Prayer, Week of October 22

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Church in Los Angeles

"But to Him who is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen." (Eph. 3:20-21)

"The church is a group of people who allow God to be mingled with them and who are mingled with God. This was the situation with the early apostles. They were truly Galileans, but they were also truly one with the God of heaven; they had the appearance of Galileans, but they also had the expression of the God of heaven… A glorious and great God was now mingled with common people, shining forth and being expressed through them." (WL, The Church as the Body of Christ, pp. 46-47)

The whole church in Los Angeles—with all of our halls, districts, and languages—will come together from 9:30 am to 12 noon on Lord's Day, October 29, to blend together as the Lord's one testimony in this city. It has been one year since we had such a gathering. This joint meeting will take place at the LA Convention Center. Plan to arrive by 9:15 am to allow time for parking and walking to the room.

Please pray that the Lord would gather all of the saints from all parts of the city to praise Him, to become of one accord for His move, and to be the new man, where Christ is all and in all!

High School Conferences

The Fall 2017 High School Conferences will be this weekend, October 27 to 29. The brothers' conference will take place in Anaheim; sisters' conference in Irvine. Please pray for the Lord to freshly appear to each young person.

The Recovery of the Church

The subject of ITERO was The Recovery of the Church. Some outlines from ITERO were also the base for the eight regional conferences October 14-15 in Europe. Briefly, the recovery of the church is the recovery of Christ as our life to saturate us, transform us, and head us up so that we live out the reality of His Body and be His corporate expression.

Ask the Lord to fill us all with this vision of the church and to bring us into this reality.

This Saturday there will be an all-day meeting for Southern California elders and responsible brothers; the primary purpose of this gathering is to review the nine messages from ITERO. Please ask the Lord to release many brothers to attend and to bless the fellowship for the building up of the churches in Southern California.

Germany

In the first week of Bible distributions, about 300 saints participated and 17,366 Bibles, mostly Recovery Version NTs in German, were distributed in 53 cities. In the second week, focused strongly on college campuses, more NTs were distributed and many contacts begun with students. Numerous encounters with open, seeking Germans occurred. Some people asked for further contact, and all the recipients have a website through which they can request further contact.

Please pray that the brooding Spirit would operate in all the recipients to read His Word, to touch life in His Word, to desire further fellowship, and then to fully enter into the church life.

Pray also that the events in recent weeks would lay a foundation for raising up many local churches in Germany.

Announcements

  • Morning revival: Week 17 in Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, vol. 3. REPEAT Week 17 the week following the Joint LA Meeting.
  • Joint LA Meeting (TIME CHANGE): The whole church in LA will meet together on Lord's Day, October 29 from 9:30 am to 12:00 noon at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
  • The International Thanksgiving Conference will be in Phoenix Thursday night, November 23 to Lord's Day noon, November 26. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 29. Childcare registration required. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.
  • The Winter Training will be December 25 to 30 in Anaheim and by local webcasts in LA. For the live training, complete registration including payment ($205) is due October 29. Registration for the webcast training ($105) is due December 3. Late fees will be incurred after these deadlines. Saints from LA should register at http://www.tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla and submit payment to their district's designated registration coordinator.
  • The International Chinese-Speaking Conference will be February 16 to 18, 2018 in Taipei. Information is available at http://www.icsc2018.org. Registration deadline is November 30.
  • Information about Germany and Europe: see September 10 prayer ("Older Entries" near bottom of https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/).

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of October 15

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Treasuring God's Blessing

"And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you listen to the voice of Jehovah your God." (Deut. 28:2)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ." (Eph. 1:3)

The normal life of a Christian is a life of blessing, and the normal work of a Christian is a work of blessing. The day must come when we realize that in our work, in our Christian life, and in our church life, everything depends on God's blessing.

In serving the Lord, we should believe in and treasure God's blessing. We need to learn to live and to practice the church life in a way that does not hinder God's blessing. We should rely on God's blessing and eliminate the barriers that prevent us from receiving it. (Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, Msg. 16, III)

Joint LA Meeting

The whole church in Los Angeles—with all of our halls, districts, and languages—will come together from 9:30am to 12pm on Lord's Day, October 29, to blend together as the Lord's one testimony in this city. It has been one year since we had such a gathering. This joint meeting will take place at the LA Convention Center. Please pray that the Lord would gather all of the saints from all parts of the city to praise Him, to become of one accord for His move, and to be the new man, where Christ is all and in all!

Winter Training Registration

The Winter Training (December 25 to 30) is a time for all the saints to receive the Lord's fresh speaking. Ask the Lord to release more of us from the affairs of human life to participate in this training in Anaheim or in the webcasts in LA. We believe "that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). At the same time, we know that "it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Ask the Lord to stir our hearts to pursue Him actively.

