Prayer, Week of November 3
Taking Time to Enjoy the All-inclusive Christ
"And you shall take possession of the land and dwell in it, for to you I have given the land to possess it." (Num. 33:53)
"As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, having been rooted and being built up in Him..." (Col. 2:6-7a)
"I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward." (Phil. 3:14)
God's intention is to bring all His people into the good land, which typifies Christ as the goal. In the Old Testament God's people journeyed and then arrived at the goal, but in the New Testament we, the believers, having been baptized into Christ, are already in the goal. The good land today is Christ as the all-inclusive Spirit, who dwells in our spirit to be our enjoyment. To walk according to this Spirit is the central and crucial point in the New Testament.
We must take time to enjoy the Lord as the all-inclusive land so that all the elements of Christ as the rich soil may be absorbed into us for us to be made full in Him in our experience. If we would absorb the riches of Christ as the soil, we need to have tender, new roots. We should not let ourselves get old but be fresh and renewed every day. We need to forget our situation, our condition, our failures, and our weaknesses and simply take time to absorb the Lord so that we may be built up in Him for the building up of His Body, His corporate expression. (Crystallization-Study of Numbers, msg. 19, I.B-C,C.6)
SoCal College Conference B
This year's fall college conferences in Southern California are split up into three sessions. Students from CSUN, along with other universities, will participate in the second conference from November 8 to 10 at Oak Glen. The general subject is "The Metaphors for the Christian Life." Please pray:
- For the safe and timely arrival of the participants and the preparation of their heart before arriving.
- That the Lord would appear to all those who will be attending, both in their personal fellowship with Him and in the messages, so that these metaphors can have a lasting impact on their Christian life.
- For every student to be refreshed by releasing their spirits and touching the Lord, especially during the singing times.
- That the atmosphere would be full of shepherding and that the practical services needs would be met.
SoCal Children's Work Conference
The next Children's Work Conference is Saturday, November 16 in Diamond Bar. These meetings are for parents with children under 12 years of age and for the saints who are serving with the children's service. During the two sessions, we will focus on the burden and vision for the children along with some practices for the families in the homes and for the churches in raising up the next generation. Pray that all who registered will be able to attend and that all will receive the vision and burden.
The schedule is from 9:00 am to 12:15 pm. No lunch provided. Bring your FM radio if you need translation. Donation is $20. Registration deadline is November 10 at http://www.scyp.com/registration.
Germany – Translators' Training
All day Saturday, November 9, there will be a translators' training for the German-speaking churches at the Frankfurt meeting hall. This is open to all who seek perfecting in translation involving German, English, Farsi, or Arabic to improve fellowship among these language groups and to strengthen the presentation of the ministry to all. About 70 saints are registered.
Poland
From October 20 to 27, around 1,000 copies of the NT Recovery Version were distributed for free at the International Book Fair in Krakow, where Bibles for Europe was an exhibitor. Furthermore, 120 recipients gave their email addresses and 11 young people called on the name of the Lord. Please pray that a genuine seeking will be stirred up in all the readers and that through continued contact a good number will be shepherded into the church life. May the Lord's Word to run and be glorified in Poland!
Central Europe
A blending conference was held from September 28 to 29 in Bratislava, Slovakia. Approximately 160 saints attended from 13 countries and 33 localities. Besides the saints from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, and Austria, there were saints from Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, and the UK. The main subject of the conference was "Living in The Reality of the Body of Christ by Keeping the Principles of the Body."
Please pray that the Lord will bring all of us into the practical living of the Body of Christ in keeping all the principles of the Body. Also pray that the Lord will bring all the churches in this region into more vitality, prophesying, and clustering for the practical expression of the Body in Europe and on the earth.
United Kingdom
Having been on Premier Christian Radio for 20 years, a new radio airtime was launched in October. In addition to the regular 8 pm broadcast, there is now a 5:30 am time slot. There is also a new initiative called "Saturdays at Bower House" to which radio listeners are invited. Please pray that this will be a great encouragement to all involved, and provide a way for those who enjoy this ministry to be brought into more fellowship and enjoyment of the Word together and to meet others from their area.
May the Lord bless this new slot, as well as the Saturday at Bower House with the saints and the new ones enjoying the ministry together.
Hong Kong
For the past several months, there has been considerable unrest and turmoil in Hong Kong. In such times, the church needs even the more to fulfill the ministry of prayer (Eph. 6:17-18). Please pray for the Lord's preserving so that the regular church meetings would not be affected.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 19 of Crystallization-Study of Numbers, vol. 4.
- SAVE THE DATE! CYP Service Policy Fellowship: On November 24, 3:00 to 4:30 pm there will be an important fellowship for all serving ones and parents of children and young people of all languages in LA to strengthen and upgrade our service. This will be at Hall 5 (522 S Sepulveda Blvd).
- Audio of the October 20 Joint LA Meeting is available in English at http://tinyurl.com/godlyfamily.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Houston, Texas from November 28 to December 1. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/memdayla. Childcare registration required. All information and links are at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- December Semiannual Training is December 23 to 28. Registration for webcasts in LA ($105) due by December 3. No late registrations. Registration for the live sessions in Anaheim is already closed. Saints in LA are invited to register and follow the payment directions at http://tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla.
- Spanish language radio broadcast: Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 9:30 pm. LA County 100.3 FM; San Fernando Valley and Ventura County 90.3 FM.
