Prayer, Week of April 11
Gaining God to Be Transformed by God for the Purpose of God
“Whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image...” (2 Cor. 3:16-18)
God’s purpose in dealing with His holy people is that they would be emptied of everything and receive only God as their gain; the desire of God’s heart is that they would gain Him in full as life, as the life supply, and as everything to their being.
In God’s appearing to him, Job saw God in order to gain God to be transformed by God for the purpose of God. Seeing God issues in the transformation of our being into God’s image. Hence, the more we look at Him as the consummated Spirit in our spirit, the more we receive all His ingredients into our being as the divine element to discharge our old element so that our whole being becomes new. We can remain in the daily process of transformation by turning our heart to the Lord so that we can behold and reflect Him with an unveiled face. (CS Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Key Statement 3; msg. 6, II.B, 1-2)
ITERO
The International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones will take place by webcast this weekend, April 16 to 18, with brothers participating from around the globe. The general subject is “Vital Factors for the Recovery of the Church Life.”
Please pray for the rich and timely supply of Christ to be ministered to all the brothers that they may grow in life and be equipped further in their function and service. May the Lord gain and perfect all the brothers as able ministers of the New Testament, effective building material for the universal building up of the Body of Christ, and good stewards and serving ones in their respective local churches.
Los Angeles
Over the past year, the pandemic has undoubtedly brought in many complexities. It has impacted our practice of the church life, especially in its many outward arrangements. As the environment and government allow, and according to the Lord’s leading, we will likely see more in-person meetings in different halls and districts. But, because the timing may not be the same for every saint, Zoom meetings will just as likely remain with us for a while.
All our meetings in LA should be rich with Christ! All our gatherings, whether on Zoom or in-person, need the functioning in the measure of every saint. Therefore, in whichever way we gather, may we prioritize a certain simplicity—of being strengthened into our mingled spirit, the true place of worship according to John 4:24. As we continue to experiment with outward arrangements, let us pray for the Lord’s covering and blessing, and for all the saints to receive grace to care inwardly for Christ as life.
California High School Seniors
Thank you for your prayers for the high school seniors and for the California College Connect Event this past weekend! We had a very good turnout, heard some relevant sharing from college students, and established connections with YP and college students that will be helpful in the future. Because an unprecedented number of seniors applied to UC schools this year, many of our own YP did not get into the schools to which they were expecting to go. Please pray for the Lord to shepherd them, comfort them, and lead them in their college decision for the sake of His purpose!
Junior High Conference Follow-up
Thank you for your prayers for last weekend’s junior high conference. There was a sweet time of blending with other localities from all over California during the group activities. From Los Angeles, 23 young people attended. They came to appreciate the Spirit of God brooding over the death situation to generate life, and that they have a human spirit to contact, receive, and contain God.
Please pray that our young people would build up the practice and habit of exercising their spirit by calling on the name of the Lord and pray-reading the Word, and being filled with the Spirit by speaking, singing, psalming, giving thanks to God, and subjecting themselves to one another (Eph. 5:19-21).
Videos of the conference messages, including a special burden on April 11 for parents and serving ones, may be viewed at http://www.scyp.com/juniorhigh.
Myanmar
There is an urgent financial need for saints in Myanmar. A total of 57 saints, comprising 11 families, took the ground of the church in their village and have been meeting for over two years. This has caused them to be persecuted by other Christian groups; as a result, they have all been ordered to leave by April 15, otherwise their houses will be burned down. These saints will thus migrate to another village about 100 km away, where there is a church and also some land to accommodate them. Offerings made to Myanmar for this need will be used for the purchase of this land, the building of houses, and assistance during this transition process. Please pray for the saints’ safety and transition.
For those who wish to offer financial assistance, for fastest processing, please follow the instructions for wire transfer or Zelle at http://nztc.ac.nz/myanmar; a short video fellowship is also at the site. Alternatively, offerings marked for ‘Myanmar’ under the ‘Other’ designation in Subsplash may also be made to the church in Los Angeles.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 6 of Crystallization-study of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes.
- Words of Fellowship to the Church in LA: A new video entitled Seasons of Refreshing is posted at http://youtube.com/churchinlosangeles and in our church app, with translated versions in Chinese, Korean and Spanish. We hope the saints will be encouraged to contact the Lord for a new beginning.
- 6th Grade Parents & Serving Ones: On May 1 from 10:00 to 11:30 am, there is an important time of fellowship via Zoom. It will cover practical matters on how to help the newly saved 6th graders begin to have a healthy Christian life and church life. Translation into Chinese, Korean and Spanish will be provided. Register by April 24 at http://www.scyp.com/6thgrade.
- Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Prayer, Week of March 28
The Center of the Universe
"And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (Gen. 2:9)
"Blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city." (Rev. 22:14)
The tree of life is the center of the universe. According to the purpose of God, the earth is the center of the universe, the garden of Eden is the center of the earth, and the tree of life is the center of the garden of Eden. Hence, the universe is centered on the tree of life. Nothing is more central and crucial to both God and man than the tree of life. The tree of life in the garden was an indicator that God desires to be our life in the form of food. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 429)
We need a vision of the tree of life. The tree of life signifies the Triune God in Christ to dispense Himself into His chosen people as life in the form of food. (CS Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, msg. 4, III.A)
California High School Conference
Thank you for your prayers! Of the 53 saints from Los Angeles who attended last weekend's California-wide high school conference, 38 were our young people. There was a good atmosphere of blending among the SoCal and NorCal saints. The young people were encouraged that an overcomer is a normal believer who overcomes by fighting the good fight, running the race, keeping the faith, and loving the Lord's appearing. Recorded meetings from the conference are available to watch here. Please pray for our young people to continue pressing on both personally and with their companions.
Gospel to All the Nations
The next Gospel to All the Nations session will be held by Zoom this Saturday, April 3 at 1:00 pm with fellowship continuing from the Gospel of John. The fellowship will be on "The Sufficiency of the Son's Life-giving." No registration needed; simply click on the link to join at http://gospeltoallthenations.com. Past sessions are also available for viewing at this site.
All the people of every nation are invited to join! Those of African origin are particularly encouraged to join and to invite friends, relatives, and colleagues. Come and see how the life of Christ meets the need of every person and enjoy the pure ministry of the Word as the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 24:14).
United Kingdom
The annual London International Blending Conference will be online from April 2 to 4. Please pray for the saints' timely registration and for the Lord's speaking to each participant – that each one would be prepared to receive it. Pray also for all the logistical aspects of this conference, including technology and translation, to bind any frustration of the enemy.
May this blending of many localities and countries release much spiritual nourishment and revelation, and impart a vision of God's eternal purpose concerning Christ and the church for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Myanmar
Please pray for the saints and the Lord's testimony to be preserved and protected during the present political turbulence.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 4 of Crystallization-study of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes.
- Words of Fellowship to the Church in LA: A new video entitled That We May Gain Christ is available to watch now on YouTube and in our church app, with translated versions in Chinese, Korean and Spanish. We hope the saints will be encouraged by this short fellowship to focus on what should be our primary goal in these days of change and uncertainty.
- LSM Audiobooks are available for select titles on platforms such as Audible and Amazon. Visit http://www.lsm.org/audiobooks.html.
- Life-study of the Bible with Witness Lee: This 30-minute program focuses on the enjoyment of the divine life as revealed in the Scriptures. Ministry portions are followed by a discussion, including helpful questions and answers. The entire archive is available for free at http://www.lsmradio.com. In particular, saints may be interested in Job (15 episodes) and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (10 episodes).
- Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Prayer, Week of March 21
Being Constituted with God According to His Economy
"For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:19)
"For our momentary lightness of affliction works out for us, more and more surpassingly, an eternal weight of glory." (2 Cor. 4:17)
God's intention was to tear down the natural Job in his perfection and uprightness that He might build up a renewed Job in God's nature and attributes in order to make Job a man of God, constituted with God according to His economy; such a man (like Paul) would never be entangled by any troubles and problems so that he would curse his birth and prefer to die rather than to live.
Neither Job nor his friends knew the purpose of God's dealing with him, as the apostle Paul did in declaring to the New Testament believers that the affliction the believers are suffering works out for them an eternal weight of glory, which is the God of glory to be their glorious portion for them to gain and enjoy unto eternity. (CS Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, msg. 3, I.B, E)
Let us pray for all the saints to see and pray according to God's desire for them to be reconstituted with Himself, and even to see that their suffering is working out for them an eternal weight of glory.
California High School Conference
The first-ever California-wide high school conference will be this weekend, March 26 to 28. The topic is "A Pattern of an Overcomer" and will cover Paul's words in 2 Timothy 4:7-8: "I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing."
Please pray for the Lord to prepare the hearts of each young person and gain the response He desires.
Sixth Grade Students
Over the past few months there has been a weekly meeting for our sixth graders on Lord's Day evenings. There are six sixth graders in Halls 1 and 4 combined, one in Hall 5, and three in Hall 2: Jacob, Isaac, Karsten, Isaac, Tyler, David, Zoe, Allison, Felicity, and Betsabe. Please pray:
- that the Lord would be so real and so fresh to all these dear ones;
- that He would appear to each one of them so that they will fall in love with Him;
- that they would confess their sins and touch the Lord with their spirit;
- that they would each experience a special and unforgettable salvation; and
- that they would have a strong baptism and a good beginning of their Christian life.
Bibles for America
BfA recently implemented some upgrades at their distribution center to improve the Bible shipping process, including installing a new label printer and automatic dispenser that further increase efficiency. They have also added a new barcode to their labels that saves 5 cents on postage per Bible.
Please continue to pray for the wrapping, labeling, packing, and shipping of the thousands of Bibles that are sent out each week. Pray that each Bible would reach its recipient in a timely way without any hindrances. Please also pray particularly for the staff and volunteers who faithfully labor to make sure every Bible order is fulfilled.
European University Conference
"Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." (Col. 2:13)
The spring conference for European university students will take place online March 25 to 28. The topic is "The Kingdom of the Son of His Love." Please pray for the Lord to gather all the students and young adults in Europe and the Middle East and bring them fully into the kingdom of the Father's beloved Son. May the Lord impart a heavenly vision that will capture, preserve, and direct them to live in God's economy.
Through the messages, workshops and personal shepherding, may this generation learn to live the kingdom life by taking root downward and bearing fruit upward, and love the Lord's appearing and follow the Lamb to preach the gospel of the kingdom for the Lord's testimony to end this age.
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic is a French-speaking country with a population of 5 million people. For many years, the country has been plagued by civil war. Due to the political unrest, the meetings of the church in Bangui, the capital city, were stopped, and the saints were scattered and lost contact with one another. Praise the Lord that after more than four years, 6 saints from three families have been reconnected in the country and in the fellowship of the Body.
Please pray that the Lord will shepherd these dear saints and open a way to supply them with ministry resources. Pray also that the Lord will gather the rest of the scattered saints and recover the church life for a testimony in the Central African Republic.
To read more, please see the February 2021 newsletter supplement of the Lord's Move to Africa.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 3 of Crystallization-study of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes.
- Spring Junior High Conference: Registration for the Junior High Conference (April 9 to 11) is due this Lord's Day, March 28.
- Words of Fellowship to the Church in LA: A video entitled Love Prevails is available to watch now on YouTube and in our church app, with translated versions in Chinese, Korean and Spanish. We hope the saints will be encouraged and supplied by these short and practical fellowships.
- LSM Audiobooks are available for select titles on platforms such as Audible and Amazon. Visit http://www.lsm.org/audiobooks.html.
- Life-study of the Bible with Witness Lee: This 30-minute program focuses on the enjoyment of the divine life as revealed in the Scriptures. Ministry portions are followed by a discussion, including helpful questions and answers. The entire archive is available for free at http://www.lsmradio.com. In particular, saints may be interested in Job (15 episodes) and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (10 episodes).
- Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Prayer, Week of February 28
Living in the Divine History for the One New Man
"…You were slain and have purchased for God by Your blood men out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." (Rev. 5:9)
"Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." (Rev. 19:7)
Now we need to ask ourselves this question: Are we living in the divine history, or are we living merely in the human history? If our living is in the world, we are living in the human history. But if we are living in the church, we are living in the divine history. In the church life God's history is our history. Now two parties—God and we—have one history, the divine history. (LS Joel, p. 36)
We praise the Lord that we are in the divine history, experiencing and enjoying the mysterious, divine things for our organic salvation and for His spreading through the preaching of the gospel of peace to the whole inhabited earth so that we may become the one new man in reality to be His overcoming bride. (The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man, msg. 6, III.B.2)
Living in the Mingled Spirit
"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." (1 Cor. 6:17)
We need to see that the reality of all spiritual things is in the spirit. The church itself is in the spirit, the building of the church is in the spirit, and the eternal testimony of the church is in the spirit. This is the hinge, the secret, and the key to our Christian life and our church life. (CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 1, "Living in the Spirit," ch. 2, p. 476)
Pray that the saints would learn and practice to live constantly in the mingled spirit as the secret of God's organic salvation and the key to the entire Christian life and church life! (Beseeching.org, Day 253)
Southern California Special Training on the Eldership
A new term of the special training on the eldership for elders and responsible brothers in Southern California began on February 20 with a plenary session on Zoom. Through regular corporate gatherings, group times, and 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. Please pray:
- That the Lord will abundantly grace and strengthen all the participants and become their perseverance and faithfulness to continually present themselves absolutely to this training.
- That 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.
- That the Lord will bless this ongoing 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.
Spring California College Conference
This past weekend our college students enjoyed messages from the California College Conference on the "Five Keys to a Godly Living Today." More than 1,100 were registered, including 775 students. From LA, we had at least 80 college students and 11 high school seniors. Nearly half of these college students did not grow up in the church life. Many of them were truly moved by the Lord's anointed speaking, including a very touching testimony and Q&R time in the last session.
The prayers of the saints ushered in the Lord's blessing during this time. Now we are seeking that the students would apply what they heard during this weekend. Please pray that the students would:
- Spend time in God's word daily to buy truth;
- Exercise their spirit and deal with their heart under the Lord's shining, letting Him into more parts of their heart;
- Be supplied and encouraged by the Lord to overcome and have a godly living in the present age.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the second largest country by area in Africa (after Algeria). With close to 90 million people, it is the fourth most populous country in Africa (after Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt) and the most populous French-speaking country in the world.
Despite political instability and many public health challenges in the country, the church life is going on well, with nearly 700 saints in 12 localities. The saints have now returned to holding the Lord's Table in all localities as they had before the pandemic. In some places, they gather daily, enjoying the Life-studies and morning revival books. They have received some ministry books from abroad, but unfortunately these were in English. Please pray for more provision of ministry materials in French.
To read more, please see the February 2021 newsletter supplement of the Lord's Move to Africa.
Lord's Move to Asia
The January 2021 newsletter of the Lord's Move to Asia contains reports on newly established churches in Sri Lanka and a recent national conference in Pakistan. Details and photos are at:
- http://lmasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/E-2021-01.pdf (English)
- http://lmasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Asia-2021-01-1.pdf (Chinese)
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 6 of The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man. Next week, we begin Crystallization-study of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.
- The Spring High School Conference will be California-wide via Zoom, March 26 to 28. Deadline for registration ($15) is March 14.
- Words of Fellowship to the Church in LA: A new video, Seizing Every Favorable Opportunity, is available to watch. Translated videos are in Chinese, Korean and Spanish. We hope the saints will be encouraged and supplied by these short and practical fellowships in the midst of these days.
- Life-study of the Bible with Witness Lee: Broadcast since 1996, this 30-minute radio program focuses on the enjoyment of the divine life as revealed in the Scriptures. Ministry portions are followed by a discussion, including helpful questions and answers. The entire archive is available for free at http://www.lsmradio.com. In particular, saints may be interested in Job (15 episodes) and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (10 episodes).
- Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Prayer, Week of February 21
Learning Christ as the Reality Is in Jesus
"But you did not so learn Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him as the reality is in Jesus." (Eph. 4:20-21)
The reality in Jesus is the real situation of the life of Jesus as recorded in the four Gospels, a life filled with truth, reality…. Jesus lived in a way that always corresponded to God's righteousness and holiness.
In Ephesians 4:24 Paul says that the new man is created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality. This reality no doubt is the very reality in Jesus. Our standard of living should not be according to the law or according to the standards of society; it must be according to the truth in Jesus, the reality lived out by Jesus when He was on earth. Hence, the life of Jesus should be our life today in the church. In other words, the living of the new man should be exactly the same as the living of Jesus. The way Jesus lived on earth is the way the new man should live today….
If we all live in a way that is heavenly, divine, righteous, holy, and glorious, we shall have a wonderful community life in the church. This is the corporate life of the new man. (LS Ephesians, p. 781)
Spring California College Conference
The Spring California College Conference takes place this weekend, February 26 to 28. The general subject is "Five Keys to a Godly Living Today." Meetings times will be Friday 8 pm, Saturday 5 pm and 8 pm, and Lord's Day 8 pm. More info at http://www.college-conference.com. Please pray that:
- More students would be released to attend the conference;
- The students' hearts and small group arrangements would be blessed by the Lord; and
- The Lord would infuse His speaking into the students so that they would take a stand to live a godly life in the midst of an ungodly age.
Bibles for America
BfA has recently seen an increase in the number of requests from saints who want to participate in spreading the good news of the gospel and the free Bible offer. Many have registered for an account at http://materials.bfa.org to order gospel tracts and offer cards.
Please pray for the sounding out of the word of the Lord throughout the US. Pray also that many more people who desperately need the gospel of peace and God's Word would be contacted and helped to know God and understand the Bible.
Poland
Please pray for those in Poland who have read the third set of the Rhema books. Two weeks ago we sent an invitation for a seminar on Saturday, February 27 to about 2000 of these readers from the past 4 years. Around 40 saints are involved with the practical preparation of this event and the shepherding of the readers during the group time. Lord Jesus, encourage the readers to reply to this invitation and cause them to seek for more spiritual food!
Cameroun
Cameroun is situated in the western part of Central Africa. The church life is going on in four localities, including the capital city of Yaoundé, in addition to gatherings in three other places. There are encouraging reports of the Lord's testimony spreading through the speaking of the saints and the literature distribution of the ministry. We thank the Lord for His rich supply through the ministry and we look to the Lord for guidance regarding the further distribution of the ministry to His seeking ones.
To read more, please see the February 2021 newsletter supplement of the Lord's Move to Africa.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 5 of The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man. On March 8, we begin Crystallization-study of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.
- Words of Fellowship to the Church in LA: The second video in our new series, Singing to the Lord in Our Daily Life, is available to watch. Translated videos are in Chinese, Korean and Spanish. We hope the saints will be encouraged and supplied by these fellowships in the midst of these days.
- Life-study of the Bible with Witness Lee: Broadcast in North America and Europe since 1996, this 30-minute radio program composed of excerpts from Brother Lee's spoken ministry focuses on the enjoyment of the divine life as revealed in the Scriptures. The ministry portions are followed by a discussion of the portion presented, including helpful questions and answers. The entire archive is available for free at http://www.lsmradio.com. In particular, saints may be interested Job (15 episodes) and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (10 episodes).
- Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Prayer, Week of February 7
Being Renewed to Become as New as the New Jerusalem
"Therefore we do not lose heart; but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day." (2 Cor. 4:16)
"We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:4)
We need to be those who are being renewed day by day with the fresh supply of the resurrection life to replace our culture and to become the one new man in reality by becoming as new as the New Jerusalem. In order to be renewed day by day, we need to be revived every morning. We are renewed day by day through four items: the cross; the Holy Spirit by which we are reconditioned, remade, and remodeled with the divine life; our mingled spirit; and the holy word of God. (The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man, msg. 4, IV, E-F)
Pray that all of the saints would open to the Lord so that He can renew them to be as new as He is, and become the New Jerusalem.
Freshly Attracted for a Fresh Pursuit
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine. Your anointing oils have a pleasant fragrance; your name is like ointment poured forth; therefore the virgins love you. Draw me; we will run after you." (S.S. 1:2-4a)
"Your eyes will see the King in His beauty." (Isa. 33:17a)
Pray that the saints would be freshly attracted by Christ's love, charmed by His name, and captivated by His person in order to have a fresh pursuit of Him. (Beseeching.org, Day 213)
International Chinese-speaking Conference
The 2021 ICSC will be held online this weekend, February 13 to 14. The general subject is "The Intrinsic and Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ." All saints are encouraged to join all five sessions. No registration needed. In LA, we will have separate Zoom arrangements for English, Chinese, Korean and Spanish. Details about the way to join will be provided in hall announcements.
The meeting schedule for English-speaking saints is Saturday 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 7:30 pm; and Lord's Day 11:00 am, 4:00 pm.
Please pray for the blending of all the saints and the building up of the Body through the Lord's up-to-date speaking to His recovery!
Bibles for America
As mentioned during the webinar on January 31, the BfA Blog is a wonderful resource for shepherding people. Over the past year we have seen a tremendous increase in traffic to the BfA Blog over the past year—specifically, a 147% increase in pageviews year over year (1.9 million pageviews in 2019 to 4.7 million in 2020).
Please pray that the saints would use the blog posts as a resource to shepherd others and help them progress in their Christian experience. Pray also that this would be a useful tool to introduce people to the ministry of the age.
European Winter School of Truth Continuation
Every year there is a Winter School of Truth during the last week of December for young people in Europe. This year there is a continuation which began last Saturday and goes through April 3. The subject is "The Bible, the Word of God." Each Saturday has a large online meeting followed by local online groups. March 6 is a gospel meeting for all of Europe. More information is at https://truthschool.eu/new-schedule-for-2021. Ask the Lord to gain many in this young generation for His move in Europe!
Lord's Move to Africa
The February 2021 online newsletter continues to present the Lord's move in West Africa (Togo and Benin) and introduces the Lord's move in North Africa (Egypt). The church in Cairo, Egypt is currently the only lampstand in the predominantly Arabic-speaking region with about 30 saints enjoying the church life. We need to pray for the spread of the Lord's testimony in the seven countries of North Africa!
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 4 of The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man. Next week, starting February 15, we will REPEAT Week 4.
- Words of Fellowship to the Church in LA: The first video in our new series, Rekindling Our Love for the Lord, is now also available in Chinese (subtitles only), Korean and Spanish. We hope the saints will be encouraged and supplied by these words of fellowship in the midst of these days.
- Spring California College Conference: Registration is now open for the second all-California online college conference, February 26 to 28. More details at college-conference.com.
- Living to Him has a new podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at http://anchor.fm/livingtohim.
- Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Prayer, Week of January 24
Living Christ Habitually
"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." (1 Cor. 6:17)
"For to me, to live is Christ." (Phil. 1:21a)
The main point of our Christian life is to live Christ. To live Christ should be our primary goal; all the troubles in our Christian life come because of our not living Christ. We need to practice to live Christ, realizing that He is the life-giving Spirit in our spirit, until we live Christ habitually….
In order to live Christ, we must practice being one spirit with Him, and in order to practice being one spirit with Him, we must exercise our spirit to pray unceasingly. If we pray unceasingly from our spirit, "Lord, live in me; Lord, live through me," we will build up a habit of not living our self but Christ; then we will live Christ habitually. The habit of living Christ is the habit of prayer. Apart from unceasingly praying, we cannot live Christ. It is only by such continual prayer, such breathing prayer, that we can live Christ spontaneously. In order to have such a prayer life, we must watch and pray, praying at every time in spirit, watching unto prayer in all petition, and persevering in prayer. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3485-3486)
LA Campuses
This semester we will be continuing our monthly, online Southern California College meetings on the last Thursday of each month. Our series title is "Vanity, Eternity, and Reality" and our first meeting will be this Thursday, January 28 at 8pm. Pray that the Lord would grant us a strong beginning and would:
- Aggressively gather the students to join and even pray for this time;
- Spiritually refresh, mutually encourage, and blend the students through their testimonies to one another; and
- Minister the word that would strengthen them in their pursuit of Christ.
Baltic-Nordic Blending Conference
This weekend, from January 29 to 31, the Baltic-Nordic Blending Conference will take place online, hosted by the churches in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). The Nordic countries include Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. As in previous years, the plan is to digest five selected messages from the December Semiannual Training. Speaking will be in English and Russian.
Pray for the Lord's rich blessing and for the blending of the participating saints for the building up of the Body of Christ. May the Lord continue to move in these regions and advance in a prevailing way.
Rome, Italy
Please pray for the migration of burdened saints to Rome, one of six designated European cities. Concerning this city, Brother Lee once said, "If there could be a church in Rome with a hundred fifty people who are shining, filled with Christ, and immersed in Christ, the Lord would be able to boast to Satan" (The Kernel of the Bible, p. 192). Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire, where the apostle Paul was martyred and where the enclave of Vatican City is located, the destruction of which is prophesied in the book of Revelation (Rev. 17:16-18). The church in Rome currently has 25 saints. Italian is the last of the major Western European languages that does not yet have the NT Recovery Version. Pray that the Lord will make the necessary arrangements for its translation in the near future.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 2 of The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man (Thanksgiving Conference).
- Bibles for America will host a Zoom webinar on January 31 at 2:00 pm entitled "Using the Bibles for America Blog as a Resource to Shepherd People." To attend or get the recording afterward, please register here. There will be a Q&A session, so joining live is encouraged.
- The International Chinese-speaking Conference (ICSC) will be held online on February 13 to 14. More details will be provided soon.
- LSM Audiobooks are now available in English for a handful of titles on platforms such as Amazon and Audible. Visit http://www.lsm.org/audiobooks.html.
- Living to Him has a new podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at http://anchor.fm/livingtohim.
- Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Prayer, Week of January 10
Sowing with Blessings
"Now He who bountifully supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and cause the fruits of your righteousness to increase. You in everything are being enriched unto all liberality, which works out through us thanksgiving to God." (2 Cor. 9:10-11)
When we sow with blessings to others, we shall reap with blessings from God. Furthermore, the harvest will always far surpass the amount of seed sown. It may be multiplied thirty or even one hundred times. This does not happen miraculously; it takes place according to natural law. God controls the life supply among His children by miracles.
We should sow more and in turn reap more. The goal is not to make ourselves rich. The result is the abounding of thanksgiving to God. I hope that in the time to come many of the saints will become a factor of thanksgiving to God. This means that your giving will abound in much thanksgiving to God. I have the full confidence that if the saints in the Lord's recovery are willing to give, the recovery will never be lacking in material supply. Instead of lack, there will be abounding in thanksgiving to the Lord through many saints. Therefore, let us all practice our giving, a giving which is carried out by gathering and by sowing. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 422, 425-426)
United States
We beseech the Lord as "Head over all things to the church" (Eph. 1:22) to have His way in the United States for the furtherance of His economy and so "that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity" (1 Tim. 2:2).
SoCal Spanish-speaking Conference
This annual Southern California Spanish-speaking Conference will be held online from Friday evening, January 15 to Lord's Day noon, January 17. All messages will be given in Spanish and are open to all the saints. Please note that there will be no English translation this year. Schedule, Zoom links, and outlines will be available starting Wednesday at http://www.socalspanish.org.
May the Lord bless this special time with His presence and His up-to-date speaking!
SoCal YP Blending Conference
The Southern California Young People's Blending Conference will be online from January 15 to 17. May every junior higher and high schooler's heart be open to the Lord. We encourage all the parents, serving ones and college students, to pray that our young people's faith toward God, love toward others, and hope in the Lord's coming would increase day by day.
FTTA-MA
The Middle-age Training in Anaheim did not have classes in 2020 due to the pandemic. In December they announced that they will not have a spring term in 2021. They hope the general availability of the vaccine will allow a fall term in 2021. Please pray that the Lord will restore the environment to normalcy so that the Middle-age Training can be back in session in the fall of next year.
Bibles for America
The BfA Blog has been redesigned with a new look and a more efficient way to find topics of interest. Searching for posts by category or keyword is now quick and seamless. Blog posts are also now easier to share with the addition of text, email, Facebook, and Twitter icons at the bottom of each post and an icon for copying the URL of the post.
Since April of last year, the BfA Blog has averaged 420,000 page views per month, resulting in a record 4.7 million page views for all of 2020. Please pray that this new design would enable more people to find, read, and share blog posts with others. Also pray that the content presented would encourage blog readers to order a Bible and explore more of the online resources BfA offers.
Dublin, Ireland
Please pray for the migration of burdened saints to Dublin, one of six designated European cities. The capital and largest city in Ireland, Dublin is the city in which the Brethren began to meet, and Brother Nee considered the Brethren to be a fulfillment of the church in Philadelphia. As Europe enters a "post-Brexit" stage, Ireland is the most significant country in the European Union with English as its primary language. This offers English-speaking immigrants an ideal landing spot for entry into the church life in Europe. There are currently 40 saints are meeting as the church in Dublin.
Lord's Move to Europe
A two-part update on the Lord's present move in Europe is available as written and video reports at http://amanatrust.org.uk/page/reports.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 5 of Material Offerings and the Lord's Move. Next week, we start The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man (Thanksgiving Conference).
- Andrew Yu Memorial Meeting: The 70-minute online memorial meeting hosted by the church in Anaheim on January 8 is still available to be viewed at memorial-meeting.org.
- Living to Him has released a new podcast series with excerpts from Brother Andrew's speaking, particularly to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at http://anchor.fm/livingtohim.
- Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at https://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings/.
- Radio broadcast in Spanish: El Estudio-vida de la Biblia con Witness Lee is broadcast Mondays through Fridays, 9:00 to 9:30 pm, and Lord’s Days, 6:00 to 6:30 am. LA County 100.3 FM; San Fernando Valley and Ventura County 90.3 FM.
Prayer, Week of January 3
Material Offerings for the Lord's Move
"I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you... for your fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now." (Phil. 1:3-5)
"And the heart and soul of the multitude of those who had believed was one; and not even one said that any of his possessions was his own, but all things were common to them." (Acts 4:32)
It is a great thing to have fellowship unto the gospel. Unto the gospel means for the furtherance of the gospel. All the full-timers who remain in their jobs and businesses need to have this kind of fellowship, a fellowship for the furtherance of the Lord's move through those who do not remain in businesses and jobs but who are occupied all day with preaching and teaching for the spreading of the Lord's kingdom….
The tithing of ten percent to the Lord is altogether an Old Testament thing, belonging to the law. There was no grace, life, or life power in that. We must be different. We are in the age of grace, which provides us with much supply of life. The dynamic salvation was accepted by Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10. Immediately after being saved, that sinner gave up so much of his worldly possessions. That was not a tithing of ten percent; that was the very issue of the dynamic salvation. Likewise, on the day of Pentecost all those small members had everything in common (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35). This was not one tenth of their possessions but one hundred percent. They put everything at the feet of the apostles, that is, at the Lord's disposal. That was wonderful. We are in the Lord's recovery; even this matter has to be recovered. (Elders' Training, Book 8: The Life-Pulse of the Lord's Present Move, ch. 9)
A New Beginning
Pray that at the start of this new year the saints would enter into the spiritual significance of the new year by spending time with the Lord to have a proper ending, a new preparation, and a new beginning in Him. Pray that the saints would experience a spiritual new year in the principle of death and resurrection, letting all of the old things of the past year come to an end and being terminated in order to have a new beginning, a good beginning, in resurrection. (Beseeching.org, Days 194, 196)
United States
With an important Senate runoff election in Georgia this week and the Presidential Inauguration later this month, we beseech the Lord as "Head over all things to the church" (Eph. 1:22) to have His way for the furtherance of His economy and so "that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity" (1 Tim. 2:2).
Oak Glen
Due to the pandemic Oak Glen has not been able to host guests for the past 9 months. We are using funds that were set aside for improvement projects to pay for the monthly operating expenses. We have reduced our monthly expenses where possible to help conserve the funds on hand.
To date the saints have given $6,372,135 and there is a remaining target of $1,525,000 which we hope the churches in Southern California can meet. This amount will go toward needed and planned improvements for the property including new cabins and a new 300-plus-seat multiple-purpose building.
The remaining giving goal for the church in Los Angeles is $150,000 by the end of 2021. Saints can make their offerings on a one-time or regular basis through the church app by selecting the 'Oak Glen' designation within the app. Saints are encouraged to plan for their giving over the next 12 months.
Our trust is in the Lord that we can continue to pay the monthly expenses and also improve the blending center for the saints.
Brussels, Belgium
Please pray for the migration of burdened saints to Brussels, one of six designated European cities. Brussels (French-speaking) is the capital of Belgium, and also the de facto capital of the European Union and the European headquarters of several major international agencies. The church in Brussels has 55 saints. Because the antichrist will use Europe at the end of this age, it is crucial that the Lord have a strong testimony in this city!
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 4 of Material Offerings and the Lord's Move. After Week 5, we will start The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man.
- Memorial Meeting for Andrew Yu: Our beloved and faithful brother Andrew Yu departed to be with the Lord on December 20. The church in Anaheim will host an online memorial meeting for our brother this Friday, January 8 at 5:00 pm. You can select English, Chinese, Korean, or Spanish. Go to memorial-meeting.org and the meeting will automatically begin at 5:00 pm. This link will continue to be active following the initial streaming for any who were not able to view it at the scheduled time.
- SoCal Spanish-speaking Conference will be held January 15 to 17. Zoom information will be available closer to the time. Please note that this year's conference will be held in Spanish only.
- Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
- Church App: The church in LA has designed a convenient phone/tablet app for the saints of all ages to stay informed with updates and helpful resources. Download at http://www.tinyurl.com/CILAapp.
- Church YouTube: Visit http://www.youtube.com/churchinlosangeles for videos from the morning revival, ministry series, and hymns. Feel free to share them with your friends or on social media.
Prayer, Week of December 20
LA Semiannual Video Training
The church in LA's Semiannual Video Training is taking place this week on the books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Please pray for the saints to receive and respond to the Lord's burden in His up-to-date speaking.
Bibles for America
Our hearts are full of thanks to the Lord for all He has done through Bibles for America in 2020. We have given away more free Bibles throughout the United States in a single year than ever before. We have also witnessed increasing traffic to our resources (which are available to people around the globe), including our blog posts, free e-books, and videos.
We invite you to read our 2020 Year in Review and join us in praising and thanking the Lord for all He's done, particularly during these difficult times. May His Word continue to spread and bring true hope and peace to people everywhere.
Persevering in Prayer
The website http://beseeching.org is a wonderful resource to help the saints to persevere in daily intercessory prayer. Daily posts consist of suggested prayer burdens based on Bible verses and portions from the ministry. Those who wish to receive a daily email can subscribe on the website.
European Winter School of Truth
The European Winter School of Truth, for young people ages 12 to 18, will be online December 26 to January 2. The general subject is "The Bible—The Word of God." Please pray for the saints preparing for the WST, the willingness of all the YP to participate, and for the Lord's specific shepherding of each one.
Europe
Please continue to pray for the raising up of the Lord's testimony in major European cities, including Lisbon, Portugal; Vienna, Austria; Thessaloniki, Greece; Belgrade, Serbia; Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland; Sevilla and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Tirana, Albania; Gdansk, Poland; Malta; and Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Announcements
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Morning Revival: Enjoy training verses or repeat Week 12 of Jeremiah and Lamentations.
Beginning December 28, we will use Material Offerings and the Lord's Move for three weeks, then The All-Inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man (Thanksgiving Conf.). - Ways to Give: Information about the church's new online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
- Church App: The church in LA has designed a convenient phone/tablet app for the saints of all ages to stay informed with updates and helpful resources. Download at http://www.tinyurl.com/CILAapp.
- Church YouTube: Visit http://www.youtube.com/churchinlosangeles for videos from the morning revival, ministry series, and hymns. Feel free to share them with your friends or on social media.