Experiencing Christ as the Shepherd of Our Souls
“For you were like sheep being led astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (1 Pet. 2:25)
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:29)
Because our soul is very complicated, we need Christ, who is the life-giving Spirit in our spirit, to shepherd us in our soul, to take care of our mind, emotion, and will and our problems, needs, and wounds. As our pneumatic Shepherd, Christ takes care of us from within our spirit. His shepherding begins from our spirit and spreads to every part of our soul. From our spirit Christ reaches all the parts of our soul and takes care of us in a tender, organic, all-inclusive way.
As the Shepherd of our souls, the Lord gives rest to our soul. The Lord calls those who are striving to keep the law or struggling to be successful in any work to come to Him for rest. This rest refers not only to being set free from the toil and burden under the law or religion or under any work or responsibility but also to perfect peace and full satisfaction. The rest that we find by taking the Lord’s yoke and learning from Him is an inward rest, a rest for our souls. (Living a Christian Life and Church Life under the Government of God for the Economy of God, msg. 4, II.B, B.1-3, D, D.1-2, 5)
Becoming Praising Persons
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I call out in the day, but You do not answer; and in the night, but there is no rest for me. But You are holy, You who sit enthroned upon the praises of Israel.” (Psa. 22:1-3)
In the Psalms we can touch the most wounded feelings, and in the Psalms we also can find the greatest and highest praises. God uses many hardships, difficulties, and slanders to create praises in His people. He causes them to learn through difficult circumstances to become praising persons before the Lord.
The happiest persons are not always the ones who have the loudest praise. The loudest praise comes very often from the ones who are passing through hardships. This kind of praise is most pleasing to God and is blessed by Him. God does not want men to praise Him only when they are on the mountaintop surveying Canaan, the promised land. God desires much more to see His people writing psalms and praising Him when they “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (23:4). This is genuine praise. (CWWN, vol. 48, “Praising,” p. 248)
Pray that the saints would realize that God uses many hardships, difficulties, and slanders to create praises in His people and causes them to learn through difficult circumstances to become praising persons who offer a sacrifice of praise continually to God.
High School Seniors
During the months of March and April, high school seniors find out which colleges have offered them admission. In the church in Los Angeles, we have 5 brothers and 7 sisters who are graduating from high school this year. Please pray:
- For all of our seniors in LA to be open to the Lord for His leading and to the Body for shepherding fellowship related to their college decision and future.
- For the Lord to place each senior in the best place and situation for them to grow in life and be useful to the Lord for His purpose.
- That the Lord would send open and seeking vessels from around the United States and the world to our college campuses in LA for us to contact and gain for His glory!
FTTA-MA
The spring term of the Middle-age Training in Anaheim began this week on March 17. Please pray for the Lord’s covering and blessing of all the trainees, serving ones, and their families. Pray for the rich infusion of the truth into each trainee and for the Lord’s maturing them through His moving within each one and His using the outward environment.
Spring European University Conference
The European University Students Conference will held this weekend, March 21 to 23, in the Netherlands. The topics is “Daniel and His Companions in Babylon—Choosing to Overcome.” More than 500 people have registered to attend. Please pray:
- For the Lord to keep all who registered in a soft, open condition before Him and prepare them to receive and respond to His word.
- For the Lord to flow through the brothers’ speaking and that the Spirit’s speaking would produce the response the Lord needs in order to hasten His return.
- That the enemy would be bound from every angle and put to an open shame before, during, and after this conference.
- That the Lord would strengthen this young generation into the inner man to choose: (1) to overcome the temptation of the Babylonian diet; (2) to live in the principle of a Nazarite as a holy, voluntary sacrifice to God; (3) to join themselves to God’s desire through His word; (4) to learn in the Body to bind and loose on the earth what has been bound and loosed in the heavens; and (5) to respond to God’s call to become part of the corporate smiting stone that will destroy the great human image and bring in God’s kingdom.
Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (behind Zurich) and the largest city in the French-speaking region of the country. For the past several years, the saints in Geneva have been meeting in Lausanne. However, based on the recent gospel trips, there is a clear sense that the Lord is brooding over Geneva. Please pray for more saints to migrate under the Head and in the Body to strengthen the Lord’s testimony in this key city!
Bangladesh
There is a weekly group meeting for Muslim students interested in reading the Bible. Pray for more students to participate, come to know Christ, receive salvation, and be baptized through reading the Bible.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 4 of Living a Christian Life and Church Life Under the Government of God for the Economy of God (Thanksgiving Conference).
- Bibles for America‘s new blogpost “What Does It Mean to Call on the Name of the Lord?” is available to read and share at blog.bfa.org.
- 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.
- Memorial Day Conference: The 2025 International Memorial Day Blending Conference will be held in Phoenix, AZ at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown from May 23 to 26. Saints in LA who are considering attending in person are asked to RSVP by April 30 at tinyurl.com/memdayla. Details, including recommended hotels at discounted rates, are in the information package on this site.
- Junior High Brothers Conference: March 28 to 30 at Oak Glen.
- High School Brothers Conference: April 11 to 13 at Oak Glen.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.