Prayer, Week of October 27
Regenerated to Become Christ's Increase, His Bride
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that everyone who believes into Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life." (John 3:14-16)
"He who has the bride is the bridegroom… He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:29a-30)
"For He gives the Spirit not by measure." (John 3:34b)
John 3 reveals that regeneration is not only to bring the divine life into the believers but also to make them the corporate bride for Christ's increase. As Adam was increased in Eve, so Christ is increased in His bride. By Christ being lifted up on the cross as the bronze serpent, Satan's increase has become Christ's increase, His bride. We who were once the increase of Satan have become the increase of Christ.
All regenerated persons are components of the bride, who will be married to the Lord Jesus as the Bridegroom. Regeneration means that our serpentine being is annulled and that we receive the divine life in order to become a new being so that we may be a part of the bride. By this we can see that regeneration is for producing the bride of Christ.
The intention of John 3 is to show that the unlimited Christ must have a universal increase and that He is in the process of gaining this increase today. The immeasurable Spirit produces a universal increase for the unlimited Christ.
Our natural life and living are not part of the increase of Christ. Only the regenerated part of our being, our regenerated spirit, is Christ's increase. In a real and practical way, Christ should be our life and our person. We live Him and are one spirit with Him. We abide in Him, and He abides in us. Therefore, He and we have one life and one living—this is the serpentine people becoming the bride of Christ. When we have this kind of living, then in reality we are serpentine beings in the process of transformation into the bride of Christ, the increase of Christ. The ultimate consummation of this bride will be the New Jerusalem as the tabernacle of God and the wife of the Lamb.
May the Lord have mercy on us that we may learn to live by our regenerated being! (Crystallization-study of Numbers, msg. 18, II.C-F, III.B.2-5)
Bibles for America
The number of Bibles that BfA ships from its distribution center in Southern California has been steadily growing, with an average of 800 to 1,000 Bibles mailed per week. Two weeks ago, the volunteers at the distribution center shipped an unprecedented 1,000 Bibles in just one day! This substantial increase in Bible orders is attributed to small changes that have been made to the wording on our Facebook ads, which have increased their visibility.
Please pray for the online ads to continue to be effective, so that more and more people could receive the food which abides unto eternal life. Pray also for the volunteers at the distribution center to be strengthened, energized, and filled with joy as they prepare Bibles to be sent to God's seekers.
Ministry Digest
Issue 2 of the Ministry Digest has been published. The two specific goals of this new publication are: (1) to help the saints enter into the riches of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, and (2) to provide ministry content for the churches in their corporate weekly pursuit. Subscribe directly at http://md.lsm.org. Pray that this publication will help us develop a taste and deepen the desire for reading the ministry in a consistent way.
Balkans Regional Conference
This year's Balkans Regional Conference will be November 1 to 3 in Zagreb, Croatia. Please pray that the Lord will gather the saints and the Rhema contacts throughout the Balkans for fellowship and blending and will abundantly bless the saints and the churches through this conference.
United Kingdom
Please pray that the Lord will rule sovereignly over the Brexit process. May the Lord rule over the situation for His interests and for the advancement of His move in Europe!
Europe
Amana Trust will host four one-week trainings at Bower House in London this fall, beginning October 28 and November 4, 11, and 18. The overall theme will be "The Four Great Pillars in the Lord's Recovery: Truth, Life, the Church, and the Gospel." These training sessions will help all to receive a vision of the Lord's recovery. These times are also appropriate for new contacts and seeking ones.
Attendees will also participate in FTT London classes and other activities as well as meetings with the church in London and surrounding churches. There will be fellowship regarding our daily life, practicing the vital groups, spreading the divine truths throughout Europe, being fruit-bearing branches in the vine, and developing our function for the building up of the church in our respective localities. There will also be a special outing related to the history of the Lord's move in Europe.
Poland
An international book fair took place last week in Krakow, October 24 to 27. Approximately 70,000 visitors were expected. Bibles for Europe was an exhibitor. The saints distributed free copies of the NT Recovery Version in Polish. Please pray for the Lord's Word to run and be glorified in Poland!
Hong Kong
Over the past several months, there has been considerable unrest and turmoil in Hong Kong. In such times, the church needs even the more to fulfill the ministry of prayer (Eph. 6:17-18). Please pray:
- For the Lord's peace to come upon all districts of Hong Kong and every person's heart.
- For those in authority to have the wisdom from God in seeking a solution.
- For the citizens to know the Lord and receive hope from God, especially that the young people would be protected and have a heart to seek God so that they would be open to the gospel.
- For the Lord to cause the saints in the church to be strong in spirit and to be in one accord to preach the gospel of the kingdom.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 18 of Crystallization-Study of Numbers, vol. 3.
- Audio of the October 20 Joint LA Meeting is available in English at http://tinyurl.com/godlyfamily.
- SAVE THE DATE! On November 24, 3:00 to 4:30pm at Hall 5, there will be an important fellowship for serving ones and parents of children and young people to strengthen and upgrade our service.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Houston, Texas from November 28 to December 1. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information, including hotels, is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- SoCal Children's Work Conference: Saturday, November 16, 9:00 am to 12:15 pm. No lunch provided. Bring your FM radio for translation. The location is the Church in Diamond Bar meeting hall. Donation is $20. Register by November 10 at http://www.scyp.com/registration.
