Week of December 29
Material Offerings and Full-time Service
“I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom. 12:1)
“For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself; for whether we live, we live to the Lord, and whether we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore whether we live or we die, we are the Lord's.” (Rom. 14:7-8)
Today, when we speak of handing ourselves over, we are not talking about what we have to do to take care of our money. Rather, we are saying that a person has to offer himself up for the Lord and for the gospel.
First He wants us; then He wants what is ours. We ourselves have to come to Him first before we can bring what we have to Him. If we do not come, God will not accept what we have. All the brothers and sisters have to see that everything is for the Lord and that everything has to center around the Lord…Although some function in their money-making ministry while others function in their ministry of the word, the center for both must be the same. (The Resumption of Watchman Nee's Ministry, vol. 1, pp. 310-311)
To be full-time does not mean that you need to give up your job. To be a full-timer means that whatever you do, you do to the Lord; whatever you are, you are to the Lord; and whatever you have, you have to the Lord. If you remain in a job, you remain there to the Lord. If you leave your job, you leave it to the Lord. As long as you are to the Lord you are a full-timer.
Let us rise up to go full-time, either by dropping our jobs to go out or by remaining in our jobs to make more money and give every cent to the Lord's move…The wise way is that we all take the full-time way…This is what the Lord needs! (Elders' Training, Book 8: The Life-pulse of the Lord's Present Move, pp. 121-123, 126-127)
More Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ in 2025
The December Semiannual Training was held last week in Anaheim and by video in LA. The general subject was “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2).” Video trainings will continue to take place in the coming weeks and months around the world.
Please pray:
- For the Lord to advance His move on the whole earth through the operation of His word for the building up of His Body and the preparation of His bride.
- For the saints to digest and assimilate the rich content through their spending time with the Lord and applying what they heard in prayer, until all the points become their experience and enjoyment.
- For the saints and the churches to advance in 2025 in the experience and enjoyment of Christ, so that Christ would be formed in us by our allowing Him as the all-inclusive Spirit to occupy, possess, and saturate our mind, emotion, and will, until every part of our inner being bears the image of Christ for Him to gain a fuller expression of Himself on the earth.
Bibles for America
The past year has been full of challenges and upheaval. The world situation continues to be volatile, and people everywhere are full of anxiety. Bibles for America has also faced difficulties, including shipping delays, increasing costs, and changes to marketing platforms. Despite everything, we praise God that we have His Word as a sure foundation on which to stand.
In 2024, we began exploring different ways of reaching people with God's Word, such as social media and audio streaming advertising. We are also happy to share that the video studio has been completed, enabling us to produce more videos on the truth and the Christian experience. Please continue to stand with us in prayer as we seek the Lord's blessing on this labor.
Atlanta Meeting Hall
The church in Atlanta is burdened to rebuild their meeting hall after a fire in June 2020 caused extensive damage to the hall. Currently, an additional $3 million is needed to meet the estimated total cost of $12 million. Saints in LA who are burdened may participate financially through the church in Los Angeles and designate their offerings for ‘Atlanta Meeting Hall.'
Further details, including proposed architectural renderings, are at hall.churchinatlanta.org.
French-speaking Europe
A number of gospel trips will be taking place from late January to early February. Please pray for the Lord to open the hearts of the people and to bring His seekers in contact with us.
Let us also continue to ask the Lord to supply all the saints who live in French-speaking Europe, and all who are there on “shepherding trips” for weeks or months, to labor diligent in ministering Christ to the seeking contacts so that these ones may grow in truth and life and be added to the church. Beseech the Lord to thrust out more workers into this harvest and to release the long-term visas.
For all the latest reports of the gospel and shepherding trips, click here.
The Lord's Move in Europe
Please pray for the migration of burdened saints to strengthen the Lord's testimony in nine critical European cities in 2025—Paris, Geneva, Brussels, Belfast, Dublin, Vienna, Prague, Rome, and Athens.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 3 of Material Offerings and the Lord's Move Today. Next week, we will cover Week 5 from this book. After that, we will get into Galatians with recommended resources.
- Winter SCYP Blending Conference: January 11 to 12 in Anaheim. Please contact serving ones for event and registration details.
- SoCal Spanish-speaking Conference: January 17 to 19 at the Ministry Conference Center, Anaheim. Pray for the Lord's abundant blessing during this time. The sessions are open to all the saints. All relevant information is posted at conf.socalspanish.org.
- FTTA: A video of the graduation meeting on December 21 is available for a limited time at ftta.org.
