Practicing the Secret of Doing All Things in Christ
“I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack. I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.” (Phil 4:12-13)
“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. 3:9)
The phrase learned the secret indicates that Paul had come into a new situation, a new environment. Whenever we are put in a new environment, we need to learn the secret of living in that environment. What is the secret Paul learned? The secret is in Philippians 4:13: “I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.” The secret is not that Christ is in us; it is that we are in Him. In order to practice this secret, we first need to realize that Christ lives in us.
Second, we must deny the flesh and the natural man. We should count all things as loss and not treasure or appreciate anything of our natural man, such as our humility or other virtues. All our good points, attributes, and virtues need to be counted as loss. We should not have any confidence in anything other than Christ.
Third, we should not do anything by ourselves, for we are not alone. Another person lives in us. Before we act, we should wait a while to see whether it is we or Christ who is acting. By doing this we allow the Christ who dwells in us to live for us. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” pp. 399-401)
May we all aspire to have our whole being immersed in and saturated with Christ so that all who observe us might find us fully in Him, practicing this secret in everything and in all things!
An Unshakable Kingdom
“Therefore receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us have grace.” (Heb. 12:28)
May the shaking by the weekend storm and earthquake bring us all more into the Lord’s grace and also open people around us to the gospel and the kingdom life in the churches.
Gospel in Hawaii
In response to the recent fire disaster in Hawaii, the churches there are planning gospel outreach with Bible distributions every day from August 23 to 30. This will be at three shelters for people who have lost their homes. Please ask the Lord to supply:
- Access to the three locations (due to the disaster, access is restricted).
- The serving saints with His compassion and peace to reach the suffering people.
- Openness in these people to receive Him, experience Him, and be brought into fellowship with the saints and churches.
- More of Himself for the strengthening of a shining testimony throughout Hawaii.
University of Southern California
This week is USC’s first week of class. Please pray that:
- Our students would magnify Christ to their friends and new classmates from the start of the semester.
- We would meet open and soft freshmen at the club table on Tuesday and Thursday.
- The Lord would draw many new students to come to our first club meeting on Friday and be refreshed in the Lord.
Wednesday Night Ministry Meetings
The weekly Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting will resume this week on August 23 at 7:25 pm at the LSM Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim. All the saints who are in good health are invited and encouraged to attend in person to support the release of the word. The meeting will also be live-streamed and archived at lsmwebcast.com. Those who do not have a paid subscription may pay $2.50 to watch.
Please pray for the ministry of the Lord’s word week by week to His recovery. Pray for the Lord’s continued blessing of the Full-time Training in Anaheim and covering of all trainees and serving ones.
UK & Ireland Blending Conference
The 2023 UK & Ireland Blending Conference will take place August 26 to 27 in Leeds. Please pray for the Lord’s rich speaking to the saints and for the saints’ response in joining themselves to His speaking for the carrying out of His move in Europe. Pray that the saints and churches in the UK and Ireland would be blended together for the further building of Christ’s Body and the preparation of His Bride.
Malaga Meeting Hall
The current financial need for purchasing the last available commercial block on the same floor as the meeting hall in Malaga, Spain is for 81,000 euros by the end of September to close the purchase and for an estimated 335,000 euros for remodeling.
Please pray for this need to be met for the furtherance of the Lord’s move in Europe. A report concerning this 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 ‘Malaga Meeting Hall’.
Tajikistan
Please pray for the Lord’s work among the gospel friends who have read the shepherding materials, that they may be enlightened and attracted to enter steadfastly into the Lord’s word with the saints.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 2 of Knowing, Experiencing, and Enjoying Christ as Revealed in Philippians.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The weekly ministry meetings resume on August 23. Saints are invited to attend in person at 7:25 pm at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim or online at www.lsmwebcast.com.
- Thanksgiving Conference: November 23 to 26 in Dallas, TX. Saints from LA who are interested in possibly attending the in-person sessions in Dallas should RSVP no later than October 31 at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla. This site also has an information packet with hotel information and children’s registration.
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry has consolidated many of its helpful digital resources, including apps and free booklets, at lsm.org/daily. The August 2023 newsletter features the second part of an interview with Brother Ron Kangas concerning the history of the Life-study publication work along with reports on the Africa Ministry Depot and the Lord’s move in the Balkans.
- Bibles for America‘s recent posts “Author Spotlight: Who Is Witness Lee?” and “What It Means to Have a Good Conscience and Why It’s So Important” are available at blog.bfa.org.
- Germany Gospel Trips: October 8 to 22. For more information and blending opportunities, go to bit.ly/GermanyGospelTrips.
- GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, please visit gtca.us.
- Living to Him has a podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at livingtohim.com/the-living-to-him-podcast.
- A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.