Week of June 4

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Being Empowered to Pray Fighting Prayers

"Finally, be empowered in the Lord and in the might of His strength." (Eph. 6:10)

"By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints" (Eph. 6:18)

The fact that we need to be empowered in the Lord indicates that in ourselves we cannot fight the spiritual warfare against Satan and his evil kingdom; we can fight only in the Lord and in the might of His strength.

As God's warrior, the church does not fight by her own strength…On the contrary, we must be empowered in the Lord and in the might of His strength. To deal with God's enemy, to fight against the evil forces of darkness, we need to be empowered with the greatness of the power that raised up Christ from the dead and seated Him in the heavens, far above all the evil spirits in the air.

When we are strengthened, we are renewed; when we are renewed, we are filled; when we are filled, we are equipped to fight; it is in the fighting spirit that we pray fighting prayers of spiritual warfare. What Satan fears most is the saints' bended knees before the Lord, or the prayer of the church before God. God desires that His saints have this kind of prayer to work together with Him and fight for Him. (CS 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, msg. 9, III.E.1; III.F.4.c; LS Ephesians, pp. 815-816; CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, "The Experience of Life," p. 527)

Bibles for America

So far this year, Bibles for America has sent out over 80,000 free copies of the NT Recovery Version to people all over the country. Please pray that every Bible recipient would have the eyes of their heart enlightened as they read the interpreted Word of God. Pray also that many more seekers would respond to our offer and order a copy for themselves.

Germany – Gospel Trips

In 2016 and 2017 thousands of the saints in the Lord's recovery went to Germany to participate in the gospel trips for the refugees from the Middle East. During those trips not only were many saved and brought into the church life, but also the church life in Germany was greatly strengthened and even several churches were raised up.

Last October saints were invited to visit the German-speaking countries to help with outreach on the campuses. These trips had a great impact in helping the churches gain remaining fruit from the campuses. They also helped to revive the spirit of the gospel in the churches. We thank the Lord for those who were able to come and participate. It was a great blessing.

This year, October 8 to 22, the churches and developing localities in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria extend a warm invitation again to all the saints in the recovery to join their campus labor at the start of the academic year.

Please pray that:

  • Saints around the earth, including some in Los Angeles, will be stirred up in spirit by the Lord and give their time and energy to rise up and go up (Ezra 1:3, 5);
  • Many others will strengthen and supply the goers in prayer, perhaps also financially (Ezra 1:4, 6)
  • The churches in Germany will receive fresh leading from the Lord and will learn from one another how best to prepare for this time.
  • The Lord will gain many young Germans, Swiss, and Austrians as remaining fruit and for the spread of the Lord's testimony in all these cities through these gospel trips.

Those who give themselves for this trip may also consider taking the opportunity to attend the European Blending Conference in the Netherlands during the last weekend of October. For interested saints, more information and a pre-registration link are at tinyurl.com/GermanyGospelTrips.

FTTL

The graduation of the Full-time Training in London's spring semester will take place at Bower House this Saturday, June 10. Please pray for a strong going on of the graduates—whether they serve, work, or study—in their knowing, experiencing, and enjoying of Christ for the building up of His Body and the preparation of His bride.

Nepal

A regional blending conference took place in early March for the first time since the pandemic. A total of 79 saints and 7 children from the four churches in Nepal attended, along with some saints from Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. The subject was "Seeing the Vision of the Lord's Recovery and Practicing the God-Ordained Way."

During the conference, some shared testimonies of how they were called by the Lord. One brother had initially planned to find work in Korea due to financial difficulties at home; he had even learned Korean. However, encouraged by the testimony of an elderly sister who consecrated her children to the Lord, he recognized the great need of the local church. He decided to give up the opportunity to go abroad in order to remain in his locality with his wife to serve in coordination with the saints.

After being under the speaking of the messages for two days, the saints' vision was renewed and everyone consecrated themselves to practice the God-ordained way. May the Lord grant them grace to continue steadfastly in practicing what they have learned in their localities.

For a detailed report with photos, see the April 2023 issue of the Lord's Move to Asia newsletter:

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 9 of Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
  2. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The weekly ministry meeting on "The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul's Epistles" continues this Wednesday starting 7:25 pm.
  3. July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. LA saints may still register for the video training ($130) until June 18 at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
  4. Memorial Day Conference: Audio and video recordings of conference messages may be accessed on a per-message or subscription basis at www.lsmwebcast.com.
  5. Free e-Booklets: Living Stream Ministry offers a series of free e-booklets to read and share at www.lsm.org/booklets, including "Life's Issue—the Church."
  6. LSM Newsletter: The May issue of "Having This Ministry…" provides principles on using the hymns in the Lord's table meeting, as well as a brief history of the Taiwan Gospel Book Room. Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
  7. Bibles for America's latest post, "Author Spotlight: Who Is Watchman Nee?" is available to read and share at blog.biblesforamerica.org.
  8. 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.
  9. GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, please visit gtca.us.
  10. 500 Life-studies App: To learn more about the burden for the Life-studies, including the 500 Life-studies app, please visit 500lifestudies.org.
  11. A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
  12. Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

 
 
 

by Ruiyu Wu

Week of May 28

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Knowing, Experiencing, and Enjoying Christ

“But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…that I may gain Christ.” (Phil. 3:8)

“Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward.” (Phil. 3:13b-14)

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. Turning to the spirit is the secret of being a Christian. 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.

To know Christ is not merely to have the knowledge concerning Him but to gain His very person. Like Paul, we should aspire to know and experience Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings and to be conformed to His death as the mold of the Christian life.

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 (to “cast out demons”); 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. (Memorial Day Conference, msg. 1, IV, C; msg. 4, I.F; key statement 2; msg. 1, I.1-3)

Christ Our Life and Christ Our Head

“When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.” (Col. 3:4)

“And He is the Head of the Body, the church…” (Col 1:18)

The building of the house and the city is the center of God's eternal purpose. This building is simply the mingling of God with man. When Christ comes into us, that is the mingling…Therefore, the church is a mingling of divinity with humanity…When this mingling is enlarged and consummated to the fullest extent, that is the city. So the city eventually becomes the mutual building, the mutual habitation, of God and man. God dwells in us, and we in God…This is the universal, eternal mingling of God with man. We are His dwelling place, and He is ours. On a small scale, this is the house, and on a large scale, this is the city.