Registration for the live training is due October 29. See Announcements below for more details.

Junior High Conferences

The Fall 2017 Junior High Conferences will be this weekend, October 20 to 22. The brothers' conference will take place in Diamond Bar; sisters' conference in Fullerton. Please pray for the Lord to freshly appear to each young person.

LA Chinese-Speaking Blending Time

This weekend, October 21 to 22, there will be a blending time for the Chinese-speaking saints in LA at Oak Glen, along with saints from Thousand Oaks. The fellowship will be on "The Humanity of Jesus for Living and Serving in the Church life" based on the book Christ as the Reality. The burden is that we all need to "eat" the humanity of Jesus, so that we may have a proper humanity to live and serve in the church life. Pray for more to be released to attend this retreat, enjoy the Lord, and be blended together!

LA Korean Festival Follow-Up

Praise the Lord for His move during last weekend's Korean Festival! A pastor from the Valley visited our booth on Thursday and received a NT Recovery Version. He read the four Gospels thoroughly, found that this Bible was well translated, and excitedly returned with others to our booth on Lord's Day evening to ask for more copies. We distributed around 400 Bibles and have many positive testimonies like this. The atmosphere was sweet and enjoyable. All the saints enjoyed Jehovah God throughout the distribution.

We very much need and appreciate the prayers of the church. Please pray:

  • that all the recipients would read the Bible and receive the life supply;
  • that many would attend our Bible seminar on November 11;
  • that our saints may maintain the spirit of the gospel and have a daily gospel living.

Bibles for America

BfA recently ran a test on the "Thank You" page that people receive after ordering their free Bible online. A "Download free e-books" button was added to the page for two weeks, resulting in a 20% increase in downloads. This change could potentially result in a total of 250 downloads per day.

Please pray for more people, especially in today's climate of turmoil, anxiety, and fear, to find our website and download these books filled with life and truth.

Announcements

  1. Morning revival: Week 16 in Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, vol. 3.
  2. Joint LA Meeting (TIME CHANGE): The whole church in LA will meet together on Lord's Day, October 29 from 9:30am to 12:00pm at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
  3. The International Thanksgiving Conference will be in Phoenix Thursday night, November 23 to Lord's Day noon, November 26. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 29. Childcare registration required. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.
  4. The Winter Training will be December 25 to 30 in Anaheim and by local webcasts in LA. For the live training, complete registration including payment ($205) is due October 29. Registration for the webcast training ($105) is due December 3. Late fees will be incurred after these deadlines. Saints from LA should register at http://tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla and submit payment to their district's designated registration coordinator.
  5. The International Chinese-Speaking Conference will be February 16 to 18, 2018 in Taipei. Information is available at http://www.icsc2018.org. Registration deadline is November 30.
  6. Information about Germany and Europe: see September 10 prayer ("Older Entries" near bottom of https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/).

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of October 8

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"I Am Jehovah"

"And I will take you to Myself as My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am Jehovah your God, the One who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you as a possession. I am Jehovah." (Exo. 6:7-8)

In these verses, God came not to promise something to Moses but to fulfill the promise that He had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thus, He came to Moses not as El Shaddai [for supply and promise] but as Jehovah, the One who is and who will fulfill all that He has promised.

Because Jehovah exists eternally and because He is the reality of the verb to be, He will fulfill whatever He has spoken. In the Lord's recovery today, we are not in the stage of promise but in the stage of fulfillment. We are experiencing God not only as El Shaddai but also as Jehovah, the great I Am. (Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 15, III.B-D)

Post-ITERO Blending Trips, Conferences & Bible Distributions

The general subject of last weekend's ITERO in Leipzig was "The Recovery of the Church." Blending trips are now taking place from October 8 to 15 in eight regions throughout Europe. The itineraries include free literature distribution and regional conferences this weekend. Between 4,000 and 5,000 saints in total are expected to attend these conferences, which will be in Stuttgart, Krakow, Thessaloniki, Copenhagen, Paris, Madrid, Florence and London.

In Germany, there will be two weeks of Bible distributions. The goal is to strengthen, spread and build up the Lord's testimony in Germany for the building up of the Body of Christ. The burden of the Bible distribution is to gain the local Germans through the distribution of the German New Testament Recovery Version by sowing the Word of God all over this country. Also participating in this distribution will be a total of 125 FTTA and FTTA-XB trainees, along with some graduates and full-time serving ones.