- LSM Conferences & Trainings: Information on upcoming Living Stream Ministry “feasts” can be found at lsm.org/announcements/events.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.
Week of December 15
The Church as the Kingdom of God, the Expansion of Christ
“…He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many irrefutable proofs, appearing to them through a period of forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)
“Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, unhindered.” (Acts 28:31)
Luke's writing [of Acts] both begins (1:3) and ends [28:31] with the kingdom of God.
The fact that the proclaiming of the kingdom is the propagation of the resurrected Christ is proved by the words teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ in 28:31. This indicates that the kingdom of God goes together with the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. To teach people the things concerning Christ is to spread the kingdom of God. Therefore, the kingdom of God is actually the propagation of the resurrected Christ.
This book was not actually ended; rather, it was left open that more may be added. The reason for this must have been that the work of the Holy Spirit in preaching Christ for His propagation, multiplication, and spread through the believers of Christ was not yet completed and needed to be continued for a long period of time. Such an evangelistic work for Christ's propagation, multiplication, and spread is according to God's New Testament economy for the producing of many sons for God (Rom. 8:29) that they might be the members of Christ to constitute His Body (12:5) for the carrying out of God's eternal plan and the fulfillment of His eternal will. This is revealed in detail in the twenty-one Epistles and the book of Revelation, which follow Acts. The church produced by Christ's propagation and multiplication is the sphere in which God is expressed and in which He reigns in Christ; hence, the church becomes the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God, along with Christ's propagation and multiplication, grows out of and spreads from God's life. Acts is a record of the spreading of Christ; it is also a record of the kingdom of God, because the kingdom of God is the expansion of Christ. The gospel that is widely preached in this book is the very Christ as the gospel (5:42), the gospel of Christ, and it is also the kingdom of God as the gospel (8:12), the gospel of the kingdom of God. The preaching of such a gospel will continue and advance until the whole earth becomes the kingdom of Christ (Rev. 11:15). (Life-study of Acts, 2nd ed., pp. 605-606)
2024 December Semiannual Training
The December Semiannual Training will be held in Anaheim from December 23 to 28. The general subject is “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2).” In addition to the saints attending in person in Anaheim, many saints all over the earth will participate by video. Please pray for the release of the Lord's up-to-date speaking to His whole Body and for the advance of the Lord's move on the whole earth through the operation of His word for the building up of His Body and the preparation of His bride.
FTTA Graduations
This Saturday, December 21, the graduation meeting for the 2024 Fall Class of the Full-time Training in Anaheim starts at 9:30 am at the Ministry Conference Center. Saints are warmly invited to attend in person or online at www.ftta.org/graduation.php. In the afternoon, the Middle-age Training (FTTA-MA) graduation starts at 3:00 pm at 1853 W Ball Rd and will also be live-streamed at a different link.
Please pray for the 30 FTTA and 23 FTTA-MA graduates, for their presentations this Saturday, and for them to “follow the Lamb wherever He may go” after the training (Rev. 14:4). May these dear ones continue to pursue Christ, gain Him, live Him, and minister Him for the building up of the Body.
The Church in Santa Barbara
The brothers in the church in Santa Barbara have been in fellowship and prayer for younger families to move there to strengthen the church life and to support the college work at the UCSB campus. Also there are students at Santa Barbara City College with a potential to join our Bible studies and church meetings. Currently, one brother is taking the lead with this heavy burden and thus there is the need for others to join in and share the burden of shepherding these students.
May the Lord encourage and lead younger couples and families to move to Santa Barbara/Goleta to strengthen the church and shepherd the students. Praise the Lord for His move on these campuses!
Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous in the French-speaking part of the country. It is consistently ranked among the top 10 cities in the world for quality of living. Earlier this year, many saints visited Geneva as part of the Olympic Gospel Trips. Through the fellowship of the co-workers in Europe, it is now one of the nine critical European cities targeted in 2025 for migration to strengthen the Lord's testimony there. Please pray:
- For solid couples/families to migrate to Geneva and that they would have the capacity to open their homes and join the local saints in cherishing and nourishing the new ones.
- For a group of saints in Geneva to be vitalized and begin practicing the God-ordained way.
- For the saints in Geneva to be coordinated with the serving team in Paris for the follow-up care.
- For the saints in Geneva to be more blended with the other localities in Switzerland and France for the reality of the Body of Christ.
- For the Lord to raise up a shining golden lampstand in Geneva and in many French cities for the carrying out His divine economy.
