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Encouragement and Prayer: A Time to Encourage! (4/21/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: A Time to Encourage! (4/21/23)

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

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ”
Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on our responsibility after the resurrection.  We live a resurrected life as we join with Christ in the power of His resurrection.  The result should be a transformation that changes us in such a way that what we do is different whether when we are alone or together with  others.  The very heart of a time to gather is a time to serve one another.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God help you to renew your commitment to serving Him as you serve others.  Pray that your life would be an encouragement to others as you meet together on a regular basis.  Pray that you would value the opportunities which exist for fellowship.  Pray that you would share the encouragement you receive from Christ.

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: A Time to Visit! (4/20/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: A Time to Visit! (4/20/23)

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This is the audio from the April 20, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ”
Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on our responsibility after the resurrection.  We live a resurrected life as we join with Christ in the power of His resurrection.  The result should be a transformation that changes us in such a way that what we do is different whether when we are alone or together with  others.  The very heart of a time to gather is a time to serve one another.

“When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’”
Matthew 25:38-39 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God help you to renew your commitment to serving Him as you serve others.  Pray that you would notice the stranger, the needy, the sick, and the imprisoned and visit them as if you are visiting Christ.  Pray that you would value time spent with others who may be different than 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: A Time to Rebuke and Repent! (4/19/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: A Time to Rebuke and Repent! (4/19/23)

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This is the audio from the April 19, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ”
Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on our responsibility after the resurrection.  We live a resurrected life as we join with Christ in the power of His resurrection.  The result should be a transformation that changes us in such a way that what we do is different whether when we are alone or together with  others.  The very heart of a time to gather is a time to serve one another.

“So watch yourselves.  ‘If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.’”
Luke 17:3 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God help you to renew your commitment to serving Him as you serve others.  Pray for the wisdom and grace to rebuke others in love and to repent when you are rebuked.  Pray that you would be filled with humility when it is necessary to correct others.  Pray that the same humility would fill you when you need to repent.  Pray for a spirit of forgiveness.

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: A Time to Equip! (4/18/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: A Time to Equip! (4/18/23)

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This is the audio from the April 18, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ”
Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on our responsibility after the resurrection.  We live a resurrected life as we join with Christ in the power of His resurrection.  The result should be a transformation that changes us in such a way that what we do is different whether when we are alone or together with  others.  The very heart of a time to gather is a time to serve one another.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God help you to renew your commitment to serving Him as you serve others.  Pray that you would be a student of God’s Word so that you would be equipped, and be able to equip others, for every good work.  Pray that you would come together with God’s people in ways that equip each member of the body.

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: A Time to Share! (4/17/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: A Time to Share! (4/17/23)

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This is the audio from the April 17, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ”
Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on our responsibility after the resurrection.  We live a resurrected life as we join with Christ in the power of His resurrection.  The result should be a transformation that changes us in such a way that what we do is different whether when we are alone or together with  others.  The very heart of a time to gather is a time to serve one another.  As you pray this week, ask God help you to renew your commitment to serving Him as you serve others.  Pray that you would know how He is equipping you to serve within the church body and within your community.  Pray for the courage to serve in ways that may stretch your comfort zone . . . or take you completely out of it.  Pray that God would direct your obedience to Him in the ways you gather with others.  Pray that you would be an active part of encouraging others when you come together as part of the body of Christ.

“Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
Romans 12:13 (NIV)

Pray that you would understand and practice your responsibility to share with those in need.  Pray for wisdom to know how to share well and discernment in understanding needs.  Pray that your sharing would be done not just with your stuff, but also with your time and abilities within the body of Christ.

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

In prayer,
Tom

A Time to Gather! (Sermon Audio)
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A Time to Gather! (Sermon Audio)

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This is the audio from the April 16, 2023 sermon, “A Time to Gather: A Place to HEAL”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

Text: John 21

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ”
Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

Today I began a new series, or added a postscript to the previous series, as we looked at life after the resurrection.  Even though Jesus had spent His ministry years preparing the disciples to take the gospel into the world, He knew that they would not quite be ready after the resurrection.  In fact, He had told them prior to the cross that He would die, be buried, and rise again and that they should wait for Him.  I believe this gathering after the resurrection was necessary for a variety of reasons, with one of those primary reasons being that they had all deserted Jesus in His time of trial and each of them would be experiencing some level of brokenness and guilt.  They needed the restoration and healing that only Jesus could bring and they needed to know it was for all of them.  As we gather each week as those resurrected by the power of Jesus Christ, we do so as those who have our own brokenness and guilt so we come together in a place to . . .

