Prayer, Week of January 24

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Living Christ Habitually

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." (1 Cor. 6:17)

"For to me, to live is Christ." (Phil. 1:21a)

The main point of our Christian life is to live Christ. To live Christ should be our primary goal; all the troubles in our Christian life come because of our not living Christ. We need to practice to live Christ, realizing that He is the life-giving Spirit in our spirit, until we live Christ habitually….

In order to live Christ, we must practice being one spirit with Him, and in order to practice being one spirit with Him, we must exercise our spirit to pray unceasingly. If we pray unceasingly from our spirit, "Lord, live in me; Lord, live through me," we will build up a habit of not living our self but Christ; then we will live Christ habitually. The habit of living Christ is the habit of prayer. Apart from unceasingly praying, we cannot live Christ. It is only by such continual prayer, such breathing prayer, that we can live Christ spontaneously. In order to have such a prayer life, we must watch and pray, praying at every time in spirit, watching unto prayer in all petition, and persevering in prayer. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3485-3486)

LA Campuses

This semester we will be continuing our monthly, online Southern California College meetings on the last Thursday of each month. Our series title is "Vanity, Eternity, and Reality" and our first meeting will be this Thursday, January 28 at 8pm. Pray that the Lord would grant us a strong beginning and would:

  1. Aggressively gather the students to join and even pray for this time;
  2. Spiritually refresh, mutually encourage, and blend the students through their testimonies to one another; and
  3. Minister the word that would strengthen them in their pursuit of Christ.

Baltic-Nordic Blending Conference

This weekend, from January 29 to 31, the Baltic-Nordic Blending Conference will take place online, hosted by the churches in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). The Nordic countries include Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. As in previous years, the plan is to digest five selected messages from the December Semiannual Training. Speaking will be in English and Russian.

Pray for the Lord's rich blessing and for the blending of the participating saints for the building up of the Body of Christ. May the Lord continue to move in these regions and advance in a prevailing way.

Rome, Italy

Please pray for the migration of burdened saints to Rome, one of six designated European cities. Concerning this city, Brother Lee once said, "If there could be a church in Rome with a hundred fifty people who are shining, filled with Christ, and immersed in Christ, the Lord would be able to boast to Satan" (The Kernel of the Bible, p. 192). Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire, where the apostle Paul was martyred and where the enclave of Vatican City is located, the destruction of which is prophesied in the book of Revelation (Rev. 17:16-18). The church in Rome currently has 25 saints. Italian is the last of the major Western European languages that does not yet have the NT Recovery Version. Pray that the Lord will make the necessary arrangements for its translation in the near future.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 2 of The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man (Thanksgiving Conference).
  2. Bibles for America will host a Zoom webinar on January 31 at 2:00 pm entitled "Using the Bibles for America Blog as a Resource to Shepherd People." To attend or get the recording afterward, please register here. There will be a Q&A session, so joining live is encouraged.
  3. The International Chinese-speaking Conference (ICSC) will be held online on February 13 to 14. More details will be provided soon.
  4. LSM Audiobooks are now available in English for a handful of titles on platforms such as Amazon and Audible. Visit http://www.lsm.org/audiobooks.html.
  5. Living to Him has a new podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at http://anchor.fm/livingtohim.
  6. Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

by Ryan Li

Prayer, Week of January 17

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Delivered Out of Culture, Transferred into Christ's Kingdom

"Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ." (Col. 2:8)

"Giving thanks to the Father… who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." (Col. 1:12-13)

The book of Colossians was written because the church in Colossae had been pervaded with culture, and the saints had been distracted from Christ by culture. The enemy of God uses culture to replace Christ; he will try to use the good aspects of culture to replace Christ. (The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man, msg. 1, I, I.B)

In Colossians "the authority of darkness" refers especially to the good aspects of culture and of our natural being. God has delivered us out of all this and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, where we live under a heavenly rule and restriction. Because we love Him, we desire to take Him as our person and as our life. Let us allow the pure Christ to fill our being and replace every aspect of our natural human life with Himself. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 35, 427)

United States

"Let the name of God be blessed from eternity to eternity, for wisdom and might are His. And it is He who changes the times and seasons; He deposes kings and causes kings to ascend." (Dan. 2:20b-21a)

"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)

Pray for the saints to know that the heavens do rule in the midst of the present world situation and that the purpose of God's heavenly ruling is to complete God's elect so that Christ may be preeminent. Pray that a peaceful situation would be kept in the United States and throughout the globe for the word of the Lord's recovery to go out. (http://www.Beseeching.org, Days 128, 117)

Our Young People

This past weekend, young people, serving ones, and parents gathered on Zoom to hear the Lord's speaking in the SoCal YP Blending Conference. The topic was "Faith, Love, and Hope" from 1 Thes. 1:3. From LA, 75 junior high and high school brothers and sisters participated, in addition to parents, college students, and serving ones, and we believe each received precious seeds from the speaking and were refreshed by seeing one another.