We are in a spiritual warfare. For this we surely need the prayers to cover all our activities and the prayers of authority to bind and to loose as the Lord has bound and loosed in the heavens. Please pray:

  • That the Lord would take a major step in His move in Europe through the propagation of His interpreted Word, the gaining of seeking new ones, and the blending of the saints in one accord.
  • That in Germany the Bibles would specifically get into the hands of as many German students and young professionals as possible.
  • That the Lord would cover the travel of all the saints.

Joint LA Meeting

The whole church in LA will meet together on Lord's Day, October 29 at the Los Angeles Convention Center downtown. For the sake of the Lord's testimony in this city, let us remind and encourage one another to attend this gathering and pray strongly for it.

LA Korean Festival

The LA Korean Festival will take place at Seoul International Park in Koreatown from October 12 to 15. The largest cultural event in the Korean-American community, this popular annual event is expected to attract over 400,000 visitors. Since 2012, the church in LA has used this time to spread the truth by giving out free copies of the New Testament Recovery Version and BfA materials.

Ahead of this year's festival, please pray that:

  • The Lord would use this time to rekindle our spirit for the gospel;
  • Many new ones would joyfully participate in the distribution;
  • Many saints would have a daily gospel living in their schools, work places and neighborhoods.

May the Lord pour out His Spirit upon us during this time, "that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified" (2 Thes. 3:1).

CSUN & UCLA

Last weekend, from October 7 to 8, a group of CSUN and UCLA students gathered for a Freshman Fall Retreat at Oak Glen. A total of 53 students attended, including 10 freshmen and some new campus contacts. The burden of this time was to connect our existing students with these freshmen and contacts. The content of the fellowship was "Enjoying, Growing, Functioning and Building." Many prayed around the camp fire to consecrate themselves to love the Lord and pursue Him. Four new ones were baptized.

Please pray for our follow-up care for all the new ones with the shepherding heart of the Lord.

Polish Recovery Version

The Polish New Testament Recovery Version proof-reading project was completed last month. It is now ready to be printed. We are so thankful to all the dear saints for their support by prayer, by giving, and also by coming to Warsaw to participate in the proofreading. Pray that the Lord's Word will run and be glorified among the Polish-speaking people.

Krakow, Poland

The first Lord's table to begin the church life in Krakow, Poland, will take place on October 15. Please pray for a strong testimony in Krakow for the Lord's move in Poland.

Copenhagen, Denmark

On October 15, coinciding with the regional conferences, will be the first Lord's table meetings in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Announcements

  1. Morning revival: Week 15 in Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, vol. 3.
  2. Joint LA Meeting: The whole church in LA will meet together on Lord's Day, October 29 at 10:00am at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
  3. The International Thanksgiving Conference will be in Phoenix Thursday night, November 23 to Lord's Day noon, November 26. Saints from LA who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by October 29. Childcare registration required. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.
  4. The Winter Training will be December 25 to 30 in Anaheim and by local webcasts in LA. For the live training, complete registration including payment ($205) is due October 29. Registration for the webcast training ($105) is due December 3. Late fees will be incurred after these deadlines. Saints from LA should register at http://www.tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla/ and submit payment to their district's designated registration coordinator.
  5. The International Chinese-Speaking Conference will be February 16 to 18, 2018 in Taipei. Information is available at http://www.icsc2018.org. Registration deadline is November 30.

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of October 1

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Living a Prophesying Life by Loving the Lord

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (Matt. 16:18)

"He who prophesies builds up the church." (1 Cor. 14:4b)

We need to live a prophesying life by loving the Lord to the uttermost. The more we love the Lord, the more we are qualified, perfected, and equipped to speak for the Lord. Our love for the Lord is the factor, the element, and the very basic essence of our having the authority and impact and of our being powerful in our speaking for the Lord.

If we love the Lord, we will be filled with Him. Whatever fills us within will come out of us. The overflow comes from the infilling. When we love the Lord to the uttermost, we must speak. We must release the One who has filled us within. (Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 14, II)

Lord Jesus, we love You! Increase our love for You to the uttermost! Lord, perfect us to organically prophesy — to speak You into others — for the building up of the church in oneness "as an exceedingly great army" (Ezek. 37:10)!

International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones

The International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones (ITERO) will take place from October 5 to 7 in Leipzig, Germany. Afterwards, many saints will participate in blending trips from October 8 to 15. Attendance at ITERO will also include Persian-speaking brothers. This is a wonderful opportunity for these relatively young brothers in the Lord to give themselves to be trained here and in the future.

Please pray for all the brothers traveling, for the Lord's rich and up-to-date speaking, and for the blending of all the saints.

