knowledge

Encouragement and Prayer: Watch Out For Opposition! (3/15/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Watch Out For Opposition! (3/15/24)

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This is the audio from the March 15, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”  He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
Luke 21:7-9 (NIV)

This week our prayer focus will be on our need to pay attention to the happenings of life with a view of an eternal perspective.  We often see in Scripture that Jesus often noticed things that were different from what others paid attention to.  When we become distracted by the things of this world, Jesus desires to turn our attention to the things we ought to watch out for.  The goal is not to frighten us, but to challenge us with the need to be ready for eternity as we notice the signs of a failing world.  Pray that your relationship with Jesus would fill you with His presence in a way that gives you the strength, wisdom, and courage to always be watchful.  Pray that your desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection would be greater than any other desire you have.

“Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.  You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.”
2 Timothy 4:14-15 (NIV)

 As you pray, ask God to help you be aware of the attempts of the enemy to destroy you.  Pray that God would help you to see the source of any opposition you face.  Pray that you would be on guard against those who would oppose the message of the gospel.

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: Watch Out For Greed! (3/14/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Watch Out For Greed! (3/14/24)

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This is the audio from the March 14, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”  He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
Luke 21:7-9 (NIV)

This week our prayer focus will be on our need to pay attention to the happenings of life with a view of an eternal perspective.  We often see in Scripture that Jesus often noticed things that were different from what others paid attention to.  When we become distracted by the things of this world, Jesus desires to turn our attention to the things we ought to watch out for.  The goal is not to frighten us, but to challenge us with the need to be ready for eternity as we notice the signs of a failing world.  Pray that your relationship with Jesus would fill you with His presence in a way that gives you the strength, wisdom, and courage to always be watchful.  Pray that your desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection would be greater than any other desire you have.

“Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’”
Luke 12:15 (NIV)

 As you pray, ask God to help you be aware of the attempts of the enemy to destroy you.  Pray that you would always be on guard against the desire to measure yourself, and others, by the things that are owned.  Pray for courage in resisting all the temptations of dissatisfaction.

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: Watch Out For Hypocrisy! (3/13/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Watch Out For Hypocrisy! (3/13/24)

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This is the audio from the March 13, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”  He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
Luke 21:7-9 (NIV)

This week our prayer focus will be on our need to pay attention to the happenings of life with a view of an eternal perspective.  We often see in Scripture that Jesus often noticed things that were different from what others paid attention to.  When we become distracted by the things of this world, Jesus desires to turn our attention to the things we ought to watch out for.  The goal is not to frighten us, but to challenge us with the need to be ready for eternity as we notice the signs of a failing world.  Pray that your relationship with Jesus would fill you with His presence in a way that gives you the strength, wisdom, and courage to always be watchful.  Pray that your desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection would be greater than any other desire you have.

“Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.’”
Luke 12:1 (NIV)

 As you pray, ask God to help you be aware of the attempts of the enemy to destroy you.  Pray that God would surround you with people whose lives match their words.  Pray that you would always be on guard against the temptation to be someone different than who God says you are.

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: Watch Out For False Teaching! (3/12/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Watch Out For False Teaching! (3/12/24)

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This is the audio from the March 12, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”  He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
Luke 21:7-9 (NIV)

This week our prayer focus will be on our need to pay attention to the happenings of life with a view of an eternal perspective.  We often see in Scripture that Jesus often noticed things that were different from what others paid attention to.  When we become distracted by the things of this world, Jesus desires to turn our attention to the things we ought to watch out for.  The goal is not to frighten us, but to challenge us with the need to be ready for eternity as we notice the signs of a failing world.  Pray that your relationship with Jesus would fill you with His presence in a way that gives you the strength, wisdom, and courage to always be watchful.  Pray that your desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection would be greater than any other desire you have.

“For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect — if that were possible.  So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.”
Mark 13:22-23 (NIV)

 As you pray, ask God to help you be aware of the attempts of the enemy to destroy you.  Pray that God would help you to be devoted to His teachings so that false teaching would not deceive you.  Pray that God’s Spirit would help you hold fast to the truth of God’s Word.

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: Watch Out For Betrayal! (3/11/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Watch Out For Betrayal! (3/11/24)

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This is the audio from the March 11, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”  He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
Luke 21:7-9 (NIV)

This week our prayer focus will be on our need to pay attention to the happenings of life with a view of an eternal perspective.  We often see in Scripture that Jesus often noticed things that were different from what others paid attention to.  When we become distracted by the things of this world, Jesus desires to turn our attention to the things we ought to watch out for.  The goal is not to frighten us, but to challenge us with the need to be ready for eternity as we notice the signs of a failing world.  Pray that your relationship with Jesus would fill you with His presence in a way that gives you the strength, wisdom, and courage to always be watchful.  Pray that your desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection would be greater than any other desire you have.

“Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.”
Matthew 10:17 (NIV)

 As you pray, ask God to help you be aware of the attempts of the enemy to destroy you.  Pray that God would protect your heart and mind from the damage caused by betrayers.  Pray that your trust of God would fill you with peace.  Pray that you would watch yourself in a way that you would not betray others.