Praise the Lord for His rich and timely word! Please pray that the faith of our YP in LA would grow, that they would be rooted and grounded in love, and that their hope would be in the Lord's coming.

Recorded sessions may be viewed at http://www.scyp.com/ypblendingconference.

Bibles for America

In 2020, BfA gave away a record 135,000 copies of the NT Recovery Version to people all over the United States, a 20% increase from 2019's total. They are looking to the Lord to give away even more Bibles in 2021. In addition, BfA is continuing their efforts to spread God's Word through digital channels, and is seeing record traffic to the BfA Blog from all over the world. To read more about BfA's milestones in 2020, please visit the 2020 Year in Review.

Our hearts are full of thanks to the Lord for all He has done. Please pray that He will continue to bless BfA's labor in this new year, and use the difficult outward environment to turn many more people to Him.

Lisbon, Portugal

Please pray for the migration of burdened saints to Lisbon, one of six designated European cities. Lisbon (Portuguese-speaking) is the capital of Portugal, the westernmost country in Europe. It stands out in history for being the port through which the Portuguese expeditions of the Age of Discoveries departed. Today it is one of the great European cultural centers. There is a burden that a church will be established there shortly. There are currently 14 saints meeting in Lisbon.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 1 of The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man (Thanksgiving Conference).
  2. The International Chinese-speaking Conference (ICSC) will be held online on February 13 to 14. More details will be provided at a later time.
  3. LSM Audiobooks are now available in English for a handful of titles on platforms such as Amazon and Audible. Visit http://www.lsm.org/audiobooks.html.
  4. Andrew Yu Memorial Meeting: The 70-minute online memorial meeting hosted by the church in Anaheim on January 8 is still available to be viewed at http://www.memorial-meeting.org.
  5. Living to Him has a new podcast series with excerpts from Brother Andrew's speaking, particularly to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at http://anchor.fm/livingtohim.
  6. Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of January 10

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Sowing with Blessings

"Now He who bountifully supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and cause the fruits of your righteousness to increase. You in everything are being enriched unto all liberality, which works out through us thanksgiving to God." (2 Cor. 9:10-11)

When we sow with blessings to others, we shall reap with blessings from God. Furthermore, the harvest will always far surpass the amount of seed sown. It may be multiplied thirty or even one hundred times. This does not happen miraculously; it takes place according to natural law. God controls the life supply among His children by miracles.

We should sow more and in turn reap more. The goal is not to make ourselves rich. The result is the abounding of thanksgiving to God. I hope that in the time to come many of the saints will become a factor of thanksgiving to God. This means that your giving will abound in much thanksgiving to God. I have the full confidence that if the saints in the Lord's recovery are willing to give, the recovery will never be lacking in material supply. Instead of lack, there will be abounding in thanksgiving to the Lord through many saints. Therefore, let us all practice our giving, a giving which is carried out by gathering and by sowing. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 422, 425-426)

United States

We beseech the Lord as "Head over all things to the church" (Eph. 1:22) to have His way in the United States for the furtherance of His economy and so "that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity" (1 Tim. 2:2).

SoCal Spanish-speaking Conference

This annual Southern California Spanish-speaking Conference will be held online from Friday evening, January 15 to Lord's Day noon, January 17. All messages will be given in Spanish and are open to all the saints. Please note that there will be no English translation this year. Schedule, Zoom links, and outlines will be available starting Wednesday at http://www.socalspanish.org.

May the Lord bless this special time with His presence and His up-to-date speaking!

SoCal YP Blending Conference

The Southern California Young People's Blending Conference will be online from January 15 to 17. May every junior higher and high schooler's heart be open to the Lord. We encourage all the parents, serving ones and college students, to pray that our young people's faith toward God, love toward others, and hope in the Lord's coming would increase day by day.

FTTA-MA

The Middle-age Training in Anaheim did not have classes in 2020 due to the pandemic. In December they announced that they will not have a spring term in 2021. They hope the general availability of the vaccine will allow a fall term in 2021. Please pray that the Lord will restore the environment to normalcy so that the Middle-age Training can be back in session in the fall of next year.

Bibles for America

The BfA Blog has been redesigned with a new look and a more efficient way to find topics of interest. Searching for posts by category or keyword is now quick and seamless. Blog posts are also now easier to share with the addition of text, email, Facebook, and Twitter icons at the bottom of each post and an icon for copying the URL of the post.

Since April of last year, the BfA Blog has averaged 420,000 page views per month, resulting in a record 4.7 million page views for all of 2020. Please pray that this new design would enable more people to find, read, and share blog posts with others. Also pray that the content presented would encourage blog readers to order a Bible and explore more of the online resources BfA offers.

