Week of August 27
Striving Together with One Soul for the Gospel
“Only, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, that…you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel.” (Phil. 1:27)
“For I have no one like-souled who will genuinely care for what concerns you.” (Phil. 2:20)
Paul charges us to conduct ourselves “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,” which is to “stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel.” To be with one soul and to be like-souled for the gospel work are more difficult than to be in one spirit for the experience of Christ; Timothy was a brother who was like-souled with the apostle Paul.
To be with one soul requires that, after having been regenerated in our spirit, we go further to be transformed in our soul. If we are not one in our affections, thoughts, and decisions, we are not with one soul; as long as we are not one in soul, we are not in the fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel, and our conduct is not worthy of the gospel. When all the members in the church are in one spirit with one soul, this oneness will be convincing, subduing, and attractive, and we will experience Christ and enjoy Him. (Knowing, Experiencing, and Enjoying Christ as Revealed in Philippians, msg. 3, I.C, 1-4)
May we all we go further to be transformed in our soul for our experience and enjoyment of Christ and for the oneness that is convincing, subduing, and attractive!
USC
Last week was the first week of classes at USC. Over 30 students joined us for our first welcome meeting of the fall semester. Please pray for the follow-up with these ones who attended and with the more than 100 names we received from tabling. Pray that we can fellowship face to face with many of these students throughout the next two weeks, connecting with the ones prepared by the Lord to cherish and nourish them with the Lord Himself! May the Lord richly supply all of the saints, students, and trainees in their prayer and visitations!
Gospel in Hawaii
In response to the recent fire disaster in Hawaii, the churches there are engaging in gospel outreach with Bible distributions every day from August 23 to 30 at three shelters for people who have lost their homes. Please ask the Lord to continue to supply:
- Access to distribution locations.
- The serving saints with His compassion and peace to reach the suffering people.
- Openness in these people to receive Him, experience Him, and be brought into fellowship with the saints.
- More of Himself for the strengthening of a shining testimony throughout Hawaii.
Germany Gospel Trips
In Matthew 9:37-38 the Lord “said to His disciples, The harvest is great, but the workers few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest.”
Saints are invited to join the campus labor at the beginning of the university year in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria by participating in the gospel trips taking place October 8 to 22. It is hoped that up to 100 saints from overseas would go and blend with the local saints to carry out one work for the gospel in these countries. So far, around 40 saints have registered. The sign up deadline is September 29.
Let us beseech the Lord of the harvest to thrust out 100 workers for October; pray that an adequate number of saints from overseas would respond and be released for these trips. Furthermore, pray for all the local saints in the German-speaking countries to be willing and able to participate in one or more days of the gospel. Pray that the sanctifying Spirit will prepare many divine appointments with key German, Swiss, and Austrian students, and that He will use these gospel trips to gain much remaining fruit!
For more information and blending opportunities, go to bit.ly/GermanyGospelTrips.
Ukraine
Please continue to pray that:
- The Lord will keep all the saints in the involved countries open to Him for His divine dispensing.
- The Lord will meet the practical needs of the saints and preserve their tripartite being for His interests.
- The brothers who are fighting in the war will be preserved in their tripartite being.
- The Lord will comfort and sustain those who have lost loved ones in the war.
- The enemy will be bound in his attack on the Lord's interests in Russia, Ukraine, and Europe.
Turkey
Pray for a house which is big enough in a good area and with good sound insulation for meetings in the central area of Istanbul.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 3 of Knowing, Experiencing, and Enjoying Christ as Revealed in Philippians.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The weekly ministry meeting continues on August 30. This semester's general subject is “The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul's Epistles—First Corinthians.” Saints are invited to attend in person at 7:25 pm at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim or watch online at www.lsmwebcast.com.
- Thanksgiving Conference: November 23 to 26 in Dallas, TX. Saints from LA who are interested in possibly attending the in-person sessions in Dallas should RSVP no later than October 31 at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla. This site also has an information packet with hotel information and children's registration.