The New Testament first tells us that Christ is our life, but eventually it says that Christ is our Head…If we only experience Christ as life, yet do not realize Him much as our Head, we only have the church as the house. There is not the city yet. When we realize that Christ is not only our life but also our Head, then Christ will have the second step of enlargement. Then the church will not only be the house, but also the city. The house is mainly with the life, and the city is mainly with the Head. (CWWL, 1969, vol. 2, “The Recovery of God's House and God's City,” pp. 380-381)

May we honor and realize the unique headship of Christ for the church to be enlarged from the house to the city for the King and His kingdom.

UCLA Celebration Meeting

College students with all the saints in Hall 5 will come together this Friday to celebrate all that the Lord has done in and through them this past academic year. Pray for a good, solid ending to the school year for all the college students through their sharing of their testimony of Christ. Also pray for all the saints to be encouraged and for the Lord to be glorified through all the speaking.

FTTA

The deadline for Fall Term applications is this Wednesday, May 31. We are continuing to pray and trust in the Lord for His blessing on many young saints through the Full-time Training in Anaheim. In light of this week's deadline, please pray that the Lord would touch and lead many more college graduates and young working saints to consecrate themselves and apply to FTTA. We expect that the Lord will increase the number in the Training through such prayers.

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 all the practical needs of the saints.
  • The brothers who are fighting in the war will be preserved by the Lord in their tripartite being.
  • The local saints, serving ones, and trainees in Europe will be blended with the refugees.
  • The enemy will be bound in his attack on the Lord's interests in Russia, Ukraine, and Europe

Nigeria and Ghana

The May 2023 newsletter of the Lord's Move to Africa has updates from Nigeria and Ghana. Last December, the churches in these two West African countries resumed their respective national blending conferences in person along with young people's conferences.

On the last day of the young people's conference in Ghana, more than a third of the young people (56 out of 152) were baptized. Praise the Lord! Our prayer is that these young ones will not be left alone, but that the Lord Himself would raise up many nursing mothers and exhorting fathers in their localities to shepherd them according to God's heart.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 8 of Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
  2. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The weekly ministry meeting on “The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul's Epistles” continues this Wednesday starting 7:25 pm.
  3. July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. LA saints may still register for the video training ($130) until June 18 at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
  4. LSM Newsletter: The May issue of "Having This Ministry…" provides principles on using the hymns in the Lord's table meeting, as well as a brief history of the Taiwan Gospel Book Room. Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
  5. Bibles for America's latest post, “Author Spotlight: Who Is Watchman Nee?” is available to read and share at blog.biblesforamerica.org.
  6. 500 Life-studies App: This app, on Apple and Google Play, is designed to help us get constituted with the truth by using the Life-study of the Bible for our spiritual nourishment and growth. Create custom schedules, read directly in the app or ministrybooks.org integration, and track your progress toward different milestones. For additional resources and information, please visit 500lifestudies.org.
  7. 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.
  8. A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
  9. Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

 
 
 

by Ruiyu Wu

Week of May 21

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Letting the Word of Christ Dwell in Us Richly for the Genuine Church Life

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16)

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissoluteness, but be filled in spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and psalming with your heart to the Lord.” (Eph. 5:18-19)

We, believers in Christ and children of God, need to be freed from all distractions and brought back to Christ Himself. All the saints need to experience something of Christ in their daily life and come together with the Christ whom they have experienced to exhibit this Christ, to share Him with one another, and to enjoy Him with God the Father for His pleasure; this is the genuine church life. (March 2023 ITERO, msg. 1, I, II.G)

Notice that in Colossians 3:16 Paul tells us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, but in Ephesians 5:18 he tells us to be filled in spirit. When we put these verses together, we see that we should be filled in spirit with the word of Christ…The more we sing and psalm the Word of God, the more we shall be delivered from the influence of religion, the influence which causes us to come to the meetings in a formal way. Let us build the habit of singing the Word day by day. Then our meetings will not be formal. Instead of any kind of performance, the meetings will be filled with an exhibition of our daily life. What we exhibit in the church meetings will be the way we live day by day. (LS Philippians, pp. 358-359)

International Memorial Day Blending Conference

The 2023 International Memorial Day Blending Conference will take place in Chicago this weekend. The general subject is “Knowing, Experiencing, and Enjoying Christ as Revealed in Philippians.” All the saints are warmly invited to participate in person or by webcast. Living Stream Ministry will stream the conference messages on a delayed schedule in every time zone; afterwards, the archived video will be available until May 29. There is also the option to view the live in-person meetings in real time, which begin Friday evening Central Time.

All information, schedules and outlines are now posted at conf.lsmwebcast.com. The delayed broadcast schedule is as follows:

Message 1: Saturday, May 27.......... 10:00 am
Message 2: Saturday, May 27.......... 7:30 pm
Message 3: Lord's Day, May 28........ 10:00 am
Message 4: Lord's Day, May 28........ 7:30 pm
Message 5: Monday, May 29............ 10:00 am
Message 6: Monday, May 29............ 7:30 pm

Please pray for the release of the Lord's up-to-date speaking to His recovery and for the blending of the entire recovery in that speaking. May all the churches and all the saints prepare for this upcoming time of ministry and sanctify these days for the hearing of faith among us. May this conference turn out to be a real memorial among us to the shame of God's enemy and to the glory of God's grace!

Germany

The 2023 Pfingstkonferenz (Pentecost Conference) will take place this weekend, May 27 to 29, in Bad Wildungen, Germany. This will be an opportunity for blending and for the saints in the German-speaking countries to receive the re-speaking of the messages from the Spring ITERO on “Knowing, Experiencing, and Living the All-Inclusive Christ for the Genuine Church Life.”

Please pray for a rich feast and the Lord's blessing in the fellowship and blending among all the saints attending. Pray that the saints would set the time aside and pay the price to come together in the Lord's name, in spirit, and in oneness to participate in the Lord's move through the conference.

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 all the practical needs of the saints.
  • The brothers who are fighting in the war will be preserved by the Lord in their tripartite being.
  • The local saints, serving ones, and trainees in Europe will be blended with the refugees.
  • The enemy will be bound in his attack on the Lord's interests in Russia, Ukraine, and Europe

Tajikistan

Pray for the practice of the God-ordained way; may the Lord give the saints grace, preserve the local environment, cause the saints to contact people wisely, and bring the sons of peace to the saints.