Dublin, Ireland

Please pray for the migration of burdened saints to Dublin, one of six designated European cities. The capital and largest city in Ireland, Dublin is the city in which the Brethren began to meet, and Brother Nee considered the Brethren to be a fulfillment of the church in Philadelphia. As Europe enters a "post-Brexit" stage, Ireland is the most significant country in the European Union with English as its primary language. This offers English-speaking immigrants an ideal landing spot for entry into the church life in Europe. There are currently 40 saints are meeting as the church in Dublin.

Lord's Move to Europe

A two-part update on the Lord's present move in Europe is available as written and video reports at http://amanatrust.org.uk/page/reports.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 5 of Material Offerings and the Lord's Move. Next week, we start The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man (Thanksgiving Conference).
  2. Andrew Yu Memorial Meeting: The 70-minute online memorial meeting hosted by the church in Anaheim on January 8 is still available to be viewed at memorial-meeting.org.
  3. Living to Him has released a new podcast series with excerpts from Brother Andrew's speaking, particularly to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at http://anchor.fm/livingtohim.
  4. Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at https://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings/.
  5. Radio broadcast in Spanish: El Estudio-vida de la Biblia con Witness Lee is broadcast Mondays through Fridays, 9:00 to 9:30 pm, and Lord’s Days, 6:00 to 6:30 am. LA County 100.3 FM; San Fernando Valley and Ventura County 90.3 FM.

by Ryan Li

Prayer, Week of January 3

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Material Offerings for the Lord's Move

"I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you... for your fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now." (Phil. 1:3-5)

"And the heart and soul of the multitude of those who had believed was one; and not even one said that any of his possessions was his own, but all things were common to them." (Acts 4:32)

It is a great thing to have fellowship unto the gospel. Unto the gospel means for the furtherance of the gospel. All the full-timers who remain in their jobs and businesses need to have this kind of fellowship, a fellowship for the furtherance of the Lord's move through those who do not remain in businesses and jobs but who are occupied all day with preaching and teaching for the spreading of the Lord's kingdom….

The tithing of ten percent to the Lord is altogether an Old Testament thing, belonging to the law. There was no grace, life, or life power in that. We must be different. We are in the age of grace, which provides us with much supply of life. The dynamic salvation was accepted by Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10. Immediately after being saved, that sinner gave up so much of his worldly possessions. That was not a tithing of ten percent; that was the very issue of the dynamic salvation. Likewise, on the day of Pentecost all those small members had everything in common (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35). This was not one tenth of their possessions but one hundred percent. They put everything at the feet of the apostles, that is, at the Lord's disposal. That was wonderful. We are in the Lord's recovery; even this matter has to be recovered. (Elders' Training, Book 8: The Life-Pulse of the Lord's Present Move, ch. 9)

A New Beginning

Pray that at the start of this new year the saints would enter into the spiritual significance of the new year by spending time with the Lord to have a proper ending, a new preparation, and a new beginning in Him. Pray that the saints would experience a spiritual new year in the principle of death and resurrection, letting all of the old things of the past year come to an end and being terminated in order to have a new beginning, a good beginning, in resurrection. (Beseeching.org, Days 194, 196)

United States

With an important Senate runoff election in Georgia this week and the Presidential Inauguration later this month, we beseech the Lord as "Head over all things to the church" (Eph. 1:22) to have His way for the furtherance of His economy and so "that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity" (1 Tim. 2:2).

Oak Glen

Due to the pandemic Oak Glen has not been able to host guests for the past 9 months. We are using funds that were set aside for improvement projects to pay for the monthly operating expenses. We have reduced our monthly expenses where possible to help conserve the funds on hand.

To date the saints have given $6,372,135 and there is a remaining target of $1,525,000 which we hope the churches in Southern California can meet. This amount will go toward needed and planned improvements for the property including new cabins and a new 300-plus-seat multiple-purpose building.

The remaining giving goal for the church in Los Angeles is $150,000 by the end of 2021. Saints can make their offerings on a one-time or regular basis through the church app by selecting the 'Oak Glen' designation within the app. Saints are encouraged to plan for their giving over the next 12 months.

Our trust is in the Lord that we can continue to pay the monthly expenses and also improve the blending center for the saints.

Brussels, Belgium

Please pray for the migration of burdened saints to Brussels, one of six designated European cities. Brussels (French-speaking) is the capital of Belgium, and also the de facto capital of the European Union and the European headquarters of several major international agencies. The church in Brussels has 55 saints. Because the antichrist will use Europe at the end of this age, it is crucial that the Lord have a strong testimony in this city!

