Praise the Lord!
“O Jehovah our Lord, / How excellent is Your name / In all the earth!” (Psa. 8:9)
“You are awesome, O God, from Your sanctuaries. / The God of Israel, He gives strength and power to the people. / Blessed be God!” (Psa. 68:35)
“Let everything that has breath praise Jehovah. / Hallelujah!” (Psa. 150:6)
Praise is the way to display Christ’s victory and overcome spiritual attacks. The ultimate goal of Satan is to stop all praises to God. Prayer signifies spiritual warfare, but praise signifies spiritual victory. Whenever we praise, Satan flees! (Memorial Day Conference, msg. 6, II.E.1)
May the church in LA and all the churches in Southern California be filled with abundant praises!
‘Tis the local church proclaiming, Jesus is Lord!
All the saints with joy are naming Jesus as Lord.
All His work He has completed, Satan and his hosts defeated;
On the throne of glory seated, Jesus is Lord!
(Stanza 1 of Hymns, #1096)
The Secret of Enjoying Christ as Our Peace Offering
“And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful.” (Col. 3:15)
“These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have affliction, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
The issue of enjoying Christ as our burnt offering, our meal offering, our sin offering, and our trespass offering is the enjoyment of Christ as the peace offering. Christ is the peace offering between God and God’s people for their co-enjoyment in fellowship to have the vital-group church life, to have the Lord’s table meeting, and to consummate in the New Jerusalem as the ultimate peace offering.
We need to learn the secret of enjoying Christ as our peace offering—the peace of God, which surpasses every man’s understanding (Phil. 4:7). We must learn the secret of how to take Christ as life, how to live Christ, how to magnify Christ, and how to gain Christ in any environment and in any matter. We need to let our requests be made known to God, talking with Him and conferring with Him in everything.
The result of practicing fellowship with God in prayer is that the peace of God, God as peace, is infused into us for our enjoyment as the counterpoise to troubles and the antidote to anxiety so that Christ as our forbearance can be known to all men. (Crystallization-Study of Leviticus, msg. 10, I, Banner 4, II.C.1.a,c)
Oak Glen
The churches in Southern California took possession of Oak Glen Christian Conference Center at the end of 2015. Since then, important upgrades have been made, including seismic retrofitting of the gymnasium, landscaping, bathroom renovations, and new single-family residences. More importantly, the facility has been enjoyed by the saints and churches in the Lord’s recovery for blending retreats.
However, as of now, we still owe $3.25 million for the purchase. This amount needs to be paid off in order to avoid further interest expenses, which would be around $200,000 per year. Such money could be better spent on new cabins and other renovations.
As a convenience to the saints, ONLINE DONATIONS may now be made via PayPal or credit card at https://socalblendingcenter.org. (There is also an option for automated recurring monthly donations. For example, if 4,000 saints would donate $50 per month, the need could be met within a year and a half.) Gifts may also be made to the church designated for OAK GLEN.
“We make known to you, brothers, the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in much proving of affliction the abundance of their joy and the depth of their poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality” (2 Cor. 8:1b-2). Lord, grant us and all the churches in Southern California the same grace experienced in Macedonia!
College Graduation
At the end of the school year, our graduating college seniors have many choices to make regarding their future. As Watchman Nee once wrote, “If God leads you to walk a way that you know, it will not benefit you as much as if He would lead you to take the way that you do not know. This forces you to have hundreds and thousands of conversations with Him, resulting in a journey that is an everlasting memorial between you and Him” (CWWN, Set 1, vol. 7: The Christian (5), p. 1144).
Please pray for the graduates to have many conversations and transactions with the Lord so that He would shepherd and guide them according to His desire and for His purpose.
BfA in Anchorage, Alaska
This summer, Bibles for America volunteers in Anchorage plan to give away ministry books and 2,000 free copies of the NT Recovery Version at the following venues:
- From June 9 to September 9, Saturday Market & Festival in downtown Anchorage: popular among locals and tourists from around the world.
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From June 30 to July 1, Air Show at the Elmendorf Air Force Base: attracts thousands of Alaskans and military personnel.
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On August 26, kick-off at the University of Alaska Anchorage: attended primarily by incoming freshmen.
Please pray for the volunteers as they labor throughout the summer, that the books would get into the hands of the hungry ones, and for each recipient to be enlightened and nourished by the Word of God.
Lyman, Wyoming
Usually the church in Lyman has a spring conference but we need to replace the roof on our meeting hall. In fellowship with the churches we are going to have a weekend of roofing and fellowship June 16 and 17. Lord, use this practical time together to further Your interests in the mountain states!
Germany
From Thursday, June 7 to Lord’s Day, June 10, there was a book fair in Düsseldorf. Bibles for Europe had a booth there with many saints taking turns to serve and distribute free NT Recovery Versions. In total, 797 German copies and 48 English copies were given out. People were not required to leave their contact information, though some chose to do so. Please pray:
- That all recipients would touch the living and operative word of God in the pages of their Bible;
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That many would be motivated to contact BfE; and
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That the local saints would be buoyant and bold in following up with these contacts.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The church in Addis Ababa is currently in the process of purchasing a property that may be used for meetings and trainings. The plan is to renovate an existing building into offices and residences, and build a meeting hall for up to 1000 saints and a hospitality and blending center. This site will also serve as a center for the furtherance of the Lord’s move in Africa. The selling price is just over $2.5 million, well below market price. A down payment of $365,000 is expected by June 15 for commitment. The church in Addis Ababa will raise at least $100,000. Please pray for this transaction and for the Lord’s will to be done. You may give to the church in LA designated for ADDIS ABABA.
Announcements
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Morning revival: Week 10 of Crystallization-Study of Leviticus, Vol. 2.
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Summer Training Webcasts in LA: Last chance to sign up by June 12 at http://tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
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Southern California Blending Conference: Outlines, audios, and videos will be at socalblending.org.
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Audio messages from the Children’s Work Conference in Diamond Bar on April 28 are available at the Southern California Young People website (http://www.scyp.com > Stores > Serving ones > Children’s serving ones fellowship > choose English or Chinese > 2018 Children’s Parents and Serving Ones Conference).
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Audio of the May 6 joint meeting of the church in LA is available at http://tinyurl.com/greatgrace.