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry has consolidated many of its helpful digital resources, including apps and free booklets, at lsm.org/daily. The August 2023 newsletter features the second part of an interview with Brother Ron Kangas concerning the history of the Life-study publication work along with reports on the Africa Ministry Depot and the Lord's move in the Balkans.
- Bibles for America's recent posts “Author Spotlight: Who Is Witness Lee?” and “What It Means to Have a Good Conscience and Why It's So Important” are available at blog.bfa.org.
- Germany Gospel Trips: October 8 to 22. For more information and blending opportunities, go to bit.ly/GermanyGospelTrips.
- GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, please visit gtca.us.
- Living to Him has a podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at livingtohim.com/the-living-to-him-podcast.
- A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Week of August 13
Denying Our Self and Turning to Our Spirit for God's Desire
“The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.” (2 Tim. 4:22)
“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” (Rom. 8:6)
We must see that God does not want anything other than Christ Himself. God's goal in His recovery is to recover Christ as everything to us. In order to take Christ as everything and gain Him in all things, we must learn to continually deny our self and turn to our spirit. The way to follow the Lord, enjoy the Lord's riches, live in the reality of the Body of Christ, and function in the New Testament ministry is to continually exercise to reject our self, lose our soul-life and turn to our spirit.
Prayer is the real denial of the self. Actually, we do not need to pray in a lengthy way. It is sufficient simply to call “O Lord Jesus.” Even such a short prayer means “no longer I but Christ.” Our prayer testifies that we do not exercise our self-effort to deal with the situation….Instead, we apply Christ. To pray is to practice the vision concerning Christ with His death and resurrection being our replacement so that we may be fully “Christified” to satisfy the desire of God's heart. (Knowing, Experiencing, and Enjoying Christ as Revealed in Philippians, msg. 1, I.D, IV, C, I, 1-3)
LA Truth School Follow-up
Our 2023 Truth School concluded this past Saturday with a rich overflow from the young people as they shared their enjoyment from the previous week on “The Bible.” Although the Truth School has concluded, our young people are pressing on as they begin their academic school year.
Please continue to pray for our YP to guard the good deposit by letting the word of Christ dwell in them richly (Col. 3:16) so that they might further enter into the experience of enjoying the Word of God as a Person. Furthermore, through their enjoyment, may the Lord release opportunities for them to overflow to their friends and classmates as fruit-bearing branches abiding in the vine (John 15:4).
FTTA
The Fall 2023 term of the Full-time Training in Anaheim as well as the Boston Extension (XB) begins this week on August 13. Please pray for the perfecting of these young saints—especially for the larger incoming FTTA class—in truth, life, and service for the advancement of the Lord's move on the earth.
Ukraine
Please continue to pray that:
- The Lord will keep all the saints in the involved countries open to Him for His divine dispensing.
- The Lord will meet the practical needs of the saints and preserve their tripartite being for His interests.
- The brothers who are fighting in the war will be preserved in their tripartite being.
- The Lord will comfort and sustain those who have lost loved ones in the war.
- The enemy will be bound in his attack on the Lord's interests in Russia, Ukraine, and Europe.
Malaga Meeting Hall
The current financial need for purchasing the last available commercial block on the same floor as the meeting hall in Malaga, Spain is for 81,000 euros by the end of September to close the purchase and for an estimated 335,000 euros for remodeling.
Please pray for this need to be met for the furtherance of the Lord's move in Europe. A report concerning this property is available at lme.org/reports.html. Saints in LA who are burdened to contribute may give through the Church in Los Angeles designated for ‘Malaga Meeting Hall'.
Iceland
Situated in the far north Atlantic between North America and Europe, Iceland is an island nation with a population of approximately 375,000 people and is one of the few European countries without a lampstand. Currently there are no Recovery Version, ministry books, or literature available in the Icelandic language. However, up to 98% of the country can speak English, making the way open for the vast riches in the ministry to reach the Icelandic people.
In the last few years, saints from the UK, the US, and Finland have visited Iceland to distribute the English NT Recovery Version as well as shepherd two couples who live in Iceland that have been reading and enjoying the ministry.