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 4 of Material Offerings and the Lord's Move. After Week 5, we will start The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man.
  2. Memorial Meeting for Andrew Yu: Our beloved and faithful brother Andrew Yu departed to be with the Lord on December 20. The church in Anaheim will host an online memorial meeting for our brother this Friday, January 8 at 5:00 pm. You can select English, Chinese, Korean, or Spanish. Go to memorial-meeting.org and the meeting will automatically begin at 5:00 pm. This link will continue to be active following the initial streaming for any who were not able to view it at the scheduled time.
  3. SoCal Spanish-speaking Conference will be held January 15 to 17. Zoom information will be available closer to the time. Please note that this year's conference will be held in Spanish only.
  4. Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
  5. Church App: The church in LA has designed a convenient phone/tablet app for the saints of all ages to stay informed with updates and helpful resources. Download at http://www.tinyurl.com/CILAapp.
  6. Church YouTube: Visit http://www.youtube.com/churchinlosangeles for videos from the morning revival, ministry series, and hymns. Feel free to share them with your friends or on social media.

by Ryan Li

Prayer, Week of December 27

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Gaining Christ to the Fullest Extent

"But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is out of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith." (Phil. 3:7-9)

God's purpose in dealing with those who love Him is that they may gain Him to the fullest extent, surpassing the loss of all that they have other than Him, that He might be expressed through them for the fulfillment of His purpose in creating man.

God's purpose in dealing with His holy people is that they would be emptied of everything and receive only God as their gain. He wants His people to gain Him, to partake of Him, to possess Him, and to enjoy Him more and more, rather than all other things, until their enjoyment reaches the fullest extent for them to become the New Jerusalem. (Crystallization-study of Job, msg. 1, VI, II.D.3)

All Things Working Together for Good

Romans 8:28 declares, "we know that all things work together for good to those who love God." The current upswing of the pandemic is very difficult for those who do not daily love and contact God. But divine history is hidden in this human history. During this time, however long it lasts, let us pray that:

  1. We will not wait passively for a better outward situation;
  2. The Lord will strip away more of our natural man and impart more of Himself into us; and
  3. Many people will receive the gospel and turn to pursue the Lord.

A Renewed Consecration

Pray that as we enter into a new year all the saints would see God's need to give Himself to us and dispense Himself into us for the building up of the church, and that they would respond to God's need with a fresh consecration. (http://www.Beseeching.org, Day 190)

Oak Glen

Due to the pandemic Oak Glen has not been able to host guests for the past 9 months. We are using funds that were set aside for improvement projects to pay for the monthly operating expenses. We have reduced our monthly expenses where possible to help conserve the funds on hand.

To date the saints have given $6,372,135 and there is a remaining target of $1,525,000 which we hope the churches in Southern California can meet. This amount will go toward needed and planned improvements for the property including new cabins and a new 300-plus-seat multiple-purpose building.

The remaining giving goal for the church in Los Angeles is $150,000 by the end of 2021. The saints are able to make their offerings on a one-time or regular basis through the church app by selecting the "Oak Glen" designation within the app. We encourage the saints to contribute in the final week of this year 2020 and also to plan for their giving over the coming 12 months.

Our trust is in the Lord that we can continue to pay the monthly expenses and also improve the blending center for the saints.

Bibles for America

2020 has been a groundbreaking year for Bibles for America. Thanks to your faithful prayers, we have been able to continue spreading God's Word not only in the U.S., but also around the world. Below are some of our highlights, which you can read more about on our Year in Review page:

Our hearts are full of praise and thanksgiving to our Savior God for all He's done in 2020. And we trust that through your continued petitions, prayers, and intercessions, He will use BfA to reach even more people with His Word in the coming year.

Barcelona, Spain

Please pray for the migration of burdened saints to Barcelona, one of six designated European cities. Barcelona is a Spanish- and Catalan-speaking city located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Recognized for its cultural, financial, commercial, and historical importance, it is the second-most populous city in Spain and the fifth-most populous metropolitan area in the European Union. About 30 saints meet regularly in the church in Barcelona, which took the ground in 2008. The church life is healthy, faithful to the ministry, and steadfast.

For a detailed presentation, go to: https://www.lordsmove.org/pdfs/Barcelona_Spain_2020-Eng.pdf

European Winter School of Truth

The European Winter School of Truth for young people is currently taking place online from December 26 to January 2. The general subject is "The Bible—The Word of God." Please pray for the the young people's participation and openness. Pray also for the spiritual relationship between parents and their children to be strengthened.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 3 of Material Offerings and the Lord's Move.
  2. Memorial Meeting for Andrew Yu: Our beloved and faithful brother Andrew Yu departed to be with the Lord on December 20. The church in Anaheim will host an online memorial meeting for our brother on Friday, January 8, 2021, at 5:00 pm. Details will be provided in the coming days.
  3. Ways to Give: Information on setting up online giving through Subsplash, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
  4. Church App: The church in LA has designed a convenient phone/tablet app for the saints of all ages to stay informed with updates and helpful resources. Download at http://www.tinyurl.com/CILAapp.
  5. Church YouTube: Visit http://www.youtube.com/churchinlosangeles for videos from the morning revival, ministry series, and hymns. Feel free to share them with your friends or on social media.

