Experiencing Christ as God’s Power and God’s Wisdom
“To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place…” (1 Cor. 1:2)
“But we preach Christ crucified…to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor. 1:23-24)
When we call “Lord Jesus,” we are acknowledging that He is the Lord and that we are not the Lord; we are nothing. When we call on the Lord Jesus, we experience and enjoy Him, and His crucifixion terminates us. (The Ministry of the Word, vol. 29, no. 2, p. 67)
When we experience the crucified Christ, He becomes to us both the power of God and the wisdom of God. Since we have the crucified Christ as God’s wisdom, there is no need for us to seek a way to carry out God’s will. Simply by experiencing the crucified Christ, we spontaneously have a way to do God’s will. We become very wise in doing the will of God…As long as you experience the crucified Christ, Christ will become to you the wisdom of God to fulfill His plan. (Life-study of 1 Corinthians, pp. 75-76)
Christ as the power of God strengthens us with a dynamic power, supplying and sustaining us in what we are and what we do. In all our circumstances and conditions, Christ as the power of God enables us to suffer, to bear burdens, and to stand firm. He also sustains us to the point of being unshakable…Christ as the power of God is daily supplying and sustaining us through His divine dispensing. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3121)
May all the saints realize that they have been called to call—that is, called by God to call upon the name of the Lord—in order to experience Christ’s power and wisdom to carry out God’s economy.
SoCal Spring College Conference Follow-up
Thank you for your prayers for the college conference this past weekend. The overall turnout from students in Southern California was higher than in the previous spring. From Los Angeles, around 85 college students attended at least one meeting. The Lord spoke to us in a strong way concerning His eternal purpose for the church.
We need the continued prayers of the saints according to the following points:
- For more prayer, digestion, and vision of God’s eternal purpose through further fellowship, appointments, and gatherings, including in those who only attended some of the messages.
- For the students to grow up into the Head, Christ, to arrive at the oneness of the church in practicality.
- For the students to be perfected to function in their measure as members of the church, the Body of Christ.
West Coast Korean-speaking Conference
The 2025 North America West Coast Korean-speaking Conference is next weekend via Zoom. The two sessions on “One Accord and Crucial Aspects of the Book of Acts” are Saturday, May 3, 6:30 to 9:30 pm and Lord’s Day, May 4, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. For the blending in the Body of Christ, all the saints are invited to participate. Translation from Korean to English will be provided. All detailed information, including schedule and Zoom links, may be found at tinyurl.com/2025westcoast.
Please pray for the Lord to fully release His burden through this re-speaking of the messages from the recent International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones.
France – Francophone Conference in Paris
The annual French-speaking blending conference in Paris will be held this weekend, April 25 to 27. The conference will have five messages on “Chapters 5 through 8 of Romans—the Kernel of the Bible” along with the Lord’s table and a special fellowship session.
Pray for the Lord to cover every aspect of this conference, including the health of the speaking and traveling brothers, and bind any frustration of the enemy. Pray for the Lord to advance in His present move through His up-to-date speaking and the blending of the saints in the French-speaking world. In particular, pray for newer saints and recent contacts to touch the reality of the Body and see a vision of God’s economy and the Lord’s recovery.
France – FTTM-XW Gospel Trips
From April 17 to 28, trainees from the FTTM Warsaw Extension are in France for gospel trips. Their schedule includes daily team coordination, Bible distributions, appointments with contacts, and participation in church meetings, culminating in this weekend’s Francophone Conference in Paris.
Please ask the Lord to supply the trainees richly with His grace and fully cover the travel, safety, security, and health of all participants. Pray for the Lord to blend and build the visiting and local saints together so that He can fully bless these trips. May the saints maintain the one accord by prayer, the Spirit, and the Word for the furtherance of God’s move. Lord, gather and gain your loving seekers in French-speaking Europe to be Your testimony and Your Bride!
Ethiopia
There will be a blending conference in Addis Ababa from April 26 to 27 for the churches in Ethiopia. Close to 1,000 saints from all over the country are expected to attend. Currently, there are 11 lampstands in Ethiopia. The subject of the conference is “Chapters 5 through 8 of Romans—the Kernel of the Bible.”
Please pray for the Lord to release His word to His people for the furtherance of His move in Ethiopia and the preparation of His Bride. Also pray for all practical matters, including transportation and hospitality.
Pakistan
Since 2012, the Lord has raised up four lampstands and over 325 saints in this predominantly Muslim country with the world’s fifth-largest population (over 241 million). Two saints have recently graduated and returned from the FTT Malabon in the Philippines, and have begun serving in a fifth locality, Faisalabad, where the burden is to raise up a lampstand. Since November 2024, the saints have begun distributing Rhema books on university campuses to contact students and find the seeking ones.
Until the end of this month, two co-workers from Taiwan and nine full-time trainees from Hong Kong are on gospel trips in Pakistan. Please pray for many local saints to rise up and coordinate with the visiting saints to serve as one heavenly team. Through this short time of propagation, may the Lord gain seeking young people on the campuses and key families in the communities for His testimony in Pakistan.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 15 of Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2), vol. 3.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The series on “The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul’s Epistles—Ephesians” continues this week starting at 7:25 pm in Anaheim and at lsmwebcast.com.
- SCYP Sixth Grade Conference: May 2 to 4 at Oak Glen. A preparation meeting will be held online on April 26. Please contact serving ones for more information.
- Memorial Day Conference: May 23 to 26 in Phoenix, AZ. General subject is “The Preparation of the Bride.” For LA saints attending in person, please RSVP by April 30 at tinyurl.com/memdayla. More information is linked at that site, including the child care registration form.
- Semiannual Training: June 30 to July 5 in Anaheim. For LA saints, registration is open until April 30 (live) and June 15 (video) at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla. Past issues of LSM’s digital newsletter contain helpful fellowship on the burden for semiannual trainings, the need for training and regulations, and the purpose of training donations.
- Bibles for America‘s recent blogpost “What Does It Mean to Be Saved ‘Much More’ in Romans 5:10?” is available to read and share at blog.bfa.org. Helpful videos are also available at bfa.org/videos.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.