellowship of believers would be made new each day.  Pray that you would live in such a way that others would know the value of crying out to God with a new commitment.  Pray about how God will strengthen you as you choose to live with a heart fully devoted to Him.

“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”
1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)

Pray that you would choose to turn to God when life turns difficult.  Pray that your commitment to a faithful God would lead you to continue doing good in the midst of suffering.  Pray that God’s faithfulness would sustain you when times are good and when times are not so good.

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

In prayer,
Tom

All In! (Sermon Audio)
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All In! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the January 1, 2023 sermon, “All In!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  2 Chronicles 16:9, Mark 8:34

Today began a sermon series with a focus on being Made New In Christ.  Before we dive into various things that are made new by Christ, we begin with a foundation of being all in when it comes to our relationship with Christ.  It can be far too easy and common to try to walk down the center of the fence in life in an attempt to keep one foot in the world and one in the kingdom.  God says that He searches the earth to find those who are fully committed to Him so that He can strengthen them.  When we choose to live all in, we do so with the help of God.  When I think of a snapshot of all in believers, I think of the events in Acts 2 when the church was born on the day of Pentecost.  When we choose to live a life that is all in, we become a church family that is . . .

  • All INvited.  Acts 2:21, Revelation 22:17
    • Throughout scripture, we find that God is constantly inviting all to come to Him.  We begin the process of living all in by accepting God’s invitation to find life through Christ.  We live all in when we do our part in extending God’s invitation to all.  .
  • All INstructed.  Acts 2:37-40, 1 Thessalonians 4:1
    • We grow in Christ when we are willing to accept all of the instruction contained in God’s Word.  Peter made it clear that the instructions of God were for all . . . all present that day and all who would come in future generations.  We live all in when we do our part in taking the instruction we have received and passing it along to all.
  • All INvolved.  Acts 2:41-44
    • God’s invitation and instruction are both designed to involve every person who would respond to Him favorably.  We see the foundation of the church being established as a place for everyone to be involved and to use the gifting God has placed in their life.  We live all in when we do our part in both our activity within the body of Christ and in involving all.

Today, how will you live as one who is All IN?

Encouragement and Prayer: The Truth of Presence! (12/30/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: The Truth of Presence! (12/30/22)

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This is the audio from the December 30, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on knowing Jesus as the Word of Truth . . . the truth of who He is and the truth of what He brings.  In a world full of discussions, debates, and arguments, it can be very difficult to find truth in many situations.  God’s desire for us to know truth is so great that He sent His Son to be the Word of Truth that dwelt among us.

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”
John 1:10 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you know and trust the truth of God’s Word.  Pray that you would always hold on to an awareness of God’s presence.  Pray for the ability to communicate clearly about the truth of God to those who live in darkness.  Pray that the presence of Jesus would always shine through even when the world is not sure what it is.

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: The True Light! (12/29/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: The True Light! (12/29/22)

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This is the audio from the December 29, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on knowing Jesus as the Word of Truth . . . the truth of who He is and the truth of what He brings.  In a world full of discussions, debates, and arguments, it can be very difficult to find truth in many situations.  God’s desire for us to know truth is so great that He sent His Son to be the Word of Truth that dwelt among us.

“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”
John 1:9 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you know and trust the truth of God’s Word.  Pray that Jesus would always be the guiding light in your life no matter how dark your world may seem.  Pray that the light you receive from Jesus would be seen through you.  Pray that you would be generous in sharing the good news of Jesus coming to be the light of the world for everyone.

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: The Truth of Life! (12/28/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: The Truth of Life! (12/28/22)

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This is the audio from the December 28, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on knowing Jesus as the Word of Truth . . . the truth of who He is and the truth of what He brings.  In a world full of discussions, debates, and arguments, it can be very difficult to find truth in many situations.  God’s desire for us to know truth is so great that He sent His Son to be the Word of Truth that dwelt among us.

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
John 1:4 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you know and trust the truth of God’s Word.  Pray that you would always know the true life which is found through Jesus.  Pray that Jesus would be the source of life you seek when the world surrounds you with death.  Pray that your life would help to make Jesus known in ways that people would seek and find Him as the foundation of their life.

