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Fighting the Good Fight

“I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7)

“Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold on the eternal life, to which you were called and have confessed the good confession before many witnesses.” (1 Tim. 6:12)

To fight for the faith [1 Tim. 6:12a] means to fight for God’s New Testament economy. In particular, it is to fight for Christ as the embodiment of God and for the church as the Body of Christ. The eternal life [1 Tim. 6:12b] is the divine life, the uncreated life of God, which is eternal. Eternal denotes the nature more than the time element of the divine life. To fight the good fight of the faith in the Christian life, especially in the Christian ministry, we need to lay hold on this divine life and not trust in our human life. Hence, in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus the eternal life is stressed again and again (1 Tim. 1:16; 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:1, 10; Titus 1:2; 3:7). To bring forth God’s dispensation concerning the church in 1 Timothy, to confront the process of the church’s decline in 2 Timothy, and to maintain good order in the church life in Titus, this life is a prerequisite. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1862-1863)

Not only heretical teachings but even fundamental teachings may be used by the enemy to keep us from enjoying the eternal life. Teachings that are scriptural, fundamental, good, ethical, and moral, teachings about the improvement of character and about making up our mind to do good things, keep the believers from the experience of the processed Triune God as eternal life to them.

It is crucial for us to see that all the matters in the New Testament concerning the believers are related to the dispensing of the processed Triune God into us. To experience this dispensing is to enjoy eternal life. Some may teach according to the Bible without teaching the believers how to contact the processed Triune God and to receive His dispensing, which becomes the vital factor of our Christian life. Because even fundamental teachings may be subtly used by the enemy to keep us from enjoying eternal life, we need to lay hold on the eternal life. Then we shall be able to fight the good fight for the faith. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1863-1864)

Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ

Thank the Lord for His rich speaking in last week’s Semiannual Training in Anaheim. Please pray that the spoken word would penetrate the entire recovery in an unprecedented way to match the Lord’s burden. Pray for all the saints in the churches to spend the time praying over the word, allowing it to have a thoroughfare in their being so that it becomes their constitution. May we all upgrade our experience and enjoyment of Christ for the expression of Christ for the fulfillment of God’s economy!

Southwest College Training

Five regional college trainings are taking place around the United States from July 10 to 21. The topic is “A Vessel Unto Honor,” mainly based on 1 and 2 Timothy. The Southwest College Training will be July 10 to 14 at Oak Glen for saints from California, Arizona, and Nevada. Over 300 saints have registered for this training, including over 40 students related to Los Angeles. Please pray:

  • For a prevailing atmosphere of pursuing Christ with all those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
  • For a sweet fellowship and blending experience for mutual encouragement among all the students.
  • For a fanning into flame of the spirit within each student, resulting in a genuine consecration to the Lord and a desire to flow Him out to others on their campuses.

2024 LA Truth School

As we near the start of our 2024 LA Truth School (July 27 to August 3), we ask the whole church to join in prayer. New burdens will be added each week for the saints to follow along and strengthen by prayer. This week, please pray:

  • For many young people across LA to register for this time. The registration deadline is July 12.
  • For the preparation of the hearts of our young people to be soft and open.
  • For our young people to be impressed with the overall topic this year—“God’s Full Salvation.”

2024 Olympics Torch Relay Gospel Trips

A report was presented during the recent Semiannual Training in Anaheim concerning the present gospel move in France, with a strong call for those burdened by the Lord to migrate to France to support this move and strengthen the Lord’s testimony there. The presentation slides are available at www.lordsmove.org/reports.html.

The ninth and final Torch Relay (TR) gospel trip will be July 11 to 17 in Paris. Please pray that:

  • The existing churches in French-speaking Europe will be strengthened by the gospel teams.
  • The Lord will gain local French speakers along with their families for the church life.
  • The Lord will raise up new lampstands in Marseilles, Montpellier, Toulouse, Caen, Nantes, Lille, Rouen, Mertzig (Luxembourg), and Geneva (Switzerland).
  • By Summer 2025 there will be a team of 20 full-time serving ones in Paris to take care of the Lord’s needs throughout France.
  • Many students, families, and mature saints will migrate to France within the next couple of years for the Lord’s interest.
  • The Lord will cover and rule over any disturbances from the enemy that might hinder the distribution.

Gospel trip reports and testimonies are compiled for the saints’ awareness and prayer. Subscribe to receive these at courantdevie.myflodesk.com. Archived reports are at tinyurl.com/2024gospeltrips.

Application information is at www.amanatrust.org.uk/page/2024Paris. Saints in LA burdened to give for the distribution can do so through the Church in Los Angeles designated for “PARIS OLYMPICS.”

India

Pray for the general political situation in India, that the Lord as the Leader and Savior can sovereignly arrange the situation so that the door of the gospel can remain open for many more to be saved and for the testimony of the Lord to be spread into many more northern states of the country.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 1 of 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.
  2. The LA Years: Chapter 6: Visiting Seekers Throughout America is now available at www.layears.org, an oral history project documenting the early years of the church life in Los Angeles from 1958–1974, including written history, photos, and first-hand accounts.
  3. Bibles for America‘s recent blog post, “Jesus the Lamb of God,” is available at blog.bfa.org.
  4. Free e-Booklets: Living Stream Ministry offers free e-booklets to read and share. The latest release is “Paul’s Secret of Sufficiency in Christ” at www.lsm.org/life-study-philippians.
  5. Living to Him: A recording of the working saints gathering at the recent Memorial Day Conference in Bellevue is available at youtu.be/u5fRTZ5LrrQ. The fellowship focused on the actual carrying out of the God-ordained way, especially in the practice of the vital groups and shepherding.
  6. 500 Life-studies App: To learn more about the burden for the Life-studies, including the 500 Life-studies app, please visit 500lifestudies.org.
  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.