- December Semiannual Training is December 23 to 28. Registration for webcasts in LA ($105) due by December 3. No late registrations. Registration for the live sessions in Anaheim is already closed. Saints in LA are invited to register and follow the payment directions at http://tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla.
- Receive prayer and announcements by email: sign up at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Prayer, Week of October 13
The Water for Impurity
"...Tell the children of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which is no blemish and upon which a yoke has never come." (Num. 19:2)
The heifer, the principal component of the water for impurity, signifies the redeeming Christ. The color red signifies the likeness of the flesh of sin, which is for the bearing of man's sin outwardly. The heifer being without defect signifies that although Christ was in the likeness of the flesh of sin, He did not have the sinful nature. That the heifer was without blemish indicates that Christ was perfect. The heifer having never been under a yoke signifies that Christ was never used by anyone, especially by or for God's enemy, Satan. (Footnote 1 on v. 2)
"And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and place them outside the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the assembly of the children of Israel as water for impurity; it is a sin offering." (Num. 19:9)
Ashes signify Christ reduced to nothing. These ashes were kept for the water for impurity; it was a purification of sin, or a sin offering.
The impurity in this chapter does not refer to sin but to death. Death issues from sin, and sin is the root of death. From the sin of rebellion, death became prevailing among the children of Israel. Thus, there was the need for the water for impurity. Only the working of Christ's redemption, through His dignified and humbled humanity, with His death and the Spirit of His resurrection, could heal and cleanse the situation from the uncleanness of death. (Footnotes 1 and 2 on v. 9)
Joint LA Meeting
The whole church in Los Angeles will meet together on Lord's Day, October 20 at 10:00 am at Hall 2 (8655 Haskell Ave). Brother Minoru Chen will be joining us for some special fellowship. After the meeting, we will stay to eat lunch together.
Please pray for a strong and healthy attendance of all the saints in Los Angeles. Pray for a rich time of blending among all the saints—across all the languages, ages, districts, and halls—for the Lord to gain His shining testimony and expression in Los Angeles. Also pray that there will be much blending through the exercise and release of the spirit in our gathering with the flow of life being prevailing to refresh and water all the saints.
Southern California Senior High Conferences
The Fall 2019 High School Conferences will be October 18 to 20. The sisters will be in Irvine and the brothers in Huntington Beach. Please pray that the high school young people would come to know the God who hides Himself (Isa. 45:15), and learn that in the midst of the challenges in their daily life, He is caring for them. Pray also that they would learn how to cultivate a hidden root life with the Lord. Lastly, pray they would be encouraged by and blended with other young people across Southern California.
National Campus and YP Serving Saints Fellowship
From October 15 to 17, about 150 brothers serving on college campuses and with young people across the United States will be gathered together in Charlotte, North Carolina for some important fellowship. We are seeking the Lord together for how to go on in the labor with the next generation in a more blended and coordinated way. Please pray that:
- The Lord would accomplish a solid blending work among all those gathered during this time.
- We would make significant advance in the way to care for young people And college students, including bearing much fruit in these age categories.
- We would have the wisdom in caring for all those serving with the next generation and have the clear direction under which we all can labor to release the lords blessing in an unprecedented way!
Germany – Frankfurt Book Fair
The annual Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest trade fair for books. Last year approximately 285,000 visitors attended, 70% from Germany. This year it is October 16 to 20. Bibles for Europe and Lebensstrom (LSM Germany) will co-sponsor a booth. They will have free Recovery Version NTs in multiple languages and German ministry books for sale. There will also be NT distributions outside the conference center.
"Pray concerning us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified." (2 Thes. 3:1) And pray for the present reality of Acts 13:49, "The word of the Lord was carried through the whole region" of Germany, Europe, and the earth.
From the church in Frankfurt: we have a burden to gain local German people for the church life. Therefore, we included a small card with each NT to allow people to contact us if they would like to have a Bible study. May the Lord provide some sons of peace to contact us for fellowship.
European Brothers Training and Blending Conference
The European Brothers Training will be October 15 to 17 in the Netherlands. This is a three-day digestion of ITERO with viewing of three messages plus small study groups each day. There will also be times of fellowship about the Lord's move in Europe. Following this training is the International Blending Conference for all saints in Europe, October 18 to 20.
Lord, bless both of these times with Your rich presence and clear speaking, and anoint much fellowship and blending among all who attend!
Southern Africa
October 18 to 20 in Pretoria, South Africa, is a Southern Africa Training for Elders and Responsible Ones. This will spread the messages from the October 3 to 5 ITERO to many in Southern Africa who could not go to India.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 17 of Crystallization-Study of Numbers, vol. 3. Next week, we will REPEAT Week 17 after the Joint LA Meeting.
- December Semiannual Training is December 23 to 28. Registration is open until October 27 for the live sessions in Anaheim ($205) and December 3 for webcasts in LA ($105). No late registrations. Saints in LA are invited to register at http://tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla and follow the payment directions.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Houston, Texas from November 28 to December 1. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information, including hotels, is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- Spanish language radio broadcast: Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 9:30 pm. LA County 100.3 FM; San Fernando Valley and Ventura County 90.3 FM.
Prayer, Week of September 22
Growth to Maturity is Needed and Attainable
"He Himself gave some…for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ, until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:11-13)
The intercession offered at the incense altar is for the growth and maturity of the believers so that an army can be formed. The more we pray at the incense altar, the more we will realize that the need for maturity is desperate, and the greater will be the urgency to pray for the growth in life unto maturity.