BfA Tour in Northern California

During the September tour, we gave away 215 Bibles, hundreds of books, and thousands of tracts. Please pray:

  • for these who signed up to be contacted, many of them students at the universities we visited;
  • that the recipients of the Bible would open it, read it, and receive life and light;
  • that people who received ministry books would read them, be nourished, and be helped to know the Lord and His purpose.
  • that those who took a gospel tract would read it and be helped to receive the Lord Jesus as their Savior.

Lyon, France

The church in Lyon held 7 Bible distributions at different universities. On average, 8 to 10 copies would be given away each time. Two of the recipients have attended home meetings thus far. In October, we will use a classroom at the La Doua campus to study the Bible with the ones who are open. We already have two contacts from last year who expressed their willingness to join these times. Please pray for the Lord's blessing on these Bible distributions and for the growth and progress of these contacts.

Announcements

  1. Morning revival: Week 14 in Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, vol. 3.
  2. Joint LA Meeting: The whole church in LA will meet together on Lord's Day, October 29 at 10:00am at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
  3. The International Thanksgiving Conference will be in Phoenix Thursday night, November 23 to Lord's Day noon, November 26. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.
  4. The Winter Training will be from December 25 to 30 in Anaheim and by local webcasts in LA. Registration for the live training must be completed by Lord's Day morning, October 29. Saints from LA should register at https://tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla/ and submit payment to their district's designated registration coordinator.

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of September 24

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Enlivened from Deadness and Joined Together

Chapter thirty-seven [of Ezekiel] reveals that the Lord comes to revive His dead and scattered people and to make them one….Because they had become dead, dry bones, they needed to be enlivened and joined together. (LS of Ezekiel, ch. 18, sec. 1)

Ezekiel 37:12 says, "Prophesy and say unto [these bones], Thus says the Lord Jehovah, Now I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel."

In John 5:25 the Lord Jesus says, "An hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live."

Lord, fulfill Your word in Ezekiel 37. By Your Spirit and Your speaking save us from every grave and every kind of deadness. Enliven us and join us together to be Your army.

L.A. Young People

Please pray that those who serve the young people would care for the young people with the careful attentiveness of a shepherd. Proverbs 27:23 says "Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds." Pray that every young person in the church in Los Angeles would have a shepherd and that all the shepherds would learn the needs of the young people and pray for them in specific ways. Pray also that all our young people would be guarded against this evil age by the Lord strengthening them to open their mouth and speak the gospel. It is by our young people having their feet shod with the gospel of peace that they are separated from the earthly touch of the world.

Southern California High School Juniors & Seniors Fellowship

This fellowship is Saturday morning, September 30 to Lord's Day lunch, October 1 at Oak Glen. It is critical in giving these YP a healthy view of the next few years of their life in the light of God's purpose, and we believe they will find the fellowship relevant and practical.

After the Hurricanes

Please continue to pray for saints in Texas, in the Caribbean, in Florida and throughout the Southeast affected by multiple recent hurricanes and their aftermath. May they be strengthened and encouraged inwardly and may their material needs be met. Please pray for the people in these regions to receive the living and abiding Word of God and to set their hope on the One who is the Savior of all mankind.

Those who feel to give to saints whose homes were damaged can give to the church in LA, designated "Houston" or "Puerto Rico."

Germany

October 5 to 7 our fall ITERO will be in Germany. The saints are preparing in many ways for post-ITERO distribution of thousands of New Testaments by hundreds of saints in dozens of cities, and preparing to serve at the conference in Stuttgart, for which over 1000 have registered. Let us beseech the Lord to:

  • abundantly supply the saints in Germany laboring in preparation for these events;
  • give grace to saints who are now migrating to Germany and for those beginning language schools;
  • uplift the hearts of all the saints there for maximum participation now and in October;
  • strengthen and spread His move in Germany through the events in October.

Europe

Saints in other parts of Europe are preparing for visitors on 24 post-ITERO blending trips, distribution of New Testaments, and seven regional conference. Lord, our petition is for a bountiful supply of the Spirit throughout the recovery in Europe.

India

The 2017 National Blending Conference will be September 30 to October 2 in Chennai, India.

Announcements

  1. Morning revival: Week 13 in Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, vol. 3.
  2. The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Phoenix Thursday night, November 23 to Lord's Day noon, November 26. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.
  3. Information about Germany and Europe: see September 10 prayer ("Older Entries" near bottom of https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/).

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of September 17

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The Reality and Building Up of the Body of Christ

"But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ. Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love." (Eph. 4:15-16)

For the reality and building up of the Body of Christ, we need to live in the resurrection life of Christ under the unique headship of Christ and grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things. (Knowing Life and the Church, Banner 4)

The reality of the Body of Christ is a corporate living of the conformity to the death of Christ through the power of His resurrection. Because the Body of Christ is in the mingled spirit, to be in the reality of the Body of Christ is to be in the mingled spirit and to live in the mingled spirit. (Msg 6, III.D.)

