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Enjoying the Spirit for the Body

“And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons and sanctify them that they may serve Me as priests.” (Exo. 30:30)

“For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:19)

This all-inclusive compound Spirit, typified by the holy anointing oil, is the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the supply of the Body of Christ, by which we can live Christ for His magnification in the Body, through the Body, and for the Body. The holy anointing oil is solely for the purpose of anointing God’s dwelling place and the priesthood (cf. 1 Pet. 2:5); hence, only those who are for God’s dwelling place and for the priesthood can have the enjoyment of the compound, all-inclusive Spirit.

As believers, we have been anointed with the compound ointment, with the all-inclusive Spirit. Psalm 133:2 describes how the anointing oil flowed down from Aaron’s head to his beard and then to the hem of his garments; this signifies that the whole Body is anointed with the Spirit. In order to be “painted” by the ointment (1 John 2:20, 27), we must be one with the church; then we will spontaneously enjoy the application of the anointing oil with all its elements. How marvelous is the oneness produced by the application of this ointment! (The Christian Life, msg. 3, III.C, II.C, IV, B)

2024 SoCal Labor Day Blending Conference Follow-up

“I hope that there will be a genuine revival among us by our receiving this burden of shepherding. If all the churches receive this teaching to participate in Christ’s wonderful shepherding, there will be a big revival in the recovery.” (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, p. 92)

The past weekend’s Southern California Labor Day Blending Conference was on “Shepherding in the Ministry of the Apostles.” Please pray:

  • That the word spoken at the Southern California Labor Day Blending Conference will operate in the saints, giving the Lord more ground to blend the body together (1 Cor. 12:24).
  • That the Lord’s timely speaking concerning shepherding will operate in the saints to meet the need of the churches in Southern California.

Sacramento Meeting Hall

As many know, two and a half years ago the church in Sacramento experienced a terrible tragedy at the meeting hall that took the lives of three young children and one of the leading brothers. This has obviously affected many of the local saints, some of whom are still reluctant to set foot in that hall. In addition, there has long been increasing crime and vandalism in the neighborhood and a lack of parking. This has motivated the brothers to seek another (larger) property that would meet the need for:

  1. Safety for the saints attending the meetings.
  2. Enlarging the capacity for blending meetings with area churches which are increasing in number.
  3. Providing for larger blending meetings for the North Central Valley churches and seeking ones.
  4. Outreach at nearby Sacramento State University, in coordination with nearby campus teams.

After much prayer and diligent searching, the church has found a facility that will meet the needs of the Lord’s increase and spread in Sacramento and the surrounding area. Located 10 minutes’ drive from Sacramento State University, the 2.48-acre property is already zoned for religious and community-related activities and includes multiple buildings connected by covered walkways, three paved parking lots, and a courtyard. After some remodeling, the seating capacity of the main hall can be increased from 390 to over 500, which will meet the blending need of the nearby churches. An additional “fellowship hall” seats around 200 and has no need of upgrading; it could be used by the saints in Sacramento immediately.

The church in Sacramento is now under contract to fulfill the purchase price of $3.25 million by October 1, after which there will be retrofitting, upgrades and repairs estimated at around $1.2 million for a total cost of $4.45 million. After obtaining the new property, there will be the need of selling the old one.

A detailed letter with a linked brochure of the property is at www.churchinsacramento.org. Saints in LA who feel led of the Lord to participate in giving may do so through the Church in Los Angeles designated for “Sacramento Meeting Hall.”

European University Training

“Who has also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor. 3:6)

The European University Training will be held from September 6 to 11 near Edinburgh, Scotland. The general subject is “Becoming a Genuine Minister of Christ.” Please pray:

  • That the students would have hearts fully turned and opened to touch the Lord of glory (2 Cor. 3:16, 18).
  • That the serving ones would enjoy the energizing treasure as their serving supply and manifest the resurrection life (2 Cor. 4:7).

2024 Paris Olympics Gospel Trips

As we enter our final gospel trip (OL5), ending September 9, we feel that the Lord has done more than we could ask or think. In the places where we have been continuously laboring for over 40 days, the Lord has been gathering a small group of new believers to enter into the church life with us. It is our hope that these ones would become either the increase to existing churches or the nucleus of new churches. Everyone participating has acquired a taste for the day-by-day and house-to-house church life as our living instead of simply having scheduled meetings. The God-ordained way has been practiced, not just as a work to gain people, but as a normal living carried out in the Body of Christ.

Now our eyes are turning to the urgent need before us. There must a way to care for the ones we have contacted during our consecutive gospel trips. We trust the Lord to thrust out workers through migration, and there will be a full-time team based in Paris, but neither of these fill the urgent need we have now.

Many saints from the gospel teams have expressed the desire to return soon and spend one to three months where they have labored. We felt that this was the Lord’s speaking on how the urgent need could be met. The co-workers in Europe have begun to fellowship about how retired saints and those serving full-time might be able to return soon so that the shepherding of our new ones could continue. A letter is being prepared to inform the saints on how they may participate in this way. Please pray:

  • That the saints, retired or full-time, who have participated in the TR or OL gospel trips would have the echo of the Lord’s burden in their heart to come for one to three months to meet the urgent need for the continued shepherding of the dear new ones the Lord has put into our hands.
  • That all those who have applied to migrate and serve full-time in France would get their visas approved in a timely manner so that a new Paris-based team could begin coordinating and serving by mid-October.
  • That there would be open hearts to hear and respond to the Lord’s call to migrate.

All gospel trip reports, as well as more information on migration, are posted at lme.org/reports.html. Saints in LA burdened to give may do so through the Church in Los Angeles designated for “Paris Olympics.”

Israel

Please continue to pray for the situation in Israel and the Middle East, that through the prayers of the saints the evil rulers and authorities in the air, and the human agents used by them, will be bound, and God’s interests will be furthered and His chosen ones preserved.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 3 of The Christian Life (from the Memorial Day Conference).
  2. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting continues this week starting at 7:25 pm.
  3. 2024 SCYP Blending Meeting: Saturday, September 7 in Arcadia. Contact serving ones for more info.
  4. Thanksgiving Conference: Atlanta, GA from November 28 to December 1. Interested LA saints can get more information on hotel rates and RSVP for updates at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla.
  5. LSM Newsletter: The August issue of “Having This Ministry…” includes an explanation on the deeper and intrinsic significance of the name Jehovah. Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
  6. Bibles for America‘s latest blog post “One Major Function of the Word of God: To Testify Concerning the Lord Jesus Christ” is available to read and share at blog.bfa.org.
  7. Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.