The Recovery of the Building of the House of God
“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled-up houses, while this house lies waste? Now therefore thus says Jehovah of hosts, Consider your ways.” (Hag. 1:4-5)
“Go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the house, and I will take pleasure in it and will be glorified, says Jehovah.” (Hag. 1:8)
Haggai’s speaking to Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest was to strengthen and encourage them and the people for the rebuilding of the temple as God’s house.
The self-serving and God-neglecting returned captives were taking care of their houses but not Jehovah’s house…Regarding the recovery of the building of God’s house, we cannot be neutral; we must be absolute, either taking care of our houses first or taking care of the Lord’s house first.
For the recovery of the building of God’s house, God’s elect were stirred up in their spirit and came and did work in the house of Jehovah. In our response to the Lord’s charge, we all should be occupied by the Lord Jesus in the work of preaching the gospel, feeding the new believers, and taking care of others for the building up of the Lord’s house, the church as the Body of Christ. (Crystallization-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, msg. 4, II, C, D, E, F)
Semiannual Training Live Registrations
This is the final week to register by Lord’s Day, April 30 for the in-person July Semiannual Training, July 3 to 8, at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim ($205). Late registrations will not be accepted. For saints in LA, registration and payment instructions are at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla. Please contact your district’s registration coordinator if you have any questions. Registrations for our local video trainings are due June 18.
We hope that many saints will seize the opportunity to participate in this training. As the Lord leads, may many be led of the Lord to budget their time and money so that they can attend the in-person meetings. As Paul commended Timothy, “You have closely followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, endurance” (2 Tim. 3:10). May we likewise closely follow the Lord’s up-to-date speaking so that He may build His Body and prepare His bride.
High School Seniors
Graduation for high school seniors is right around the corner. Even sooner than that is National College Decision Day on May 1, the date when many college applicants across the country must choose which school they will attend in the fall. Let us pray:
- For our high school seniors in all the churches, including Los Angeles, to experience the Lord in His shepherding care and leading as they make their decisions.
- That the Lord in His sovereignty as the Leader and Savior would direct many prospective freshmen, transfers, and graduate students across the globe to campuses where they may be gained for Christ and the church.
- That we may be led to many sons of peace as we reach out to the new incoming class of college students for Fall 2023.
West Coast Korean-speaking Conference
There will be a North America West Coast Korean-speaking Blending Conference this weekend. The two online sessions on “Knowing, Experiencing, and Living the All-inclusive Christ for the Genuine Church Life” are Saturday, April 29 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and Lord’s Day, April 30 from 9:00 am to 12:15 pm. The Zoom link is tinyurl.com/2023westcoast.
Please pray for as many as possible Korean-speaking saints to attend and enter more into the reality of the Body through the blending in the up-to-date words of the ministry.
Munich Meeting Hall
Munich is the third-largest city in Germany with a population of 1.58 million people. With more than 200,000 university students, it is also rated as one of the world’s best cities for university students. The church in Munich was established in 2018 and the church meetings have grown to more than 80 saints. The campus work has grown and flourished with nearly 50 new ones being regularly cared for and attending the weekly college meeting.
A large apartment previously rented by the church is no longer available. In late January, a very nice stand-alone building was identified. The property is centrally located in a prime residential neighborhood within 10 minutes of the two main universities. Munich has the most expensive housing market in Germany and stand-alone buildings are extremely rare to find, but the owner has offered the building to us for €2.5 million ($2.7 million), far below the estimated value.
After much prayer and fellowship, the brothers in Munich and Germany feel that this building is the Lord’s provision for both the church and the work as a meeting place with additional space for a comfortable student center for appointments, Bible studies and campus activities. By faith, we have agreed to purchase the building. We have taken possession and are now starting to use the facility. Our application with the city is still pending, but approval is expected and final purchase should take place within two or three months. Please stand with us in prayer for the support needed to complete this purchase for the Lord’s interests in this key German city.
A presentation of the property is available at lme.org/reports.html. Saints in LA who are burdened to contribute may give through the Church in Los Angeles designated for ‘Munich Meeting Hall’.
Poland
An International Blending Conference will take place in Warsaw this weekend, April 29 to May 1. Unlike last year, this conference will be held in-person only. The general subject is “Knowing, Experiencing, and Living the All-inclusive Christ for the Genuine Church Life.”
A report on the current situation in Poland is at lme.org/reports.html. Please pray for:
- The blending and building up of the Polish saints and the Ukrainian saints in Warsaw and Kraków.
- The feeding and shepherding of the Ukrainian refugees gained through the gospel.
- The 15 trainees in the Warsaw extension of the Full-time Training in Moscow.
- The raising up of new lampstands in Wrocław, Łódź, and Poznań.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 4 of Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
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SAVE THE DATE: Lord’s Day morning, May 21, we will have a meeting of the whole church in Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center at 10:00 am.
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Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The weekly ministry meeting on “The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul’s Epistles” continues this Wednesday starting 7:25 pm.
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Sixth Grade Preparation Meeting: This Saturday, April 29 there is a preparation meeting held online related to the Sixth Grade Conference at Oak Glen the following weekend, May 5 to 7. Please fellowship with the serving ones or go to scyp.com for more information.
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Memorial Day Conference: Saints in LA who are considering attending in-person sessions May 26 to 29 in Chicago are asked to RSVP by April 30 at tinyurl.com/memdayla.
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July Semiannual Training: July 3 to 8 in Anaheim and by video via Zoom. Registration for LA saints is now open until April 30 (live) and June 18 (video) at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
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LSM Newsletter: The April issue of “Having This Ministry…” contains helpful fellowship on “What Makes a Good Hymn?” and a report on the Spanish Recovery Version distribution. Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
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500 Life-studies App: This app, on Apple and Google Play, is designed to help us get constituted with the truth by using the Life-study of the Bible for our spiritual nourishment and growth. Create custom schedules, read directly in the app or ministrybooks.org integration, and track your progress toward different milestones. For additional resources and information, please visit 500lifestudies.org.