Only when such an army is formed will God be able to move on earth for His purpose. Crystallization-Study of Numbers, week 14, V.B-V.B.2
O Jesus Christ, grow Thou in me, And all things else recede. Make this poor self grow less and less, Be Thou my life and aim. Hymn 395, v. 1, 5
Los Angeles
The whole church in Los Angeles will meet together LD, October 20 at hall 2, starting at 10 am. Ask the Lord to o\pour out His grace and wisdom for all the preparations.
Raising up and Shepherding the Next Generation
"This charge I commit to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you might war the good warfare." (1 Tim. 1:18)
The Lord surely loves and cares for our children and young people, and His good intention for them is that they would become the next generation in His move. Throughout history He has depended on the faithful labor of His saints to raise up the next generation, mainly their own children, for the continuation of His divine economy on the earth.
The lessons learned by the first generation [among Israel in the wilderness] surely became part of the heritage passed on to the second generation....This speaking was part of the raising up, or the building up, of the second generation….God was able to prepare from the second generation more than six hundred thousand men with a rich inheritance and strong background who were qualified to be formed into an army to fight with Him and for Him. (WL, LS of Numbers, chap. 52, sec. 1)
Lord, release the entire spiritual heritage, both enjoyment and suffering, of our older generation for the shepherding and raising up of our next generation.
Germany & Switzerland – Conference for Young Adults
This conference will be September 27 to 29 at the Gut Elim Blending Center, the largest event to date at this location. About 200 young adults—students and working—will meet and stay overnight here. The general subject is "The Growth in Life, the Experience of Life, and Living a Normal Christian Life."
The main burden is to lead our young generation into the step-by-step process of having normal and proper dealings with the Lord to remove all obstacles and hindrances to our growth in the Lord's life and our being perfected as members of His Body. May this conference truly lead our young adults into higher, richer, and deeper experiences and bring them to a higher level!
Central Europe
From September 28 to 29, there will be a blending conference in Bratislava, Slovakia for saints in Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, and Serbia, as well as any others who wish to join. Please pray for the strengthening and spread of the Lord's testimony in this region. May the Lord bless this gathering for His further move in Central Europe and the whole earth.
United Kingdom
The UK's departure from the European Union (Brexit) is scheduled for October 31. Plans for this have caused considerable turmoil in the government and among the people. May the Lord sovereignly rule over the Brexit situation for His interests and for the advancement of His move in Europe.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 14 of Crystallization-Study of Numbers, vol. 3 (July Semiannual Training).
- SoCal Parents and YP Serving Ones' Fellowship: October 5 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm in Anaheim. Lunch not provided; $5 donation suggested. Register by September 29 at http://tinyurl.com/2019pypsof.
- Joint LA Meeting: The whole church in LA will meet together on Lord's Day, October 20, 10 am at LA Hall 2. Adults will meet in the main room. All junior high YP plus senior high YP and serving saints not at the HS conferences will have their own meeting.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Houston, Texas from November 28 to December 1. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information, including hotels, is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- Spanish language radio broadcast: Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 9:30 pm. LA County 100.3 FM; San Fernando Valley and Ventura County 90.3 FM.
Prayer, Week of September 15
Christ Becoming our Everything
"Grace and reality came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:17b)
"Put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality." "Where…Christ is all and in all." (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:11)
The central thought of Numbers is that Christ is the meaning of life, the testimony, the center of God's people, and the Leader, the way, and the goal of their journey and fighting. During the forty years in the wilderness, the two million Israelites were busy with one thing—the ark of God's testimony (Num. 7:89). The ark of the testimony was the center of the tabernacle, which was called the tabernacle of the testimony (1:50, 53). The ark with the tabernacle was the meaning of their life. WL, LS of Numbers, chap. 1, sec. 3.
Lord, bring us more to Yourself as our center, our testimony, our living, our goal, and our everything!
SoCal YP Conferences
Praise the Lord for the upcoming Young People's Conferences this fall, which will be held in different localities. We encourage all the parents, serving ones, and college students to pray for the openness of our young people to the Lord and His speaking. As we enter into this conference season, our prayer is that the young people would develop a heart that is according to God, by His making more of His home in their heart through faith (Eph. 3:17) and that, as David did, they learn to serve their generation by their counsel of God (Acts 13:36).
The dates, locations, and sign up deadlines for the conferences are:
- JH Sisters, October 11 to 13, Fullerton. Deadline to register: September 29
- JH Brothers, October 11 to 13, Diamond Bar. Deadline to register: September 29
- HS Sisters, October 18 to 20, Irvine. Deadline to register: October 6.
- HS Brothers, October 18 to 20, Huntington Beach. Deadline to register: October 6.
Middle America
At the end of the July semiannual training, there was a special announcement concerning a growing burden to gain more people in Middle America, which includes the Heartland, the Bible Belt, the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Mountain States. From 2020 to 2021, the focus will be on ten cities:
- Richmond, Virginia
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Memphis, Tennessee
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Orlando, Florida
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Lexington, Kentucky
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The call is for 300 saints to migrate, including 30 full-timers. Some of these cities already have churches, but need a campus team; others need strengthening. There will be a pre-migration training.
