knowledge

Encouragement and Prayer: Obedient Children! (10/10/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Obedient Children! (10/10/22)

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This is the audio from the October 10, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“’I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”
Mark 10:15-16 (NIV)

This week our prayer emphasis will focus on loving children like Jesus does.  God has a lot to say about His concern for children.  Many children are struggling with little or no perceived value — not just in far off places of the world, but in our own communities and neighborhoods.  As you pray this week, pray that the children in your life would know the love of God that He lavishes on them.  Pray that you would love and value children just as God does.  Pray that God would mold your heart and will into that which aligns with His love and care for children.  Pray for the courage to be involved in the lives of children in ways that show them the love of God.  Pray about how you can serve the needs of children, both in the church gathering and in the community.

“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.”
1 Peter 1:14 (NIV)

Pray that you would live in obedience to Christ out of love for Him and as an example to others.  Pray that children would be filled with the presence of God as they put away the desires of ignorance and walk in obedience to God.

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

In prayer,
Tom

Loving the Children: BLESS Them! (Sermon Audio)
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Loving the Children: BLESS Them! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the October 9, 2022 sermon, “Loving the Children: BLESS Them!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  Mark 10:13-16

It seems the disciples thought Jesus was too important, and the children too unimportant, for Him to give them any of His attention.  It is important to realize that Jesus valued all people and seemed to pay special attention to those who were often pushed aside as being unimportant.  When we look at how Jesus loved children, we can learn to love children as we  . . .

  • Believe In Them.
    • Believing in someone changes nearly everything about how we interact with them.  When Jesus chose to bless the children, it communicated His belief that they were important and valuable.
  • Love Them.  
    • Loving someone with a love that is real involves looking out for their needs above our own.  When Jesus chose to bless the children, it communicated His love for them as He took them in His arms and accepted them.
  • Encourage/Equip Them.
    • Encouraging someone involves a decision to be involved in their life in a way that helps them where they are and helps them get to where they need to be.  When Jesus chose to bless the children, it provided affirmation that helped them to grow as individuals.
  • See Them.
    • Truly seeing someone will require us to turn our attention away from self so that we really notice who they are.  When Jesus chose to bless the children, it made it clear that they had been seen and were wanted.
  • Serve Them.  
    • Serving others will require us to love in a way that seeks to understand what they need.  When Jesus chose to bless the children, He brought them close to Himself in order to serve them with a recognition of their value.

Today, how will you BLESS the children of any age, including your age?

Encouragement and Prayer: Overcoming Doubt By Faith! (10/07/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Overcoming Doubt By Faith! (10/07/22)

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This is the audio from the October 7, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’”
John 20:27 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on overcoming doubt even as we consider how Jesus loves those who doubt.  It ought to be comforting to everyone to know that Jesus understands the doubts we have and loves us so much that He patiently walks us through our disbelief.  When we take our doubts to Jesus, He presents Himself to us in such a way that we can believe fully in Him.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you be aware of the doubts that enter you life at any time.  Pray that you faith in God would grow in such a way that it continually pushes all doubt away.  Pray that you would be one who seeks to please God through a life of faith.

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: Overcoming Doubt By the Work of God! (10/06/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Overcoming Doubt By the Work of God! (10/06/22)

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This is the audio from the October 6, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’”
John 20:27 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on overcoming doubt even as we consider how Jesus loves those who doubt.  It ought to be comforting to everyone to know that Jesus understands the doubts we have and loves us so much that He patiently walks us through our disbelief.  When we take our doubts to Jesus, He presents Himself to us in such a way that we can believe fully in Him.

“Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’”
John 6:29 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you be aware of the doubts that enter you life at any time.  Pray that you would know the work of God in your life that leads to belief.  Pray that you would be actively involved in the work of God by sharing your belief in Jesus.  Pray that the people around you would know of God’s love as you share the good news of Jesus.

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: Overcoming Doubt By Listening To Truth! (10/05/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Overcoming Doubt By Listening To Truth! (10/05/22)

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This is the audio from the October 5, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’”
John 20:27 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on overcoming doubt even as we consider how Jesus loves those who doubt.  It ought to be comforting to everyone to know that Jesus understands the doubts we have and loves us so much that He patiently walks us through our disbelief.  When we take our doubts to Jesus, He presents Himself to us in such a way that we can believe fully in Him.

“We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
John 4:42 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you be aware of the doubts that enter you life at any time.  Pray that you would listen intently to the truth of  God’s Word.  Pray that your belief is strengthened through the truth of God you learn from others.  Pray that your love for people would be known by the truth you share.

