The Enlarged, Universal Divine-Human Incorporation
“In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” (John 14:20)
“And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” (Rev. 21:22)
We have to see that in the entire universe, there is only one thing that God wants, that is, the universal incorporation of Himself as the consummated God with the regenerated believers. The believers’ relationship with the Lord is described by the words union, mingling, and incorporation; union is concerning our oneness in life with the Lord, mingling is related to the divine and human natures, and incorporation is persons indwelling one another, coinhering.
The New Jerusalem is a corporate person, a corporate, great God-man. This corporate person is a couple – the processed Triune God married to the transformed tripartite man. This is the Spirit and the bride being united, mingled, and incorporated together to become one entity. The holy city, the New Jerusalem, is the goal of God’s eternal economy. The unique God is eventually enlarged into one city for His eternal enlargement and eternal expression as a great divine-human, universal incorporation. (An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord’s Recovery Before His Appearing, msg. 11, I, A, V.A, D.3)
Let us pray for all the believers to enter more deeply into the union, mingling, and incorporation with the processed Triune God for His eternal enlargement and expression, the New Jerusalem.
Church in Los Angeles
This past Lord’s Day, December 10, the saints from all the halls and languages gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center for our biannual joint meeting. After enjoying the Lord’s table together, some rich speaking was released from the recent October ITERO on “Living and Serving according to God’s Economy concerning the Church.”
Related to their living, the saints were encouraged, in the face of any circumstance that may arise, to “first of all” pray (1 Tim. 2:1). We need to be those who pray in every place, letting go of all the occupying things and lifting up holy hands, without wrath and reasoning (v. 8). Whether the church life is living and fresh and enriched depends on this one thing – that we are being filled continuously with the Spirit. May we be those who are willing, empty, and praying.
Related to their serving, the saints were encouraged to aspire to be good ministers of Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 4:6), realizing that this should be our “real profession.” We need to be those who are first nourished ourselves; then we can have something stored up as “honey and milk under our tongue” to “drip” to others (S.S. 4:11). May we aspire to enjoy the Lord in the Word every morning and build up a habit of speaking Christ to all kinds of people daily in season and out of season.
Lastly, through the reporting from some responsible brothers who traveled to Taiwan for a one-week blending trip and from other saints who traveled to Germany for gospel activities, it was clear that the church in Los Angeles is going on in the one fellowship of the Body of Christ. May the Lord continue to bless the church in Los Angeles in life and in numbers as we head into 2024!
Paris Olympics
Gospel trips are being planned for the 2024 Paris Olympics. An 8-minute video of the announcement given during the Thanksgiving Conference is at www.lsmwebcast.com (click on the red rectangle labeled “Reports”); an information letter is at amanatrust.org.uk/page/2024paris. Saints who are interested should read through all the information carefully. An application form is being prepared and will be available soon.
Let us cooperate with the Lord for the spread of His ministry and testimony through this important event. As we each seek the Lord’s calling and leading concerning how we can participate, let us pray:
- For the gospel of the kingdom to be preached all over France in 2024.
- For Satan to be bound and for his kingdom to suffer loss.
- That the gates of the New Jerusalem will be open in every direction in France (Rev. 21:13; 22:14).
- For the French people to repent and to receive forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47; Acts 26:18).
- That during the Torch Relay Christ’s triumphal procession will move from city to city all over France.
- That we will be able to distribute Bibles freely in every city we visit and that the distribution will be carried out righteously before God and before men.
- For the church to be raised up in at least ten key cities.
October Gospel Trips – Leipzig, Dresden, Jena
Forty-six adults attended a recent blending meeting of the saints in Leipzig, Dresden, Jena, and the surrounding areas. Through the October gospel trips and the saints’ going out regularly to preach the gospel, a number of new ones have been brought into regular times of home meetings and Bible reading. Please pray for the Lord’s continued strengthening of the saints in this region, and pray that the new ones would be shepherded into the church life.
Belgium
There will be a conference in Brussels, Belgium this weekend, December 15 to 17. Please pray for the release of the Lord’s rich and up-to-date speaking to meet the particular need at this time, and for the blending of the saints for the reality of the Body of Christ.
Chennai, India
From December 3 to 4 there were heavy rains and strong winds continuously in Chennai and surrounding areas. The heavy rains caused a flood and resulted in water-logging throughout Chennai and disrupted daily life. There were 17 casualties and damage to properties.
Among the saints, 21 families were affected in Chennai and 3 families in the nearby localities. Flood water had entered into some of their homes and damaged appliances and furniture; some of the saints’ vehicles were also damaged. The saints who are daily wage workers were affected financially as they could not do their job for 3 to 4 days. Brothers are currently visiting these affected saints and taking care of their needs. One family used this opportunity to open their home to their neighbors and share the love of God with them. A sister who was not very regular in the church life testified that this flood has urged her to be more acive in the church life in the light of the Lord’s return. We are encouraging the saints to pray, to take care of one another, and to seize the opportunity to preach the gospel to neighbors, friends, and other gentiles.
Please pray that the saints’ situation can return to a normal condition as soon as possible, and that they may exercise to care for one another and to preach the gospel.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 11 of An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord’s Recovery before His Appearing.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting continues this Wednesday at 7:25 pm.
- Thanksgiving Conference: Recordings may be accessed at lsmwebcast.com at no charge until December 26. The subject was “The Enjoyment of Christ and Our Growth in Life unto Maturity.”
- FTTA: The graduation meeting of the Fall 2023 class will take place Saturday, December 23 at 9:30 am.
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry’s October 2023 newsletter has fellowship on using the hymns for speaking to one another, especially in smaller settings. LSM’s many digital resources, including newsletters and free booklets, may be found at lsm.org/daily.
- The LA Years: Chapter 4: Standing on the Ground of Oneness is now available at www.layears.org, an oral history project documenting the early years of the church life in LA from 1958-1974, including written history, photos, and first-hand accounts.
- GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, visit gtca.us.
- 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.