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Growing in Life unto Maturity

“Therefore leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us be brought on to maturity…” (Heb. 6:1)

“My children, with whom I travail again in birth until Christ is formed in you.” (Gal. 4:19)

“But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18)

If we pray, “Lord, come back quickly,” the Lord may say, “While you are awaiting My coming back, I am awaiting your maturity; only your maturity can hasten My coming back.” It is a great help for us to realize that if we are serious about awaiting the Lord’s coming back, we need to grow in life unto maturity. (Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord’s Coming, msg. 2, I.C-D)

We all know that the purpose of God’s salvation is to work in us so that we may have His image (Rom. 8:29)…To be mature is to have the Lord fully formed in us. It also means that we, those who have been saved, have been fully transformed into the Lord’s image. Originally, we were men who were merely natural—not having the life of the Lord, the nature of the Lord, or the image of the Lord within us. However, through the salvation of the Lord, the Lord has added Himself into us. Since the time of our regeneration and salvation, the Lord has been adding Himself into us, causing us to have His life and nature. In other words, from the time of our salvation, the Lord has been working in us so that we may have His image. When the Lord has fully worked His image into us and is fully expressed out from within us, then we will be mature in life. (CWWL, 1955, vol. 3, “The Way for a Christian to Mature in Life,” pp. 295-296).

North America College Training

The 2023 NACT with the topic “Love Prevails” is taking place this week, July 16 to 22, on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Attendees represent at least 373 localities, 46 US states, and 39 countries on 5 continents.

The college training began Lord’s Day evening with over 2600 saints in the first meeting. The speaking brother shared on love being the most excellent way, and that this love, which is Jesus Christ, prevails over all opposing forces. God is a lover, and He created man in the image of Himself as a lover, and because of this, our future is determined by what we love and do not love. The trainees were encouraged to allow the Lord’s watering in this training to deal with many things in the hearts so that all could be attuned back to Christ as the unique object of our love.

Please pray for the trainees to quickly settle into the schedule of this training and would apply themselves to every aspect of this training that the Lord could gain so much in each one. Pray for the health and safety of all the saints. May the Lord prevail over each trainee and every aspect of this training that all would consecrate themselves and their future to Him!

LA Truth School

Registration is now open for our LA Truth School, which runs from August 4 to 12. The deadline to register is this coming Lord’s Day, July 23. Late registrations are welcome at any time thereafter, but late registrants are not guaranteed a T-shirt or packet. Please pray for:

  • The continued watering, nourishing, and cherishing of all the young people in all the Bible reading groups currently taking place across Los Angeles.
  • Our young people and their serving ones to register without delay.
  • The Lord to remove any hindrances or barriers that would prevent any from registering.

All YP, serving ones, and interested saints should register at tinyurl.com/LATruthSchool2023.

Nordic-Baltic Conference

This weekend’s Nordic-Baltic Conference will be held from July 21 to 24 in hybrid mode (in-person in Drammen near Oslo, Norway and online on Zoom), hosted by the Church in Oslo. Please pray for the Lord’s rich blessing on this time of fellowship, and for many participants, not only from the Nordic countries and Baltic States but also from other Russian and English-speaking churches, to join the blending fellowship for the building up of the Body of Christ.

Leipzig, Germany

Thank the Lord for all that He has done in Leipzig over the past several years! Through much prayer, fellowship, and coordination, the saints there are planning to take the ground to be the testimony of Jesus and expression of His Body in that city. All the saints are invited to the first Lord’s table meeting in Leipzig on November 5, 2023; register by September 3 at https://forms.gle/UuB3y4VmNJR199Pv9.

Please pray for this new beginning—that the Lord would have a bright, shining, golden lampstand in Leipzig for His satisfaction!

Germany – Gospel Trips

Registration is now open to join the churches and the developing localities in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in their gospel labor from October 8 to 22, especially on the campuses at the beginning of the university year. To get more information, see additional opportunities for blending, and register for these trips, go to bit.ly/GermanyGospelTrips (note: the URL is case sensitive, so ‘G,’ ‘G,’ ‘T’ are capital letters).

Please continue to pray:

  • That the Lord will gain many young Germans, Swiss, and Austrians as remaining fruit.
  • For the spread of the Lord’s testimony in many cities through these gospel trips.
  • For an increase in the gospel atmosphere and action in the sending and receiving cities.
  • For some from LA to receive the Lord’s leading and go to participate in these trips.

Ukraine

Please continue to pray that:

  • The Lord will keep all the saints in the involved countries open to Him for His divine dispensing.
  • The Lord will meet the practical needs of the saints and preserve their tripartite being for His interests.
  • The brothers who are fighting in the war will be preserved in their tripartite being.
  • 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.

Lord’s Move to Europe

Both the video and written reports on the Lord’s move in Europe given during the July Semiannual Training are available at www.lordsmove.org/reports.html.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 2 of Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord’s Coming.
  2. FTTA: A video of the graduation meeting on July 1 is available for a limited time at ftta.org.
  3. LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry has consolidated many of its helpful digital resources, including apps and free booklets, at lsm.org/daily.
  4. A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
  5. Bibles for America‘s recent post “What It Means to Have a Good Conscience and Why It’s So Important” is available to read and share at blog.biblesforamerica.org.
  6. 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.
  7. GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, please visit gtca.us.
  8. Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.