Prayer, Week of September 23
The Consecration of the Priests
"…And you shall anoint them and consecrate them and sanctify them, that they may serve Me as priests." (Exo. 28:41)
Our consecration for the priesthood must be with the all-inclusive Christ as all the five offerings (the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, and the peace offering) "filling our hands" for our enjoyment.
God's ordaining us to be priests is a matter of sanctification, a matter of being made holy, that is, a matter of being separated unto God and saturated with God, the Holy One.
The anointing brings the Triune God compounded with Christ's humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension to the priests and to the church life. This indicates strongly that the anointing of the priesthood is to make God one with us, for the anointing signifies that whatever God is, is doing, and will do are ours. (Crystallization-Study of Leviticus, msg. 13, II.C, H.1-2)
Ready to Distribute, Willing to Share
"Charge those who are rich in the present age not to be high-minded, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches but on God, who affords us all things richly for our enjoyment; to do good, to be rich in good works, to be ready to distribute, to be ones willing to share." (1 Tim. 6:17-18)
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.
It is a low practice to give merely ten percent. God is not a beggar; do not treat Him as one. You should honor Him as the very bountiful Giver who affords you all the riches (1 Tim. 6:17). All your riches come from Him. You must simply labor day and night. He then will follow your labor to bless you, not for your enterprise but for the spreading of His kingdom. (Elders' Training, Book 8, ch. 9)
Whether we are rich or poor, our hope should never be on material riches. Rather, trusting God, we should be ready to distribute and willing to share what we have for the Lord's move in LA.
Los Angeles Campuses
"And He said to them, Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matt. 4:19)
UCLA begins classes this Thursday, so this is an important "fishing week" on campus. We will be handing out flyers on Tuesday and starting our weekly Bible studies on Wednesday. Last Lord's Day, we had 25 new ones come to our special on-campus meeting, so the Lord is definitely blessing! We hope many saints can desperately intercede with us this week:
- To solidly and quickly reconnect with the 15 to 20 solid contacts from the summer;
- For the continued one accord of the full-timers, students, and community saints to shepherd new students; and
- For a warm connection with many freshmen through appointments, Bible studies, and Lord's Day morning meetings.
Santa Barbara Campuses
This fall about 12 new students, freshmen and transfers have come to Santa Barbara from other churches. Most will attend UCSB, with classes starting this Thursday. Their number is larger than the number of working saints in SB. Please pray for a bountiful supply to the local saints to care for these students, and for the students to be open to this care and willing to participate in the church life.
High School Juniors & Seniors Special Fellowship
This weekend, September 29 to 30, is a time of fellowship for Southern California high school juniors and seniors at Oak Glen. The burden of this retreat is to equip these ones with some practical and spiritual skills as they enter their college years. Please pray that the fellowship would hit the mark of what this class of juniors and seniors need to hear, and for our care for them to advance in all the local churches.
Europe
Germany
There will be a young adults' conference September 28 to 30. We come together that the Lord may train us to follow the pattern in Acts—grouping together to enjoy the Lord and consequently to grow in the Lord's life and have the Word of God grow mightily and prevail.
London
There will be weekend retreats September 29 to 30 and October 6 to 7. This is a time for seekers in the UK and other nations to enter into the practice of pursuing the Lord personally and corporately while spending time in the Word of God and getting connected to other believers from their area.
Slovakia and Nearby Nations
An International Blending Conference (especially for saints from Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia) will be held in Bratislava, Slovakia from September 29 to 30.
Lyon, France
We are very excited to announce the meeting hall project finished September 1. When the tabernacle was raised up, it was filled with glory; we experienced the same glory. Groups of saints from Marseille, California, and New Caledonia came to visit the same weekend without knowing that we would start to use the hall that day. A three-minute video: https://youtu.be/viHxNRemp2A.
Málaga, Spain
This year's Iberian Peninsula Conference will be held in Málaga from December 14 to 16. All saints are invited. Register by October 1 at http://www.amanatrust.org.uk/calendar/iberian-peninsula.
Announcements
- Morning revival: week 13 of Crystallization-Study of Leviticus, Vol. 3 (Summer Training).
- Joint LA Meeting: The whole church in LA will meet together on Lord's Day, October 14, 9:30 am to 12:00 pm at LA Trade Tech College.