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: Overcoming Doubt By the Testimony About Jesus! (10/04/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Overcoming Doubt By the Testimony About Jesus! (10/04/22)

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This is the audio from the October 4, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’”
John 20:27 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on overcoming doubt even as we consider how Jesus loves those who doubt.  It ought to be comforting to everyone to know that Jesus understands the doubts we have and loves us so much that He patiently walks us through our disbelief.  When we take our doubts to Jesus, He presents Himself to us in such a way that we can believe fully in Him.

“He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.”
John 1:7 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you be aware of the doubts that enter you life at any time.  Pray that the testimony of God about Jesus would help you overcome doubt.  Pray that you would live in such a way that people see the testimony of Jesus through you.  Pray that the love of God would be known to all through the testimony of Jesus.

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

In prayer,
Tom

Loving Those Who Doubt! (Sermon Audio)
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Loving Those Who Doubt! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the October 2, 2022 sermon, “Loving Those Who Doubt: Offer PROOF!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text:  John 20:24-29

When we consider our own doubts, it doesn’t seem like it should so difficult to love those who doubt, but it often is.  When we look at how Jesus loved Thomas in the midst of his doubts, we find we can love those who doubt when we offer . . .

  • Peace.  John 20:26
    • Doubt can be a frustrating thing in our own life and when we experience it from others.  Often our reactionary response to doubt expressed by others is a position of defensiveness.  Even knowing the doubts that filled the heart and mind of Thomas, Jesus came to him with an offer and declaration of peace.  When we desire to love those who doubt like Jesus loves them, we interact with them in a way that offers peace.
  • Reality.  John 20:25
    • While Thomas is often the Biblical poster child for doubting, the Bible makes it clear that doubting the resurrection of Jesus was a pretty common trait among His followers.  In fact, the other disciples had witnessed the same reality Thomas was asking to see before they believed.  Jesus understands the substance of what we long for and how a lack of that reality can produce doubt.  When we desire to love those who doubt like Jesus loves them, we offer the reality of what they are looking for.
  • Opportunity.  John 20:27
    • While we will get to the faith part a little bit later, Jesus loved Thomas enough to offer him the opportunity to do exactly what he had declared would be needed before he could believe.  While the Bible doesn’t say whether Thomas actually reached out and touched the hands and side of Jesus.  It is my belief that the opportunity itself was enough to dispel the doubt that had gripped the heart and mind of Thomas.  When we desire to love those who doubt like Jesus loves them, we offer them the opportunity to have their questions answered.
  • Observation.  John 20:28
    • There is something powerful about seeing the evidence, or proof, of Jesus for yourself.  Whether he did reach out and touch Jesus or not, the opportunity to do so led Thomas to observe and declare that the One standing before him was his Lord and his God.  In times of doubt, God continually provides us with opportunities to observe His work and to show His work to others.  When we desire to love those who doubt like Jesus loves them, we offer them the opportunity to observe Jesus at work in us.
  • Faith.  John 20:29
    • While doubt comes from a heart and mind filled with uncertainty, faith is the certainty of things unseen.  Jesus declares that Thomas believed because of what he saw, but those who believe without seeing are blessed.  While believing without seeing the hands and side of Jesus requires faith, it is not a blind faith.  In fact, we have the opportunity to see and produce the evidence of faith each moment that we live in a way that represents Jesus well.  When we desire to love those who doubt like Jesus loves them, we offer the blessing of faith as it produces its fruit in us.

Today, how will you love those who doubt . . . even if the one who doubts is you?

Encouragement and Prayer: Overcoming Doubt With God’s Help! (10/03/22)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Overcoming Doubt With God’s Help! (10/03/22)

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This is the audio from the October 3, 2022 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’”
John 20:27 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on overcoming doubt even as we consider how Jesus loves those who doubt.  It ought to be comforting to everyone to know that Jesus understands the doubts we have and loves us so much that He patiently walks us through our disbelief.  When we take our doubts to Jesus, He presents Himself to us in such a way that we can believe fully in Him.  As you pray this week, ask God to help you be aware of the doubts that enter you life at any time.  Pray that you would know the evidence of Jesus that is strong enough to overcome all doubts.  Pray that you would know the love of God that doesn’t waver because of your doubts and embraces you in a way that removes doubt.  Pray that you would love people who doubt and share with them the good news of a God who can be believed in.

“Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’”
Mark 9:24 (NIV)

Pray that you would always turn to God when you have doubts.  Pray that your belief would be strengthened by God as you recognize the tension between belief and unbelief.  Pray that you and the people around you would know God’s love even in moments of doubt.

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

In prayer,
Tom