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of December 20

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LA Semiannual Video Training

The church in LA's Semiannual Video Training is taking place this week on the books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Please pray for the saints to receive and respond to the Lord's burden in His up-to-date speaking.

Bibles for America

Our hearts are full of thanks to the Lord for all He has done through Bibles for America in 2020. We have given away more free Bibles throughout the United States in a single year than ever before. We have also witnessed increasing traffic to our resources (which are available to people around the globe), including our blog posts, free e-books, and videos.

We invite you to read our 2020 Year in Review and join us in praising and thanking the Lord for all He's done, particularly during these difficult times. May His Word continue to spread and bring true hope and peace to people everywhere.

Persevering in Prayer

The website http://beseeching.org is a wonderful resource to help the saints to persevere in daily intercessory prayer. Daily posts consist of suggested prayer burdens based on Bible verses and portions from the ministry. Those who wish to receive a daily email can subscribe on the website.

European Winter School of Truth

The European Winter School of Truth, for young people ages 12 to 18, will be online December 26 to January 2. The general subject is "The Bible—The Word of God." Please pray for the saints preparing for the WST, the willingness of all the YP to participate, and for the Lord's specific shepherding of each one.

Europe

Please continue to pray for the raising up of the Lord's testimony in major European cities, including Lisbon, Portugal; Vienna, Austria; Thessaloniki, Greece; Belgrade, Serbia; Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland; Sevilla and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Tirana, Albania; Gdansk, Poland; Malta; and Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Enjoy training verses or repeat Week 12 of Jeremiah and Lamentations.
    Beginning December 28, we will use Material Offerings and the Lord's Move for three weeks, then The All-Inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man (Thanksgiving Conf.).
  2. Ways to Give: Information about the church's new online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
  3. Church App: The church in LA has designed a convenient phone/tablet app for the saints of all ages to stay informed with updates and helpful resources. Download at http://www.tinyurl.com/CILAapp.
  4. Church YouTube: Visit http://www.youtube.com/churchinlosangeles for videos from the morning revival, ministry series, and hymns. Feel free to share them with your friends or on social media.

by Ryan Li

Prayer, Week of December 13

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The Law of the Spirit of Life for God's Economy

"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares Jehovah: I will put My law in their inward parts and write it upon their hearts…" (Jer. 31:33)

"For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death." (Rom. 8:2)

Romans 8, the subject of which is the law of the Spirit of life, may be considered the focus of the entire Bible and the center of the universe; thus, if we are experiencing Romans 8, we are in the center of the universe. The center, the centrality, of the new covenant is the inner law of life; the law of the divine life, the law of the Spirit of life, is the automatic principle and the spontaneous power of the divine life. God is in us now as a law that operates automatically, spontaneously, and unconsciously to free us from the law of sin and of death; this is one of the biggest discoveries, even recoveries, in God's economy.

Ultimately, our enjoyment of the indwelling Spirit as the automatic law of the divine life, the law of the Spirit of life, is in the Body of Christ and for the Body of Christ with the goal of making us God in life, nature, and expression but not in the Godhead to accomplish the goal of His eternal economy—the New Jerusalem. (Crystallization-Study of Jeremiah and Lamentations, msg. 12, III.D, A, D.1, VI)

Semiannual Video Training – Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes

The church in LA's Semiannual Video Training begins Monday, December 21. Please pray for the saints to receive and respond to the Lord's burden in His up-to-date speaking. Ask the Lord to prepare all who have registered to be good listeners and absorbers of the word, and to fully participate in study times. Lord, impart more of Yourself into us for the fulfillment of Your purpose!

LA YP Parents & Serving Ones Time

This Thursday, December 17 from 8:00 to 9:00 pm, we will have an all-LA YP Parents & Serving Ones Time. We will use this time to open to the Lord in prayer, receive a fresh burden for our young people, and have helpful fellowship about how to care for the next generation among us. Contact the local serving ones in your area for the Zoom link and passcode.

Please pray that the Lord would bless this time and lead us in the church in Los Angeles.

LA Campuses

Pray for the Lord to be exhibited and for all of the students to be mutually encouraged at the UCLA end-of quarter meeting this Saturday, December 19. Also, pray for all of the college students in LA during their winter break, that they would continue to pursue the Lord day by day and remain in the fellowship with the saints throughout the break.

