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The Church as the Kingdom of God, the Expansion of Christ

“…He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many irrefutable proofs, appearing to them through a period of forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)

“Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, unhindered.” (Acts 28:31)

Luke’s writing [of Acts] both begins (1:3) and ends [28:31] with the kingdom of God.

The fact that the proclaiming of the kingdom is the propagation of the resurrected Christ is proved by the words teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ in 28:31. This indicates that the kingdom of God goes together with the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. To teach people the things concerning Christ is to spread the kingdom of God. Therefore, the kingdom of God is actually the propagation of the resurrected Christ.

This book was not actually ended; rather, it was left open that more may be added. The reason for this must have been that the work of the Holy Spirit in preaching Christ for His propagation, multiplication, and spread through the believers of Christ was not yet completed and needed to be continued for a long period of time. Such an evangelistic work for Christ’s propagation, multiplication, and spread is according to God’s New Testament economy for the producing of many sons for God (Rom. 8:29) that they might be the members of Christ to constitute His Body (12:5) for the carrying out of God’s eternal plan and the fulfillment of His eternal will. This is revealed in detail in the twenty-one Epistles and the book of Revelation, which follow Acts. The church produced by Christ’s propagation and multiplication is the sphere in which God is expressed and in which He reigns in Christ; hence, the church becomes the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God, along with Christ’s propagation and multiplication, grows out of and spreads from God’s life. Acts is a record of the spreading of Christ; it is also a record of the kingdom of God, because the kingdom of God is the expansion of Christ. The gospel that is widely preached in this book is the very Christ as the gospel (5:42), the gospel of Christ, and it is also the kingdom of God as the gospel (8:12), the gospel of the kingdom of God. The preaching of such a gospel will continue and advance until the whole earth becomes the kingdom of Christ (Rev. 11:15). (Life-study of Acts, 2nd ed., pp. 605-606)

2024 December Semiannual Training

The December Semiannual Training will be held in Anaheim from December 23 to 28. The general subject is “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2).” In addition to the saints attending in person in Anaheim, many saints all over the earth will participate by video. Please pray for the release of the Lord’s up-to-date speaking to His whole Body and for the advance of the Lord’s move on the whole earth through the operation of His word for the building up of His Body and the preparation of His bride.

FTTA Graduations

This Saturday, December 21, the graduation meeting for the 2024 Fall Class of the Full-time Training in Anaheim starts at 9:30 am at the Ministry Conference Center. Saints are warmly invited to attend in person or online at www.ftta.org/graduation.php. In the afternoon, the Middle-age Training (FTTA-MA) graduation starts at 3:00 pm at 1853 W Ball Rd and will also be live-streamed at a different link.

Please pray for the 30 FTTA and 23 FTTA-MA graduates, for their presentations this Saturday, and for them to “follow the Lamb wherever He may go” after the training (Rev. 14:4). May these dear ones continue to pursue Christ, gain Him, live Him, and minister Him for the building up of the Body.

The Church in Santa Barbara

The brothers in the church in Santa Barbara have been in fellowship and prayer for younger families to move there to strengthen the church life and to support the college work at the UCSB campus. Also there are students at Santa Barbara City College with a potential to join our Bible studies and church meetings. Currently, one brother is taking the lead with this heavy burden and thus there is the need for others to join in and share the burden of shepherding these students.

May the Lord encourage and lead younger couples and families to move to Santa Barbara/Goleta to strengthen the church and shepherd the students. Praise the Lord for His move on these campuses!

Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous in the French-speaking part of the country. It is consistently ranked among the top 10 cities in the world for quality of living. Earlier this year, many saints visited Geneva as part of the Olympic Gospel Trips. Through the fellowship of the co-workers in Europe, it is now one of the nine critical European cities targeted in 2025 for migration to strengthen the Lord’s testimony there. Please pray:

  • For solid couples/families to migrate to Geneva and that they would have the capacity to open their homes and join the local saints in cherishing and nourishing the new ones.
  • For a group of saints in Geneva to be vitalized and begin practicing the God-ordained way.
  • For the saints in Geneva to be coordinated with the serving team in Paris for the follow-up care.
  • For the saints in Geneva to be more blended with the other localities in Switzerland and France for the reality of the Body of Christ.
  • For the Lord to raise up a shining golden lampstand in Geneva and in many French cities for the carrying out His divine economy.

Madrid House Purchase

Pray that the Lord will release the funds to complete the purchase of the house next to the meeting hall in Madrid, Spain to greatly expand the usefulness of the church’s property to the church there and the Lord’s move in the Iberian Peninsula. Specifically, pray that the remaining 16,900 Euros would be provided by January 6, 2025. The final installment will be due in March.

A detailed letter can be downloaded at lme.org/reports.html. As the Lord leads, saints in LA may participate in giving through the Church in Los Angeles designated for “Madrid House.”

Australia

This week there will be a Training for Serving Brothers (December 19 to 20) followed by the National Blending Conference (December 20 to 24) in Sydney, Australia. Please pray for this important annual gathering of the saints in Australia during their summer holiday. The conference topic will be “Living in the Reality of the Kingdom of God,” based on the messages given at the October ITERO. Two brothers from Southern California, including one from Los Angeles, are en route to Australia to minister to the saints for this training and conference. Please pray specifically:

  • For the training of the serving brothers to perfect them in their one accord and their common fellowship for the building up of the Body of Christ.
  • For the blending of the 11 churches in Australia that will be represented there, including saints from other areas too, with sweet fellowship and harmony throughout the blending conference.
  • For the ministry of the word concerning the reality of the kingdom of God such that the saints can (1) live this personally and privately before God, (2) as well as corporately, which spontaneously issues in the genuine church life (Rom 14:17), and (3) spread this gospel of the kingdom throughout Australia.
  • For the covering of the saints’ traveling and health.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 12 of Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1). Next week, repeat Week 12 or enjoy verses and content from the Semiannual Training. Starting Monday, December 30, we will pursue Week 3 of Material Offerings and the Lord’s Move Today.
  2. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The final ministry meeting of the fall term is this Wednesday starting at 7:25 pm. Saints are invited to join online or in person at the Ministry Conference Center.
  3. SAVE THE DATE: The 2024 Winter SCYP Blending Conference will be January 11 to 12 in Anaheim. Please contact serving ones for event and registration details.
  4. Thanksgiving Conference: Recordings are on lsmwebcast.com at no charge until December 31.
  5. LSM Conferences & Trainings: Information on upcoming Living Stream Ministry “feasts” can be found at lsm.org/announcements/events.html.
  6. Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.