Madrid House Purchase
Pray that the Lord will release the funds to complete the purchase of the house next to the meeting hall in Madrid, Spain to greatly expand the usefulness of the church's property to the church there and the Lord's move in the Iberian Peninsula. Specifically, pray that the remaining 16,900 Euros would be provided by January 6, 2025. The final installment will be due in March.
A detailed letter can be downloaded at lme.org/reports.html. As the Lord leads, saints in LA may participate in giving through the Church in Los Angeles designated for “Madrid House.”
Australia
This week there will be a Training for Serving Brothers (December 19 to 20) followed by the National Blending Conference (December 20 to 24) in Sydney, Australia. Please pray for this important annual gathering of the saints in Australia during their summer holiday. The conference topic will be “Living in the Reality of the Kingdom of God,” based on the messages given at the October ITERO. Two brothers from Southern California, including one from Los Angeles, are en route to Australia to minister to the saints for this training and conference. Please pray specifically:
- For the training of the serving brothers to perfect them in their one accord and their common fellowship for the building up of the Body of Christ.
- For the blending of the 11 churches in Australia that will be represented there, including saints from other areas too, with sweet fellowship and harmony throughout the blending conference.
- For the ministry of the word concerning the reality of the kingdom of God such that the saints can (1) live this personally and privately before God, (2) as well as corporately, which spontaneously issues in the genuine church life (Rom 14:17), and (3) spread this gospel of the kingdom throughout Australia.
- For the covering of the saints' traveling and health.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 12 of Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1). Next week, repeat Week 12 or enjoy verses and content from the Semiannual Training. Starting Monday, December 30, we will pursue Week 3 of Material Offerings and the Lord's Move Today.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The final ministry meeting of the fall term is this Wednesday starting at 7:25 pm. Saints are invited to join online or in person at the Ministry Conference Center.
- SAVE THE DATE: The 2024 Winter SCYP Blending Conference will be January 11 to 12 in Anaheim. Please contact serving ones for event and registration details.
- Thanksgiving Conference: Recordings are on lsmwebcast.com at no charge until December 31.
- LSM Conferences & Trainings: Information on upcoming Living Stream Ministry “feasts” can be found at lsm.org/announcements/events.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.
Week of November 10
The Bread of Life and the Word of Life
“As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.” (John 6:57)
The primary purpose for which the Lord Jesus came down out of heaven to the earth was to accomplish one central matter—to give Himself to us as food—the bread of life—so that He could be eaten by us as spiritual nourishment and be digested by us to become our constitution.
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63)
Chapter 6 of John closes with the word of life, which is the means for us to receive the Lord as the bread of life. If we receive the Word, we will have the Spirit, and if we have the Spirit within us, we will have Christ as the inner supply of life. May we all realize that our need is Christ as our life supply and then daily contact Him as the life-giving Spirit embodied in the Word. (Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1), msg. 7, II, IV.G, 1-2)
United States
“…His grace, which He caused to abound to us in all wisdom and prudence, making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure…to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him.” (Eph. 1:7-10)
Following last week's elections, let us all give ourselves to cooperating with the Lord in prayer and to enjoying the Lord's abounding grace that we may: 1) know more of the mystery of God's will and see it worked out around us; 2) continue to pray for His will to be accomplished at every level of government in the United States; and 3) be headed up more in Christ so that through the church He can head up all things in the heavens and on earth.
SoCal College Conference
This weekend, November 15 to 17, college students from mostly quarter system schools will gather at Oak Glen for the second of two college conferences. We will be covering the topic of “The Wonderful Jesus in Matthew and Mark.” From Los Angeles, we have 48 students from the Westside and Valley areas registered. For around half of these students, it will be their first time attending the college conference and need much prayer.
Please pray for:
- The Lord to unveil Himself to each student in a very personal and fresh way.
- The students to come forward to Lord, leaving behind all other concerns and distractions, as they sing, fellowship, and listen to the messages.
United Kingdom – Autumn University Conference
This weekend, November 15 to 17, there is a conference for university students taking place in Doncaster, UK. The total number registered for this conference is 226, including 86 serving ones, 30 FTTL trainees, and 106 students. The general subject will be “The Two Joys.”
Please pray:
- That the hearts of all those attending will be softened and prepared for the Lord's speaking.
- That each one will see the Lord's joy set before Him to have the church, will have a divine sense of value concerning the church, will see that the Christian life is a life of enjoyment, and will enjoy the Lord Jesus as the coming Bridegroom to hasten our marriage to Him.
- That the enemy will be bound in every way, be put to open shame, and suffer loss in every aspect of the conference and in the lives of our next generation.
