The Exercise of the Kingdom
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens.” (Matt. 16:18-19)
The gates of Hades, Satan’s authority or power of darkness, attack the church to frustrate the Lord from building up the church. The self, the mind, and the soul-life are the main gates through which Satan comes forth to attack and damage the church (Matt. 16:22-26).
The building up of the church depends on the shutting up of the gates of Hades through the exercise of three keys: 1) denying the self; 2) taking up the cross; and 3) losing the soul-life. Day by day we need to use these keys. If these subjective gates are locked, no principalities or powers will be able to come in. (HWMR Week 6 Day 1)
Honoring the Lord as the Head and Being Balanced by the Body
“Holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.” (Col. 2:19)
“With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing one another in love, being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:2-3)
We need to know this age and the present truth and see a vision of God’s sovereignty, the world’s ultimate situation, and God’s ultimate recovery in order to fulfill our ultimate responsibility in God’s ultimate move by honoring the Lord as the Head and being balanced by the Body to be kept in its unique oneness. (Special Conference banner)
ITERO
The International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones is March 31 to April 2 in Anaheim. Let us beseech the Lord that through this training, the Lord will make all the brothers 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 our respective local churches. May the Lord also build His Body through the blending of brothers from the whole earth and the serving of all the FTTA trainees.
The Church in Los Angeles
On Lord’s Day, March 12 we began a monthly newsletter to be circulated in all the halls and districts. This printed flyer—available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean—contains a ministry portion, upcoming events, attendance statistics, helpful ministry resources, and contact information and locations for all our halls.
Please pray that this publication would not be merely for information, but much more for encouraging all the saints, giving each one a broad view of the whole church, and burdening them to build up the Body of Christ and spread the testimony of Jesus in Los Angeles.
Summer Training Registration
Registration for the 2017 Summer Training (July 3-8) is open now: $205 for Anaheim; $105 for webcast in L.A. Ask the Lord to increase our number participating in His speaking to the churches in this training on the book of Ezekiel. Deadline to register is April 25 at: http://tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
Our Ultimate Responsibility for God’s Ultimate Recovery
We need to bear the ultimate responsibility related to the world’s ultimate situation, God’s ultimate move, and God’s ultimate recovery. (Special Conference, msg 4, I.)
We in this affluent country (USA) bear a particular responsibility in the ultimate recovery. There is a culture of ease throughout the land. Saints are having the church life on their own terms—Christ and the church and Southern California comfort. Each one needs to turn his heart to the Lord, open to the Lord, and consecrate. Lord, today work Yourself into me, grow in me, saturate me for the Body. Lord, what is my part in this ultimate responsibility? (Special Conference, msg 4, opening word)
Stuttgart
The church in Stuttgart is in need of a meeting hall by the end of June. Please pray that the most suitable location at the most affordable price would be released in a timely manner.
Please pray also that we would be granted favor by the University of Stuttgart administration to meet in an adequate room on campus to have student gatherings and that the Lord would head up all the details related to the preparation for the upcoming spring semester (classes April through July).
Announcements
- Morning revival: Week 6 in The Direction of the Lord’s Move Today (Thanksgiving Conference). Next week we will use Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel (Winter Training).
- Junior High Conference is April 14 to 16 at Oak Glen. Registration is due April 2.
- Spring College Conference is April 14 to 16 in Anaheim. Early registration ends April 2.
- Information about Germany and Europe:
- February 2017 report (2 pages): http://lordsmove.org/oldsite/pdfs/2017SpringGermanyReport.pdf
- Audio (four languages) sharing at Special Conf.: http://lordsmove.org/oldsite/reportspecial2017.html
and graphics shown then: http://lordsmove.org/oldsite/pdfs/GermanyUpdate2017PowerPoint.pdf - Spring trips to serve with refugees or campuses: http://germany.lebensstrom.de
- Blending trips and conferences in October: http://itero2017.amanatrust.org.uk
- Winter Training report (4 pages): http://www.lordsmove.org/pdfs/2016WinterTrngEuropeReport.pdf
- Europe schedule, UK Building Fund, universities: http://lordsmove.org/information.html
- The International Memorial Day Conference will be May 26 to 29 in White Plains, New York. Information about the conference and hotels is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/. Saints from L.A. who plan to attend are asked to RSVP before April 30 at http://www.tinyurl.com/memdayla (adults) and http://www.tinyurl.com/memchildrenla (children).
- There will be a conference in Atlanta May 5 to 7 on the gospel to all the nations. The burden is to find a way to contact, labor among, and gain people of African descent to be part of His expression in the Body. For more information, contact churchinatlanta@gmail.com.