  • Hear:  —  John 21:1-9

    • Our time to gather is a place to hear the good news of Jesus and experience the power of listening to God and to one another.  Even as Jesus called out to the disciples and gave them instructions on where to find fish, they did not immediately realize it was Him.  They needed a place to truly hear so they would recognize Jesus in their midst.  When we gather with others, we need to be mindful that the distractions of this life are numerous and present in the most unexpected places.  Our brokenness has a way of dulling our hearing so that we begin to believe the lies of our enemy.  When we deliberately listen to God and to one another, we find a place to gather where each one of us can find the healing we need.

  • Eat:  —  John 21:10-14

    • I suspect that talking about our time to gather being a place to eat might seem a bit strange at first.  Yet it shouldn’t take long to realize the hunger that is created by our brokenness.  When we gather as those resurrected by the power of Jesus Christ, we find fulfillment as we feast on God’s Word and as we share in the elements of communion.  Even though the text says that Jesus had a fire going with fish being prepared, He asked the disciples to bring some of the fish they had caught to Him.  While Jesus has all that we need, He also calls for us to contribute as we each bring value to the gathering through what He has provided in our life.  But it’s not just spiritual food that we share, we grow together when we join in sharing fellowship around meals that sustain us physically as well that which strengthens the connectedness of the body.

  • Adjust — John 21:15-19

    • We don’t like to admit it, but we’re not always right.  In fact, the only one who is always right is God.  Sometimes it is the recognition of how we have failed ourselves, others, and/or God that causes a brokenness . . . at least in our mind.  The disciples, and perhaps especially Peter, needed a place to adjust before they would be open vessels suitable for God’s work of changing the world.  God’s desire is that we would live in fellowship with one another in such a way that we remind others, and are reminded our self, of the great task which is ours through Jesus Christ.  Loving God and living a resurrected life isn’t as much about being right as it is about taking care of people.  When we allow God to administer an attitude adjustment in our life, we find a place to gather where we willingly adjust our attitudes and actions to serve others according to their need.

  • Love — John 21:20-25

    • I don’t know too many people that like to be singled out in ways that make their brokenness apparent or their task seem unfair in comparison to others . . . in fact, I don’t know anyone that likes that!  Peter’s response to Jesus revealing the hardships he would face was the age-old deflection of “What about him?”.  It is in this context that John reveals himself to be the one he refers to as “the disciple whom Jesus loves”.  God’s Word tells us that “love covers a multitude of sin”.  When we gather as those resurrected by the power of Jesus Christ, we should find ourselves in a place of love . . . not that we’re so good at it, but because we have experienced being the disciple that Jesus loves.

Today, how will you make the times you gather with others be a place to HEAL?

Encouragement and Prayer: Resurrection Hope! (4/14/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Resurrection Hope! (4/14/23)

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This is the audio from the April 14, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on knowing and living by the power of the resurrection.  As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the magnificence of the event and what it accomplished can often overshadow how it was accomplished.  Paul understood that it was in the fellowship with the sufferings of Christ that he would know more of the power of the resurrection.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you know the power of the resurrection in a way that gives you the courage to grow through the fellowship of suffering.  Pray that you would live with great hope through the power of the resurrection.  Pray that your praise of God would never lose sight of the victory of the resurrection.  Pray about how you can share the hope of Jesus with those who need the new birth that is found in Christ.

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: Resurrection Teaching! (4/13/23)
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Encouragement and Prayer: Resurrection Teaching! (4/13/23)

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This is the audio from the April 13, 2023 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on knowing and living by the power of the resurrection.  As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the magnificence of the event and what it accomplished can often overshadow how it was accomplished.  Paul understood that it was in the fellowship with the sufferings of Christ that he would know more of the power of the resurrection.

“Instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”
Hebrews 6:2 (NIV)

As you pray this week, ask God to help you know the power of the resurrection in a way that gives you the courage to grow through the fellowship of suffering.  Pray that the truth of the resurrection would be a part of the foundational teaching you believe about God.  Pray that you would use the foundational teachings, including that of the resurrection, to build your life upon in order to be a household of faith.  Pray that the resurrection would be part of the foundation you teach others about Jesus.

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

In prayer,
Tom