This prayer email is composed from the speaking Lord’s Day morning in the joint meeting of the church in LA. Let’s pray ourselves into these burdens and have them become part of our living. Let’s not discard this page after the prayer meeting. You can also listen to the speaking at http://tinyurl.com/LAnextgen.
Looking Away Unto Jesus to Enter the Good Land (Heb. 12:2)
“Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” (Num. 13:30)
“Let us…run with endurance the race which is set before us, looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.” (Heb. 12:1-2)
The things that happened with the children of Israel in the wilderness are an example to us, for our learning (1 Cor. 10). In Numbers 13 the children of Israel were journeying and ready to enter into the land. The spies went into the land for forty days. Ten returned with an evil report, a report of unbelief (Heb. 3:19), but Caleb and Joshua trusted God’s word and were confident that the land could be taken.
Joshua and Caleb had faith, but this did not originate from them. Hebrews 12:2, “Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.” If we spend time with the Author, He writes faith into us.
Another source of faith is the Word. Romans 10:17, “Faith comes out of hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” We need to eat. The Lord is the living bread (John 6:51), the words from the mouth of God are bread (Matt. 4:4), and the enemies are our bread (Num. 14:9).
Most of the giants, the enemies, are not external, but internal. If we look at the giants it can be very discouraging. But when we eat the Lord in His word, we spontaneously overcome the enemies and they become our bread. It is impossible not to have enemies because if we want to possess and enjoy the good land, Satan will not be happy. But the real giant is our fear. We all pass through times of tears but we swallow the giants of bitterness by enjoying the Lord in His word.
Let us be today’s Calebs to declare, “Let us go up at once and possess it [the land].” “Only My servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit and has fully followed Me, will I bring into the land which he entered; and his descendants shall take possession of it” (Num. 14:24). Let us do this for ourselves and for our descendants, our next generation. “Your little ones, whom you said would become plunder, I will bring in, and they will know the land” (Num. 14:31).
The Next Generation Entering the Good Land (Num. 14:31)
Joshua and Caleb were part of the next generation. They were part of the generation that came out of Egypt and were on the pathway to the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a full type of Christ. In comparison to Moses, Joshua was a young man (Exo. 33:11).
Moses was taking the lead among God’s people. But a time was coming, when someone else would have to rise up. This one was Joshua. But Joshua, a young man, needed to be prepared, perfected, raised up, shepherded. He was prepared and shepherded by an older man, by Moses.
The entire next generation needs the older generation to help raise them up, to care for them, to prepare them to stand for the Lord. This next generation includes those from one month old and upward (Num. 3:15)—our children, young people, college students, trainees, and young working adults.
Caleb and Othniel are examples to show us God goes on and as He continues to move, He needs people, and He especially needs young ones, the next generation who have been raised up, prepared, who have learned, who are ready to rise up in God’s time of need.
The young generation needs those of the older generation who have the experience. This is not optional. It’s not the conferences or the big meetings or just the select few serving ones. We all need to rise up to care and raise up the next generation for the church life.
For our prayer, our eyes need to be open to see the preciousness of the next generation. With our eyes being open, we would spend and be utterly spent on behalf of their souls (2 Cor. 12:15). As they are trying to live the godly life, they face giants, most of which we did not know at their age. So as the darts are faced by the next generation, we must take care of them.
They do not need our criticizing them, looking down on them, or holding them to a certain standard, but they do need care. They need a supporting, listening ear. They need perfecting. They need to loving patterns in the home life and church life. May we bring this burden to the Lord in prayer.
New Sixth Grade Believers
Thank the Lord for the spirit of learning and the resulting prayer and coordination that raised up care for the sixth graders since last fall. This was supported by the prayers of the church. Nineteen sixth graders from LA and Santa Clarita received the Lord at the conference last weekend.
Please pray for 1) a definite experience of the Lord in their baptisms, 2) development of a habit of reading the Bible with their family, and 3) the Lord’s preservation of them to be part of the young generation entering the good land!
North America College Training
The North America college training will be July 14 to 20 on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. The subject is “The Jubilee!”. Thus far around 2600 have signed up but there are still about 200 spots open and the final deadline is this Wednesday, May 15. Let us therefore pray that the Lord would release everyone who needs to be there to sign up, especially those who are high school seniors and those who are first time participants. May the Lord fill every one of the 2800 seats!
Oak Glen
The Oak Glen property has been very useful. The sixth grade conference was held at Oak Glen. Our young people conferences, college conferences, and many of the halls have gone there for retreats.
It is very important that we pay off the loan as soon as possible so that we can invest in improvements at the camp. So far the church in LA has contributed about $450,000. The target is additional $250,000 by the end of this year. We open this to the saints, to go to the Lord, and open to the Lord, and to take this opportunity to experience grace in giving. You may give to the church designated for Oak Glen or go to https://socalblendingcenter.org/donate/.
Southern California Blending Conference
This conference will be June 8 and 9 in Anaheim. Meetings will be Saturday 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and Lord’s Day 10:00 am with simultaneous children’s meetings. Translation will be provided; bring your FM radios. Information is at http://www.socalblending.org.
We urge all the saints to reserve this time to gather together for corporate blending and to enter into the Lord’s present speaking to the churches in Southern California. May the God of peace be with all the saints. There will not be meetings in LA on June 9.
More specific instructions will be forthcoming regarding children’s registration.
Announcements
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Morning Revival: REPEAT Week 11 of Crystallization-Study of Numbers, vol. 2.
Beginning Monday, May 20: Week 12 of Crystallization-Study of Numbers, vol. 2.
Beginning Monday, May 27: REPEAT week 12 to prophesy June 2.
Beginning Monday, June 3: The Development of the Kingdom of God in the Christian Life and the Church Life (April 2019 ITERO). -
Audio of the May 12 joint meeting of the church in LA is available at http://tinyurl.com/LAnextgen.
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July 2019 Semiannual Training is July 1 to 6. Registration for the live sessions in Anaheim is closed. Registration for webcasts in LA ($105) due by June 11 at http://tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
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Please reserve August 9 to 17 for the 2019 Summer School of Truth.
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Memorial Day Conference will be May 24 to 27 in Seattle. For saints from LA, if you have not yet RSVP’d, please do so at http://tinyurl.com/memdayla (adults) and http://tinyurl.com/memchildrenla (children). Conference and hotel information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.