Please pray strongly over the next six months for the Lord's will and the Lord's way to be made known regarding this burden. Pray that by the December Semiannual Training, there will be more clarity concerning the direction. Pray for the Lord to move in and through the members of His Body.
The Church in Bielefeld, Germany
The first Lord's table meeting of the church in Bielefeld will be September 22. Pray for the beginning of a strong testimony of the Lord's move in this city. Pray also for the saints to be in one accord for His propagation and for the furtherance of the campus work at Bielefeld University.
We are so thankful for your prayers over the past year. Praise the Lord for the coordination and fellowship in the Body. Praise the Lord that He is gaining another golden lampstand in Germany!
Paris, France
We praise the Lord for His shepherding of the saints in Europe through the two yearly Chinese-speaking conferences in London and Paris. The autumn conference will take place September 20 to 22 in Paris. We hope that many saints from Europe, especially Chinese-speaking saints, can join this feast!
The Lord is moving quickly in Europe, and He needs the reality of the one new man. The Chinese-speaking conference is not only for the benefit of the Chinese-speaking saints but more so for the building up of His entire Body. Translation in English and French will be available during the conference so that all the saints can enjoy the fresh speaking of the Lord to His Body.
India
Please continue to pray for all the preparation for the upcoming ITERO in Bangalore (October 3 to 5), that the Lord can head up all the arrangements for the release of His speaking.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 13 of Crystallization-Study of Numbers, vol. 3 (July Semiannual Training).
- SoCal Parents and YP Serving Ones' Fellowship: Saturday, October 5 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm in Anaheim. Lunch not provided; $5 donation suggested. Register by September 29 at http://tinyurl.com/2019pypsof.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Houston, Texas from November 28 to December 1. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information, including hotels, is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- Receive prayer and announcements by email: sign up at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Prayer, Week of September 8
Pursue to Gain Christ, Be Found in Him, Know Him, Live Him
"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 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is out of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith, to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death." (Phil. 3:8-10)
To gain Christ is to experience, enjoy, and take possession of all His unsearchable riches by paying a price. Deep within Paul was the aspiration to have his whole being immersed in and saturated with Christ so that all who observed him might find him fully in Christ; we also should have the earnest desire to be found in Christ. We need to know Christ by experiencing Him, enjoying Him, being one with Him, and having Him live within us; in this way we know Him by both revelation and experience. The Experience of Christ, msg. 6, II.A.3, I.A, II.A.4.
Lord give us this same earnest desire so that we pursue gaining You, being found in You, experiencing and enjoying You, and living one with You.
YP Blending Meeting
There will be a Southern California young people's blending meeting in Arcadia this Saturday, September 14, 7 to 9 pm. Lord, gain this generation for Your move to bring You back!
Santa Clarita
In the church in Santa Clarita we have saints of all ages and a good number of families. We are burdened to strengthen the families in this city as the basic unit of God's salvation. We realize the enemy's strategy is to destroy them. It is with this burden that the church in Santa Clarita will go to Oak Glen the weekend of September 13 to 15. We will get into the book "Raising up the Next Generation."
Please pray that the hearts of all will be comforted and cherished and that the Lord will freshly enliven the saints and burden them for their family members. There are a total of 53 going, including 6 children and 20 young people and college age saints.
Parents and YP Serving Ones' Fellowship
The next special fellowship for Southern California parents and young people's serving ones will take place Saturday, October 5 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm at the church in Anaheim district 3 meeting hall (2528 W La Palma Ave, Anaheim, CA 92801). Lunch will not be provided. A $5 donation is suggested upon arrival to cover the cost of materials and snack. Translation into Spanish, Korean, and Chinese will be provided. Please register before Lord's Day, September 29 at http://tinyurl.com/2019pypsof.
May the Lord bless this time of fellowship!
FTTA-MA
The fall term of the Middle-age Training in Anaheim began last week. The goal of the training is to foster living, functioning, overcoming members of the Body of Christ for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose. Lord, thank you for the splendor of these saints' consecration. Release them from every restraint, and grace them inwardly to give themselves to begin or to continue to be trained by You!
Phoenix, Arizona
Please pray for the Lord's move in Phoenix, especially with the new campus team at the beginning of the college year at Arizona State University. Ask the Lord to bless the tabling events this second week of classes and to blend and coordinate all who are involved in caring for college students.
Germany
Invitations for a seminar at our blending center in Germany, Gut Elim, from September 13 to 15 have been emailed to over 600 readers touched by the sowing carried out by Rhema in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Please pray for:
- The new ones to respond to the reminder emails and phone calls the saints will be making.
- The binding of anything that distracts the readers from coming.
- The release of a rich word full of the anointing in the seminar.
- A spirit of wisdom and revelation and the enlightening of the eyes of the new ones' hearts.
- The connecting of the new ones to the local saints for their shepherding in the Triune God.
- The sweet coordination of the saints to produce remaining fruit from this seminar.
Azerbaijan
A couple from Germany begins their second year of serving here. Two couples and two brothers arrived from Asia in recent weeks to serve. May these six keep their vision and burden fresh daily, giving themselves to the Lord in every decision they have to make; may they keep the one accord; and may the German couple's care for them be full of grace and reality.
Announcements
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Morning Revival: Week 6 of The Experience of Christ (Memorial Day Conference).
Next week we will use Crystallization-Study of Numbers, vol. 3, week 13. - The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Houston, Texas from November 28 to December 1. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information, including hotels, is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- Reports on the Lord's Move in Germany, a new web site in English: http://germanyreports.info.