LA Migrations

Ken and Sylvie Day and their youngest son Daniel are returning to Lyon, France after being away for 9 years. They will leave Santa Clarita on December 15 for Knoxville to visit another son. Then, in mid-January, they will travel to France. They are so grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to return and participate in the church life and labor there. Steffen, the oldest son, has already been in Lyon since August to pursue a master's degree and is going on with the church there.

Lord, strengthen and enlarge the church life in Lyon and in the surrounding cities!

FTTA Graduation

"Because out from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). The virtual graduation for the FTTA Fall Class of 2020 is this Saturday, December 19 at 10:00 am, followed by a recognition of the FTTA-xB (Boston Extension) at 12:00 pm. The video links will be at http://www.ftta.org. Please pray for:

  • the Lord's leading of all 42 FTTA graduating trainees to follow the Lamb wherever He may go;
  • the wisdom of the brothers in planning for how the Spring term would be carried out;
  • many college graduates and young working saints to answer God's call to go to the FTTA next term.

Bibles for America

Bibles for America is responding to the desperate need for the gospel to be preached by increasing our gospel video production. Here are some of the titles we will release later this month and in early January on our website and YouTube channel: "The Deep Significance of the Birth of Jesus Christ," "Why We Need to Preach the Gospel," "Preaching the Gospel with BfA Resources," "The Greatest Truth in the Universe," "Jesus, the Real Solution to Our Problem."

Please pray that these videos will be widely viewed by many hungry sinners. Pray also that they will effectively convey the gospel of Jesus Christ and bring many to salvation!

Tübingen, Germany

The public administration in Tübingen has issued a permit to the saints to distribute Bibles from December 18 to 19. Please pray for the sweeping Spirit to begin to operate until it finds some local seeking households, and for the coordination among the saints to carry this out as a priesthood.

European Winter School of Truth

The European Winter School of Truth, for young people ages 12 to 18, will be online December 26 to January 2. The general subject is "The Bible - The Word of God." Please pray for the saints preparing for the WST, the willingness of all the YP to participate, and for the Lord's specific shepherding of each one.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 12 of Crystallization-study of Jeremiah and Lamentations.
    After the semiannual training, beginning December 28, we will use Material Offerings and the Lord's Move for three weeks.
  2. Ways to Give: Information about the church's new online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
  3. New Church App: The church in LA has designed a convenient phone/tablet app for the saints of all ages to stay informed with updates and helpful resources. Download at http://www.tinyurl.com/CILAapp.
  4. Church YouTube: Visit http://www.youtube.com/churchinlosangeles for videos from the morning revival, ministry series, and hymns. Feel free to share them with your friends or on social media.

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of December 6

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Shepherds according to God's Heart

"Jehovah is my Shepherd; I will lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside waters of rest. He restores my soul…" (Psa. 23:1-3)

"…Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My lambs… Shepherd My sheep… Feed My sheep." (John 21:15-17)

To shepherd is to take all-inclusive, tender care of the flock. All believers, regardless of their stage of spiritual growth, need shepherding.

All of us need to be under the organic shepherding of Christ and be one with Him to shepherd others. We need to shepherd the flock of God according to the Father's loving and forgiving heart and according to the Son's seeking, finding, and shepherding spirit. We are both sheep and shepherds, shepherding and being shepherded in mutuality; through this mutual shepherding, the Body builds itself up in love. (Crystallization-study of Jeremiah and Lamentations, msg. 11, V.A-E)

Semiannual Video Training

Please pray for the pre-recording of the messages for the upcoming semiannual training. Pray that the ministering brothers will be richly anointed and strengthened by the sevenfold intensified speaking Spirit to release a timely word to the recovery from Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Pray also for the technical matters and for the preparation of the saints to receive and respond to the Lord's burden in His word.

SoCal Chinese-speaking Gospel Meeting

This Saturday, December 12, there will be a Chinese-speaking gospel meeting for all the churches in Southern California, held in two sessions: 5:00 to 6:00 pm and 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Live streaming of the these sessions will be at http://thenewman.org/2020gospel. Please pray:

  • For the Lord to bind the strong man and release many gospel friends to attend.
  • For the Lord to soften the hearts of the gospel friends to receive salvation and be baptized.
  • For the meetings to go smoothly without any technical frustrations.

Bibles for America

BfA's Share the Good News website has been gaining more traction over the past few months. Most recently, from October 21 to November 17, the page traffic has shown some encouraging statistics, including 2,714 visits by 1,525 users.

Please pray that those visiting this page would continue to share the tracts, videos, and blog posts with others. Pray also that recipients of these materials would respond to the high gospel and be saved.

Europe

The United Kingdom is supposed to leave the European Union at the end of this month. Please pray for a relationship between the UK and the EU that will not hinder blending among the churches, visitation by the co-workers, or participation in train­ings and conferences in the UK and continental Europe.