In March 2023, over 140 English NTs and a few ministry books were distributed in the capital city of Reykjavik, including in the city center and the campus of the University of Iceland. Not only did many stop by our Bible table to pick up a Bible, but there were also many meaningful conversations with Icelanders who are seeking reality. After sharing from the footnotes and speaking of their experiences of the Lord, the visiting saints testified of an unprecedented openness, especially among the young people. Surely there is an urgent need to bring the gospel of the kingdom to the Icelandic people.
We continue to look to the Lord that He would gain this nation!
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 1 of Knowing, Experiencing, and Enjoying Christ as Revealed in Philippians (Memorial Day Conference).
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting will resume next week, August 23.
- Bibles for America's recent posts “Author Spotlight: Who Is Witness Lee?” and “What It Means to Have a Good Conscience and Why It's So Important” are available at blog.bfa.org.
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry has consolidated many of its helpful digital resources, including apps and free booklets, at lsm.org/daily. The July 2023 newsletter contains an interview with Brother Ron Kangas concerning the history of the Life-study publication work.
- Germany Gospel Trips: October 8 to 22. For more information and blending opportunities, go to bit.ly/GermanyGospelTrips.
- A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
- Living to Him has a podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at livingtohim.com/the-living-to-him-podcast.
- GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, please visit gtca.us.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Week of July 30
Being Faithful and Diligent to Minister Food at the Proper Time
“Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has set over his household to give them food at the proper time?” (Matt. 24:45)
“If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you.” (Eph. 3:2)
The household spoken of in verse 45 refers to the believers (Eph. 2:19), who are the church (1 Tim. 3:15). To give them food is to minister the Word of God with Christ as the life supply to the believers in the church. We all must learn how to minister the life supply to the household of the Lord at the appointed time. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 741-742)
Do not say that others have a gift of teaching to teach you the Word of God and minister spiritual food to you but that you do not have such a gift. There is not such a thought here. All of the Lord's servants received the gift for their commission.
Every day is a proper time for us to minister the proper food to anyone...We all have to rise up and wake up to be diligent, to be faithful, to be prudent and not foolish, to minister the proper food to the needy ones at the proper time. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 5, “The Way to Practice the Lord's Present Move,” pp. 515, 518)
LA Truth School
The LA Truth School begins this Friday evening, August 4 and concludes the following Saturday, August 12. The topic is “The Bible” and the burden is to impress on our young people that the Bible is God's word for them to know and enjoy in their teenage years. Please pray for:
- The preparation of the hearts of every young person to be soft towards the Lord during Truth School.
- All of the young people to be full of joy and released during the singing times.
- The full participation in the Bible pursuit in small groups during the week.
LA College Student Internship
From July 26 until this Friday, August 4, eleven college students are joining our campus full-timers in Los Angeles for a summer internship, where they will learn to be properly supplied and equipped to serve the Lord Jesus for His purpose. The burden of this internship is for the students to increase their enjoyment of Christ as life, strengthen their daily life practices of being in the Word, and enrich their experience of the house-to-house church life in LA so that they all can be normal, coordinated, and fruit-bearing branches on their campus.
Please pray for the Lord to cover all the details of this week's schedule and for each participant to fully open to the Lord in the midst of many activities. May the students be built up with one another, strongly connected with some saints, and burdened for their campus ahead of the upcoming school year.
European Young People's Conference
The European Young People's Conference is taking place this week, July 30 to August 5, in Małe Ciche, a small village near the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland. The European Family Conference is also happening concurrently in the same location. A total of 1290 saints, including 400 young people and 200 children, from 41 countries (31 European countries) are registered. Please pray for:
- The Lord's speaking to the young people and their response. May the Lord meet the particular needs of the young people and open “The Significance, Preciousness and Enjoyment of the Birthright” to them.
- The Lord to raise up more families for the church life.
Germany – Gospel Trips
Registration is open to join the churches and the developing localities in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in their gospel labor from October 8 to 22. For more information and blending opportunities, go to bit.ly/GermanyGospelTrips. Lord, release the saints—including some from LA—to participate!