The growth of the Body of Christ is the increase of Christ in the church, which results in the building up of the Body by the Body itself. When Christ enters into the saints and lives within them, the Christ within the saints becomes the church. The Body of Christ grows by the growth of Christ within us and is built up this way. (Msg 6, V.A.)

College Campuses in Los Angeles

The start of a new academic year is a strategic time to contact the many freshmen who are open to something new and searching for a direction in life. With this goal in view, please continue pray:

  • That the saints would be supplied and strengthened to continue going out on the gospel while there is still an open door at the start of the new semester.
  • For our students to be built up together in the enjoyment of the Lord—especially in twos and threes—to be fruit-bearing branches and feeders of sheep.
  • That the Lord would lead us in our follow-up contact of the new ones, which includes knowing whom to focus our labor on, and that these ones would be open to our saints.
  • For the building up of the vital group living in the homes as a strong net to gain the new students for the church.
  • For much mutual shepherding between the students and the community saints.

Increase in Los Angeles

By May 2018, our church-wide goal is to see a 15% increase to 700 saints meeting on the Lord's Day. As we enjoy the church life, "continuing steadfastly with one accord" (Acts 2:46), let us inquire of the Lord to increase us "with men like a flock" (Ezek. 36:37).

German Elections

On September 24, elections will take place to choose all the members of the national parliament; the parliament will then elect a chancellor, the national leader.

God "gave Him [Christ] to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body" (Eph. 1:20-23). Lord, exercise Your headship over this election and over the cultural atmosphere in all of Germany for the sake of Your Body!

India

The churches in India request prayer:

  • that the Lord may strengthen the local churches in the major cities there by the constitution of the ministry of the age, the rich experiences of life, and the establishment of the practice of the God-ordained way for the sake of His testimony.
  • that the Lord may continue to spread into many more cities, especially in the North of the country (with a population of approximately 800 million) that many sons of peace and seekers of the truth may be gained for His move.

The current three-page "News of the Churches in India" is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.

Continuing Burdens

Hurricane Harvey: Those who feel to give to the saints in Houston whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Harvey can designate their offer­ings "Houston."

Oak Glen: Lord, grace us (2 Cor. 8:1, 4, 6-7, 9) to give monthly for the payments on this property.

Announcements

  1. Morning revival: Week 6 in Knowing Life and the Church (Memorial Day Conference). After week 6 we will begin Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, vol. 3 (week 13).
  2. The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Phoenix Thursday night, November 23 to Lord's Day noon, November 26. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.
  3. Information about Germany and Europe: see September 10 prayer ("Older Entries" near bottom of https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/).

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of September 10

Everything Depends on Our Seeing the Body

"For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ. For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body….God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, even as He willed….God has blended the body together." (1 Cor. 12:12-13, 18, 24)

The Body is in opposition to the individual. Just as the Father is versus the world, the Spirit is versus the flesh, and the Lord is versus the devil, so also is the Body versus the individual. Once a man sees the Body of Christ, he is free from individualism. He will no longer live for himself but for the Body. Once I am delivered from individualism, I am spontaneously in the Body.

If we realize that a Christian is nothing more than a member, we will no longer be proud. Everything depends on our seeing. Those who see that they are members will surely treasure the Body and honor the other members. (CWWN, vol. 44, chap. 14, sec. 2, The Mystery of Christ)

Lord, we open our whole being to You. Show us more of Your Body!

Increase in Los Angeles

Since last year, the church in Los Angeles has had a renewed burden for increase with a specific goal of 15% growth. In April 2016, when we began keeping regular attendance numbers, the average total Lord's Day attendance in all the districts was 538. In 2017, the average attendance from January to May was 607. This represents a 12.8% increase, for which we thank the Lord. By May 2018, our goal is to see a 15% increase from this number to 700.

As we enjoy the church life, "continuing steadfastly with one accord" (Acts 2:46), let us inquire of the Lord to increase us "with men like a flock" (Ezek. 36:37).