Lord's Move to Africa

The December 2020 online newsletter introduces the Lord's move in the western part of the African continent. Lampstands have been established in 6 of the 15 countries in this region (Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Sierre Leone, Togo and Benin) with approximately 2,700 saints in the church life in 54 localities. There are saints in Burkina Faso pursuing the ministry, and our prayer is that the Lord will recover the lampstand in Liberia. Read more at http://www.lmafrica.org/newsletter.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 11 of Crystallization-study of Jeremiah and Lamentations.
    After the semiannual training, beginning December 28, we will use Material Offerings and the Lord's Move for three weeks.
  2. New Church App: The church in LA has designed a convenient phone/tablet app for the saints of all ages to stay informed with updates and helpful resources. Download at http://www.tinyurl.com/CILAapp.
  3. New Online Platform for Giving: Information about the church's new online giving platform, Subsplash Giving, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
  4. Church YouTube: Visit http://www.youtube.com/churchinlosangeles for videos from the morning revival, ministry series, and hymns. Feel free to share them with your friends or on social media.

by Ryan Li

Prayer, Week of November 29

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The All-inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Our Culture

"Because in Him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lordships or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and unto Him. And He is before all things, and all things cohere in Him; and He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things." (Col. 1:16-18)

The kind of Christ who replaces culture is the all-inclusive, extensive Christ, the preeminent One, the centrality and universality of God's economy. The Christ who can replace our culture and become everything to us is the all-inclusive, extensive Christ.

In His salvation God not only saves us from sin, judgment, the lake of fire, the world, and the self; He also saves us from everything that replaces Christ, including our culture. The all-inclusive, extensive Christ is in us, and we need to allow Him to fill our entire being and replace our culture with Himself.

When we have the vision of the all-inclusive, extensive Christ, experience Him as our life and the constituent of our entire being, and live Him instead of our culture, the one new man will appear among us in a practical way, and we will realize the life of the new man. (Thanksgiving Conference, msg. 1, VI.A,C,D; Key Statement 2)

Semiannual Video Training Registration

For saints in Los Angeles and Santa Clarita, the upcoming Semiannual Video Training will be from December 21 to 26 for English, Chinese, and Korean, and December 21 to 28 for Spanish. Registration must be completed by Tuesday, December 1. The cost is $125 per person (no shared seating). Details are at http://tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla.

This training will be a Crystallization-study of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. May the Lord gather us, His people, to enlighten us, deal with us, and infuse us with more of Himself. May we all prepare ourselves and exercise to maintain a high training atmosphere in LA to receive the Lord's timely speaking. Pray for the speaking brothers that the burden of this training may be fully released.

SoCal Chinese-speaking Gospel Meeting

"For to this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe." (1 Tim. 4:10)

On Saturday, December 12, there will be a Chinese-speaking gospel meeting for all the churches in Southern California. Please pray for the saints' contacting of their relatives and acquaintances to invite them to this meeting. Pray according to the desire of our Savior God that all men would be saved and would come to the full knowledge of the truth.

LA Migrations

Over the years, many saints in LA have migrated to other parts of the country and the world for the sake of the Lord's move; our recent history is no different. Periodically, we will use this space to mention and pray for saints and families who have migrated out of LA for the sake of the Lord's move elsewhere.

Last week, we prayed for the Du Plooy family who migrated to Pretoria, South Africa to continue serving the Lord there. In particular, we asked the Lord to release the best housing arrangement for the church life. We have received this update: Hannes and Heidi have found a place to live and will begin moving in on December 1, just a few weeks after their arrival. Thank you, saints, for your prayers!

Iberian Peninsula Conference

This year's Iberian Peninsula Conference will be held online from December 5 to 6. The fellowship will be based on messages given by Brother Lee in 1992 on the overcomers. Please pray that the Lord will enable many to join and for the Lord to abundantly bless this time for His move in the Iberian Peninsula.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

The first Lord's table in Amsterdam will take place this weekend. There is a desperate need for an established testimony in this city. Rather than wait an unknown period of time for the easing of travel and meeting restrictions, the saints will gather in Amsterdam and invite everyone else to participate and support them via Zoom. The link is http://bit.ly/thechurchinamsterdam; the time is this Lord's Day, December 6 at 3:00 pm (Amsterdam), 6:00 am (Los Angeles).

Please pray for a strong beginning of the church life and the raising up of a golden lampstand for the testimony of Jesus in this important European city. Praise the Lord!

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: REPEAT Week 10 of Crystallization-study of Jeremiah and Lamentations.
  2. New Church App: The church in LA has designed a convenient phone/tablet app for the saints to stay informed with updates, videos, and other helpful resources. Download at http://www.tinyurl.com/CILAapp.
  3. New Online Platform for Giving: Information about the church's new online giving platform, Subsplash Giving, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
  4. Church YouTube: Visit http://www.youtube.com/churchinlosangeles for videos from the morning revival, ministry series, and hymns. Feel free to share them with your friends or on social media.