Bibles for Europe – 2024 Paris Olympics
Bibles for Europe continues to distribute the NT Recovery Version to many countries throughout Europe. We are currently distributing the Recovery Version in English, French, German, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Although the Recovery Version does not exist in every European language, the prevalence of the English language across Europe, especially among the European young people, makes the English NT Recovery Version accessible to nearly the whole continent.
The 2024 Summer Olympics will be hosted in Paris, and we would encourage all the saints to open to the Lord regarding this next milestone in the Lord's move in Europe. Millions of people traveled to London during the 2012 Olympics, and it could be expected that as many will travel to Paris to visit this famous city. In addition, the UK torch relay had been designed to be within one hour of 95% of the UK population. This provided an unprecedented opportunity to reach the local people as they gathered to watch the torch, and we believe the same will happen in France.
The Paris Olympics is still a year away, and we do not know how many Bibles to expect to distribute during this international gathering. We are looking to the Lord as the brooding and life-giving Spirit to prepare this city and the many visitors that will come to receive the Word of life.
We would like to invite the saints in the Lord's recovery to join us in Europe next year by praying, giving, and going. The distance by train between London and Paris is just a little over two hours, and the saints are welcome to stop by Bower House to blend with the saints in London before or after Paris. We had many experiences in London that will be very useful for the Paris distributions. May the Lord bless the coordination and one accord among all the saints that He may use this event to gain His seekers in France for the sake of His move in Europe.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 4 of Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord's Coming (ICSC). After next week, on August 14, we will begin Knowing, Experiencing, and Enjoying Christ as Revealed in Philippians (Memorial Day Conference).
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry has consolidated many of its helpful digital resources, including apps and free booklets, at lsm.org/daily. The July 2023 newsletter contains an interview with Brother Ron Kangas concerning the history of the Life-study publication work.
- FTTA: A video of the graduation meeting on July 1 is available for a limited time at ftta.org.
- A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
- Bibles for America's recent post “What It Means to Have a Good Conscience and Why It's So Important” is available to read and share at blog.biblesforamerica.org.
- Living to Him has a podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at livingtohim.com/the-living-to-him-podcast.
- GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, please visit gtca.us.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Week of July 23
Giving Heed to the Lamp Shining in a Dark Place
“The night is far advanced, and the day has drawn near. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the weapons of light.” (Rom. 13:12)
“And we have the prophetic word made more firm, to which you do well to give heed as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Pet. 1:19)
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psa. 119:105)
If the church does not pay adequate attention to [the prophecies in the Bible], many believers will inevitably lose faith, be deceived by lies, be destroyed because of a lack of that knowledge, and forget the Lord's coming by not being watchful. If the believers do not have the prophecies in the Bible, they will fall into darkness. The present age is the nighttime. When the Lord Jesus comes, the day will dawn, and the next age, the kingdom age, will be the daytime.
The day is a metaphor illustrating a time coming that will be full of light, as a bright day dawning, with the morning star rising, before its dawning, in the hearts of the believers, who are illuminated and enlightened by giving heed to the shining word of prophecy in the Scripture. This will cause and encourage the believers to earnestly seek the Lord's presence and be watchful so that they will not miss the Lord in the secret part of His coming (parousia), when He will come as a thief.
If we continually give heed to the shining word of the Scriptures, we will have the kingdom as the day dawning in us and Christ as the morning star rising in our hearts before His actual appearing as the bright morning star. Christ as the morning star will be given to the overcomers as their first reward; we need to make ourselves ready for the secret appearing of the Lord as the morning star. (Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord's Coming, msg. 3, I.C-D, III.B, 1, D.4-5)
North America College Training
Last week, July 16 to 22, 92 Los Angeles-related saints (including 66 college students and recent graduates and 26 serving ones) participated in the NACT held in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. It was an exciting and immensely enjoyable week filled with released singing, enlightening ministry of the word, blending with other students from around the globe, and time after time of rich, personal fellowship with the Lord in His word!