West Africa

The April 2023 newsletter of the Lord's Move to Africa has updates from three West African countries. In Côte d'Ivoire, pray for the Lord to gain more ground and add to the church in Abidjan, which is the largest city and financial center. The church life in Liberia continues to be recovered in recent years with the help of saints gained abroad returning with a burden to coordinate and propagate. In Benin, there is a growing burden for the young people and children's work.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: REPEAT Week 7 of CS 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
  2. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: No ministry meeting this Wednesday, May 24, due to preparations for the Memorial Day Conference. The ministry meeting will resume on May 31.
  3. July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. LA saints may still register for the video training ($130) until June 18 at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
  4. LSM Newsletter: The May issue of "Having This Ministry…" provides principles on using the hymns in the Lord's table meeting, as well as a brief history of the Taiwan Gospel Book Room. Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
  5. 500 Life-studies App: This app, on Apple and Google Play, is designed to help us get constituted with the truth by using the Life-study of the Bible for our spiritual nourishment and growth. Create custom schedules, read directly in the app or ministrybooks.org integration, and track your progress toward different milestones. For additional resources and information, please visit 500lifestudies.org.
  6. Bibles for America's latest post, “Author Spotlight: Who Is Watchman Nee?” is available to read and share at blog.biblesforamerica.org.
  7. 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.
  8. A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
  9. Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

 
 
 

by Ruiyu Wu

Week of May 14

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Praying for a Dispensational Instrument to Turn the Age

“And the seventh angel trumpeted; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 11:15)

“I beseech You, O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants, who take delight in fearing Your name…” (Neh. 1:11)

God’s desire is to end this age and bring in the age of the kingdom. In order for God to accomplish this, He must have His dispensational instrument. All of us should look to the Lord and pray that we will have dispensational value to God. We need to ask ourselves what we are doing to close this dispensation and to bring in the next age, the kingdom age. This is a special time, so there is the need of special believers to do a special work.

We live in the most privileged time in which we can do the most for God. God as light will show us the way, but the indwelling Christ as our strength and power will enable us to walk the road. A great price must be paid in order to be used now. (Crystallization-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, msg. 7, I, A, E)

Church in Los Angeles Joint Meeting

The whole church in Los Angeles—all halls, districts, and languages—will meet together at 10:00 am this Lord’s Day, May 21 at the LA Convention Center.

Please pray for a healthy attendance and blending, and for the timely speaking of the Lord to shepherd all the saints in the church to be brought on for the sake of His testimony in Los Angeles and for the building up of the reality of the Body of Christ, the preparation of the bride of Christ, and the manifestation of the kingdom of Christ.

Los Angeles Large Group Fellowship

This Thursday evening there will be a meeting at Hall 5 for all college students in LA. This will be our last large group fellowship for the current academic year. Please pray that:

  • Jesus would gather the students throughout the LA area together to this time.
  • All attending would touch the living Spirit.
  • The Lord would duplicate His heart more in our students through the speaking.

Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and the world’s largest seaport outside of Asia. The first Lord’s table meeting in Rotterdam will be held this weekend on May 21. The saints there are joyfully anticipating this precious time to celebrate this feast with all the saints. Hallelujah!

Please pray for the Lord to bless the church in Rotterdam. May more of His shining lampstands be established in many other cities in the Netherlands, Europe, and all over the earth for the building up of the Body and the preparation of the Bride for His return.

Central and Eastern European and Balkans Blending Conference

The next CEEB Blending Conference will take place May 19 to 21 in Bratislava, Slovakia. The conference messages on “Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord’s Coming” will be given in English with simultaneous Slovak/Czech interpretation. Countries represented include Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey.

Please pray for the Lord’s speaking and for the blending among the saints and churches both from these regions and beyond.

Malaga Meeting Hall

The church in Malaga was established in 1985 as one of the earliest localities of the Lord’s recovery in the Iberian Peninsula. After having been the faithful testimony in that city for 34 years, the church purchased a commercial space in 2019 for their meeting hall. In 2021, the church bought a large space on the same floor that was previously occupied by a fitness center. Recently, the last commercial block that can be purchased on the floor became available. Funds that were set aside for remodeling the gym will now be applied to obtaining this block. The sale must close by the end of September.

An estimated 500,000 euros is needed to complete the purchase and carry out the needed renovations. Please pray and give as the Lord leads. 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’.

Pakistan

Pray for the political and social situation to be stable and for the saints to be strengthened; may the Lord use the environment to cause people’s heart to turn to Him.

West Africa

The April 2023 newsletter of the Lord’s Move to Africa has updates from three West African countries. In Côte d’Ivoire, pray for the Lord to gain more ground and add to the church in Abidjan, which is the largest city and financial center. The church life in Liberia continues to be recovered in recent years with the help of saints gained abroad returning with a burden to coordinate and propagate. In Benin, there is a growing burden for the young people and children's work.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 7 of Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. Next week, after our LA Joint Meeting, repeat Week 7.
  2. Memorial Day Conference: The 2023 International Memorial Day Blending Conference will take place May 26 to 29 in Chicago. Living Stream Ministry will broadcast the conference messages at conf.lsmwebcast.com from Saturday, May 27 to Monday, May 29.
  3. July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. LA saints may still register for the video training ($130) until June 18 at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
  4. LSM Newsletter: The April issue of "Having This Ministry…" contains helpful fellowship on “What Makes a Good Hymn?” Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
  5. Free e-Booklets: Living Stream Ministry offers a series of free e-booklets to read and share at www.lsm.org/booklets, including “Life’s Sight—the Need of the Blind in Religion.”
  6. Bibles for America’s latest post entitled “What Is the Difference between the Soul and the Spirit?” is available to read and share at blog.biblesforamerica.org.
  7. 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.
  8. A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
  9. Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

 
 
 

by Ruiyu Wu

Week of May 7

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Purifying Ourselves to Be God’s Testimony

“And you shall be holy to Me, because I Jehovah am holy, and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.” (Lev. 20:26)

“Now therefore make confession to Jehovah the God of your fathers, and do His will, and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women.” (Ezra 10:11)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8)

After Jehovah recovered His people from Babylon and brought them back to Jerusalem, there was a need for them to be purified from all Babylonian mixture. Ezra not only strengthened and enriched the recovery; he also purified it. Anything we receive that is not holy is a mixture…The recovery is holy, but some of the things taken in are not so holy. Therefore, there is a mixture, and Ezras are needed to purify…We all must learn to give up the things of our background, regardless of how good they are. (CWWL, 1969, vol. 2, “The Recovery of God’s House and God’s City,” pp. 375-376)

To be pure in heart is to be single in purpose, to have the single goal of accomplishing God’s will for God’s glory. If we are pure in heart in seeking God, we shall see God. Seeing God is a reward to the pure in heart. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 1480)

Seeing God transforms us (2 Cor. 3:18), because in seeing God we receive His element into us. As we receive God, a new element comes into us, and the old element is discharged. This metabolic process is transformation. To see God is to be transformed into His glorious image to express and represent Him as His testimony. (Life-study of Job, pp. 157-158)

Our Sixth Graders

This past weekend, 107 sixth graders from Southern California went to Oak Glen for the Sixth Grade Conference. The main topic was “Where Are You?” with an emphasis on knowing your sinful condition before God, not hiding from God, and the salvation of God in the Church. Through the messages, singing, and group times each young person realized their need; all were convicted to pray to the Lord for their personal, definite and specific salvation.

