One Life and Living with Christ
“I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20a)
“As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.” (John 6:57)
When a person is regenerated, he is not annihilated or destroyed. To be regenerated means to have God added into us. In regeneration we who once did not have God in us now have Him added to us. The very “I” who did not have God in it is over. This is the old “I,” the old man, who has been crucified with Christ. But from the time that we began to appreciate the Lord Jesus and the operating faith began to work in us, this faith brought the processed Triune God into us and added Him to our being. From that time onward, we have had a new “I,” an “I” with God in it. Hence, the new “I” is the old “I” that has become an “I” resurrected with God added to it. Praise the Lord that the old “I” has been terminated, and the new “I” now lives!…
This does not mean that I have been crucified and live no longer and that Christ lives instead of me. On the one hand, Paul says, “no longer I”; on the other hand, he says, “Christ lives in me.” The phrase in me is of great importance. Yes, it is Christ who lives, but it is in us that He lives…
We and Christ do not have two lives. Rather, we have one life and one living…On the one hand, we are terminated; on the other hand, we continue to exist, but we do not live without Him. Christ lives within us, and we live with Him. (Life-study of Galatians, 2nd ed., msg. 10, pp. 82-84)
United States
“I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men; on behalf of kings and all who are in high position, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of our Savior God, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:1-4)
Monday, January 20 was the inauguration of the next president of the United States. Please pray:
- Concerning the new administration in this country, for all those who are in high position at every level of government, for wisdom to rule and make decisions which affect the whole world.
- That the saints would exercise their spirit to see a vision of the throne as the center of God’s administration (Rev. 4:2) and that they would “know that the heavens do rule” (Dan. 4:26) in the midst of the present world situation.
- That the Lord would continue to preserve the United States as a base for His recovery that it may spread throughout the earth so that the church may be built up for the Lord to return (Matt. 16:18).
SoCal Spanish-speaking Conference Overflow
“Surely You are a God who hides Himself…” (Isa. 45:15)
“I will muse upon Your precepts and regard Your ways.” (Psa. 119:15)
At last weekend’s SoCal Spanish-speaking Conference jn Anaheim, the saints were impressed with the matter of having the life of the kingdom by living a hidden life, and seeing that the Lord needs some to live today in the reality of the kingdom. If we do not have such a living, we delay the Lord’s return. We need to ask ourselves, What kind of Christian am I, and how am I living today? Am I spending time with the Lord?
We have been born into the kingdom of God, in which we follow our King by having continual fellowship with Him in secret to grow in life and develop deep roots. For the benefit of the Body, we need to be healthy by spending adequate personal time with the Lord, not only when we are with other saints. Our God and Savior does countless things in the midst of His people and in their personal lives, but He is a God who hides Himself. He likes to hide, whereas we like to be seen.
O Lord, cause us to find our personal “mountain” in any place and at any time, to seek Your precious face, and to muse upon Your Word. Lord, day by day, increase our intimate fellowship with You more!
Pray that the Lord’s hand will follow His word and the saints will enter into all the matters that they heard. May the Lord be merciful and grant them the experiences they need in order to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens in light of His imminent return.
UCLA
This week, UCLA resumes in-person classes on Tuesday after a week of online instruction due to the ongoing fires in Los Angeles. Please pray:
- For the reconnecting with and in-person shepherding of all our students, especially many whom we met during the past fall quarter.
- For the students’ desire to jump back into pursuing the Lord corporately in our weekly activities, especially our on-campus Bible studies, Friday night small groups, and Lord’s Day gatherings.
Hall 4 Retreat
This weekend about 90 saints will be at Oak Glen for our LA Hall 4 retreat, including a good number of new ones. Please pray:
- For the Lord’s personal speaking to each saint concerning spending much time in fellowship with Jesus privately for our growth in life in 2025.
- For the blending together of the saints from all different backgrounds and ages in an atmosphere of love and genuine care.
- For the newer and younger ones attending to be comfortable, sincerely touch the Lord, and be shepherded by all the saints with a view to future fellowship with them.
FTTA Gospel Trips
From January 23 to February 9, FTTA gospel trip teams will go out to 19 countries in Europe and North America to join with local saints for the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. In France alone there will be 50 trainees, including some from FTTL. Please pray:
- That the Lord will fully cover the travel, safety, security, border crossing, and health of all those involved as they begin to make their way to each destination.
- That the Lord will blend and build all the saints involved so that He will have the free way to fully bless these trips.
- That the sanctifying Spirit will go before the saints to prepare the hearts of those the Lord has chosen.
- That the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom will be prevailing and reach all those the Lord desires to save.
- That fruit, even remaining fruit, will be borne in each place visited, and the Lord will add to the churches as His testimony in each of these nations.
For regular updates from the FTTA once the trips begin, go to ftta.org/gospeltrips.
Baltic and Nordic Conference
A Baltic-Nordic Conference, will be held in hybrid mode (in-person in Tallinn, Estonia and online on Zoom) from January 24 to 26. Please pray that many saints, not only from the Baltic States and Nordic countries but also from other Russian- and English-speaking churches, will be able to join the blending fellowship for the building up of the Body of Christ. May the Lord bless this gathering!
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 2 of our guided reading through Galatians.
- Bibles for America‘s latest blogpost, “The First Step in Understanding the Bible,” is available to read and share at blog.biblesforamerica.org.
- 2025 ICSC: The International Chinese-speaking Blending Conference will be hosted by Living Stream Ministry from February 14 to 16 in Anaheim.All the saints are invited and encouraged to attend. Details are available at www.icsc2025.org.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.