French-speaking Europe
“The harvest is great, but the workers few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest.” (Matt. 9:37-38)
Beseech the Lord to supply all the saints who live in French-speaking Europe, and all who are there for weeks or months, to shepherd many contacts to growth in truth and life and into the church life. Also beseech the Lord to thrust out more workers into this harvest and to release the visas for them to live in France and in the surrounding nations.
The Lord has been assembling a full-time team to support what the Lord is raising up in the cities where we had gospel trips. Praise the Lord that already 16 have responded to the Lord's call to serve Him among the French-speaking people. Currently, they are meeting in the mornings for prayer and fellowship as they are being blended together. Please continue to pray that by the summer of 2025 there will be at least 20 saints serving in this way.
Azerbaijan
Pray for more high-quality students, the sons of peace who are willing to read the Bible, to be gained, and that the Lord will grant the church four remaining fruits by the end of the year.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 7 of Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1).
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting continues this week starting at 7:25 pm.
- Semiannual Training: December 23 to 28 in Anaheim. Registration for the live training in Anaheim is closed, but for video training in LA remains open until December 8 at tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla.
- Thanksgiving Conference: November 28 to December 1 in Atlanta, GA. Interested LA saints can get more information and RSVP at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla.
- Bibles for America's recent blog post “What Is the Church according to the Bible?” is at blog.bfa.org.
- Free e-Booklets: Living Stream Ministry offers free e-booklets to read and share. For example, sixty nuggets and gems have been extracted from the Life-study of Philippians with timely topics such as “The Rich Word for Living Christ” and “The Way to Be Freed from Anxiety.” These e-booklets may be accessed for free at www.lsm.org/life-study-philippians.
- Post-ITERO Blending Fellowship: A recording of the blending fellowship in Warsaw after the ITERO can be viewed at lsm.org/blending. The fellowship opens with a 78‑minute speaking by Brother Ron Kangas and concludes with several reports on the Lord's present move in Europe. Translation is available by following instructions for selecting a language track.
- The LA Years: This oral history project at www.layears.org documents the early years of the church life in Los Angeles from 1958–1974, including written history, photos, and first-hand testimonies.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Week of October 27
Enjoying Christ as the Real Jubilee
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to announce the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of jubilee.” (Luke 4:18-19)
“…Today this Scripture has been fulfilled…” (Luke 4:21)
Christ has already come, so the age of jubilee is here, but we do not have the jubilee in us unless we have allowed the Lord Jesus to come into us...Even if we have believed into Christ and have allowed Him to come into us, unless we allow Him to live in us and unless we live by Him, we are not practically living in the jubilee. If we live by Christ in a certain matter and allow Him to live in us, we enjoy jubilee in that matter. In this way everything pertaining to that particular matter is to our satisfaction. (CWWL, 1984, vol. 4, “The Jubilee,” pp. 7, 10-11)
The living of the jubilee is a living in the enjoyment of Christ, a living of enjoying God as our inheritance and real freedom. The living of the jubilee is a life in which we take God Himself, Christ Himself, in every situation; then He becomes the primary factor and center in us to overrule all the troubles of human life. Because everything is under His sovereignty, we should pray, “Lord, fill me, gain me, and possess me; no matter what my outward situation is, I just want to enjoy You.” We need to be today's ministers and witnesses by living and proclaiming the gospel—Christ as the jubilee of grace—for the accomplishing of God's eternal economy. (Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1), msg. 5, IV.F, 1-2)
United States
“Immediately I was in spirit; and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne there was One sitting.” (Rev. 4:2)
Pray that the saints would see a vision of the throne as the center of God's administration and that they would know that the heavens do rule in the midst of the present world situation.
“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, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of our Savior God, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth..” (1 Tim. 2:1-4)
Pray concerning “kings” and all who are in high position at every level of government, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and gravity and that men may be saved and come to the full knowledge of the truth.
Semiannual Training Live Registrations
This Thursday, October 31 is the firm deadline for saints in LA and Santa Clarita to register for the upcoming in-person December Semiannual Training in Anaheim ($205). Video training registrations will be due later on December 8 ($130). To register, go to tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla.
May the Lord grant us to highly value the semiannual trainings and encourage one another to have a heart for these trainings, and may the Lord grace us to bear the burden to pray for the semiannual trainings so that He as the seven Spirits of God may have an unhindered way to continue to speak the present truth to the churches.