College Campuses in Los Angeles

USC is already in the fourth week of classes; CSUN and multiple junior colleges are in the third week, and UCLA has not yet started. As the universities in Los Angeles begin the new academic year, many freshmen are open to something new and searching for a direction in life. God wants to gain these ones for His economy. With this goal in view, please pray:

  • That the saints would be supplied and strengthened to continue going out on the gospel while there is still an open door at the start of the new semester.
  • For our students to be built up together in the enjoyment of the Lord—especially in twos and threes—to be fruit-bearing branches and feeders of sheep.
  • That the Lord would lead us in our follow-up contact of the new ones, which includes knowing whom to focus our labor on, and that these ones would be open to our saints.
  • For the building up of the vital group living in the homes as a strong net to gain the new students.
  • For much mutual shepherding between the students and the community saints;
  • That all the saints would provide a warm and Christly welcome to our own UCLA students coming back next week to encourage, strengthen, and supply them.

College Campuses in Germany

  • Please pray for our preparations for an in-reaping of freshmen through the labor on the campuses, including the Bible distributions, at the start of the new academic year in October.
  • At Goethe University in Frankfurt, we will have seven sisters enrolled this fall. Please pray for their living situation and that there would be at least one sister's house near the campus.
  • In October, over 4,000 first-year students come to the university in Tübingen, near Stuttgart. Please pray for the fellowship and coordination needed to contact them and for the release of an apartment near the campus that would serve as a nest to contain and shepherd them into the church life.

Germany

Please continue to pray:

  • That those who are emigrating now will find housing and jobs (for the job-keeping full-timers) and will obtain visas to live and serve long-term in Germany;
  • For the learning of the German language by the saints who have emigrated;
  • For the practical strengthening and building up of the local churches;
  • That the Lord will send an adequate number of experienced brothers who can provide leadership to the work in Germany;
  • That the Lord would guard the local saints and their families from attacks of the enemy;
  • For the saints laboring to prepare for the Bible distributions and the Stuttgart conference in October;
  • That the Farsi speaking new believers would continue to be perfected in the truth and established in the faith, to become faithful witnesses who could teach others.

Polish Recovery Version

The six-week proofreading labor began in mid August. Please pray for the Lord's continued blessing on this project and for the timely completion of all the tasks for the best possible publication of the Polish New Testament Recovery Version.

Announcements

  1. Morning revival: Week 5 in Knowing Life and the Church (Memorial Day Conference). After week 6 we will begin Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, vol. 3 (week 13)
  2. The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Phoenix Thursday night, November 23 to Lord's Day noon, November 26. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/ .
  3. Information about Germany and Europe: (this list is included once a month)

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of September 3

The Nature of the Church

"And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength, which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come." (Eph. 1:19-21)

"And raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:6)

The church is divine, "Christly," "resurrectionly," and heavenly. The church is in Christ in His ascension. The church has been resurrected with Christ and is now seated in the heavenliness in Christ. The main significance of the church being heavenly is that it is under God's authority. The nature of the church is to submit to God's authority. The particular nature of heaven is that it submits to God's authority. Hence, to be heavenly is to have the nature of submitting to God's authority. (Knowing Life and the Church, msg. 4, I.D)

Middle-Age Training

The FTTA-MA began this week in Anaheim. Nearly 80 trainees are registered for the whole term. Please ask the Lord to infuse them with life, enlighten them with truth, save them from their natural being, and lead them into coordination for serving Him.

Bibles for America

On September 9, BfA staff members will join local brothers and sisters for a one-week Bible and book distribution tour throughout Northern California. Stops include Berkeley, where we had a good distribution last year, Albany, and both the Cal State campus and city of San Luis Obispo. We'd like to visit the UC Santa Cruz and Cal State Monterey Bay campuses but need to secure authorization to distribute there.

Please pray for the opening of the hearts in this region of California. Please also pray for the tour preparations, including obtaining permission to distribute at planned venues.

Texas

Houston and the surrounding areas are still recovering from the recent hurricane. Millions of people, whether rich or poor, are acutely aware that they are but frail, mortal men. In last week's prayer meetings, the saints in Houston offered much praise and thanks to the Lord, as well as petitions concerning all men. Saints who were not affected by the flooding have been seizing the opportunity to go out for the gospel and distribute free NT Recovery Versions and tracts.

In Houston, the meeting halls and bookstore of the church were not damaged. However, the number of saints' homes that completely flooded is 23, of which 13 have no flood insurance. Most of these families' vehicles were flooded as well. We are trying to arrange long-term living arrangements for some of these families. We thank the Lord that 21 saints' homes that were evacuated, either under mandatory or voluntary orders, had no flood damage; these saints have been permitted to return.

Please continue to pray for the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to the saints in the region, that "this may turn out to salvation" (Phil. 1:19). May the massive disruption caused by the storm cause many unbelievers to invite Jesus into "their boat" (John 6:18-21). May the saints in this area seize the opportunity to let His word "run and be glorified" (2 Thes. 3:1)!