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of November 22

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Praying for Recovery

"For thus says Jehovah, When seventy years are fulfilled for Babylon, I will visit you and establish My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think about you, declares Jehovah, thoughts of peace and not for evil, to give you a latter end and a hope." (Jer. 29:10-11)

Jeremiah prophesied that the captivity of Israel in Babylon would be for seventy years. The word about seventy years was a comfort to Jeremiah, assuring him that the miserable situation of his country and his people, of the temple and the city, would last only seventy years.

Because Daniel understood the prophecies in Jeremiah 25:11-12 and 29:10-14 concerning the seventy years of Israel's captivity, he set his face "toward the Lord God to seek Him in prayer" (Dan. 9:2-3). As God's co-worker on earth, Daniel understood God's will from the Scriptures and prayed for God's will according to the Scriptures. (Crystallization-study of Jeremiah and Lamentations, msg. 10, III, A, C, 1)

Now the Lord wants to recover the experience of the riches of Christ. He wants not only to call His faithful people out of Babylon and back to the proper church life, but also to recover and bring back all the different aspects of Christ which have been lost. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 2453)

Thanksgiving Conference

The general subject of the upcoming 2020 International Thanksgiving Conference is "The All-Inclusive, Extensive Christ Replacing Culture for the One New Man." For the church in Los Angeles, we will gather by languages on Zoom to enjoy the messages together.

The English-speaking schedule will be as follows at http://tinyurl.com/laconfmeeting:

Meeting 1: Friday, November 27…………... 10:00 AM
Meeting 2: Friday, November 27…………..... 7:30 PM
Meeting 3: Saturday, November 28………. 10:00 AM
Meeting 4: Saturday, November 28………... 7:30 PM
Meeting 5: Lord's Day, November 29……. 10:00 AM
Meeting 6: Lord's Day, November 29……... 4:00 PM

We are looking to the Lord and expecting Him to use the current world situation to do something extraordinary among us during this time. Please pray for the release of His Word through this ministry. Let us prepare ourselves for this upcoming time of ministry and sanctify these days for the hearing of faith among us. Pray for the Lord's blessing upon this conference. May it turn out to be a real memorial among us to the shame of God's enemy and to the glory of God's grace!

Semiannual Video Training Registration

For saints in Los Angeles and Santa Clarita, the schedule will be December 21 to 26 for English, Chinese, and Korean, and December 21 to 28 for Spanish. The registration deadline is next Tuesday, December 1; the cost is $125 per person. Details are at http://tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla.

LA Migrations

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Over the years, many saints in LA have migrated to other parts of the country and the world for the sake of the Lord's move; our recent history is no different. Periodically, we will use this space to mention and pray for saints and families who have migrated out of LA for the sake of the Lord's move elsewhere.

In mid-November, Hannes and Heidi du Plooy from Hall 5 moved to Pretoria, South Africa to continue serving the Lord there. Thank you, saints, for your prayers! They had a smooth journey and Niels, their young son, did very well. Please continue to pray for their adjustment. They are currently staying with Hannes's parents while looking for a place to live within the next two months. Pray for the Lord to release the best housing arrangement for their transition and for the church life.

Bibles for America

Recently, an increased number of saints in the churches have registered with http://materials.bfa.org to order gospel tracts, Bible offer cards, and other distribution materials from BfA. Many churches have also placed orders for Bibles and books for physical distributions wherever possible. We're thankful to the Lord for the saints' desire to spread the Word of God in spite of ongoing environmental restrictions.

Please pray that the Lord would bless every Bible, book, tract, and offer card that gets passed out. Pray also that we all would be priests of the gospel during this difficult time when people are hungry for the life and peace found in God's Word.

Honduras

Please pray for the Lord to continue to protect His interests, including the saints and the churches, in Honduras, Nicaragua, and the rest of Central America. Pray for the gospel of the kingdom to be proclaimed and the hearts of the people to be open to receive it.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 10 of Crystallization-study of Jeremiah and Lamentations. We will REPEAT Week 10 after the Thanksgiving Conference.
  2. Ministry & Gospel: The fall series on "Genesis: A Book of Seeds" concluded last Lord's Day, November 22. All videos may be viewed and shared at http://youtube.com/churchinlosangeles.
  3. The December Semiannual Training for saints in LA will be held online beginning Monday, December 21. Registration ($125) at http://tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla closes on December 1.
  4. New Online Platform for Giving: Information about the church's new online giving platform, Subsplash Giving, as well as where to mail checks while our meeting halls are closed, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.

by Ruolin Fan