North & South America Korean-speaking Conference
This weekend, there will a blending conference for Korean-speaking saints in both North and South America. The subject is “Living in the Reality of the Kingdom of God.” The two conference sessions are Saturday, November 2 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm and Lord's Day, November 3 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm PST. All information and Zoom links are at tinyurl.com/2024KoreanConf.
Please pray for all the Korean-speaking saints in the Americas to join this conference and enjoy the reality of the Body through the blending in the up-to-date words of the ministry.
SoCal College Conference
This weekend, November 1 to 3, college students from mostly semester system schools will gather at Oak Glen for the first of two college conferences. We will be covering the topic of “The Wonderful Jesus in Matthew and Mark.” From LA, we have 15 students from the downtown area (mostly USC students) planning to attend. Among these ones, many are very new and need much prayer! Please pray:
- For the Lord to unveil Himself to each student in a very personal and fresh way.
- For the students to come forward to Lord, leaving behind all other concerns and distractions, as they sing, fellowship, and listen to the messages.
- For the shepherding and feeding of the newer students, including a good number who need to get transferred out of Satan's kingdom and into God's kingdom through baptism!
The Lord's Move in French-speaking Europe
“Another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and much incense was given to Him to offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” (Rev. 8:3)
Christ (the Angel, cf. Rev. 7:2, note 1), through the intercession at the incense altar, manages the universe. This intercession is the corporate Christ including “the prayers of all the saints.”
The seed of the Lord's present move in French-speaking Europe was sown in 2021 when a small group of saints began to pray for the Lord to have a breakthrough in gaining more people and for more lampstands in French-speaking cities. These saints had no plan for a work but they were not content to have the situation remain the same. They met to pray a number of times every week; they did not discuss what to do and were not even considering the Olympics; they simply prayed.
Then the Lord began to move by bringing together co-workers from France, UK, Germany, Spain, and Poland for days of prayer and fellowship. The Lord erased all the boundaries. The fellowship and coordination became the reality of the Body of Christ! The result in this year was beyond what we could ask or think.
Beseech the Lord to continue what He has done, to bless the current shepherding labor, to strengthen the churches, and to raise up new churches in French-speaking Europe.
Expansion of the Lord's Move in Europe
Petition the Lord to spread the lesson of prayer and coordination from France to expand His move to reach all of Europe!
Ukraine and Russia
Please pray concerning the ongoing war, that the Lord will protect the tripartite being of all the saints and will rule in the heavens over every aspect of this situation for the advance of His economy on earth.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 5 of Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1).
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting continues this week starting at 7:25 pm.
- Semiannual Training: December 23 to 28 in Anaheim. Registration is open for LA saints at tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla. Registration due October 31 (live) or December 8 (video).
- Post-ITERO Blending Fellowship: A recording of the blending fellowship in Warsaw after the ITERO can be viewed at lsm.org/blending. The fellowship opens with a 78‑minute speaking by Brother Ron Kangas and concludes with several reports on the Lord's present move in Europe. Translation is available by following instructions for selecting a language track.
- Bibles for America's recent blog post “What Is the Church according to the Bible?” is at blog.bfa.org.
- SCYP Children's Work Conference: Saturday, November 9, conducted in person only in Anaheim. Translation provided. Register by November 3 at scyp.com/children.
- Thanksgiving Conference: November 28 to December 1 in Atlanta, GA. Interested LA saints can get more information on hotel rates and RSVP at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla.
Week of October 13
Experiencing the Triune God for the Constitution of the Kingdom
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:18-19)
Into in Matthew 28:19 indicates union, as in Romans 6:3 and Galatians 3:27. To baptize people into the name of the Triune God is to bring them into spiritual and mystical union with Him. There is one name for the Divine Trinity. The name is the sum total of the Divine Being, equivalent to His person. To baptize someone into the name of the Triune God is to immerse him into all that the Triune God is.
According to Matthew, being baptized into the reality of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is for the constituting of the kingdom of the heavens. Unlike an earthly society, the heavenly kingdom cannot be formed with human beings of flesh and blood (1 Cor. 15:50); it can be constituted only with people who have been immersed into the union with the Triune God and who have been established and built up with the Triune God, who has been wrought into them. (Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1), msg. 3, II.E, 2, F, 1, 2, G.7, 8)
Heavenly Rule over the United States
“Let every person be subject to the authorities over him, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are ordained by God.” (Rom. 13:1)
To be subject to the authorities is to recognize God's authority and to respect His government over man. God ordains the authorities over man in order to maintain peace and security in human society so that He may have the time and the opportunity to preach the gospel, to save sinners, and to build the church for the spread of His kingdom. (Footnotes 3 and 4 on Rom. 13:1)
As the church, the Body of Christ, let us continue to trust in the Lord's sovereignty and cooperate with Him by praying and laboring together with Him for the advance of His economy.