If the saints feel to give to the ones who are in need, practical instructions can be found at http://www.churchinhouston.org/offerings. Simply indicate 'Flood Gift'. Offerings may also be made to the church in L.A. and designated 'Houston'.

German Elections

Elections in Germany will be September 24, to elect all the members of the national parliament. The parliament will then elect a chancellor, the national leader.

God "gave Him [Christ] to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body" (Eph. 1:20-23). Lord, exercise Your headship over this election and over the cultural atmosphere in all of Germany for the sake of Your Body!

South Africa

From September 8 to 10, the National Blending Conference will take place in Pretoria, South Africa. Twelve saints from Egypt are expected to attend; most of them are new to the church life. They will remain for the week after the conference to participate in the Full-time training short-term. Also expected to attend are 6 saints from Angola and potentially 10 from Zambia.

Please pray for the Lord's timely speaking during this conference and for the blending of the saints from so many nations. As travel can be sometimes difficult, pray for the Lord to cover the saints' transportation.

Armenia

The Recovery Version NT in Armenian, with footnotes and cross-references, has been published. Lord, bless the spread and reading of this NT in Armenia and elsewhere!

Asia

Here is a report on the blessing of the practice of the God-ordained way in various churches.

http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/E-2017-08.pdf (English)
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Asia-2017-08.pdf (Chinese)

Announcements

  1. Morning revival: Week 4 in Knowing Life and the Church (Memorial Day Conference). After week 6 we will begin Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel, vol. 3 (week 13).
  2. The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Phoenix Thursday night, November 23 to Lord's Day noon, November 26. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
  3. Information about Germany and Europe: see August 13 prayer ("Older Entries" near bottom of https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer).

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of August 27, 2017

The Need for All Our Service to Be Initiated by God

"Out from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Rom. 11:36) All our work and service in the church must be initiated by God and must be according to His desire.

"This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight. Hear Him!" (Matt. 17:5) We must learn deep within that God wants only our cooperation; He does not need us to do anything for Him; we must stop all our opinions, decisions, and ideas; we need to let Him speak, let Him come in, and let Him command.

Texas

Friday night a strong hurricane hit the Texas coast. There is severe damage from strong winds plus "catastrophic" floods from heavy rain. The rain will continue perhaps until Wednesday. The church in Houston and about ten smaller churches are in the most heavily damaged area; at least ten other churches in Texas and Louisiana are in areas expecting 6 to 15 inches of rain. Please pray for 1) the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to the saints in the region, that "this may turn out to salvation" (Phil. 1:19), and 2) for the storm to cause many unbelievers to invite Jesus into "their boat" (John 6:18-21).

USC

The first week of the semester has passed with many opportunities to contact new students by going on the gospel, tabling, and having club meetings on campus. The Lord has blessed us with 103 names, 62 female and 41 male, for follow up. Please pray:

  1. for the proper coordination among the full-timers, students, and working saints to follow up with each name to find the sons of peace;
  2. that each student would have one new person to befriend and care for;
  3. that each student would be vitally connected with a companion to pray for and shepherd new students they contact.

West Los Angeles College

A table was setup on campus for the August18 orientation, with several saints attending. Although there were not many students, 15-20 BfA Bible cards and tracts were handed out to students and staff who passed by the table. School starts Monday, August 28. Please pray that the Lord would be our leading in deciding the best day to setup the weekly table, and that the sons-of-peace and lovers of His word would be drawn to the table.

Amharic-Speaking Conference

Over Labor Day weekend, Amharic-speaking brothers and sisters will hold a conference in Big Bear. (Amharic is the official working language in most of Ethiopia and there is a sizable Amharic-speaking community in Southern California.) Over the past several years, some have enjoyed fellowship with the churches in Anaheim, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. The burden for this gathering will be to present the vision of the Lord's recovery, including the functioning of all the members, the apostles' teaching as seen in the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, and the building of the one Body of Christ.

Please pray for a clear sky so that all attendees would hear the Spirit's speaking and see the vision of God's economy concerning Christ and the church. Pray for the brothers who care for this group to be strengthened and supplied as they take a stand for the Lord's recovery. Pray that many from this group would have a rich entrance into the church life.

Germany

Please pray for:

  • The Lord's shepherding of all who attended the emigration training and especially for the first twenty who are migrating this month. Pray that they may be bountifully supplied and be guarded against the enemy's attacks. These saints will initially move to Düsseldorf to begin learning German for six months.
  • The saints who are already busy coordinating for events in October after ITERO: a Lord's Table in Berlin (up to 500 expected to attend), two weeks of Bible distributions, and the Stuttgart conference. Ask the Lord to grace them, strengthen them, and cover them against stratagems of the enemy.
  • The continued loosing and shepherding of college students so they can be gained as remaining fruit. During the current summer break, our activities on campus continue and some students are responding. May the Lord would bless and increase us "with young men like a flock."
  • The Lord to send an adequate number of experienced brothers who can provide leadership to the work in Germany.

