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Christ Being the Center and Content of the Church

“And they shall call His name Emmanuel (which is translated, God with us).” (Matt. 1:23b)

“And He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things.” (Col. 1:18)

“And the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.” (Exo. 40:34b)

Christ has gained us so that we might gain Him in order for God to be built into us and for us to be built into Him to become a corporate God-man, the reality of the church as the tabernacle of God, which is the house of the living God, the mutual abode of God and man.

In order to enter into the reality of the Body of Christ, we must see the intrinsic significance of the Ark. The Ark typifies Christ as the presence of the Triune God with His people for the carrying out of His economy to establish His kingdom on earth. The Ark was the center and content of the tabernacle, signifying Christ as the center and content of the church. The Ark being the first item mentioned in the vision of the tabernacle indicates that Christ occupies the place of preeminence in the church. (Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Samuel, msg. 4, I, II, A-B).

The Church in Los Angeles

The whole church in Los Angeles will meet together this Lord’s Day, May 15 at 10:00 am at Hall 1 and Hall 2. Please pray for a strong and healthy attendance so that together we may “run with endurance the race which is set before us, looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:1-2). Pray for a rich time of blending among the saints—across all the languages, ages, districts, and halls—for the Lord to gain His shining testimony and expression in Los Angeles.

Campus Team Retreat

From Monday, May 9 to Thursday, May 12, more than 330 full-timers from around the US and Canada who serve with college students and young people will gather at Oak Glen. Please pray for:

  • The Lord to blend everyone together and harmonize us to invite God’s blessing on the work with the next generation.

  • The Spirit to speak, lead, and guide us to advance in our care for all these ones.

  • The mutual encouragement and supply to be ministered all of the serving ones, strengthening and encouraging them in their service to the Lord.

Our Sixth Graders

This past weekend, 8 sixth graders from across Los Angeles participated in the in-person Sixth Grade Conference at Oak Glen. The main topic was “Where Are You?” with an emphasis on knowing your sinful condition before God, not hiding from God, and the salvation of God in the Church. Through the messages, singing, and group times each young person realized their need; all were convicted to pray to the Lord for their personal, definite and specific salvation.

The saints can pray for these “new ones” to:

  • Declare publicly their salvation by being baptized in the coming weeks.

  • Have a healthy and normal entrance into the church life and the practices of a normal Christian.

  • Pray to the Lord just as they are and to develop a healthy habit of reading the Bible.

  • Find companions and home meetings, even this week, to enter into the fellowship of the Body.

Ukraine

Please continue to pray for the ruling of the heavens over the entire situation so that:

  • The shipment of Russian NT Recovery Versions will be released to pass through customs and be distributed among the refugees in Europe.

  • The gospel teams who labor among the refugees will be filled with the Spirit inwardly and outwardly and will lead the chosen ones to receive the Lord as their dynamic salvation and to enter the church life.

  • The saints in Ukraine and the refugees in the European countries will receive the supply of the resurrection life and will rise up to live and proclaim the gospel to their fellow Ukrainians.

  • The tripartite being of the saints who are under attack, including the brothers fighting in the army, will be protected and preserved.

  • The Ukrainian families that have been separated by the war will be preserved and eventually reunited for God’s economy.

  • Those who care for the Ukrainian refugees in Europe will enjoy the Lord as their bountiful supply of grace, wisdom, and endurance.

  • Satan and the authority of darkness over Europe will be bound, and God’s move in His economy will advance.

As the Lord leads, saints may give through the church in Los Angeles designated for ‘Ukraine’.

Italy

This weekend, May 14 to 15, there will be an international conference in Rome. We thank the Lord for the prayers of so many saints and churches throughout the earth, and welcome all the saints to blend with us so that together, as one Body, we might testify of the victory of Christ. The four messages will be given in English and translated into Italian simultaneously. There will also be young people’s and children’s meetings. Please pray for the Lord to bless this gathering for His further move in Italy, Europe, and the whole earth.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 4 of Crystallization-study of 1 & 2 Samuel. Next week, after the combined Lord’s Day meeting, we will repeat Week 4.

  2. Memorial Day Conference: Living Stream Ministry will host the live, in-person portion of this conference to all the saints from May 27 to 30 in Anaheim. The meetings will also be streamed online.

  3. July Semiannual Training: The general subject will be on 1 and 2 Kings. Registration for webcasts in LA ($130) is still open until Tuesday, June 14. Information and registration for LA saints are at http://tinyurl.com/summertrainingla. In preparation, saints are encouraged to read the Recovery Version with footnotes and the Life-studies as their time allows.

  4. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: Live broadcast this Wednesday beginning at 7:25 pm at http://lsm.org/live in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. Outlines will be posted on the same site.

  5. Free e-Booklets: Living Stream Ministry has made a series of free e-booklets available to read and share with others at http://www.lsm.org/booklets. The latest release is “Living by the Law of Life.”

  6. LSM Newsletter: The April issue of “Having This Ministry…” contains enriching articles such as “Knowing the Time That We Are in and the Lord’s Work of Recovery” and “The History and Significance of the Life-study and Crystallization-study Trainings.”

  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.