From Los Angeles we had 5 girls and 1 boy attend; all six responded and want to be baptized. The saints can pray for these dear “new ones” to:

  • Declare publicly their salvation by being baptized in the coming weeks.
  • Have a healthy and normal entrance into the church life and the practices of a normal Christian.
  • Pray to the Lord just as they are and to develop a healthy habit of reading the Bible.
  • Find companions and home meetings, even this week, to enter into the fellowship of the Body.

NACT

Monday, May 15 is the final registration deadline for this summer’s North America College Training. We still have a good number of students considering their summer plans with such factors as internships, family vacations, etc. Pray that these students would have a clear sense of God’s will in relation to the NACT and have the abounding grace to say “Amen” to His will, paying the price to follow the Lord!

Malaga Meeting Hall

Malaga is one of the main cities in the Autonomous Community of Andalucía, Spain. The churches in Andalucía have over the years produced many young saints who went to FTTA, FTTMx and FTTL. The church in Malaga was established in 1985 as one of the earliest localities of the Lord’s recovery in the Iberian Peninsula. After having been the faithful testimony in that city for 34 years, the church was finally able to purchase a commercial unit in 2019 for their meeting hall.

In 2021, thanks to the grace received from the Body, the church bought a large space on the same floor that was previously occupied by a fitness center. The strategic vision was to step-by-step acquire all the commercial blocks of that floor for our exclusive use of that floor. The view is not only for local needs but for the many events held in the Iberian Peninsula. The brothers also feel that should the Lord lead, the Lord’s recovery would in the future propagate across the Strait of Gibraltar to Northern Africa. In that event, this property will indeed become very useful as a base.

Recently, the last commercial block that can be purchased on the floor became available. Funds that were set aside for remodeling the gym will now be applied to obtaining this block. The sale must close by the end of September. An estimated 500,000 euros is needed to complete the purchase and carry out the needed renovations. Please pray and give as the Lord leads.

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’.

Italy

This weekend, May 13 to 14, there will be an international conference in Milan. We thank the Lord for the prayers of so many saints and churches throughout the earth, and welcome all the saints to blend with us so that together, as one Body, we might testify of the victory of Christ. Please pray for the Lord to bless this gathering for His further move in Italy, Europe, and the whole earth.

India

At the end of December 2022, the churches in India held simultaneous national trainings for college students, young people, and children’s parents. This was the first time since the pandemic for the trainings to be held again, and the number of college students and young people was double that of previous years. Furthermore, young working saints were invited to serve in order for them to receive the burden of caring for the next generation.

We have seen that the Lord’s work among the young people is apparent and rapid. Not only has there been a breakthrough in number, but the training has also brought the burden of serving the next generation into the church. May the all-sufficient grace of the Lord strengthen all the young people and make them overcomers to turn the age and to be a strong testimony for the Lord in the churches throughout India in the days ahead.

For a detailed report with photos, see the April 2023 issue of the Lord’s Move to Asia newsletter:

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 6 of Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
  2. LA Joint Meeting: Lord’s Day morning, May 21, we will have a meeting of the whole church in Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center at 10:00 am.
  3. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The weekly ministry meeting on “The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul’s Epistles” continues this Wednesday starting 7:25 pm.
  4. Free e-Booklets: Living Stream Ministry offers a series of free e-booklets to read and share at www.lsm.org/booklets, including “Life’s Resurrecting—the Need of the Dead.”
  5. Bibles for America’s latest video entitled “How Do Sins Affect My Relationship with God?” is available to view and share at bfa.org/videos.
  6. Memorial Day Conference: Saints in LA who are considering attending in-person sessions May 26 to 29 in Chicago are asked to RSVP at tinyurl.com/memdayla.
  7. July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. LA saints may still register for the video training ($130) until June 18 at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
  8. LSM Newsletter: The April issue of "Having This Ministry…" contains helpful fellowship on “What Makes a Good Hymn?” Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
  9. Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

 
 
 

by Ruiyu Wu

Week of April 30

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The Need for Ezras – Those Skilled in the Word of God

"This Ezra…was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Jehovah the God of Israel had given…" (Ezra 7:6)

"All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction, in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

God's intention with Israel was to have on earth a divinely constituted people to be his testimony—a people reconstituted the word of God. After the return from captivity, the people of Israel were still unruly, for they had been born and raised in Babylon and had become Babylonian in the constitution. There was the need of teaching and reconstitution to bring the people of God into a culture that was according to God, a culture that expressed God. This kind of culture requires a great deal of education.

Ezra brought the people back to the Word of God so that they might be re-educated and reconstituted with heavenly truths in the divine word. Ezra reconstituted the people of Israel by educating them with the heavenly truths so that Israel could become God's testimony. In the Lord's recovery we need Ezras, priestly teachers who contact God, who are saturated with God, who are one with God, who are mingled with God, who are filled with God, and who are skillful in the Word of God. (Crystallization-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, msg. 5, II.A, B, C, E, II, III)

Sixth Grade Conference

The Spring 2023 Sixth Grade Conference is this weekend, May 5 to 7, at Oak Glen. The general subject is "Where Are You?" Please pray for the Lord to prepare the hearts of all of the sixth graders leading this week, to give each of them a definite experience of salvation, and to companionize them as they go on as young people in the church life.

Hall 1 – Olympic Meeting Place

Around 100 Korean-speaking saints meet regularly in two districts as Hall 1 of the Church in Los Angeles. Starting this month, an additional meeting place at 3400 W Olympic Blvd Suite 206, Los Angeles, CA 90019 will be used primarily by around 50 saints from District 2, but it is open to all the saints as a strategic location for the Lord's testimony to be strengthened in this city. The main room can accommodate gatherings of up to 80 people for Lord's Day meetings and will be used for prayer meetings, Bible studies, and small group fellowships. The first Lord's table meeting at the new Olympic meeting place will be held this Lord's Day, May 7 at 10:00 am.