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: The Truth of Creation! (12/27/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: The Truth of Creation! (12/27/22)

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This is the audio from the December 27, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on knowing Jesus as the Word of Truth . . . the truth of who He is and the truth of what He brings.  In a world full of discussions, debates, and arguments, it can be very difficult to find truth in many situations.  God’s desire for us to know truth is so great that He sent His Son to be the Word of Truth that dwelt among us.

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
John 1:3 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you know and trust the truth of God’s Word.  Pray about how the authority of Jesus during creation conveys the truth of His authority now.  Pray that you would live with value, and live valuing others, as you understand the truth of creation.  Pray that you would be able to see and share the work of God evidenced through creation.

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: The Truth of God! (12/26/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: The Truth of God! (12/26/22)

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This is the audio from the December 26, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on knowing Jesus as the Word of Truth . . . the truth of who He is and the truth of what He brings.  In a world full of discussions, debates, and arguments, it can be very difficult to find truth in many situations.  God’s desire for us to know truth is so great that He sent His Son to be the Word of Truth that dwelt among us.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you know and trust the truth of God’s Word.  Pray that you would see the actions of Jesus as representing what it looks like to live truth.  Pray that your life would reflect Jesus in such a way that people would readily see His truth in  you.  Pray for the courage to live by, and proclaim, Jesus as the Word of Truth.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1 (NIV)

Pray that you would know God’s message of truth as you see Jesus as the Word becoming flesh.  Pray about how God’s Word dwelling within you should transform your life.  Pray for the ability and opportunities to share with others the truth of Jesus being God.

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

In prayer,
Tom

The Christmas Truth: The WORD of Truth! (Sermon Audio)
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The Christmas Truth: The WORD of Truth! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the December 25, 2022 sermon, “The Christmas Truth: The WORD of Truth!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  John 1:1-15

Today concluded our Christmas FEAST series as we looked at Jesus coming to earth as the Word of Truth.  Generally, how  you feel about truth depends at least partially on the context in which truth is being requested.  When you are cruising down the interstate thinking about everything except your speed, you are probably not such a big fan of truth when the flashing lights behind you turn out to be an officer who clocked you at 100 mph.  However, if that same officer shows up to investigate an accident in which your vehicle was hit in a manner that was entirely someone else’s fault, you are likely very interested in truth.  When it comes to our relationship with Jesus, we don’t get to choose whether the truth of who He is is convenient or not . . . we simply must decide if we accept Him as the Word of Truth that He claims to be.  Our encounter with Jesus should lead us to know Him as the . . .

  • Wonder of Truth.  John 1:1-5
    • The truth of Jesus ought to fill us with great wonder as we consider His hand in creating all that exists . . . including us.  It was the Word speaking forth that called everything into existence that is.  To imagine the power of that Word to call light into being and by that same Word established an ecosystem that sustains life.  All that we see and experience ought to fill us with a great sense of wonder at this Jesus who is the WORD of Truth.
  • Object of Truth.  John 1:6-11
    • It seems like nearly everything of great value and significance in this world draws people that want to imitate the appearance while substituting something far inferior.  Sometimes when we are the messengers of Christ that He calls us to be, it can be tempting to put our self in the position that is reserved for Him.  John wanted to make it very clear that while he was preparing the way for the One to come, that was the extent of who he was.  He consistently made it clear that he was not the real object the people were looking for, but rather Jesus was the genuine thing when it came to truth..
  • Result of Truth.  John 1:12-13
    • Perhaps most importantly to us, there is a result of truth residing in our life.  When the Word of Truth shows up in our life, we find that by believing in that truth we gain the right to be children of God.  It is the truth of God’s Word that instructs us and calls us to repentance.  It is through an obedient belief in the Word of Truth that we have a place of belonging in the family of God.
  • Deity of Truth.  John 1:14-15
    • All of this discussion of Jesus as the Word of Truth only makes sense when you accept the deity of Jesus as being the One who was with God and the One who is God.  When the  WORD of Truth include the element of deity, then the Christmas story is more than just a neat tale of a baby being born in the midst of difficult circumstances.  In fact, it is the deity of truth that leads to the calling of Jesus, Immanuel, meaning God with us.  The Christmas story then becomes a story of God taking on flesh and dwelling among us so that He could offer Himself as the perfect and spotless sacrifice to take away the sin of the world.

Today, how will you live with Jesus being the WORD of truth in your life?