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: Understanding the SIGNS! (Sermon Audio)
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Good News: Understanding the SIGNS! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the March 10, 2024 sermon, “Good News: Understanding the SIGNS!”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: Luke 21

“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”  He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
Luke 21:7-9 (NIV)

This morning’s message continued our Good News series from the gospel of Luke. This section of the series we will take us to Resurrection Sunday as we gaze into the life of Jesus during His final week leading up to, and through, His resurrection.  As Jesus taught during the week leading up to His crucifixion, there was often a great difference in what He noticed compared to what others noticed.  As we get to chapter twenty-one of Luke, Jesus notices a person’s sacrificial gift while the disciples notice the beauty of the temple.  It is in that context that Jesus chooses to teach about our need to become better at both noticing and understanding the signs that accompany the coming of God’s kingdom.  When we choose to notice what Jesus noticed, we will grow in our understanding of the . . .

  • Sacrifice: — Luke 21:1-6

    • Understanding the signs begins with an understanding of the sacrifice that we’re called to as followers of Jesus.  In fact, it is the sacrifice made by a poor widow which gets the attention of Jesus when His followers are enamored with the outward beauty of the temple.  While the sacrifice of Jesus is essential to us having the ability to be made right with God, the response He expects from us is one of complete surrender of all that we have.

  • Information: — Luke 21:7-26

    • Understanding the signs includes paying attention not only to the facts of the moment, but to living with discernment when it comes to what is really going on around us.  The enemy works his tools of deception in an attempt to divide us from God and from one another.  Good information only comes when we are willing to filter all information through the Word of God and His Spirit.

  • Glory: — Luke 21:27-28

    • Understanding the signs is only possible in the context us knowing the glory of Jesus that is His alone.  While the increasing signs of the end of all things is enough to cause fear and terror, living in relationship with Jesus leads to a very different view of those signs because we know God is victorious.

  • Need: — Luke 21:29-35

    • Understanding the signs should bring us to a recognition of our need for Christ in all things.  While the troubles of this world lead to many attempts to escape the reality of our situation, and leads to anxiety when we can’t escape, the solution is found in Jesus.

  • Son: — Luke 21:36-38

    • Understanding the signs is built on the foundation of knowing Jesus as the Son of God.  When we are willing to submit to His authority, we find peace when the world is filled with turmoil and confusion.  Understanding the Son is a continual process as we spend time each day in God’s Word and prayer, learning from His Spirit who leads us into greater wisdom.

As you receive the good news of Jesus, how will grow in understanding the SIGNS?

Encouragement and Prayer: Lord Of All Peace! (3/8/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Lord Of All Peace! (3/8/24)

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This is the audio from the March 8, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Acts 2:36 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will consider the position of Jesus as Lord of all.  It has been said that every one of us make the choice each day as to whether Jesus is Lord of all or not Lord at all.  This is a choice we make with our life more than our words, because sometimes our words aren’t as accurate as they ought to be.  While the word or title of lord is used in many contexts throughout Scripture and in the world today, most English translations of the Bible use the word LORD to signify the personal name of God.  It is in this context of Jesus being God that He is indeed Lord of all.  Pray that your life would show a submission to the Lordship of Jesus in all things.  Pray for a consistency in your actions that would match your words proclaiming Jesus as Lord.  Pray that you would know the righteousness and compassion of the One who is Lord of all.  Pray that you would live in such a way that the people around you would learn to call upon the Lord and be saved.

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”
2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to strengthen your conviction regarding Jesus being both Lord and Christ.  Pray that you would know Jesus as the One who brings peace that surpasses understanding.  Pray that you would rejoice in God’s ability to bring peace in the way that is just right for every circumstance for you and for the people around 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: Lord Of All Work! (3/7/24)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Lord Of All Work! (3/7/24)

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This is the audio from the March 7, 2024 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Acts 2:36 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will consider the position of Jesus as Lord of all.  It has been said that every one of us make the choice each day as to whether Jesus is Lord of all or not Lord at all.  This is a choice we make with our life more than our words, because sometimes our words aren’t as accurate as they ought to be.  While the word or title of lord is used in many contexts throughout Scripture and in the world today, most English translations of the Bible use the word LORD to signify the personal name of God.  It is in this context of Jesus being God that He is indeed Lord of all.  Pray that your life would show a submission to the Lordship of Jesus in all things.  Pray for a consistency in your actions that would match your words proclaiming Jesus as Lord.  Pray that you would know the righteousness and compassion of the One who is Lord of all.  Pray that you would live in such a way that the people around you would learn to call upon the Lord and be saved.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to strengthen your conviction regarding Jesus being both Lord and Christ.  Pray that all of your work, whether paid or unpaid, would be done with a full awareness of Jesus being the Lord of that work.  Pray that the way you work would help others see your reverence for Christ.  Pray that your desire to please Christ would exceed your desire to please self or others.

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

In prayer,
Tom