Please pray that the Lord will pour out His blessing on this place and that all the saints will boldly preach the gospel of the kingdom and practice the God-ordained way for the building up of the Body of Christ in the Koreatown area.

Bibles for America

A new video titled "How Do Sins Affect My Relationship with God?" has been released. This video has been published on BfA's website and YouTube, as well as on their social media accounts. Please pray that this video would be widely spread and reach many believers struggling with how to deal with their sins after they are saved. Pray that they would see God's wonderful provision revealed in His Word to resolve the problem of our sins and would apply it in their daily lives.

Gospel to All the Nations

This weekend, May 6 to 7, there will be an in-person gospel conference with the Church in New York City in Brooklyn, NY. Over the past few years, there has been a burden shared by many in the Body of Christ to reach more African Americans in order to increase their participation in the riches in the Lord's up-to-date move. Although it may appear that this burden is a matter of race, it is in fact directly related to the ratio of African Americans participating in the reality of the one new man.

Our burden is to reach African Americans, others of African descent, as well as all men for the Lord's testimony. All saints are invited to attend, especially those of African descent. We encourage all the saints to contact, invite, and arrange for gospel friends, relatives, and colleagues to attend the conference.

Germany

This week the 29 saints from FTT Taipei end their four weeks of gospel service in Germany. On Wednesday they visit the Gut Elim blending center before returning home the following day. They will share their highlights on Wednesday 6:00 to 7:30 am PST; the Zoom link is shorturl.at/kzCRV.

Much of the gospel activity has been at universities where semesters begin mid-April. Thank the Lord for all the fruit from these weeks and pray for continued shepherding of all the new believers and Christians contacted. May these believers to be receptive to further contact and to join campus meetings.

Munich Meeting Hall

After much prayer and fellowship, the brothers in Munich and Germany have agreed to purchase a building for the church and the work. Centrally located in a prime residential neighborhood within 10 minutes of the two main universities, the building can serve as a meeting place with additional space for a comfortable student center for appointments, Bible studies and campus activities. The owner has offered the building to us for €2.5 million ($2.7 million), far below the estimated value. Our application with the city is still pending, but approval is expected and final purchase should take place within two or three months. Please stand with us in prayer for the support needed to complete this purchase for the Lord's interests in this key German city.

A presentation of the 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 'Munich Meeting Hall'.

Kenya

We thank the Lord that He opened a way for the printing of the seven Rhema books in Kenya. In 2022 we printed a total of 5,000 books. In addition, we received 1,000 NT Recovery Version Bibles and a pallet of used books from the churches overseas. Through distributing these books among the churches we have received a good number of contacts. We are now laboring on these contacts and our prayer is that these ones would be drawn to the Lord through this ministry!

For a detailed report with photos, see the March 2023 issue of the Lord's Move to Africa newsletter:

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 5 of Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
  2. SAVE THE DATE: Lord's Day morning, May 21, we will have a meeting of the whole church in Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center at 10:00 am.
  3. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The weekly ministry meeting on "The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul's Epistles" continues this Wednesday starting 7:25 pm.
  4. Memorial Day Conference: Saints in LA who are considering attending in-person sessions May 26 to 29 in Chicago are asked to RSVP at tinyurl.com/memdayla.
  5. July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. LA saints may still register for the video training ($130) until June 18 at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
  6. LSM Newsletter: The April issue of "Having This Ministry…" contains helpful fellowship on "What Makes a Good Hymn?" Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
  7. 500 Life-studies App: This app, on Apple and Google Play, is designed to help us get constituted with the truth by using the Life-study of the Bible for our spiritual nourishment and growth. Create custom schedules, read directly in the app or ministrybooks.org integration, and track your progress toward different milestones. For additional resources and information, please visit 500lifestudies.org.

by Ruiyu Wu

Week of April 23

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The Recovery of the Building of the House of God

"Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled-up houses, while this house lies waste? Now therefore thus says Jehovah of hosts, Consider your ways." (Hag. 1:4-5)

"Go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the house, and I will take pleasure in it and will be glorified, says Jehovah." (Hag. 1:8)

Haggai's speaking to Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest was to strengthen and encourage them and the people for the rebuilding of the temple as God's house.

The self-serving and God-neglecting returned captives were taking care of their houses but not Jehovah's house…Regarding the recovery of the building of God's house, we cannot be neutral; we must be absolute, either taking care of our houses first or taking care of the Lord's house first.

For the recovery of the building of God's house, God's elect were stirred up in their spirit and came and did work in the house of Jehovah. In our response to the Lord's charge, we all should be occupied by the Lord Jesus in the work of preaching the gospel, feeding the new believers, and taking care of others for the building up of the Lord's house, the church as the Body of Christ. (Crystallization-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, msg. 4, II, C, D, E, F)

Semiannual Training Live Registrations

This is the final week to register by Lord's Day, April 30 for the in-person July Semiannual Training, July 3 to 8, at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim ($205). Late registrations will not be accepted. For saints in LA, registration and payment instructions are at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla. Please contact your district's registration coordinator if you have any questions. Registrations for our local video trainings are due June 18.

We hope that many saints will seize the opportunity to participate in this training. As the Lord leads, may many be led of the Lord to budget their time and money so that they can attend the in-person meetings. As Paul commended Timothy, "You have closely followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, endurance" (2 Tim. 3:10). May we likewise closely follow the Lord's up-to-date speaking so that He may build His Body and prepare His bride.

High School Seniors

Graduation for high school seniors is right around the corner. Even sooner than that is National College Decision Day on May 1, the date when many college applicants across the country must choose which school they will attend in the fall. Let us pray:

  • For our high school seniors in all the churches, including Los Angeles, to experience the Lord in His shepherding care and leading as they make their decisions.
  • That the Lord in His sovereignty as the Leader and Savior would direct many prospective freshmen, transfers, and graduate students across the globe to campuses where they may be gained for Christ and the church.
  • That we may be led to many sons of peace as we reach out to the new incoming class of college students for Fall 2023.

