Many Sons Being Conformed to the Image of the Firstborn Son
“Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers.” (Rom. 8:29)
“…It was fitting for Him…in leading many sons into glory…For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of One, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brothers.” (Heb. 2:10-11)
How can we have divinity? We have it by being regenerated in our spirit by the Spirit of Christ. Through incarnation Christ put humanity upon Himself and thereafter had two natures—the divine nature and the human nature. Through His resurrection and through coming into us as the Spirit, Christ has brought divinity into us. Therefore, we also have two natures—the human nature and the divine nature. By being born of the Spirit, we have become partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). We can say, “Lord, just as You have two natures, so we have two natures also. You are divine and human, and we are human and divine. Hallelujah, we are the same as You! Lord, You have our nature, and we have Yours. You are both divine and human, and we are both human and divine. You are the Head of the Body, and we are the members of the Body. Lord, You are the Son of God, and we are sons of God also.”…
Today we are sons of God, but we do not yet have the full form, the complete shape, of sons of God. Therefore, by growth and transformation we need to be conformed to the image of Christ. Eventually, we will be completely conformed to His image…Praise the Lord that we have the life essence and the life power within us! This life power is shaping us into the image of the Son of God. Through this shaping function of the life power, we will be fully conformed to the image of Christ. (LS Romans, pp. 535-536, 557)
Becoming Living and Active to Gain Remaining Fruit
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and I set you that you should go forth and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you.” (John 15:16)
“Do not be slothful in zeal, but be burning in spirit, serving the Lord.” (Rom. 12:11)
Although we may desire increase, instead of being desperate, we may be lukewarm. If we are not vital, we are either spiritually cold or lukewarm, but if we are vital, we will be burning in spirit and filled with a great burden to gain people (Rom. 12:11; 15:16). This burden will be like a fire burning within us, constraining us to contact people. It will cause us to contact our acquaintances, such as our relatives, neighbors, and other people in the community, in order to “burn” them with the divine fire. We must be burning in spirit in order to burn others. If we are cold or lukewarm, our speaking will have little impact and will not have the effect of burning others, but if we are vital and burning, we will be spiritually “contagious,” able to influence others and gain them. If we are vitalized, we will be not only living and active but also burning and burdened to bear fruit (John 15:16). We will no longer be able to tolerate our barrenness or our failure to contact people in a regular way (vv. 2, 6). If every member in a small group is vitalized, that group will gain significant increase.
Pray that the saints would be enlightened by the Lord to see their barren condition and their desperate need to be made vital—living and active—to gain remaining fruit for the increase and building up of the church, the Lord’s Body. May all the saints be vitalized by becoming living and active so that in all our gatherings, large or small, we may manifest the vitality that will attract others.
ITERO
The April 2025 International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones was held in Anaheim this past weekend, April 4 to 6. The general subject was “One Accord and Crucial Aspects in the Book of Acts.”
The genuine one accord in the church is the practice of the oneness of the Body, which is the oneness of the Spirit. Today we can be in one accord because we have one, all-inclusive vision—the vision of the age. For the Lord’s up-to-date move, all the churches need to be in one accord; we should all voice the same thing, trumpet the same thing, teach the same thing, and be the same in practice. (Msg. 2, I, VII, VIII)
Please pray that the Lord’s timely words of grace would operate in brothers through their spending personal time with Him to review and pray over the messages. Pray for the intensified spreading and building up of the churches throughout the earth as the corporate continuation of the resurrected, ascended, and all-inclusive Christ
SoCal High School Brothers Conference
The Southern California High School Brothers Conference takes place this weekend, April 11 to 13, at Oak Glen. The topic is “A Hidden Life.” Please pray:
- For the Lord to prepare the hearts of each high school brother this week.
- That each one would experience going higher far away from the earthly things to be with the Father privately to have intimate fellowship with Him in a secret way.
- That companionships would be built through spending time together during the conference.
Also pray for the junior high brothers following from their conference two weeks ago, that they would enter into what they heard and also also seek to experience the mingled spirit this week in their daily life and in the church life.
High School Seniors
As we approach the final stretch of the academic calendar, high school seniors are thinking seriously about their future plans after graduation. Many who have applied to colleges across the country are needing to decide which school they will attend in the fall. Let us pray:
- For the Lord to lead and guide our high school seniors in all the churches, including Los Angeles, and place them in a healthy church life wherever they may be.
- That the Lord in His sovereignty as the Leader and Savior would direct many prospective freshmen, transfers, and graduate students to campuses where they may be gained for Christ and the church.
Also pray for UCLA’s Bruin Day this Saturday, April 12, an annual event for admitted students and their families. Ask the Lord for potential incoming students from the churches to connect with us and for many sons of peace to come across our table.
UK Building Project
New video and written reports as of April 2025 on the FTTL training center for all of Europe can be found at amanatrust.org.uk/page/reports. The first phase of demolition and construction has begun. Please pray that the Lord will continue to provide the necessary funds, permissions, and serving ones to carry out the construction in a timely manner to meet the Lord’s need.
Laos
Laos is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia with a population of approximately 8 million. There are currently four local churches, including in the capital, Vientiane.
Please pray for the literature work to be strengthened and for the final proofreading and publication of the Rhema books in the Lao language. Pray for the saints to be perfected in the translation and typesetting of the Bible and spiritual books and for the re-translation and typesetting of the hymns. May these materials become a timely and rich supply to the saints and seekers throughout the country.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 13 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” resumes this week starting at 7:25 pm in Anaheim and at lsmwebcast.com.
- SoCal Spring College Conference: April 18 to 20 in Cerritos.
- Memorial Day Conference: May 23 to 26 in Phoenix, AZ. For LA saints attending in person, please RSVP by April 30 at tinyurl.com/memdayla. More information is linked at that site.
- Semiannual Training: June 30 to July 6 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.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.