Sacramento Meeting Hall Update
Praise the Lord! As of October 9, a total of $3.45 million was received from the churches and saints around the world. Thank the Lord for the prayers of the saints and the supply in the Body to reach the goal of $3.25 million by the October 15 deadline. This is the Lord's blessing on our oneness in the Body. We appreciate all the support concerning this purchase and would like you to rejoice with us.
The new property will need another $1.25 million for repairs and remodeling work to make it useful for future blending. The offerings that exceed the closing cost of the property will be dedicated to this renovation work. Please continue to pray for this next step.
A video tour of the property is at www.churchinsacramento.org. As the Lord leads, the saints in LA may continue to give through the Church in Los Angeles designated for “Sacramento Meeting Hall.”
France – Shepherding Trips
A letter in English is available at lme.org/reports.html concerning an urgent need for short-term shepherding trips to French-speaking Europe to care for the seeking ones who were contacted during the Bible distribution trips. This next stage of the move requires more concentrated, detailed contact with new ones, hence burdened saints are requested to stay for a longer period of time. Please pray:
- For many saints who participated in the gospel trips to return for one to three months to meet the urgent need to participate in follow-up shepherding trips to care for all the new contacts.
- That those burdened to serve full-time in French-speaking Europe will receive the needed visas..
As the Lord leads, saints in LA burdened to give may do so through the Church in Los Angeles designated for “Paris Olympics.”
Middle East
Please pray that recent developments in Israel and the surrounding region will be under the ruling of God's throne so that He will work out the counsel of His will. Pray for the saints there to be strengthened into their inner man, so that they are not shaken by what is happening, but live a life that expresses God and cooperates with God's move.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 3 of Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1).
- Bibles for America's new blog post “What Is the Church according to the Bible?” is available to read and share at blog.bfa.org.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting continues this week starting at 7:25 pm.
- SCYP High School Conferences: October 25 to 27 in Cerritos (sisters) and Huntington Beach (brothers). Registration was due October 13.
- 2024 North & South America Korean-speaking Conference: Via Zoom from November 2 to 3. Detailed information in Korean can be found at tinyurl.com/2024KoreanConf.
- SCYP Children's Work Conference: Saturday, November 9, conducted in a hybrid format, with an in-person location in Anaheim. Translation provided. Register by November 3 at scyp.com/children.
- Semiannual Training: December 23 to 28 in Anaheim. Registration is open for LA saints at tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla. Registration due October 31 (live) or December 8 (video).
- Thanksgiving Conference: November 28 to December 1 in Atlanta, GA. Interested LA saints can get more information on hotel rates and RSVP at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Week of September 29
Enjoying Christ as the New Wine
“Neither do they put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matt. 9:17)
“For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.” (1 Cor. 12:12)
The new wine here signifies Christ as the new life, full of vigor, stirring people to excitement. When we receive His life, it works within us all day long to stir us up and to excite us. This new wine strengthens us, energizes us, and makes us very happy.
The fresh wineskins signify the church life in the local churches as the container of the new wine, which is Christ Himself as the exciting life. The kingdom people are built into the church (16:18), and the church is expressed through the local churches in which the kingdom people live (18:15-20). They are regenerated persons who constitute the Body of Christ and become the church (Rom. 12:5; Eph. 1:22-23). The Body of Christ as His fullness is also called “the Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12), referring to the corporate Christ. The individual Christ is the new wine, the inward exciting life, and the corporate Christ is the fresh wineskin, the outward container that holds the new wine.
We have Christ in a corporate way as our church life...The church is God's ultimate goal. When we arrive at the church, we are in the ultimate consummation of God's purpose. (Life-study of Matthew, 2nd ed., pp. 323-329)
ITERO and the Gospel
The October 2024 International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones takes place October 4 to 6 in Warsaw, Poland. The general subject is “Living in the Reality of the Kingdom of God.” Brothers in many churches around the world (including Los Angeles) will watch videos of the messages according to different schedules throughout the month. Please petition the Lord for an increase in our living in the reality of His kingdom. Pray also for the travel and health of all the brothers, the release of the Lord's up-to-date speaking, the blending of all the brothers from different countries, and all the practical arrangements at the hotels and the training venue.
