The Enjoyment of Christ and Our Growth in Life unto Maturity
“God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:9)
“These things I have spoken to you that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full.” (John 15:11)
“Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” (Rev. 19:7)
We should concentrate on Christ as our unique center appointed by God, not on any persons, things, or matters other than Christ; for all the problems, especially the matter of division, the only solution is the enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ.
Enjoying the Lord has many aspects—the joy of the Lord’s presence, the joy of living in the divine romance, the joy of the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity, the joy of drinking of the river of God’s pleasures, the joy of knowing God’s love, the joy of doing God’s will, the joy of contentment in all circumstances, and entering into the joy of the Lord in the kingdom.
The record of Joseph’s life is a revelation of the rulership of the Spirit, for the rulership of the Spirit is the reigning aspect of a mature saint; the rulership of the Spirit (a life of reigning in life, being under the restriction and limitation of the divine life in the reality of God’s kingdom) is higher than any other aspect of the Spirit.
The joy set before us is the Lord Jesus, the Bridegroom, coming for His bride, who has made herself ready—the maturity of the bride, the building of the bride, the righteousness of the bride, the beauty of the bride, and the bride being a warrior to defeat God’s enemy. (Key Statements, 2023 Thanksgiving Blending Conference)
Pray that the divine riches and burden of the Thanksgiving Conference will enter into all the saints and operate in them for their advancement in the enjoyment of Christ and the growth in life unto maturity.
FTTA
The application deadline for the Spring 2024 term of the Full-time Training in Anaheim is Thursday, November 30. Please pray for many college graduates and young working saints to answer God’s call to go to the training next term.
October Gospel Trips – Stuttgart
We thank the Lord for all the prayers of the saints! During the October gospel trip, we had 4 saints visiting—a couple from Taiwan and two sisters from the US. The Lord granted us a precious time of blending. We focused on contacting freshmen at one of the campuses of the University of Stuttgart and at the city’s oldest university, the University of Hohenheim. Around 60 students were willing to give us their contact information, and we are still in contact with over 20 of them. Thirteen have made it at least once to our Thursday night student meeting (average attendance 20 students), 12 of them have been in the homes of the saints, and a couple have already attended the Lord’s Day meetings.
Please pray for the further shepherding of all these new ones, that many of them will be gained in a solid way as remaining fruit for the church. Also pray for the students from Stuttgart attending the University Conference in Germany from December 1 to 3.
Germany – University Conference
A conference for the students and young adults in the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) will be held December 1 to 3. The general subject will be “The Universal Warfare.” Many of the new ones who were gained during the October gospel trips will attend. Pray that the Lord will use this conference to impart a heavenly vision of God’s eternal purpose to the students that will help to gain them for the church life.
Iberian Peninsula Conference
This year’s Iberian Peninsula Conference will take place December 1 to 3 in Torremolinos (Málaga), Spain. Please pray that the Lord would abundantly bless this blending conference with His speaking for the furtherance of His move in Spain and Portugal!
The Netherlands
“I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men; on behalf of kings and all who are in high position…” (1 Tim. 2:1-2a)
Last week there was a national election in the Netherlands. The party that won the most seats in parliament is led by a man who has been considered an extremist. However, we know that “there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are ordained by God” (Rom. 13:1b). Let us cooperate with God’s ordination by praying for the Lord’s recovery to grow and spread in the Netherlands.
Ukraine and Russia
A reminder from the footnote on 1 Kings 8:48: “No matter for whom we are praying, our prayers should be aimed at the interests of God, i.e., at Christ and the church as God’s interests on earth, for the fulfilling of God’s economy.”
Please continue to pray for the Lord to:
- Keep all the saints in the countries involved open to Him for His divine dispensing.
- Meet all their practical needs and preserve their tripartite beings for His interests.
- Protect His people and His interests in Ukraine, Russia, and throughout Europe.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: REPEAT Week 9 of An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord’s Recovery before His Appearing.
- Thanksgiving Conference: All message outlines and recordings can be found at lsmwebcast.com. Audio and video recordings may be accessed at no charge until December 26.
- 2024 ICSC: Tuesday, November 28 is the registration deadline for LA saints attending the International Chinese-speaking Blending Conference in Taipei from February 10 to 11, 2024. More information is at tinyurl.com/ICSC2024LA.
- SAVE THE DATE: The next LA Joint Meeting—all halls, all languages—will take place Lord’s Day, December 10 at 10:00 am at the LA Convention Center.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting resumes this Wednesday at 7:25 pm.
- Semiannual Video Training: For LA saints, the firm deadline to register for the video training (December 25 to 30) is December 10 at tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla.
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry’s October 2023 newsletter has helpful fellowship on using the hymns for speaking to one another, especially in smaller settings such as group meetings. LSM’s many digital resources, including newsletters and free booklets, may be found at lsm.org/daily.
- The LA Years: Chapter 4: Standing on the Ground of Oneness is now available at www.layears.org, an oral history project documenting the early years of the church life in LA from 1958–1974, including written history, photos, and first-hand accounts.
- GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, please visit gtca.us.
- A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.