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Shepherding in Mutuality

“…God has blended the body together, giving more abundant honor to the member that lacked, that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same care for one another. And whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Cor. 12:24-26)

The shepherding that builds up the Body of Christ is mutual shepherding. All of us need to be under the organic shepherding of Christ and be one with Him to shepherd one another. We are both sheep and shepherds, shepherding and being shepherded in mutuality. In mutual shepherding, we shepherd one another in love. Through this mutual shepherding, the church as the Body of Christ will build itself up in love. (An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord’s Recovery before His Appearing, msg. 6, VII.A-D)

We must learn to minister life to others. In order to do this, we ourselves must have life…In fact, if we have life, there is no need to purposely minister life to others. Life will already be ministered to them. (CWWL, 1973-1974, vol. 2, “The Normal Way of Fruit-bearing and Shepherding for the Building Up of the Church,” pp. 613-614)

May we know and experience Christ as our Shepherd, be filled with the divine life, and be one with God to shepherd according to God for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ!

Our Young People

Thank you, saints, for your prayers concerning the recent Junior High Conference (October 14 to 16) on “The Pearl of Great Value: The Church” and the High School Conference (October 27 to 29) on “The Lord’s Coming.”

Let us continue to pray that the word spoken to our young people would abide and operate in them, that they would have the desire to experience the things they heard, and that they would make progress in their Christian life and church life. Pray also for each one to have companions to pursue the Lord with, be part of a small group, and also have older saints who will shepherd them in a regular way.

SoCal College Conference

This weekend, November 3 to 5, approximately 25 saints from the USC area will join around 275 others at Oak Glen for the first of two college conferences. Some of the students coming are very new. The topic is “Live in Christ” from the book of Colossians.

Please pray for the Lord‘s fresh appearing to each student at this conference. Pray that they may get a taste of the living Spirit and give themselves to walk in Christ for all of their days. Also, pray that everyone would remain safe and healthy, and that all the services would be carried out smoothly for the sake of the ministry of the word.

United Kingdom – Autumn University Conference

There will be a conference for university students in the UK from November 3 to 5. Pray that the Lord will gather many students from across Europe to be strengthened and encouraged by blending with one another and by the Lord’s speaking. Pray that the Lord will speak a timely word to all the attendees concerning the subject of “Christ Revealed in Us, Living in Us, and Being Formed in Us.”

Leipzig, Germany

Please pray for the first Lord’s table in Leipzig on November 5, that the Lord will gather many saints from the many churches to participate, and that this meeting will be a victorious and glorious expression of the Lord’s testimony in Leipzig. Hallelujah!

October Gospel Trips – Vienna

Five couples currently meet in Vienna, Austria. Once a month they blend with the church in Bratislava, Slovakia. The blending location alternates between the two cities, a one-hour drive apart.

Only two saints registered for the gospel weeks in Vienna. Because there are no full-timers to guide them, those two were transferred to other gospel cities. But the Lord provided! During each day of the first week up to eight saints informally related to Vienna participated in the gospel. This included visitors and a full-timer from Bratislava. The second week was used for ongoing communication with people contacted the first week.

The gospel time consisted of a day or two at each of three universities, all not far from the homes of local saints. Two hundred NTs were distributed—half in German, half in English. Five solid contacts resulted, including three who received the Lord as their Savior; four of these five are freshmen. Contact with these five continues. Contact information was also exchanged with another five.

The need in Vienna is more couples with open homes, some to serve full-time with campus labor, and some to be students who could invite classmates.

Israel

During this difficult time of conflict, please pray:

  • That the Lord will be rich to all the saints in Israel, whatever their present situation, whether they are remaining in Israel or have gone abroad.
  • That the Lord will uphold the saints in the cities close to the conflict and the cities that are experiencing rocket attacks.
  • For the young brothers and sisters who are currently serving in the military, that the Lord would preserve them and strengthen their faith in Christ.
  • For the saints’ unbelieving and believing friends and relatives who live in Israel, that our dear Lord Jesus would lead them to salvation and to knowing Christ in a deeper way.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 6 of An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord’s Recovery before His Appearing.
  2. End of Daylight Savings Time: DST will end in the early morning this Lord’s Day, November 5. Remember to set your clocks back one hour before you sleep on Saturday night.
  3. Semiannual Training: December 25 to 30 in Anaheim. For LA saints, the firm registration deadlines are October 31 (live seats) and December 10 (video seats) at tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla.
  4. Thanksgiving Conference: November 23 to 26 in Dallas. The general subject is “The Enjoyment of Christ and Our Growth in Life unto Maturity.” Saints from LA interested in possibly attending in Dallas should RSVP by October 31 at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla.
  5. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting continues this Wednesday at 7:25 pm.
  6. SCYP Children’s Work Conference: Saturday, November 11, conducted in a hybrid format, with an in-person location in Anaheim. Translation provided. Register by November 5 at scyp.com/children.
  7. 2024 ICSC: For LA saints interested in attending the ICSC in Taipei from February 10 to 11, 2024, go to tinyurl.com/ICSC2024LA for more information; the registration deadline is November 28.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. A Timely Speaking of Supply: Enjoy a free weekly video from messages given by Brother Lee at lsm.org/timely-speaking.html.