Following ITERO, the afternoon of October 6 will be a blending meeting in Warsaw to which all the saints are invited. Lord, bring all who attend further into the experience of Your one Body! Overcome the language differences and release many into fellowship with saints they have never met before! “There is no distinction between [nations, languages, and appearances], for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him” (Rom. 10:12).
The week of October 7 to 13 there will be gospel trips in eight European nations. These will include local saints serving with ITERO brothers and their wives. These gospel trips include distribution of Recovery Version NTs and contacting people with the desire to shepherd them into the church life. Lord, unveil many people and shine into many hearts “to illuminate the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).
UCLA
Saints, we truly depend on and appreciate all of the prayers for our welcome activities last week at UCLA. We are continuing to enjoy the Lord's blessing of bringing many new students to our events. Looking ahead, now we are entering a crucial phase where we need your continued prayers. As we head into the first full week of classes, please pray:
- For the Lord to bring forward the new students who are truly open to Him and are willing to follow Him as the great light more and more.
- For the forming of Bible study groups where mutuality and nourishment from the Word are fresh and enjoyable to all students.
- For the cherishing, refreshing, and connecting together of the students at our mini-retreat this Saturday.
Sacramento Meeting Hall
Please pray for the completion of the purchase of a new meeting hall property in Sacramento and for the Lord to release the funds to pay the purchase price $3.25 million by the October 15 deadline.
Once the 2.48-acre property is secured, there will be some retrofitting, upgrades and repairs estimated at around $1.2 million for a total cost of $4.45 million. A detailed letter with a brochure of the property is at www.churchinsacramento.org. As the Lord leads, the saints in LA may give through the Church in LA designated for “Sacramento Meeting Hall.”
France – Shepherding Trips
Now that the gospel trips in French-speaking Europe have concluded, there is an urgent need to care for the ones we have contacted over the last five months. In many areas, groups of new ones have begun meeting consistently. This next stage of the move requires more concentrated, detailed contact with new ones, hence burdened saints are requested to stay for a longer period of time. Please pray:
- For many saints who participated in the gospel trips to return for one to three months to meet the urgent need to participate in follow-up shepherding trips to care for all the new contacts.
- For the release of one-year visas for the full-timers migrating to France; so far, four graduates of the FTTA Extension in Boston and two serving families have applied.
All 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.”
Middle East
Please pray that recent developments in Israel and the surrounding region will be under the ruling of God's throne so that He will work out the counsel of His will. Pray for the saints there to be strengthened into their inner man, so that they are not shaken by what is happening, but live a life that expresses God and cooperates with God's move.
Cambodia
Pray for continual breakthroughs in the young people's work across the country, that the Lord can gain more quality young people who are open to Him. Pray also for the saints to establish a habit of going out weekly to visit people for the gospel and for shepherding.
For report with photos, see the September 2024 issue of the Lord's Move to Asia newsletter:
- lmasia.org/newsletter/2024-newsletter/september-3 (English)
- reurl.cc/7dV9X9 (Chinese)
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 1 of Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1).
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: Due to preparations for ITERO, this week's ministry meeting on October 2 has been canceled. The meeting will resume on October 9 at 7:25 pm.
- December Semiannual Training: December 23 to 28 in Anaheim. Registration opens this week for LA saints at tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla. Registration due October 31 (live) or December 8 (video).
- Thanksgiving Conference: November 28 to December 1 in Atlanta, GA. Interested LA saints can get more information on hotel rates and RSVP at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla.
- SCYP Junior High Conferences: October 11 to 13 in Diamond Bar (sisters) and Irvine (brothers).
- SCYP High School Conferences: October 25 to 27 in Cerritos (sisters) and Huntington Beach (brothers). Registration is due October 13.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Week of February 18
Supplanting Hands Becoming Blessing Hands
“And Joseph brought in Jacob his father and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.” (Gen. 47:7)
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Cor 13:14)
Jacob's supplanting hands eventually became blessing hands (Gen. 25:26; 47:7, 10; 48:14-16). In chapter twenty-five we see that Jacob began his supplanting even when he was in his mother's womb. How skillful he was in supplanting! But in chapters forty-seven and forty-eight we see that these two supplanting hands have become blessing hands, bringing people into God's presence and ministering God into people so that they may enjoy Him. Would you have believed that Jacob's supplanting hands could become the blessing hands of a mature person? Here we see the growth and maturity in life. A supplanter, a heel-holder, became the greatest person on earth at the time. He was able to bless Pharaoh because he had become greater than Pharaoh. He became this kind of person by the way of life. We need the growth in life and the maturity in life so that we may be filled with Christ to become those who are able to bless others. (Life-study of Genesis, msg. 95, p. 1224)
Maturity in life is a matter of being filled with God as life, and blessing is the overflow of life, the overflow of God through the maturity in life. To bless others is to bring them into the presence of God and to bring God into them as grace, love, and fellowship that they may enjoy the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (14:18-19; Num. 6:23-27; 2 Cor. 13:14). (Gen. 47:7, note 1)
FTTA
The Spring 2024 term of the Full-time Training in Anaheim begins February 18. Please pray for all the trainees to present themselves as open vessels to grow in Christ's life unto maturity. Lord, richly infuse Yourself into each trainee—in their classes and studying, in corporate living, in gospel teams, in service, and in blending with the nearby churches!