Our students were equipped with a vision of the most excellent way of love (1 Cor. 12:31; 13:8)—God as love, and love for the Lord Himself, for the brothers, and for the whole world—as well as a hunger for the truth, who is just the reality of the wonderful person of Christ (John 8:32, 36). They were also helped to spend time with the Lord in the morning to behold His beauty and inquire in His temple (Psa. 27:4), and they enjoyed practicing with one another how to contact students on their campus for the sake of the gospel (1 Tim. 2:4). This was such a special occasion and invaluable opportunity for every attendee and even more so for the Lord and His interests in this young generation. We sincerely thank the saints for all their prayers throughout the year leading up to this week.
As all the trainees return to work or classes or transition into their next life stage, may we continue to pray for the lasting impact of this training on their love for Christ and the church, their pursuit and defense of and constitution with the truth, and their splendorous consecration to the Lord to offer themselves to Him willingly in this day of His warfare for His soon return (Psa. 110:3).
LA Truth School
“But there is need of one thing, for Mary has chosen the good part.” (Luke 10:42a)
For the preparation of all of the different services that will take place before and during our upcoming Truth School (August 4 to 12), please pray for all of the serving ones to choose the good part of loving and listening to the Lord. All of the services—including music, food and activities—are wonderful opportunities for those serving to enter into the Lord's desire and preference to serve Him by caring for our young people.
Although the deadline to register has already passed, the young people, parents and serving ones are still able to register and are encouraged to do so. Lord, release any late registrations!
Chinese-speaking Perfecting Training
The 2023 North America Chinese-speaking Saints' Perfecting Training will be held in Anaheim from July 26 to 30. The training continues the burden from the previous three years, which is to focus on perfecting the saints in the churches in the areas of truth, life, and service, so they can be mature in life and strengthened to function in their service to build up the Body of Christ. The subject of this year's training is “The Application of the Interpretation of the New Jerusalem.”
Please pray for the Lord to:
- Strengthen, protect, and prepare the saints who have registered for this training.
- Cover all the practical needs of the training so that the burden of the training can be fully released.
- Encourage and perfect the saints for the day-to-day church life.
European Young People's Conference
The European Young People's Conference will take place July 30 to August 5 in Małe Ciche, a small village near the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland, for young people from 13 to 19 years of age. There will also be the European Family Conference taking place concurrently in the same location. The burden of the EFC is that the Lord would raise up families for the church life. The schedule includes activities such as singing, stories, family talks, crafts, games, workshops, and informal times of fellowship.
In total, 1290 saints, including 400 young people and 200 children, from 41 countries (31 European countries) are registered for this five-day gathering. Please pray for:
- The Lord's speaking to the young people and their response. May the Lord meet the particular needs of the young people and open “The Significance, Preciousness and Enjoyment of the Birthright” to them.
- The Lord to raise up more families for the church life.
Germany – Gospel Trips
Registration is open to join the churches and the developing localities in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in their gospel labor from October 8 to 22, especially on the campuses at the beginning of the university year. For see more information, additional opportunities for blending, and registration, go to bit.ly/GermanyGospelTrips. Lord, release the saints—including some from LA—to participate!
Egypt
The July 2023 newsletter of the Lord's Move to Africa contains an update on North Africa, specifically a report on the 2023 Cairo International Book Fair and the Arabic publication work.
- reurl.cc/N097b5 (English)
- reurl.cc/GAO3n3 (Chinese)
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 3 of Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord's Coming (ICSC).
- FTTA: A video of the graduation meeting on July 1 is available for a limited time at ftta.org.
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry has consolidated many of its helpful digital resources, including apps and free booklets, at lsm.org/daily. The July 2023 newsletter contains an interview with Brother Ron Kangas concerning the history of the Life-study publication work.
- A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
- Bibles for America's recent post “What It Means to Have a Good Conscience and Why It's So Important” is available to read and share at blog.biblesforamerica.org.
- Living to Him has a podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at livingtohim.com/the-living-to-him-podcast.
- GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, please visit gtca.us.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.