- Spanish language radio broadcast: Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 9:30 pm. LA County 100.3 FM; San Fernando Valley and Ventura County 90.3 FM.
Prayer, Week of September 1
Captured by the Excellency of Knowing Christ
"Have no confidence in the flesh." (Phil. 3:3b)
"Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom. 8:8)
"But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ." (Phil. 3:8)
We should have no confidence in the flesh, including the honorable, lovable, and superior aspects of our natural being, gained from our birth, upbringing, culture, attainments, etc.
We need to have a vision of the preciousness of Christ and to receive revelation concerning the excellency of the knowledge of the all-inclusive, unlimited Christ. After Christ was revealed to [Paul], he began to have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. He was captured by the excellency of knowing Christ, and for the sake of this knowledge, he was willing to drop all things and count them to be loss.
Lord, Grant Repentance to Many
"Upon the earth anguish of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the billows, men fainting from fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." (Luke 21:25b-26)
News in recent weeks includes large fires on multiple continents, a strong hurricane, missile firings, floods, and other "roarings". Lord, use these events to turn people to Yourself!
Los Angeles Campuses
This is the second week of classes for the semester schools. Please pray for the students to have a solid beginning in reading the Bible.
Life-Study Live
Life-Study of the Bible is the radio program with 30 minute broadcasts of the ministry of Witness Lee (http://www.lsmradio.com, http://www.lsmradio.com/espanol). On Saturday, September 14, there will be a Spanish-language "Life-Study Live" at LA hall 2. A light dinner will be followed by a message by brothers who serve with the radio ministry. Announcements of this event on the radio began mid August.
Please pray for many radio listeners to attend, to be supplied with life, and to seek more fellowship.
BfA in Northern and Central California
On September 4, Bibles for America will embark on a Bible distribution tour in Northern and Central California. The cities on the tour will include Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and Berkeley/Albany, as well as others in the East Bay Area and Central California. Please pray for:
- all the distribution venues in the participating cities;
- the Lord to go before us and reach many seeking people with His interpreted Word in every place we visit.
The Gospel to All the Nations
This weekend, September 6 to 8, there will be a conference in Houston with a burden for the gospel to all the nations (Matt. 24:14) with a view of reaching African Americans, as well as others of African origin, for the Lord's testimony. All the brothers and sisters are invited to come.
Reaching African Americans has been a burden for several years, and it has led to much prayer and fellowship among the churches. Because this is a move of the Body, all the saints are needed to pray and participate, regardless of ethnicity. Although it may seem that this is a matter of race, in fact, it is a matter of the ratio of African Americans currently meeting in the churches in North America (less than 1%) compared to the general population of African Americans in the US (approximately 13%). We pray that the Lord would reap some families from these communities throughout the US and Canada.
More information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Germany
Rhema distributes free books in three sets. In the recent years 300 people per year in German-speaking regions have gotten to the point of requesting set 3. All set 3 requesters are invited to a Rhema Readers' Seminar September 14-15. The recipients are spread all over Germany, plus some in Austria and Switzerland. The seminar will be held at our Gut Elim blending center in the center of Germany.
Please pray that many seekers will respond to the invitation and come to the seminar. Pray also that they may receive an enrichment in the truth during this time and be brought into fellowship with us.
United Kingdom
Last week the UK prime minister made a major change in their course toward Brexit, which caused commotion in top levels of government and broader. May the Lord sovereignly rule over this confusion and contention for His interests in the UK and for the advancement of His move in all of Europe.
Announcements
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Morning Revival: Week 5 of The Experience of Christ (Memorial Day Conference).
After week 6 we will use Crystallization-Study of Numbers, vol. 3, week 13. - The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Houston, Texas from November 28 to December 1. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information, including hotels, is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- Reports on the Lord's Move in Germany, a new web site in English: http://germanyreports.info.
Prayer, Week of August 25
Loving the Lord and Denying Self to Learn & Apply the Secret
"I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack. I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me." (Phil. 4:12-13)
"Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him." (John 14:23)
We need to learn and practice the secret of being in Christ as the empowering One. Christ lives in us. We love Him! Hence we must deny our flesh and our natural man, and not treasure anything of our natural man. All our good points, attributes, and virtues need to be counted as loss so that we only boast in Christ Jesus.
Los Angeles Campuses
CSUN and USC, as well Santa Monica College and College of the Canyons (in Santa Clarita), among others, begin classes on Monday, August 26. Please beseech the Lord that:
- The students would shine as luminaries to their classmates right away in the first few weeks on their campuses.
- He would use our tabling and outreach events to connect us with specific, key incoming students who could be gained for the Lord's purpose.
- All of the saints coordinating for the campuses would be built together in love and labor together in harmony.
Amharic-speaking Conference
From August 31 to September 1 there will be an Amharic-speaking conference and gospel meeting in Anaheim. Saints from LA and Las Vegas will blend with saints in Anaheim for this weekend. The burden is to see the Israelites' journey as a type of the believers' experience—from being delivered from the power of Pharaoh (Satan) and the bondage of slavery in Egypt (the world) to wandering in the wilderness (religion) and finally entering into the good land (Christ), which includes seeing the vision of the church and entering into the church life. There is also the burden to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to meet not only man's need, but also God's need. (Amharic is the official language of Ethiopia.)