- The Winter Training will be December 24 to 29 in Anaheim and by local webcasts in LA. Registration will open in October.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Charlotte, North Carolina from November 22 to 25. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Prayer, Week of September 16
Allowing the Peace, Letting the Word, and Persevering in Prayer
"Let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful." (Col. 3:15)
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God." (Col. 3:16)
"Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving." (Col. 4:2)
As we are ruled by the peace of Christ and inhabited by the word of Christ through persevering in prayer, He permeates and replaces us with Himself until all our natural distinctions have been eliminated, and we become the new man in reality. (The Goal of the Lord's Recovery, msg. 5, IV)
Adequate and Definite Times to Absorb the Lord
We need to allow adequate time for prayer, which will enable us to absorb more of the riches of Christ. We need to set aside definite times for prayer; our attitude should be that prayer is our most important business and that nothing should be allowed to interfere with it. (The Goal of the Lord's Recovery, msg. 5, III.A,C)
"Daniel...went to his house (in his upper room he had windows open toward Jerusalem) and three times daily he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave thanks before his God, because he had always done so previously." (Dan. 6:10).
Lord, bring each of us to establish a definite and adequate time of prayer to contact and absorb You, so that You may flow through us!
Los Angeles Campuses
Our students are coming back before the UCLA fall quarter to use September 15 to 22 to be reorientated to the Lord! Various activities are planned for this week which includes a day of blending with CSUN students and another day of blending with USC students. Please pray that:
- every student would be strengthened into their inner man;
- the Lord would make His home more in their hearts;
- they would be full of strength to apprehend Christ together—nobody would be isolated;
- the Lord would continue to strengthen our blending as we are visiting USC and CSUN.
Hall 5 will use the month starting September 22 to reach out to seeking students, especially freshmen. As part of this, we will hold Lord's Day meetings on campus September 23 and 30 (in addition to meetings at our hall). Please ask the Lord to:
- release those whom He is seeking to come to these Lord's Day meetings on campus;
- be our warm welcoming atmosphere;
- gain the true worshippers for His satisfaction.
Bibles for America
When online Bible orders are shipped, recipients are sent an email notification that also asks if they would like to be put in touch with others in their area who are reading the New Testament Recovery Version. Five to six people per month request contact.
Please pray for the recipients who are seeking fellowship and help understanding God's Word. Pray that solid connections with local saints would be made when possible, and that these seekers would discover the riches in the Bible.
Announcement
- Morning revival: week 5 of The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man. Next week we will begin Crystallization-Study of Leviticus, Vol. 3 (Summer Training).
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Charlotte, North Carolina from November 22 to 25. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- Information on Germany and Europe, see the right side of https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Prayer, Week of September 9
Having One Living with Christ for the One New Man
"If therefore you were raised together with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the earth." (Col. 3:1-2)
"…We have such a High Priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." (Heb. 8:1)
"Hence also He is able to save to the uttermost those who come forward to God through Him, since He lives always to intercede for them." (Heb. 7:25)
In His heavenly ministry Christ today is living as (1) the High Priest to intercede for the churches, (2) the heavenly Minister to supply the saints with the riches of Christ, and (3) the universal Administrator of God's government for the accomplishment of God's purpose.
To seek the things which are above and set our mind on them is to join ourselves to the Lord in His heavenly ministry, His divine enterprise. This is to live Christ, to have a living that is one with Christ's living for the one new man. (The Goal of the Lord's Recovery, msg. 4, I.C.1-3)
When Christ prays in heaven, we should pray on earth. This means that there is a transmission between the Christ praying in heaven and us praying on earth. By means of this transmission we may pray in oneness with Him. (week 4, day 3)
Los Angeles Campuses
Colossians 4:2 says, "Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving." As we continue to pray for the Lord's move on the campuses in LA, let us thank and praise Him for what He is doing among us. Thank the Lord for releasing the blending among the serving ones and students and His blessing on the campus work. Thank the Lord for releasing so many freshmen with whom we are meeting. Lord, we thank You and claim these ones for Your Body!
High School Juniors & Seniors Special Fellowship
There will be a special time of fellowship for all high school juniors and seniors from September 29 to 30 at Oak Glen. The cost is $90. Registration deadline is this Lord's Day, September 16.
The transition from a young person to a college student is one of the most important times in a Christian's life. Along with the anxiety of not knowing which school one might be attending, there is also the fear of leaving the church life or lacking the necessary "tools" to go on in a normal way.
At this retreat, we will gather the young people to equip them with what they need to begin their college years successfully. We will discuss crucial and relevant topics that include: (1) studying and applying to college; (2) praying and opening up to others for prayer; (3) offering yourself to the Lord willingly; (4) testimonies from current college students; and (5) summer college trainings. Please pray:
- For the release of the high school juniors and seniors to sign up by the September 16 deadline.
- That the hearts of the young people would be open and honest.
- That the fellowship would hit the mark of what this class of juniors and seniors need to hear.
- For our care and consideration of the juniors and seniors to advance in all the local churches.
Germany
We may participate in the Lord's move in Germany by praying. Some current prayer burdens:
- Those moving to Germany now for school: that they will be supplied for this transition, blended into the church life there, and find friends among their new classmates for the gospel's sake.
- Freshmen on the university campuses: that those prepared by the Lord will be contacted now through October and shepherded into salvation and into the church life.
- Leipzig: a rich supply to those living in or near the city and to those migrating there or considering to migrate.
Paris, France
There will be the Autumn Chinese-Speaking Conference in Paris from September 14 to 16. This conference is not only for the Chinese saints in Europe, but for the reality of the Body of Christ to be manifested in this region. Please pray that all the saints could see the vision of God's economy and receive the burden from the Lord for His move in Europe.
Madrid, Spain
Another milestone has been achieved in registering our ministry in Spain with the Ministry of Justice. We received the recommendations that are required for membership in the Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain, who will then arrange for our full registration with the Ministry that will entitle us to all the legal benefits. We continue to thank the Lord for His timing and way.
Announcements
-
Morning revival: week 4 of The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man.
After week 5 we will begin Crystallization-Study of Leviticus, Vol. 3 (Summer Training). - Joint LA Meeting: The whole church in LA will meet together on Lord's Day, October 14 at LA Trade Tech College. More details will be forthcoming.
- There will be a YP blending meeting on Saturday, September 15 from 7 to 9 pm in Arcadia.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Charlotte, North Carolina from November 22 to 25. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Prayer, Week of September 2
Growing Up into Christ and Learning Christ for the Corporate Living of the One New Man
"Holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ." (Eph. 4:15)
To be no longer little children (v. 14), we need to grow up into Christ. This is to have Christ increase in us in all things until we attain to a full-grown man. We grow by caring only for Christ and the church, that is, by handling truth in love. We do not grow by some kind of ethical behavior. (The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man, week 3, day 1)
"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 new man "was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality." This 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. (The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man, week 3, day 6)
Los Angeles Campuses
Thank you saints for your prayers for the Lord's move on the campuses in LA! We have seen unprecedented blessing from the Lord upon us through taking this way of blending in the labor on our 3 major campuses: CSUN, USC, and UCLA.
At USC one of our students' friends, who has a Muslim background, got saved! We also had a very anointed college meeting with 7 brand new ones who were genuinely hungry for the word and fellowship, which is very good for us.
At CSUN, we had 12 new ones at our Wednesday Bible study. This week we will have multiple club fairs and opportunities to contact more students.
At UCLA, we are continuing to reach out to the 20+ new contacts from the summer, mostly freshmen, with whom we are in somewhat regular contact.
Please pray for the prayer, diligent follow up, and shepherding with the new contacts, especially the freshmen, on each of the 3 campuses this week.
Middle-Age FTTA
The fall term of middle-age training begins this week. Please pray for a bountiful supply of life and light to each trainee.
Both the middle-age training and FTTA have fewer trainees than in recent past years. Beseech the Lord to inspire many in the fall months to give themselves and to prepare themselves for the spring term.
Pakistan and Turkey
There are four local churches in Pakistan with a total Lord's Day attendance of 150. In recent months they have emphasized visiting gospel contacts and dormant saints as well as perfecting everyone by a variety of short trainings. Their report with photos plus a shorter report from Turkey (total 2 pages):
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/E-2018-08.pdf (English)
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Asia-2018-08.pdf (Chinese)
Announcements
-
Morning revival: week 3 of The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man.
After week 5 we will begin Crystallization-Study of Leviticus, Vol. 3 (summer training). - There will be a YP blending meeting on Saturday, September 15 from 7 to 9 pm in Arcadia.
- High School Juniors & Seniors Special Fellowship will be September 29 to 30 at Oak Glen. Deadline for payment and registration is September 16.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Charlotte, North Carolina from November 22 to 25. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Prayer, Week of August 26
Being Renewed in the Spirit of Our Mind
"And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality." (Eph. 4:23-24)
"And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all." (Col. 3:10-11)
The key to the practical existence of the one new man—to putting off the old man and putting on the new man—is in being renewed in the spirit of our mind. (The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man, Banner 2)
We need to be renewed in the spirit of our mind actually and daily in our living; otherwise, there is no way for the Lord to have the one new man. In our prayer, we need to have a desire to enter into the practicality of the one new man, and thus, we need to ask the Lord to renew our mind and transform our inner being. (msg. 2, IV.B,F)
"Lord, I am here. I want my mind to be fully opened to You. Come in and fill me up. Permeate, saturate, and possess my entire inward being." (CWWL, 1977, vol. 3, quoted in Week 2, Day 4)
Storing Up Treasures in Heaven
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on the earth… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt. 6:19-21)
We say that we are giving our heart to the Lord, yet our mammon is in the bank. First, let us consecrate the mammon in our bank, and then the heart will follow. This is the reason the Lord said that where a man's treasure is, there is his heart also (Matt. 6:21). It is very easy for us to set our heart on the things above. All we have to do is to send our money there. It is impossible for our heart to be set on the things above while our mammon is in the bank below. Our mammon must be deposited in heaven first before our heart will go to heaven. (CWWN, vol. 61, chap. 9, sec. 3)
There is an increased financial need in Los Angeles that can be met by our opening to let the Lord touch us in regard to where our treasure is. "Lord, gain our treasures so that You may gain our hearts!"
Los Angeles Campuses
CSUN: Please pray that the Spirit would richly supply and fill the students and saints laboring on the campus as classes begin this week. May the Lord maintain the one accord to release His blessing! Also, pray for anointed follow-up with all of the CSUN freshmen on our list (250 names). We have several events scheduled to connect with them.
USC: Thank you for your prayers! Last week was the first week of classes at USC, and we received more names than we ever have had in recent years (over 150). Pray for the grace to reach many of these ones through faithful follow-up. Pray that we could meet many face-to-face this week and that the Lord would call specific ones to meet with us in a regular way.
UCLA: Many of the brand new freshmen being contacted at UCLA are busy with midterms and studies. Please pray for the sustained contact with these ones for continued shepherding and feeding.
Munich, Germany
The first Lord's table in Munich will take place on October 14. Please pray for the raising up of a shining golden lampstand in Munich!
Bucharest, Romania
There will be an international conference in Bucharest from August 31 to September 2.
Announcement
- Morning revival: week 2 of The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man.
- High School Junior & Seniors Special Fellowship will be September 29 to 30 at Oak Glen. Deadline for payment and registration is September 16.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Charlotte, North Carolina from November 22 to 25. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 31. Childcare registration required. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- Information on Germany and Europe, see the right side of https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Prayer, Week of August 19
Our Urgent Need to See the Vision of the One New Man
"Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint." (Prov. 29:18a)
Before the Lord is able to return, we must see the vision of the one Body and the one new man. In the Bible vision denotes an extraordinary scene; it refers to a special kind of seeing—a glorious, inward seeing. The heavenly vision governs us, restricts us, controls us, directs us, preserves us, revolutionizes us, keeps us in the genuine oneness, and gives us the boldness to go on. Under the heavenly vision we are directed toward God's destination, and our life is controlled according to God's economy.
"Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion [the all-inclusive Christ] of the saints in the light." (Col. 1:12)
"To whom [His saints] God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27)
The one new man is Christ constituted into us. As we experience and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ, the Christ who indwells us, He is constituted into us, and we become the one new man.
(The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man, msg. 1, I, I.A, I.A.1,2; IV, IV.A,B)
O Lord, How Excellent is Your Name In All the Earth
"O Jehovah our Lord, How excellent is Your name In all the earth." (Psa. 8:1) Lord, intensify Your move in Southern California! Make Your testimony here excellent, full of strength and impact with a regular increase in every place. Lord, we ask You to do this to fulfill Your word in Psalm 8 about excellence.
Lord, strengthen our corporate prayer and praise to match You as the ascended One! And increase the number of saints attending and participating in the church prayer meetings in Southern California.
All-LA College Student Internship
We want to thank you so much for all of your prayers for the college students throughout LA. We had a wonderful wrap-up meeting last Saturday for the three week All-LA internship. No doubt the Lord blessed us beyond what we asked or thought. Our three goals of blending, perfecting, and fruit-bearing (our prayer three weeks ago) were the very highlights that our students testified of at the wrap-up. Please pray that we would remain in these three items for the rest of our lives!
In many cases these last three weeks together with USC, CSUN, and UCLA have been revolutionary for our students and serving ones. Please continue to pray for:
- The first week of class at USC this week—that the Lord would set many captives free on this campus through the gospel and tabling events!
- The follow up with the many names received at CSUN during these last 2 weeks, the six CSUN sisters joining FTTA for a few days this week, and the preparation for the start of classes August 27.
- The fresh supply to the UCLA saints who continue to meet new freshmen with more upcoming freshmen orientations, as well as the continued regular contact and fellowship with 20 newly-met UCLA students (mostly freshmen) who are taking classes this summer. Fall quarter classes begin September 27.
Hall 5 Weekend at Oak Glen
Saturday to Lord's Day, August 25-26, the Hall 5 saints will have a weekend at Oak Glen for blending, mutual shepherding, and mutual praising. Please pray that this day and a half would:
- enlighten all the saints regarding how their function is indispensable in the Body;
- help the saints to see that in these last days, now is the time to fight the battle in the Body in order that all the saints would be protected from the wearing out tactics of the evil one; and
- help the saints see that the best fighters are genuine lovers.
We fight for the Lord in the Body, because we love the Lord. We are his Bridal-Warrior. Although this time only 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
We recently added three tools to our blog (http://blog.biblesforamerica.org) so readers can more easily explore all our content: a search field, a topics menu, and a list of related posts for each individual post.
Since we added these new features a few months ago, analytics we've gathered tell us the topics clicked on the most were Prayer, Reading the Bible, What God Wants, and Dealing with Sin. The words people searched for the most were "anxiety", "blessed", "God", and "love."
Please pray for people to find the BfA blog and spend time to read the many posts. Also pray readers would order a free New Testament Recovery Version and develop a taste for the ministry of the age.
St. Gallen, Switzerland
St. Gallen is the seventh-largest city in Switzerland and is located on the east side of the country. Currently, 13 saints with two children are meeting there. The saints in St. Gallen will begin to have the Lord's table on August 26. Please pray for the Lord to gain a strong testimony in St. Gallen and for His further move in Switzerland.
Announcements
- Morning revival: week 1 of The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man.
- The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Charlotte, North Carolina from November 22 to 25. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
- Information on Germany and Europe, see the right side of https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Prayer, Week of August 12
O Jehovah Our Lord, How Excellent is Your Name!
"O Jehovah our Lord, / How excellent is Your name / In all the earth, / You who have set Your glory over the heavens! Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings / You have established strength / Because of Your adversaries, / To stop the enemy and the avenger. (Psalm 8:1-2)
"Out of the mouth of infants and sucklings You have perfected praise'' (Matt. 21:16)
Praise is the way to display Christ's victory and overcome spiritual attacks. Prayer signifies spiritual warfare, but praise signifies spiritual victory; whenever we praise, Satan flees.
"Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah, O my soul! I will praise Jehovah while I live; I will sing psalms to my God while I yet have being." (Psalm 146:1-2).
"Hallelujah! For it is good to sing psalms to our God; / For it is pleasant; praise is fitting." (Psalm 147:1).
The nature of praise is an offering, a sacrifice; in other words, praise comes from pain, suffering, and loss; God desires His children to praise Him through everything and in every situation. (The Spiritual Warfare of the Church as the New Man, msg. 6 II.E, E.1, D.3)
All-LA College Student Internship
This week we will continue the internship. We will continue to contact freshmen at UCLA and CSUN and start contacting at USC.
The fourteen who went to Athens, Georgia last week had a wonderful time of blending and were definitely broadened in their view of the Body and how to reach people in the gospel.
Please continue to pray for the blending together of the labor at all the campuses in LA, as well as for the Lord to gain soft and open freshmen on all three campuses this week.
FTTA
The fall term began this 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!
The number of trainees has decreased. Ask the Lord to prepare many, both in their heart and their practical circumstances, to begin the training in February.
BfA in Anchorage, Alaska
Since June 9, Bibles for America volunteers have been distributing literature in downtown Anchorage at the Saturday Market & Festival, a popular destination among locals and tourists from around the world. On August 26, distribution will take place during the kick-off at the University of Alaska Anchorage, an event attended primarily by incoming freshmen.
Please pray for the volunteers as they labor throughout the summer. Pray that the Bibles and books would get into the hands of the hungry ones and for each recipient to be enlightened and nourished by the Word of God.
Vancouver, Canada
On May 7, 2015, Meeting Hall 1 of the church in Vancouver was burned down during a roof repair accident. Since then, the church has been taking action to build a new facility. On May 7, 2018 we finally received the Excavation Permit from the city and started excavation. On June 8, we received the Building Permit for full construction and started formwork for the underground parking. Since then everything on site has been progressing quite smoothly. The expected completion date is end of 2019.
We sincerely treasure and covet the prayers of the saints in the Body of the Christ. Please join us to pray for the smooth transition from one stage to the next throughout the construction period. A number of decisions still need to be made, such as selecting the appropriate contractor for each aspect of the project. Finally, through this entire process, pray for the Lord to build Himself more into our hearts for the building up of His Body.
Baltic Conference
The annual Baltic conference will take place in Riga, Latvia August 17 to 19.
Nordic Countries
Following the messages on the crucial points concerning the gospel of God in Romans at the recent Nordic Conference in Stockholm (July 20 to 23), please pray for the spread and increase of Christ in all the saints in the churches in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), as well as the beginning of the translation of the ministry into Icelandic.
Madrid
As of August 1 all the financial needs for the purchase and remodeling of the property have been met. The saints in Madrid are very thankful to all the saints and churches for their support and giving in love.
Also, they received notice that they are now in the government's Registry of Religious Entities. This is a major milestone, and was quicker than expected. One further step is needed to benefit from all the provisions for evangelical churches. Please to pray for this step to be completed by the end of September.
United Arab Emirates and Nepal
The current Lord's Move to Asia newsletter (2 pages) describes a conference and training in the United Arab Emirates and the raising up of a new church there. It also touches shepherding, perfecting, and Rhema literature distribution in Nepal.
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/e-2018-07.pdf (English)
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Asia-2018-07.pdf (Chinese)
Announcement
Morning revival: week 6 of The Spiritual Warfare of the Church as the New Man (Memorial Day).
Our next morning revival will be The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man (February's International Chinese-speaking Conference).
Prayer, Week of August 5
Take Him, Possess Him, Experience Him, and Enjoy Him
"In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." "Christ is all and in all." (Col. 2:9; 3:11)
"See, Jehovah your God has set the land before you; go up, possess it, as Jehovah the God of your fathers has spoken to you. Do not fear, neither be dismayed." (Deut. 1:21)
The good land, the land of Canaan, is a type of the all-inclusive Christ, the Christ who is all and in all and who is everything to us. As the good land, Christ is ready to be taken and possessed by His believers; however, there is the need for those who are ready to take Him, possess Him, experience Him, and enjoy Him in His all-inclusiveness.
We all need to see that in the Lord's recovery today we are on a battlefield. We should be today's Joshua and Caleb, fighting against Satan's aerial forces so that we can gain more of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ, setting up and spreading the kingdom of God so that Christ can come back to inherit the earth. (The Spiritual Warfare of the Church as the New Man, msg. 5, I., IV.A, V.)
All-LA College Student Internship
Thank you so much for your prayers for our All-LA College Student Internship! About 30 students plus 13 full-timers and a four trainees are participating. We finished our first week, and it was truly blessed by the Lord! The students from the different campuses were exceedingly joyful to be blent together. Furthermore, the Lord gave us 76 contacts at the UCLA freshman orientation last week, whom we are following up with. Twelve of these came to a Bible study, and some made it to home meetings! The internship continues this week, so please pray for:
- the 11 interns and four full-timers on the one week trip to Athens, Georgia to be blent with the saints there for a mutual benefit for the Body;
- regular, face-to-face contact with many of these 76 new ones, most of whom are taking summer classes at UCLA for 6 weeks;
- the Lord to bring us into contact with many seeking freshmen at CSUN as we contact them at their freshman orientations Tuesday to Friday of this week.
May the Lord pour out His Spirit of power upon all of us this week as we announce the news of good things to the students in Georgia, UCLA, and CSUN!
Summer School of Truth
The final count for our SSoT was 117 registered (69 YP, 9 college, 39 serving ones) — our highest number yet! We feel the Lord blessed this time and there was a sweetness and openness among the young people, and trust built up between the young people and serving ones. We can continue to pray for:
- the word they heard to operate in them;
- for each YP to have a companion this year;
- for the parents to spend time with them and have a sanctified home environment;
- for the serving ones to have a loving heart as they continue to shepherd them.
May the Lord continue to gain this next generation!
FTTA Middle-Age
The middle-age training is open to brothers and sisters in the church life with an elders' recommendation. The nominal age limits are 35 to 65 years but older saints with sound physical and mental health may attend, as well as younger saints who do not qualify for FTTA.
The fall term begins September 3. Applications are due August 14, for the entire 15 week term or for one or more weeks of short-term attendance. Lord, bring many more midage and newly retired saints, including those from LA, to be trained for Your move on this earth!
BfA Distribution Center
During the busy summer months, fewer volunteers are available to help at the Bibles for America Distribution Center in Commerce, CA. Please pray that the saints serving at the distribution center would be strengthened and energized to fulfill all the Bible orders in a timely way.
Oak Glen and Engedi
We thank the Lord for answering the many prayers regarding the sale of Engedi. The sale was completed July 18th. Proceeds will be applied to the Oak Glen Seller Financed Note. After that, we project the remaining balance will be paid off by the end of 2018 based on the saints' continued faithful giving, and that afterwards all contributions could be directed towards improvements to Oak Glen. We thank the Lord for the saints' faithful and on-going participation in this matter.
(from the brothers overseeing Engedi and Oak Glen Conference Center)
European University Training
The training is August 12-17 at Bower House in London. It is for university students and secondary school students age 18 and above. https://unistudents.eu
The goal of the University Training is to perfect God-loving and Christ-pursuing students in the areas of biblical truth, experience of life, gospel preaching, and character development, all with a view to molding them into useful vessels in the Lord's hands for the building up of His Body.
Berlin
The co-workers in Germany encouraged the church in Berlin to make finding a new meeting hall a priority. Please pray for the following:
- the saints in Berlin to pray in the oneness of the spirit with genuine one accord for this;
- the meeting hall will be in the best location at an affordable price;
- the hall will be readily accessible by public transportation;
- the situation will allow rejoicing and praise in our meetings with no problem to neighbors.
Madrid
As of July 23 the offerings received have fully met the need for the purchase of the property. The closing date is now set for September 30. All future offerings will be used toward renovations. The saints in Madrid and the work in the Iberian Peninsula thank the churches and the saints for their faithful and generous participation in this move of the Lord. May the Lord bless and continue to grace all the saints.
Announcement
- Morning revival: week 5 of The Spiritual Warfare of the Church as the New Man (Memorial Day).
Our next morning revival will be The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man (February's International Chinese-speaking Conference).
Prayer, Week of July 29
"Let Us Be Brought on to Maturity"
"Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may gaze at you. Why should you gaze at the Shulammite, as upon the dance of two camps?" (Song 6:13). In the maturity of Christ's life, the lover of Christ becomes the Shulammite, signifying that she has become the reproduction and duplication of Christ to match Him for their marriage. (The Spiritual Warfare of the Church as the New Man, msg. 6, VI.)
"Let us be brought on to maturity." (Heb. 6:1) The Lord wants to bring us on, but we must let Him do it. This is our willing cooperation with His gracious work. (note 3)
Only when we have reached maturity will Christ take us to be His bride. We must admit that in the Lord's recovery we have not yet reached maturity; we are still too young to be presented to Christ as His bride. Thus, there is the urgent need for maturity. When Christ, the Bridegroom, sees that we have reached maturity, He will marry the bride and then come with her as His army to crush the human government. (LS of Daniel, chap. 13, sec. 3)
Lord, gain our full cooperation day by day that we may be brought on to maturity for Your satisfaction.
All-LA College Student Internship
We are having an all-LA internship for three weeks; it began Saturday, July 28. This year the internship is LA campus wide, including students from UCLA, CSUN, and USC. Around 30 interns signed up, of which about half are full-time participants. Some of them will be in Athens, Georgia for one week to help with the campus work there. Our burden for this internship is three-fold:
- Blending—that the Lord would blend us all (full-timers, students, and community saints in LA and Athens) into one loaf!
- Perfecting—that every student could be helped to enter into their function.
- Fruit-bearing—that everyone could experience the joy of fruit bearing.
Summer School of Truth
Beseech the Lord for His word spoken in the SSoT to continue to operate in all the YP and to gain definite positive responses from each one of them.
Bible Distribution in the Maritime Provinces of Canada
From August 1 to 7, the churches in Canada are coordinating for Bible distributions and seminars in the three Atlantic Maritime provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Forty-nine saints from across the country will participate. The seminars will take place in Saint John, New Brunswick (Aug. 2); Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (Aug. 4); and Halifax, Nova Scotia (Aug. 6).
Please pray that many Bibles would be given out, that the seminars would be attended by seeking ones, and that the saints participating would enjoy being blended and built up. Also pray for the saints in the Maritimes to be encouraged in the gospel by having a good taste of speaking the word of God to sinners.
European Young People's Conference
From July 29 to August 4, there are three conferences in a village in Poland. The Junior Conference is for ages 13 to 15, the Senior Conference for ages 16 to 19, and the Parents and Children's Conference. Two L.A. families are participating. Please pray for:
- the personal opening of the young people for the Lord's speaking and calling to each one this week;
- the binding of the enemy—against illnesses, accidents, and all his distracting tactics;
- the serving ones to be supplied and brought into the Lord's heart for the young people.
Germany
There will be a young adults conference for Germany September 28-30. Please ask the Lord to have many register, including those newly contacted this year. Pray also for their preparation to receive the Word of God at the conference so that the Lord may have a strong testimony in Germany.
Announcement
- Morning revival: week 4 of The Spiritual Warfare of the Church as the New Man (Memorial Day).
Our next HWMR will be The Goal of the Lord's Recovery—To Bring Forth the One New Man (February's International Chinese-speaking Conference).
Prayer, Week of July 22
The Victorious Christ
"God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh." (Rom. 8:3b)
"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8b)
"Since therefore the children have shared in blood and flesh, He also Himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death He might destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the devil." (Heb. 2:14)
Praise Him! praise Him! Christ is Victor! / He has won the victory!
Sin is judged, old Adam finished, / Full redemption now we see!
Vanquished all the evil powers / Thru the Cross triumphantly! (Hymn 124, v. 1)
Practical Experience of Resurrection Life
The believers need grace to overcome the power of mammon and material things and to release these things from Satan's domination that they might be offered to the Lord for the fulfillment of His purpose. Resurrection life is the supply for the believers to live such a life, a life trusting in God, not in material possessions, a life that overthrows the usurpation of temporal and uncertain riches. This may be the reason that the dealing with this matter [1 Cor. 16:1-3] comes after the dealing concerning the reality of resurrection life [1 Cor. 15]. (part of 1 Cor. 16:1, note 1)
There is a financial need in LA due to increases this fall for support of each FTTA trainee and for support of our full-timers serving in the campus and church. This is an opportunity for every one of us to have a fresh and practical experience of living the resurrection life, trusting in God and not in material riches. May the Lord grant each one the measure of resurrection we need.
Offerings in response to these and other local needs should be given to the church in Los Angeles without designation for any specific use.
Summer School of Truth in Los Angeles
There are 113 registered for our SSoT, almost 2/3 young people including 4 from Long Beach and 2 from Thousand Oaks.
The topic this year is The Church. We hope through this special week the young people will find a home in the church, and declare along with the psalmist, "One thing I have desired of the Lord…that I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (27:4) Please pray for:
- the hearts of the young people to remain soft to the Lord and the serving saints;
- the speaking to be relevant, transparent, and full of life;
- the Lord to supply and be the wisdom and heart of the serving ones; and
- the young people to meet the Lord and find their home in the church.
Northern California
From January 26 through February 11, 2018, the churches in Northern California participated in a two-week sowing event to Gospelize, Truthize, and Churchize Northern California.
Over 1,200 volunteers from 40 localities, together with 58 FTTA trainees, gave away about 6,000 Bibles, 4,800 booklets, and tens of thousands of gospel tracts and free Bible offer cards during this time. More than 7,500 people were personally spoken to, nearly half of whom gave their contact information to the volunteers; 253 prayed to receive the Lord; and five were baptized.
Please pray for the ongoing follow-up and the shepherding care for the many people who were contacted and who received a Bible, book, tract, or Bible offer card. Pray that the Word of God and the ministry of the age would enlighten them and bring them into the experience of Christ as their life.
European Young People's Conference
From July 29 to August 4, three conferences will take place concurrently in Małe Ciche, a village in southern Poland. The Junior Conference will be for young people aged 13 to 15 and the Senior Conference for young people aged 16 to 19. The Parents and Children Conference is for the parents to get into the fellowship regarding raising up the next generation for the church life, and for the children to be with other children from all over Europe (the list of country coordinators includes 41 European nations).
In particular, please pray for:
- The personal opening of the young people to the Lord for His personal speaking and calling to each one during this special week;
- The binding of the enemy - against illnesses, accidents and all his distracting tactics;
- That the serving ones will be supplied and brought into the Lord's heart for the young people.
Invitation to Balkan Conference in Tirana, Albania
This invitation is from David and Elda Chang, who were in L.A. for many years and have been in Albania the past six years.
Dear Saints, we would like to invite you to the Balkan Conference which this year will take place in Tirana, Albania, November 2-4. Come and blend with the saints from Albania, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. For details: https://amanatrust.org.uk/events/eventdetails.php?eventid=709/.
Announcements
- Morning revival: week 3 of The Spiritual Warfare of the Church as the New Man (Memorial Day).