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Building on the Rock According to the Lord’s Words

“Everyone therefore who hears these words of Mine and does them shall be likened to a prudent man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and they beat against that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” (Matt. 7:24-25)

“The work of each will become manifest for the day will declare it, because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one’s work, of what sort it is.” (1 Cor. 3:13)

The rock [in Matthew 7:24] does not refer to Christ, but to His wise word, the word that reveals the will of His Father who is in the heavens. The kingdom people’s living and work must be founded on the word of the new King for the accomplishment of the will of the heavenly Father. This is to enter the narrow gate and walk the constricted way which leads to life.

[In verse 25] the rain is of God, descending from the heavens; the rivers are of man, coming from the earth; and the winds are of Satan, blowing from the air. All these will test the living and work of the kingdom people. Although the rain may descend, the rivers may come, and the winds may blow, the house built upon the rock will not fall because it is built according to the constricted way, the way of doing the will of the Father. The house built on the rock which does not fall is like the building work of gold, silver, and precious stones, which can stand the testing fire (1 Cor. 3:12-13).

Verse 26 says, “And every one who hears these words of Mine and does not do them shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house on the sand.” Sand here refers to human concepts and natural ways. If we live and work according to our human concepts and natural ways, our living and work will be founded on sinking sand. This is to enter the wide gate and walk on the broad way that leads to destruction. (Life-study of Matthew, msg. 24, pp. 306-307)

FTTA Gospel Trips

From January 6 to February 11, gospel trip teams are going out to 20 countries in Europe, as well as the US and Canada, to join with the local saints for the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. The majority of these gospel trips begin this Thursday, January 26. Please pray that:

  • The Lord will blend and build the saints involved so that He will have the free way to fully bless the trips.
  • The sanctifying Spirit will go before the saints to prepare the hearts of those the Lord has chosen.
  • The preaching of the gospel of the kingdom will be prevailing and reach all those the Lord desires to save.
  • Fruit, even remaining fruit, will be borne in each place visited, and the Lord will add to the churches as His testimony in each of these nations.
  • The Lord will fully cover the travel, safety, security, and health of all those involved.

To receive more specific reports and prayer burdens, please visit http://ftta.org/gospeltrips.

2023 North America College Training

Registration for the 2023 North America College Training is open! The subject of this training is “Love Prevails,” and it will be held July 16 to 22 in Champaign, Illinois. To encourage early registration, a substantial discount for those who register in the month of January is being offered. During this month, we desperately need the fighting prayers of all the saints:

  1. Pray for the stirring up of at least 1,400 throughout North America to register and pay in the month of January, boldly registering in faith and giving the Lord the first place in their summer plans!
  2. Pray that the serving and shepherding saints could render the proper fellowship to all those considering the NACT and that all impediments for those who would like to go would be completely removed.
  3. Pray that the Lord would stir up the students not only to register but also to pray for this time and encourage others around them to “Come forward!” to the NACT without delay!

May the Lord continue to raise up a generation of young people for His will and purpose to end this age!

Baltic-Nordic Conference

This weekend, January 27 to 29, a conference for the saints in the Baltic and Nordic countries will be hosted by the church in Riga, Latvia. It is a wonderful opportunity not only to be constituted with the truth, but also for saints from different backgrounds to be blended for the building up of the Body of Christ. Please pray for the Lord’s rich blessing on this time of fellowship, and pray that many saints will be able to participate in this online conference.

Ukraine

Please continue to pray that:

  • The Lord will keep all the saints in the involved countries open to Him for their experience of the divine dispensing in all the situations of their daily living.
  • The Lord will meet all the practical needs of the saints as the cold weather of winter settles in.
  • The brothers who are fighting in the war will be preserved by the Lord in their tripartite being.
  • The Lord will shepherd the refugees and establish them in the church life.
  • The local saints, serving ones, and trainees will be blended with the refugees by being through the cross and by the Spirit to minister Christ to one another for the building up of the Body.
  • The saints in the involved countries involved will be kept in the oneness of the Body and the reality of the new man.
  • The tripartite being of saints in besieged cities will be protected and preserved for the Lord’s interests.
  • The Lord will comfort and sustain those who have lost loved ones in the war.
  • The enemy will be bound in his attack on the Lord’s interests in Russia, Ukraine, and Europe.

Vietnam

Pray for the plan of printing 10,000 copies of the Vietnamese Recovery Version for free distribution.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 2 of our guided reading through the Gospel of Matthew.

  2. Free e-Booklets: Living Stream Ministry offers a series of free e-booklets to read and share at http://www.lsm.org/booklets, including “Life’s Setting Free—the Need of Those under the Bondage of Sin.”

  3. SAVE THE DATE: The 2023 International Chinese-speaking Blending Conference will be held February 17 to 19 in Anaheim, with translation into English, Korean and Spanish. All saints welcome!

  4. Bibles for America‘s latest post is available to read and share at http://blog.biblesforamerica.org.

  5. Living to Him has a podcast series particularly helpful to working saints, available on all major podcasting services at http://livingtohim.com/the-living-to-him-podcast.

  6. A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at http://lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.

  7. Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.