Please pray for the Lord to continue to advance among the Amharic-speaking community. May He continue to bear them on eagles' wings and bring them to Himself (Exo. 19:4).
Germany
The church in Berlin has signed the contract for a property that will meet the needs of the church and support the Lord's testimony in this city of 3.8 million people. We believe this property is the result of the fighting prayer in the whole Body. Thank you for your prayers!
This 6500 square-foot house is surrounded by a pleasant garden on a 1.5-acre lot with convenient access to public transit. As is, we can move in and use the house for our new meeting space; with a minor renovation, the house can seat 200 people. There are also many rooms for multiple uses.
The purchase price is US$5.6 million; there is still a shortage of US$2.46 million. The closing date is November 15. We pray that the Lord will grace many in this financial fellowship. If you are led by the Lord to give, please send your contributions designated 'Berlin Meeting Hall' to the church in LA or at http://www.lordsmove.org (click on Offerings for various ways to give).
The complete letter from Berlin with photos is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Romania
From August 30 to September 1 there will be a conference in Buzias, Romania. Please pray for a rich feast and the Lord's blessing in the fellowship and blending among all the saints and churches attending.
Azerbaijan
Among the fifteen nations in the former Soviet Union, only Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan have no churches in fellowship with the recovery.
One couple from Germany has been in Azerbaijan almost one year, and the Lord's Move to Asia is sending six trained saints to labor. Two arrived recently and four will come in a few weeks. An apartment for them was rented last week. Pray that all the details of their being established here will be worked out.
We have a green light to follow the Lord here, taking care that we do not incur persecution or expulsion by being too active or open with the gospel. Lord, open a suitable door for the gospel here.
India
Please continue to pray for all the preparation for the upcoming October ITERO in Bangalore, that the Lord can head up all the arrangements for the release of His speaking.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 4 of The Experience of Christ (Memorial Day Conference).
- Reports on the Lord's Move in Germany, a new web site in English: http://germanyreports.info.
- A one-page Report on the 2019 European YP Conference is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Houston, Texas from November 28 to December 1. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information, including hotels, is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- The Wednesday Ministry Meetings for the 2019 Fall FTTA term will begin on September 4, at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim.
Prayer, Week of August 18
Experiencing Christ as Our Constant Salvation
"So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much rather in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and reasonings." (Phil. 2:12-14)
The Christ who is our pattern in 2:5-8 is living within us. He needs our cooperation, our obedience, in 2:12. By means of our cooperation, we experience Christ as our daily salvation from selfish ambition, rivalry, vainglory, murmurings, reasonings, and complaints. We are also saved from outward formality with its emptiness. And we are saved into the joy of salvation, magnifying Christ, and experiencing Him as everything in every situation.
Lord, grant us more cooperation every day with You as our living pattern.
Southern California Special Training on the Eldership
The second term of the special training on the eldership for SoCal elders and responsible brothers begins this Saturday, August 24. Through monthly corporate gatherings, weekly group fellowships, and weekly personal study, the burden is to strengthen the present eldership and responsible brothers in the churches, to perfect and raise up the next generation of elders and responsible brothers, and to gradually bring more younger brothers into a functioning role in an organic way.
All the saints are encouraged to pray that:
- The Lord will strengthen all the participants and become their perseverance and faithfulness to continually present themselves absolutely to this training.
- An unprecedented one accord among the churches in Southern California will be ushered in as all the participants are attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion.
- The Lord will continue to bless this training so that all participants will be perfected further for the Lord's testimony in Southern California and for the building up of the church, the Body of Christ.
All-LA College Student Internship
Please pray for our blending/gospel trip to Phoenix, Arizona from August 19 to 23. There will be 6 students (1 from USC, 1 from FIDM, 2 from CSUN, 1 from UCI, and 1 from Torrance) and 4 full-timers (3 LA, 1 Irvine) going on the trip, which will include outreach at Arizona State University (ASU). Our trip coincides with the restarting of the ASU campus team this semester. We feel that this trip will benefit everyone involved. Please support us by praying for:
- blending among the students, full-timers, and community saints involved in this trip;
- the best outreach at ASU;
- joy, supply, and safety of all the students (it will be hot!).
Pursue 2019 Follow-up
We thank you all for your prayers for Pursue 2019. This camp for our young people included group outings, community service, and discussions on healthy human and spiritual pursuits. On the last evening, over 50 attendees came up to the microphone to overflow their rich enjoyment from the week.
This is just the beginning! Now, we ask for your continued and persistent prayer as many young people begin their new school year this week. Pray that the Lord would gain each young person in Los Angeles as His top pursuers this year! Specifically, please pray that our young people would:
- pursue faith by experiencing the Lord in their daily situations;
- pursue love by spending time with the Lord and sharing His love with their friends; and
- pursue "with those" in three categories: those older than them, those the same age as them, and those younger than them.
Hall 5 Weekend at Oak Glen
This weekend, August 24 to 25, over 100 saints and children from Hall 5 will spend the weekend at Oak Glen for blending and mutual shepherding. Please pray that this retreat would help to bring everyone into the burden of raising up the next generation through shepherding, equipping, and functioning.
Although this time mainly involves the saints in Hall 5, the desire in our hearts is that the benefit and spiritual supply would reach saints in every part of LA and in the surrounding areas. We ask that all the saints in LA join us in praying that the Lord would encourage, supply, and renew the vision of every saint in all the halls in LA.