Romania

The national conference is September 1 to 3. Please pray for release of a timely word to meet the present need in Romania.

Polish Recovery Version

During the first of six weeks of proofreading 45 saints served. By the Lord's grace and mercy, this one-week phase finished a day and a half early. The atmosphere among the serving ones was sweet, harmonious, and jubilant. The second week, 38 saints served. The tasks for the current phase are more complex and the laborers fewer. Please pray for the Lord's continued blessing and for the timely completion of all the tasks for the best possible publication of the Polish NT Recovery Version.

Announcements

Morning revival: Week 3 in Knowing Life and the Church (Memorial Day Conference).

The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Phoenix Thursday night, November 23 to Lord's Day noon, November 26. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.

Used Ministry Books: Since 2004 LSM has sent containers of used books to Africa and India. These books have been a great blessing to seekers there. LSM continues to collect all used ministry books in English, except morning revivals, for these distributions. They suggest that you remove personal information from the books. Bring books to your meeting hall any time throughout this year.

Information about Germany and Europe: see August 13 prayer ("Older Entries" near bottom of https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/).

by Ruolin Fan

Prayer, Week of August 20, 2017

[View as PDF]

The Knowledge of Life

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)

All the beauty, power, brightness, and ability of the church come from the fact that Christ as life is her inward content; the church is the result of life, and life is the content of the church.

What every church today needs most is the things of life. All our work and activity must come out of life… Unless it comes out of life, our work and service will neither last nor bear much weight. If we want our work to bear abundant and lasting fruit, we must have a foundation in life… Our work should just be the releasing of the life of the Lord, the imparting and supplying of the Lord's life to others. May the Lord have mercy upon us and open our eyes to see that the central work of God in this age is that man may gain His life and grow and mature in His life. Only the work which comes out of His life can reach His eternal standard and be accepted by Him. (Knowing Life and the Church, msg. 2, I.G, VI)

CSUN Fall Semester

The fall semester at CSUN begins this weekend. Please pray that our students would be filled and supplied with life, built up with their companions, and have a normal life of contacting their friends and classmates to gain them for the church life.

FTTA and FTTL

The Full-Time Training in Anaheim and London began last week on August 14. Please pray for a renewed consecration from all the trainees (both incoming and returning) that the Lord would have His way to do whatever He needs to do to further His economy—by growing in each trainee day by day, by blending them together, and by raising them up to be living and functioning members of His Body.

Lafayette, Indiana

Two weeks ago, saints in Indiana handed out free copies of the NT Recovery Version in Lafayette, where the ground had been prepared through radio broadcasts of the ministry. Local brothers and sisters spent two days at a park and gave away Bibles, gospel tracts, and flyers advertising the radio broadcast to those who were open to words of life and truth. Please pray:

  • For the people in Lafayette who received God's Word during the distribution.
  • For the follow-up of those interested in learning more about the Bible and the Christian life.

Polish Recovery Version

Proof-reading for the Polish Recovery Version began last week on August 14 in London. This project will take six weeks. Please pray that:

  • All the participants will experience the Lord's abounding grace to labor diligently and with keen eyesight to find all the mistakes and correct them before printing.
  • This project will be finished on time and that the NT Recovery Version in Polish will be printed and available at the end of 2017.

The Lord's Testimony in Europe

Please continue to pray for the raising up of the Lord's testimony in major European cities, including: Lisbon (Portugal); Krakow (Poland); Vienna (Austria); Sofia (Bulgaria); Thessaloniki (Greece); Zagreb (Croatia); Belgrade and Novi Sad (Serbia); Geneva and Zurich (Switzerland); Bilbao (Spain); Hamburg and Munich (Germany); and Tirana (Albania).

Continuing Burdens

Oak Glen: Lord, grace us (2 Cor. 8:1, 4, 6-7, 9) to give monthly for the payments on this property.
Kirchentag (Germany, May 24-28): contacting 4,795 NT recipients to bring at least 100 into church life.

Announcements

  1. Morning revival: Week 2 in Knowing Life and the Church (Memorial Day Conference).
  2. The Thanksgiving Conference will be in Phoenix Thursday night, November 23 to Lord's Day noon, November 26. Information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.
  3. Information about Germany and Europe: see August 13 prayer (''Older Entries'' near bottom of https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/).

by Ruolin Fan