West Coast Korean-speaking Conference

There will be a North America West Coast Korean-speaking Blending Conference this weekend. The two online sessions on "Knowing, Experiencing, and Living the All-inclusive Christ for the Genuine Church Life" are Saturday, April 29 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and Lord's Day, April 30 from 9:00 am to 12:15 pm. The Zoom link is tinyurl.com/2023westcoast.

Please pray for as many as possible Korean-speaking saints to attend and enter more into the reality of the Body through the blending in the up-to-date words of the ministry.

Munich Meeting Hall

Munich is the third-largest city in Germany with a population of 1.58 million people. With more than 200,000 university students, it is also rated as one of the world's best cities for university students. The church in Munich was established in 2018 and the church meetings have grown to more than 80 saints. The campus work has grown and flourished with nearly 50 new ones being regularly cared for and attending the weekly college meeting.

A large apartment previously rented by the church is no longer available. In late January, a very nice stand-alone building was identified. The property is centrally located in a prime residential neighborhood within 10 minutes of the two main universities. Munich has the most expensive housing market in Germany and stand-alone buildings are extremely rare to find, but the owner has offered the building to us for €2.5 million ($2.7 million), far below the estimated value.

After much prayer and fellowship, the brothers in Munich and Germany feel that this building is the Lord's provision for both the church and the work as a meeting place with additional space for a comfortable student center for appointments, Bible studies and campus activities. By faith, we have agreed to purchase the building. We have taken possession and are now starting to use the facility. Our application with the city is still pending, but approval is expected and final purchase should take place within two or three months. Please stand with us in prayer for the support needed to complete this purchase for the Lord's interests in this key German city.

A presentation of the 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 'Munich Meeting Hall'.

Poland

An International Blending Conference will take place in Warsaw this weekend, April 29 to May 1. Unlike last year, this conference will be held in-person only. The general subject is "Knowing, Experiencing, and Living the All-inclusive Christ for the Genuine Church Life."

A report on the current situation in Poland is at lme.org/reports.html. Please pray for:

  • The blending and building up of the Polish saints and the Ukrainian saints in Warsaw and Kraków.
  • The feeding and shepherding of the Ukrainian refugees gained through the gospel.
  • The 15 trainees in the Warsaw extension of the Full-time Training in Moscow.
  • The raising up of new lampstands in Wrocław, Łódź, and Poznań.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 4 of Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
  2. SAVE THE DATE: Lord's Day morning, May 21, we will have a meeting of the whole church in Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center at 10:00 am.
  3. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The weekly ministry meeting on "The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul's Epistles" continues this Wednesday starting 7:25 pm.
  4. Sixth Grade Preparation Meeting: This Saturday, April 29 there is a preparation meeting held online related to the Sixth Grade Conference at Oak Glen the following weekend, May 5 to 7. Please fellowship with the serving ones or go to scyp.com for more information.
  5. Memorial Day Conference: Saints in LA who are considering attending in-person sessions May 26 to 29 in Chicago are asked to RSVP by April 30 at tinyurl.com/memdayla.
  6. July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. Registration for LA saints is now open until April 30 (live) and June 18 (video) at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
  7. LSM Newsletter: The April issue of "Having This Ministry…" contains helpful fellowship on "What Makes a Good Hymn?" and a report on the Spanish Recovery Version distribution. Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
  8. 500 Life-studies App: This app, on Apple and Google Play, is designed to help us get constituted with the truth by using the Life-study of the Bible for our spiritual nourishment and growth. Create custom schedules, read directly in the app or ministrybooks.org integration, and track your progress toward different milestones. For additional resources and information, please visit 500lifestudies.org.

 
 
 

by Ruiyu Wu

Week of April 16

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Rebuilding the Altar of Burnt Offering

"They built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings upon it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God." (Ezra 3:2b)

"And He said to them all, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." (Luke 9:23)

"And He died for all that those who live may no longer live to themselves but to Him who died for them and has been raised." (2 Cor. 5:15)

The first thing to be recovered for the church life is the altar. We must put all that we have, all that we are, and all that we can do on the altar for God's satisfaction. This is the start of the church life. The altar of burnt offering typifies the cross of Christ. The cross is the center of God's operation in His economy. If we want to have a proper church life, we need to experience the cross. Through the cross we need to become nothing, to have nothing, and to be able to do nothing. Otherwise, what we are, what we have, and what we can do will become a substitute for Christ.

The burnt offering, which was wholly for God's satisfaction, typifies Christ as God's pleasure and satisfaction. The burnt offering typifies Christ not only in His living a life that is perfect and absolute for God but also in His being the life that enables God's people to have such a living. By laying our hands on Christ as the burnt offering, we are joined to Him. As Christ lives in us, He repeats in us the life He lived on the earth, the life of the burnt offering. (Crystallization-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, msg. 3, I.A.1, b, B, 1.a, 2.b-c, II.A.1-2, C.2-3)

College Conference Follow-up

Thank you, saints, for joining us in prayer for the recent SoCal Spring College Conference. From Los Angeles, 73 college students participated as well as a good number of serving ones, bringing our total to about 100 saints from LA. Praise the Lord! Each meeting had a high atmosphere during the singing that gave way for the Lord to speak strongly. After each message many students testified of what they saw concerning the greatest prophecy in the Bible, that Christ will build His church!

Please join us to pray for the follow-up:

  • May the Lord continue to reveal His desire for the church and put a restless caring in all the students to give all for the building.
  • Grant each one according to this vision to have daily growth and transformation in life as well as a willingness to be perfected in their function for the building's sake.
  • Inspire the students to have a living for the building—that is, a living that preaches the gospel, shepherds others, and practices to prophesy for the building up of the Body of Christ in love.

Southern California Junior High Sisters Conferences

The Spring Junior High Sisters Conference will take place April 21 to 23 at Oak Glen. The topic is "The Spirit." Please pray for our young sisters to be open vessels under the divine dispensing this weekend. Pray that they would be encouraged by and blended with others from Southern California.

Francophone Conference

A conference for French-speaking saints will be held this weekend, April 21 to 23, in Paris. The conference, consisting of five messages along with the Lord's table, will take place in person with an online option. Please pray that all the French-speaking saints and churches would enter into the up-to-date ministry of the age and touch the up-to-date burden for the Lord's advance. For more conference information, visit www.egliseaparis.fr/2023-conference-francophone.

UK Building Project

Construction is set to begin this December for a new training facility of the Full-time Training in London at Bower House with a capacity of holding at least 400 trainees as well as conferences for 1,000 saints. The total cost is estimated at approximately $6 million (dollars). To give through the Church in LA for the new training center, please follow instructions at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings. Designate offerings for "UK Building Project."

Ukraine

Please continue to pray that:

  • The Lord will keep all the saints in the involved countries open to Him for their experience of the divine dispensing in all the situations of their daily living.
  • The Lord will meet all the practical needs of the saints.
  • The brothers who are fighting in the war will be preserved by the Lord in their tripartite being.
  • The Lord will shepherd the refugees and establish them in the church life.

Turkey

Please pray for Rhema readers who are in the earthquake area and were contacted and helped by the saints. May the saints' time be separated for them to maintain their relationship with these readers, bringing them into the fellowship of the Body so that they can be saved and released from religion to pursue the One who is eternal life.

Tajikistan

Pray for the friends who heard the gospel. May the Lord work in them and make them wise unto salvation to become members of the Body of Christ.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 3 of Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
  2. GTCA: There will be a series of online fellowships on the topic of migration. The first session will be this Lord's Day, April 23, at 3:00 pm on Zoom.
  3. SAVE THE DATE: Lord's Day morning, May 21, we will have a meeting of the whole church in Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center at 10:00 am.
  4. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The weekly ministry meeting on "The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul's Epistles" continues this Wednesday starting 7:25 pm. Saints are invited to attend in-person at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim or online at www.lsmwebcast.com.
  5. Memorial Day Conference: Saints in LA who are considering attending in-person sessions May 26 to 29 in Chicago are asked to RSVP by April 30 at tinyurl.com/memdayla. Your response helps LSM in making preparations and you to receive any pertinent updates.
  6. July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. Registration for LA saints is now open until April 30 (live) and June 18 (video) at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
  7. West Coast Korean-speaking Blending Conference: Saturday, April 29 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and Lord's Day, April 30 from 9:00 am to 12:15 pm on Zoom only.
  8. 500 Life-studies App: This app, on Apple and Google Play, is designed to help us get constituted with the truth by using the Life-study of the Bible for our spiritual nourishment and growth. Create custom schedules, read directly in the app or ministrybooks.org integration, and track your progress toward different milestones. For additional resources and information, please visit 500lifestudies.org.
  9. Bibles for America's blogpost, "3 Wonderful Things That Happened in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ," is available to read and share at blog.biblesforamerica.org.
  10. LSM Newsletter: The March issue of "Having This Ministry…" contains enlightening fellowship on "Our Need to Study the Hymnal" and "The Recovery Version—Why Another Translation of the Bible." Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
  11. Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

 
 
 

by Ruiyu Wu

Week of April 9

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Praying for God's Will and for Our Spiritual Border to Be Enlarged

"Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth." (Matt. 6:10)

"And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, Oh that You would richly bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand would be with me, and that You would so keep me from evil that it would not grieve me! And God caused what he had requested to come to pass." (1 Chron. 4:10)

One main principle of God's work is the need for man's prayer. He wants man to cooperate with Him in prayer. As believers in Christ, we need to have prayers that express God's will and our desire to have our personal spiritual border to be enlarged.

In order to do something, God must first put His will within us through the Holy Spirit. He will only accomplish something after we have echoed it in our prayer. God operates through this procedure. He wants a will that is one with Him and that echoes Him. God wants man's will to be joined to Him. He does not want to act alone; He wants man to cooperate with Him. This is the responsibility of the church on earth.

If our prayer is only for the fulfillment of our plans and wishes, it will not have any value in the spiritual realm. Only prayers that are initiated by God and echo what He has initiated have any spiritual value; we must learn to pray this kind of prayer.

Jabez called on God to enlarge his border. The enlarging of the border of the good land in his prayer signifies the enlarging of the border of gaining Christ and the enjoyment of Christ, who is the reality of the good land. God caused what Jabez had requested to come to pass. I hope that all of us would have such a prayer, a prayer that God would enlarge the border of the enjoyment of the good land, that is, enlarge the border of our enjoyment of Christ. (CWWN, vol. 38, pp. 281-284; Crystallization-study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, msg. 2, VI, A.2, B; Life-study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, p. 18)

Southern California College Conference

This weekend, April 14 to 16, college students and current high school seniors from around Southern California will gather in Cerritos for the Spring College Conference. The topic is "The Greatest Prophecy in the Bible." Please join us in prayer for:

  • More than 90 college students and high school seniors from Los Angeles to attend at least one meeting.
  • An atmosphere filled with the exercise of the spirit and hearts that are wide open to receive the word of the Lord.
  • A vision of Christ and the church to be imparted to each student, one that would guide them and that they would never forget.

North America College Training

The second deadline to register for this summer's North America College Training is this Saturday, April 15. So far, nearly 2,300 saints have registered. Please continue to fight the battle in prayer with us for:

  • More than 3,000 to register by this next deadline; pray for the Lord to open doors even in seemingly impossible situations due to conflicts with internships, family plans, classes, etc.
  • Especially the newer and younger ones to see the preciousness of this training and be willing to joyfully pay the price to give this week to the Lord and seek first His kingdom.

Bibles for America

Last month, BfA incorporated USPS tracking information into the customer service emails that people receive after they order a Bible. Recipients are now alerted when their Bible is shipped, out for delivery, and delivered, allowing them to track the shipment progress and making for a better overall experience.

We are continuing to make technical improvements to the order tracking process that will be implemented in both English and Spanish. Please pray that these improvements would be developed in a timely way, and that every Bible would successfully get to its intended recipient. Pray also that as the Lord's Word continues to go out, it would accomplish what He delights in, and would prosper in the matter to which He has sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).

Poland

After the war between Russia and Ukraine started, between 4 and 5 million Ukrainian refugees moved to Poland. Because of such an overwhelming number of refugees, we decided to preach the gospel in Eastern Europe, mainly in Poland. In 2022 we had four gospel trips and three shepherding trips in Poland. A report on the current situation in Poland can be downloaded from https://lme.org/reports.html.

Please pray for:

  • The blending and building up of the Polish saints and the Ukrainian saints in Warsaw and Kraków.
  • The feeding and shepherding of the Ukrainian refugees gained through the gospel.
  • The 15 trainees in the Warsaw extension of the Full-time Training in Moscow.
  • The raising up of new lampstands in Wrocław, Łódź, and Poznań.

Pakistan

In November 2022, the annual National Conference in Pakistan was held for the first time since the pandemic. Approximately 240 saints from the churches in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, and Faisalabad (a newly-propagated city) attended the conference, along with some brothers and sisters from other Christian groups. The subject was "God's Grace in His Economy." In the Lord's table meeting, the brothers and sisters testified that we were one Body. Even saints from other Christian groups, including some pastors, attended the conference and appreciated the word of the ministry. After the conference, some gospel friends expressed their desire to continue to meet with us.

For a detailed report with photos, see the March 2023 issue of the Lord's Move to Asia newsletter:

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 2 of Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
  2. Memorial Day Conference: Saints in LA who are considering attending in-person sessions May 26 to 29 in Chicago are asked to RSVP by April 30 at https://tinyurl.com/memdayla. Your response helps LSM in making preparations and you to receive any pertinent updates.
  3. July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. Registration for LA saints is now open until April 30 (live) and June 18 (video) at https://tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
  4. West Coast Korean-speaking Blending Conference: Saturday, April 29 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and Lord's Day, April 30 from 9:00 am to 12:15 pm on Zoom only.
  5. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The general subject of this term's weekly ministry meeting is "The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul's Epistles." Saints are invited to attend in-person at 7:25 pm at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim or online at https://www.lsmwebcast.com.
  6. Free e-Booklets: Living Stream Ministry offers a series of free e-booklets to read and share at https://www.lsm.org/booklets, including "Life’s Sight—the Need of the Blind in Religion."
  7. Bibles for America's latest post is available to read and share at https://blog.biblesforamerica.org.
  8. Living to Him has a podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at https://livingtohim.com/the-living-to-him-podcast.
  9. A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at https://lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
  10. Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at https://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

 
 
 

by Ruiyu Wu

Week of April 2

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God's Move in Man's History to Carry Out His Economy

"Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love." (Eph. 1:4)

"The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. Thus declares Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him." (Zech. 12:1)

The intrinsic significance of the twelve historical books in the Old Testament (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings,1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther) is the revelation that God's move in man's history prepares the way for God to carry out His eternal economy by His becoming a man that man may become God in life and in nature (but not in the Godhead), for the producing and building up of the church as the organic Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem for His ultimate expression.

The way to fulfill God's move in man's history for the carrying out of His eternal economy is by exercising our spirit to experience and enjoy Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit. The heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and man was created by God with a spirit that he may contact God, receive God, live God, fulfill God's purpose for God, and be one with God.

With God's move, as the divine history, in man's history, there is the new creation—the new man with a new heart, a new spirit, a new life, a new nature, a new history, and a new consummation. We praise the Lord that we are in the divine history, experiencing and enjoying the mysterious, divine things for our organic salvation, so that we may make ourselves ready to become His overcoming bride to bring Him back. (CS 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, msg. 1, I, V, VI; LS Zechariah, pp. 67-68)

Southern California Junior High Brothers Conference

The Spring Junior High Brothers Conference will take place April 7 to 9 at Oak Glen. The general subject is "The Spirit." Please pray for our young brothers to be open vessels under the divine dispensing this weekend. Pray also that they would be encouraged by and blended with other young brothers from across Southern California.

European Brothers Training and Blending Conference

The Spring 2023 European Brothers Training will take place in London on April 5 to 7 to review the messages from the recent ITERO held in Anaheim. This training will be followed by the International Blending Conference in London for all the saints from April 8 to 9.

Please pray that the Lord's word released in these meetings will operate effectively in the responsible brothers and all the saints to bring forth the genuine church life and build up the Body in all of Europe.

Germany

Twenty-nine saints from FTTT (28 trainees, 1 TA) will be in Germany from April 4 to May 5. After gathering in Frankfurt for orientation, teams of saints will travel to various localities in Germany. Some teams will stay with one church for the entire month; others may visit another nearby city currently being shepherded by that church. Local saints will participate to the extent that they are available.

Every morning, the teams will spend time in the truth, then gospel preaching and shepherding of new believers. Their main locations will be universities, since these trips coincide with orientation week on the university campuses and the first week of lectures. The goal is not merely to distribute tracts and NTs, not merely to get people to receive the Lord, but also to have shepherding times and repeated appointments with new believers.

UK Building Project

The UK building project in London has moved its emphasis from Woodland Camp to the construction of a new training center for the Full-time Training in London at Bower House. Permission has already been obtained to construct a new facility capable of holding at least 400 full-time trainees as well as conferences for up to 1,000 saints. Initial preparations are being made to begin construction this December. The total cost for the training center is estimated to be approximately £5 million (pounds) or about $6 million (dollars). If funds are forthcoming construction can be completed within two years, which is when we expect to reach the capacity of the current facility.

To give through the Church in Los Angeles for the new training center, please follow instructions at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings. Designate offerings for "UK Building Project."

Madagascar

There are currently around 130 saints enjoying the church life in Antananarivo (commonly known as "Tana"), the capital of Madagascar. There are now regular meetings for the young people, appointments and Bible studies with university contacts, and visits by brothers to other cities for the shepherding, strengthening, and perfecting of the saints.

In 2021, land was purchased near the US Embassy; since then, additional connecting plots of land have been purchased. So far, construction of a small meeting hall, an office, and a brothers' house have been completed. We pray that the construction of a large meeting hall can begin in the near future.

For a detailed report with photos, see the March 2023 issue of the Lord's Move to Africa newsletter:

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 1 of Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
  2. Memorial Day Conference: Saints in LA who are considering attending in-person sessions May 26 to 29 in Chicago are asked to RSVP by April 30 at http://tinyurl.com/memdayla. Your response helps LSM in making preparations and you to receive any pertinent updates.
  3. July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. Registration for LA saints is now open until April 30 (live) and June 18 (video) at http://tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
  4. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The general subject of this term's weekly ministry meeting is "The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul's Epistles." Saints are invited to attend in-person at 7:25 pm at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim or online at http://www.lsmwebcast.com.
  5. LSM Newsletter: The March issue of "Having This Ministry…" contains enlightening fellowship on "Our Need to Study the Hymnal" and "The Recovery Version—Why Another Translation of the Bible." Go to http://newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
  6. Free e-Booklets: Living Stream Ministry offers a series of free e-booklets to read and share at http://www.lsm.org/booklets, including "Life’s Sight—the Need of the Blind in Religion."
  7. Bibles for America's latest post is available to read and share at http://blog.biblesforamerica.org.
  8. Living to Him has a podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at http://livingtohim.com/the-living-to-him-podcast.
  9. A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at http://lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
  10. Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

 
 
 

by Ruiyu Wu