Bibles for America
On August 5, BfA began offering free copies of The All-inclusive Christ. This has been announced on social media and by email to BfA Blog subscribers. So far, there have been over one thousand orders.
Please pray that our marketing would continue to be effective, motivating many people to place an order. Pray that those who order this book would get into and digest it, and that what they read would deepen and enrich their experience of the indwelling Christ.
FTT Anaheim
The fall term began last week. Lord, constitute Yourself into each trainee, in their classes and studying, in corporate living, in gospel teams, in service, and in blending with the churches!
FTT London
The FTTL semester begins this week with 30 new first term trainees from the UK and Europe. Pray for a strong beginning to this semester and for the impact of this training on the Lord's move in Europe.
Germany – Blending Center
Gut Elim is a blending center in the middle of Germany. The property consists of multiple acres with ten old buildings. It is going through a time of extensive renovation and is gradually coming into use. This spring, gatherings were limited to a few dozen saints, but at the end of September the German-speaking young adults' conference will take place there with a registration limit of 200 people.
Please pray for the Lord's rich supply to those who are overseeing this property and to those who are involved in renovation. Pray also for all necessary work to be completed in time for the young adults' conference.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 3 of The Experience of Christ (Memorial Day Conference).
- Reports on the Lord's Move in Germany, a new web site in English: http://germanyreports.info.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Houston, Texas from November 28 to December 1. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information, including hotels, is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- The Wednesday Ministry Meetings for the 2019 Fall FTTA term will begin on September 4, at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim.
Prayer, Week of August 11
Our Willingness to Experience Christ as Our Pattern
"Doing nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by way of vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one another more excellent than yourselves; not regarding each his own virtues, but each the virtues of others also. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who…emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross." (Phil. 2:3-7)
We need to take Christ's mind as our mind, opening ourselves to "let this mind" be in us. We need to live Christ in His human living, especially in His emptying Himself and humbling Himself and in His not grasping equality with God as a treasure. (The Experience of Christ, msg. 2, I.A, III.C) Our willingness to "let this mind" (v. 5), our obedience (v. 12), is our cooperation with God's operation in us (v. 13).
Lord, gain our cooperation to take Your human lowliness as our living pattern every day!
Pursue 2019
This past Saturday, August 10, Pursue 2019 got off to a positive start with over 140 registered to participate throughout the week. We desperately need the prayer of the whole church to carry this important camp through the week. Please pray:
- for the Lord to supply and grace all of the serving ones who are planning, coordinating, and shepherding our young people;
- for the young people to have the Lord's appearing and personal visitation, strengthening them to be His top pursuers this year! (Philippians 3:14)
All-LA College Student Internship
We thank you for all your prayers for the college students throughout LA. We had a wonderful time these past two weeks sowing among the freshmen at UCLA and CSUN. We believe the Lord has really used this time to help our students enter into fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel! May the Lord continue to uplift each one's experience and enjoyment of Christ for the church life and the Body life.
Please continue to pray for:
- the follow up with the many names received at CSUN during these last 2 weeks;
- the preparation for the start of classes on August 26 at USC and CSUN;
- the fresh supply to the UCLA saints who continue to meet new freshmen in upcoming orientations;
- the continued fellowship with the newly-met UCLA students (mostly freshmen) who are taking classes this summer and with whom we have regular contact;
- the Lord to continue to release more male students who are hungry for Him on all our campuses.
Germany – Meeting Hall in Berlin
Berlin has a population of 3.8 million and is one of the strategic cities in Europe. The serving brothers in Berlin located a property that meets the need of the church and supports the Lord's testimony. We believe this property is the result of the fighting prayer in the whole Body. Thank you for your prayers.
This 6500 square-foot house is surrounded by a pleasant garden on a 1.5-acre lot with convenient access to public transit. As is, we can move in and use the house for our new meeting space; with a minor renovation, the house can seat 200 people. There are also many rooms for multiple uses.
The purchase price is US$5.6 million. The purchase contract was signed on July 10 with a first payment of US$900,000. The closing date is November 15. The church in Berlin has pledged US$2.64 million. The churches in Taiwan pledged US$0.5 million. Thus we have a shortage of US$2.46 million.
We believe this city is key to the Lord's interests, and we are looking forward to your visitation and blending in the near future. We pray that the Lord will grace many in this financial fellowship. If you are led by the Lord to give, please send your contributions designated 'Berlin Meeting Hall' to the church in Los Angeles or at http://www.lordsmove.org (click on Offerings for various ways to give).
The complete letter from Berlin with photos is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.
Germany – Hamburg
There will be a blending meeting Lord's Day, August 18 in Hamburg for the saints in the north of Germany. Please pray that the Lord will use this time to strengthen the saints there and to further prepare for the raising up of a lampstand in Hamburg.
Brother Caleb Franco, who met with LA during his four years at UCLA, moved with his family from Düsseldorf to Hamburg at the beginning of this month.
India
The June/July newsletter of the churches in India is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Vietnam and Pakistan
Reports about the Lord's move in these two nations are here:
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/E-2019-07.pdf (English)
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Asia-2019-07.pdf (Chinese)
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 2 of The Experience of Christ (Memorial Day Conference).
- The Wednesday Ministry Meetings for the 2019 Fall FTTA term will begin on Wednesday, September 4, at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim.