Maintaining the Ground of Oneness in Spirit
“But to the place which Jehovah your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name, to His habitation, shall you seek, and there shall you go.” (Deut. 12:5)
“For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body… and were all given to drink one Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:13)
“In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.” (Eph. 2:22)
The fulfillment of the type in Deuteronomy 12 is not a matter of a geographical place but a matter of our spirit. In the New Testament God’s habitation, His dwelling place, is particularly located in our mingled spirit, our human spirit regenerated and indwelt by the divine Spirit. In our meeting for the worship of God, we must exercise our spirit and do everything in our spirit.
Wherever we may be, we should be gathered into the Lord’s name, in our spirit, and with the cross. If we all do this, we all will meet in the same place, although we meet in different localities; this one place is the ground of the unique oneness.
In order to be today’s overcomers, we must maintain the ground of oneness, God’s unique choice, without elevating anything other than Christ. In the Lord’s recovery we elevate Christ and Christ alone. The way to be restored from desolation is to exalt Christ; the enjoyment of Christ with God on the ground of oneness can be maintained and preserved only when Christ is properly appreciated and exalted by God’s people. (Crystallization-Study of Deuteronomy, msg. 9, I.D.2.b, I.C.3, I.D, V, C)
Unceasingly Pray Extended: 30 Days of Global Prayer
“Rejoice in hope; endure in tribulation; persevere in prayer.” (Rom. 12:12)
“Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving.” (Col. 4:2)
“Always rejoice, unceasingly pray, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thes. 5:16-18)
We worship the Lord that He has stirred up so many of you to participate in the present burden for prayer. Never before have so many across the entire globe joined together in one accord to pray as one man in such a sustained way.
Our hope is that this month of prayer will not simply be a passing event but will greatly strengthen our personal prayer life and the corporate prayer ministry of the church. Prayer is our greatest work before God, and it is also the greatest threat to God’s enemy…. Consistency and persistence in the face of obstacles are crucial to building up a prayer life and prayer ministry.
Today the Lord is seeking prayers of dispensational value, prayers that match God’s heart; prayers for the advancement of God’s move, the preparation of the bride, the producing of the overcomers, the defeat of God’s enemy; prayers that change the age. The prayers of the saints and of the church are a significant factor in effecting the dispensational change from the present age to the kingdom age (Luke 18:1-8; Rev. 6:9-10; 8:3-5). (Excerpted from the April 16 co-workers’ letter)
Brothers and sisters, there is still time to participate! The original 21 Days of Prayer has been extended through April 30. Sign-up and prayer burdens are at http://unceasinglypray.org.
Having a Heart for the Salvation of Sinners
“I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men…. our Savior God desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:1, 3b-4)
We need to pray to have a real burden for the sinners’ salvation. In 1 Timothy 2 Paul exhorts us to pray on behalf of all men because our Savior God desires all men to be saved. God’s desire requires our prayer for it to be carried out. In Romans 10:1 Paul says concerning the Jews, “The good pleasure of my heart and my petition to God for them is for their salvation.” Like Paul, the delight of our heart needs to be the salvation of men because this is the delight of God’s heart (Luke 15:6-7, 9-10, 23-24). We need to pray to the Lord that His concern for sinners’ salvation would be dispensed into us to become our burden. (WL, The Scriptural Way to Meet and to Serve for the Building Up of the Body of Christ, ch. 23)
LA Gospel Meeting in Chinese – April 24
On Friday, April 24, starting at 7:30 pm, we will have an online Chinese-speaking gospel meeting. All the saints are encouraged to pray for their contacts and acquaintances who understand Chinese and invite them to this gathering. The topic will be “Death and Life.” Please pray for a clear release of the Lord’s word and a good reception of this word unto salvation. Two ways to join are https://ucla.zoom.us/j/8397042086 or dial in: (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 839 704 2086.
LA Gospel Meeting in English – May 2
On Saturday, May 2, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, we will have an English-language gospel meeting. This meeting is especially geared toward those who are curious about the Christian faith, new to the church, or looking to rekindle their relationship with God. This includes not only unbelievers, but also other believers and dormant ones who do not currently meet with us or do not meet regularly. All the saints are encouraged to pray fervently for this time and consider at least 1 or 2 people to invite. May the white horse run in a prevailing way! May the Lord gain a bright and shining testimony of Himself in LA!
Southern California College Conference
This weekend’s college conference will be held online on April 23, 25 and 26 from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. The general subject is “Doing the Will of God.” Please pray for the preparations leading up to the conference, both of the practical arrangements outwardly and the students’ hearts inwardly. In addition to college-age saints, high school juniors and especially seniors are warmly invited. Pray that the Word would reach all the participants and encourage them during this time.
Memorial Day Conference
The Memorial Day conference will be LSM’s first global online ministry conference. It is a great opportunity for many, many more saints to participate. The conference will consist of six messages from Friday night, May 22 to Monday morning, May 25. Details are in a letter at https://churchinlosangeles.org/members/prayer. Please pray for the brothers preparing the messages and for the serving saints planning the technical details of this conference.
Announcements
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Morning Revival: Crystallization-study of Deuteronomy, week 9.
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Giving to the church at this time, see https://churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
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We will not have the 6th Grade Conference at Oak Glen this year. It is our hope later in the summer to have a one day conference for the 6th graders.
Online Resources
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The Church in Los Angeles website has updates on resources and fellowship related to our church life in the present situation. https://churchinlosangeles.org/covid19
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The Bible Tells Me So is posting daily videos on weekdays to help foster a “Family Time” in each household. http://www.thebibletellsmeso.com/familytime
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LSM Webcast is offering access at a reduced subscription rate until June 30. http://www.lsmwebcast.com
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LSM Christian Radio broadcasts hymns and messages 24 hours each day. http://lsmchristianradio.com
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Bibles for America has a new webpage with easy-to-use resources for telling people about God’s salvation. http://gospel.biblesforamerica.org
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GTCA updates ongoing burdens about the ten target cities for migration this year. http://gtca.us
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Living to Him provides a forum for helping young working saints to practically enter into a vital living for the building up of the Body of Christ. http://livingtohim.com