Enjoying, Rejoicing, and Exulting with Joy
“…And do not be grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.” (Neh. 8:10)
“Whom having not seen, you love; into whom though not seeing Him at present, yet believing, you exult with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.” (1 Pet. 1:8)
A sweet thought revealed in the Word of God is that in Christ God has given Himself to us as grace to be our enjoyment. God’s desire is to give Himself to us to be our enjoyment. The secret to the Christian life is not how much we work for Him but how much we absorb Him and enjoy Him. (The Enjoyment of Christ and Our Growth in Life unto Maturity, msg. 2, I.C.4, c)
We need to rejoice, but it does not mean that we wait for some pleasant things to happen for us to rejoice. The indwelling Lord is the cause of our rejoicing, and the Holy Spirit who moves within us is the motivation of our constant rejoicing. If we live in the fellowship of the Triune God and experience and enjoy the Spirit, we will have the joy that is brought to us by the Spirit. (Truth Lessons—Level Two, vol. 4, pp. 60-61)
This joy [in 1 Peter 1:8] is immersed in the Lord as glory; thus, it is full of the expression of the Lord. This joy is also unspeakable; it is a joy that is beyond our ability to utter…By believing into the Lord and loving Him, we obtain great joy. The normal condition of a Christian is to “exult with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.” (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3854-3855)
High School Brothers Conference
This weekend, March 8 to 10, is the Southern California High School Brothers Conference at Oak Glen. The topic this season is “The Good Land.” Please pray:
- For the Lord to prepare the hearts of each young person this week.
- That each one would appreciate and experience inheriting the all-inclusive Christ as the good land.
- That companionships would be built through spending time together during the conference.
Germany – Young People’s Conference
The general subject of this weekend’s German-speaking young people’s conference at Gut Elim, March 8 to 10, is “Salvation in God’s Economy.” Pray that the Lord will prepare the hearts of the young people to be the good ground to receive the word spoken in the conference. Pray that during the conference every young person will be shepherded and will have a companion. Pray that the young people will contact and enjoy the Lord.
Germany – Stuttgart
During the last October’s gospel outreach, the church in Stuttgart prayed specifically for gaining five local German students. The Lord answered and five local Germans contacted in October are now meeting regularly. These ones have also brought two more, so the total number remaining is seven Germans plus some international students. Hallelujah! Lord, we thank You and praise You! Lord, continue to gain these ones in a solid way as remaining fruit for the church!
Bible Distribution in France
There is still the opportunity for 400 more saints to participate in the Lord’s move in France during the 2024 Olympics from mid-July to September. Saints with some knowledge of French are especially requested, but knowledge of the language is not required since English will be the main language for coordination.
Financial contributions are also needed to support the operation of these gospel trips since there are expenses involved in reserving rooms for coordination, purchasing Bible distribution kits, transporting thousands of Bibles to each city, etc.
Finally, please continue to remember before the Lord this matter of His move in the French-speaking world and in particular the Bible distributions during the Torch Relay and Olympics. Petition the Lord concerning His wisdom to the saints planning these trips, as well as the praying and going from churches around the world, including from Los Angeles.
Saints in LA who are burdened to give for the Bible distribution and other associated expenses can do so through the Church in Los Angeles designated for “Paris Olympics.” Updated information and an application form are at www.amanatrust.org.uk/page/2024Paris. The applications for each trip will close when capacity is reached.
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste, or East Timor, is a Southeast Asian nation with fewer than 1.5 million inhabitants, most of whom are Catholic. The two official languages are Portuguese and Tetum, with English and Indonesian designated as working languages. Currently, the saints in the capital, Dili, are burdened for more of their friends and relatives to receive the gospel. Please pray for the saints to be channels of blessing to all these warm doors for the increase of the Lord’s testimony in Timor-Leste!
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 2 of The Enjoyment of Christ and Our Growth in Life unto Maturity.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting on “The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul’s Epistles—2 Corinthians” continues this Wednesday at 7:25 pm.
- Memorial Day Conference: The 2024 International Memorial Day Blending Conference will be held in Bellevue, WA at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel from May 24 to 27. Saints in LA who are considering attending in person are asked to RSVP by April 30 at tinyurl.com/memdayla. More information, including recommended hotels at discounted rates, is available at that site.
- ICSC: Archived messages from the recent International Chinese-speaking Blending Conference in Taipei are available to watch for free until March 12 at lsmwebcast.com.
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry’s many digital resources, including apps and free booklets, may be found at lsm.org/daily. The February 2024 newsletter features encouraging FTTA Gospel Trip Testimonies.
- Bibles for America’s most recent post, How Can We Experience Christ Living in Us?, is available to read and share at blog.bfa.org.
- High School Conferences: At Oak Glen for brothers, March 8 to 10 (registration was due February 25); for sisters, March 15 to 17 (registration due March 3).
- Junior High Conferences: At Oak Glen for brothers, March 29 to 31 (registration due March 17); for sisters, April 5 to 7 (registration due March 31).
- Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.