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The Fulfillment of Jacob’s Dream

“…How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Gen. 28:17)

“But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God…” (1 Tim. 3:15)

The genuine experience of Christ becomes the building material, and this building material consummates in the building of the house of God. Here God has rest and satisfaction, and here we also have rest and satisfaction. Jacob’s dream was first fulfilled when the children of Israel erected the tabernacle after being delivered out of Egypt. That was the first house of God among men, the first fulfillment of Jacob’s dream. The tabernacle indicated that God and man had found rest, that God’s dwelling place on earth was the satisfaction and rest for both God and man. After the children of Israel had constructed the temple in the good land, God had a more solid house on earth. Then, in the New Testament, we have the church as the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15). Eventually, in the new heaven and the new earth, we shall have the New Jerusalem as God’s eternal dwelling place (Rev. 21:1-3). There God and we shall have eternal rest and enjoy eternal satisfaction.

Today we are all in the fulfillment of Jacob’s dream. We not only have the stone and the pillar; we also have the house. In fact, we are the house (Heb. 3:6). This house is the composition of divinity with humanity, the composition of the Triune God with human beings. Here we have the house which becomes the rest for both God and man. Now we are not only in the dream but also in the fulfillment of the dream. Thank the Lord for the stone, the pillar, the house, and the oil. In the church life we experience all four of these. (Life-study of Genesis, msg. 72)

Let us pray for all the saints to have genuine experiences of Christ so that we can be the material for God’s house, rest, and satisfaction!

ICSC

The 2024 International Chinese-speaking Blending Conference will take place February 10 to 11 in Taipei. The general subject is “Fighting the Good Fight, Finishing the Course, Keeping the Faith, and Loving the Lord’s Appearing in order to Receive the Reward of Christ as the Crown of Righteousness.”

The conference will also be streamed both live and via archived messages from lsmwebcast.com until March 12; no login credentials are needed. After this date, a subscription or payment will be required.

Please pray for the release of the Lord’s timely and fresh speaking to His Body in this first “feast” of the new year. Pray also for the safe travel, health, and blending of all the participating saints, including those from Los Angeles.

SoCal College Meeting

This Saturday evening, February 3, there will be a Southern California Praise and Ministry Meeting for college students in Irvine. Please pray for as many as possible to attend, for the Spirit to flow mightily in this time, and for the word to be richly imparted into the students!

FTTA Gospel Trips

The second and final week of the FTTA gospel trips will end on February 5. Please pray that:

  • The Lord will continue to blend and build all the saints to open the way for His full blessing.
  • The sanctifying Spirit will operate in all God’s chosen vessels to prepare them to receive His word.
  • The preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to prevail and reach all those the Lord desires to save.
  • The newly saved and contacted ones will be shepherded and become remaining fruit in the churches.
  • The Lord will fully cover the travel, safety, security, and health of all those involved.
  • The Lord will bind all the activity of the enemy to frustrate these gospel trips.

For more specific reports and prayer burdens, go to ftta.org/gospeltrips.

Santa Barbara

From Thursday, February 1 to Monday, February 5, six FTTA trainees will visit Santa Barbara as part of their gospel trip. Please pray for:

  • The shepherding of the students at UCSB, both our own and newer ones, through the trainees.
  • The fresh supply and encouragement to any local saints who may not have been meeting in a while.
  • The Lord to oversee all the logistics and practical needs during this trip so that as much time as possible can be redeemed for shepherding and fellowship.

UK Building Project

With a small team of planners and construction workers, we have begun work on building the new Full-time Training facility on the grounds of Bower House. Volunteers from among the churches are also invited to join in the labor. Our hope is to complete this training center in a little over two years. However, we can only go at the speed of the available funds. Please pray that the Lord will provide the necessary funds through the giving of His Body and that any further construction permissions needed from the local government will be granted without delay.

Updated video and written reports on the new training center can be found at amanatrust.org.uk/page/reports. Additional information can be found at amanatrust.org.uk/page/bower-house-bower-farm.

Offerings designated for “UK Building Project” may be given through the Church in Los Angeles.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 4 of our guided reading through Genesis.
  2. Bibles for America’s recent post, The True Nature of Our Relationship with the Lord Jesus, is available to read and share at blog.bfa.org.
  3. LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry’s many digital resources, including apps and free booklets, may be found at lsm.org/daily. The January 2024 newsletter features the fourth and final part of an interview with Ron Kangas concerning the history of the Life-study publication work as well as helpful fellowship on nourishing new ones with the hymns.
  4. LSM Radio Programs: Life-study of the Bible with Witness Lee is a 30-minute radio broadcast composed of excerpts from Brother Lee’s spoken ministry that focuses on the enjoyment of the divine life as revealed in the Scriptures. The ministry portions are followed by a discussion of the portion presented, including questions and answers. For example, all 134 episodes on Genesis are available for free at www.lsmradio.com/programs/genesis.
  5. 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.
  6. A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at 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 www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.