God’s Central Work – His Building
“That He would grant you…to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith…” (Eph. 3:16-17)
“But the one sown on the good earth, this is he who hears the word and understands, who by all means bears fruit and produces, one a hundredfold, and one sixtyfold, and one thirtyfold.” (Matt. 13:23)
Ephesians 3:17 reveals that the Triune God has come into us to do a building work with Himself as the element and also with something from us as the material. This is illustrated by the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.
We have within us certain nutrients created by God as a preparation for His coming into us to grow in us; God has created the human spirit with the human nutrients along with the human heart as the soil for the divine seed. The rate at which we grow in life depends not on the divine seed but on how many nutrients we afford this seed; the more nutrients we supply, the faster the seed will grow and the more it will flourish. On the one hand, God strengthens us with Himself as the element, and on the other hand, we afford the nutrients; through these two, God in Christ carries out His intrinsic building-the building of His home-in our entire being. (An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord’s Recovery Before His Appearing, msg. 3, II, B, C.1-5)
ITERO
The International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones was held last week, October 5 to 7, in Manila, Philippines. The general subject was “Living and Serving according to God’s Economy concerning the Church.” Please pray for the brothers who received the training to bring what they have heard to the Lord in prayer to see and experience these things. Pray for the brothers to be good ministers of Christ to serve the churches according to God’s economy.
Blending Trip to Taipei
Twelve brothers from LA are visiting the churches in the Taipei area this week until October 15. Please pray for the Lord’s covering and blessing of every aspect of this blending trip and for the brothers to seek the Lord’s speaking and leading for the benefit of the churches there and the church in LA.
SoCal Junior High Conferences
The Fall 2023 Junior High Conferences will be held October 14 to 16 with sisters in Diamond Bar and brothers in Irvine. The topic is “The Pearl of Great Value: The Church.” Please pray for the Lord to gather the young people this weekend for them to hear the Lord’s speaking and to be mutually encouraged and built up with one another. Pray for each junior higher to see a vision of the church and touch the Lord’s heart concerning the church.
LA Korean Festival
The 50th Los Angeles Korean Festival takes place this week in Koreatown. On October 13 and 14, we will set up a gospel table at Olympic Blvd and Normandy Ave to distribute the NT Recovery Version and some spiritual books, followed by a Bible seminar. Please pray:
- For the most suitable location for distribution without any obstructions.
- For our gospel table to be filled with joyful volunteers serving together in one accord.
- For the Lord to call and meet the sons of peace He has prepared and who are seeking the church.
- For the Lord to open the hearts of our contacts and acquaintances as we invite them to the seminar.
Israel
Pray for the Lord’s interest in Israel and for the ruling of the heavens over the entire situation so that the saints and churches will be protected, Satan will suffer loss, and God’s kingdom will advance in the spreading of the gospel and the building up of the Body for the carrying out of His eternal economy.
Germany Gospel Trips
Gospel trips are taking place in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria from October 8 to 22. Please pray every saint participating to be filled with the life-giving, sanctifying, and speaking Spirit and for those people whom the Lord has prepared to come in contact with and respond to us. Pray especially for the contact of university students, including many first-year students, at the beginning of this new academic year. Through these gospel trips, may the Lord gain many students and others as remaining fruit for the spread of the Lord’s testimony in these German-speaking countries.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 3 of An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord’s Recovery before His Appearing, vol. 1.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting resumes this Wednesday at 7:25 pm.
- Semiannual Training: December 25 to 30 in Anaheim. For LA saints, registration is now open until October 30 (live) and December 11 (video) at tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla. Past issues of LSM’s digital newsletter contain helpful fellowship on the burden for semiannual trainings, the need for training and regulations, and the purpose of training donations.
- Thanksgiving Conference: November 23 to 26 in Dallas. Saints from LA interested in possibly attending in Dallas should RSVP by October 31 at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla. This site also has an information packet with hotel information and children’s registration.
- 2024 ICSC: The next International Chinese-speaking Blending Conference will be in Taipei from February 10 to 11, 2024. Registration to attend the conference and blending trips must be done by locality. For LA saints, go to tinyurl.com/ICSC2024LA for more information; the registration deadline is November 28, 2023.
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry’s many digital resources, including newsletters and free booklets, may be found at lsm.org/daily. The September 2023 newsletter features a helpful introduction to the 1968 classic, The Economy of God, the first ministry book published by Brother Lee in English in the United States.
- Bibles for America‘s recent post entitled “What Should I Do When I Sin after I’m Saved?” is available to read and share at blog.biblesforamerica.org.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.