ICSC
Please continue to pray for the word spoken earlier this month in the International Chinese-speaking Blending Conference in Taipei to supply and operate in all the saints.
The five messages on “Fighting the Good Fight, Finishing the Course, Keeping the Faith, and Loving the Lord's Appearing in order to Receive the Reward of Christ as the Crown of Righteousness” are available for free until March 12 at lsmwebcast.com.
Bible Distribution in France
All the saints are asked to consider how they can participate in the Lord's move in France this summer during the 2024 Olympics. Even though the Torch Relay distributions in May and June are already full, there is still the opportunity for 400 more saints to go during the Olympics from mid-July to late August. Saints with some knowledge of French are especially requested, but knowledge of the language is not required since English will be the main language for coordination.
Financial contributions are also needed to support the operation of these gospel trips since there are expenses involved in reserving rooms for coordination, purchasing Bible distribution kits, transporting thousands of Bibles to each city, etc.
Finally, please continue to remember before the Lord this matter of His move in the French-speaking world and in particular the Bible distributions during the Torch Relay and Olympics. Petition the Lord concerning His wisdom to the saints planning these trips, as well as the praying and going from churches around the world, including from Los Angeles.
Saints in LA who are burdened to give for the Bible distribution and other associated expenses can do so through the Church in Los Angeles designated for “Paris Olympics.” Updated information and an application form (due February 28) are available at www.amanatrust.org.uk/page/2024Paris.
Ukraine
Please pray that the Lord will protect the tripartite being of all the saints and will rule in the heavens over every aspect of this conflict so that the result will advance His economy on earth.
Vietnam
Please pray for the translation of the Old Testament Recovery Version into Vietnamese.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 7 of our guided reading through Genesis. Next week, we begin a new book, The Enjoyment of Christ and Our Growth in Life unto Maturity (Thanksgiving Conference).
- Bibles for America's most recent post, How Can We Experience Christ Living in Us?, is available to read and share at blog.bfa.org.
- Memorial Day Conference: The 2024 International Memorial Day Blending Conference will be held in Bellevue, WA at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel from May 24 to 27. Saints in LA who are considering attending in person are asked to RSVP by April 30 at tinyurl.com/memdayla. More information, including recommended hotels at discounted rates, is available at that site.
- ICSC: Archived messages from the recent International Chinese-speaking Blending Conference in Taipei are available to watch for free until March 12 at lsmwebcast.com.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting will resume next week on February 28.
- High School Conferences: At Oak Glen for brothers, March 8 to 10 (registration due February 25); for sisters, March 15 to 17 (registration due March 3).
- Junior High Conferences: At Oak Glen for brothers, March 29 to 31 (registration due March 17); for sisters, April 5 to 7 (registration due March 31).
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry's many digital resources, including apps and free booklets, may be found at lsm.org/daily. The January 2024 newsletter features the fourth and final part of an interview with Ron Kangas concerning the history of the Life-study publication work as well as helpful fellowship on nourishing new ones with the hymns.
- LSM Radio Programs: Life-study of the Bible with Witness Lee is a 30-minute radio broadcast composed of excerpts from Brother Lee's spoken ministry that focuses on the enjoyment of the divine life as revealed in the Scriptures. The ministry portions are followed by a discussion of the portion presented, including questions and answers. For example, all 134 episodes on Genesis are available for free at www.lsmradio.com/programs/genesis.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Week of December 17
Becoming the New Jerusalem
“…Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God…” (Rev. 21:9-11)
“He who overcomes, him I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall by no means go out anymore…” (Rev. 3:12)
For our Christian life and church life we need to have a vision of the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is a composition of divinity and humanity mingled, blended, and built up together as one entity. All the components have the same life, nature, and constitution and thus are a corporate person—the bride, the wife of the Lamb.
The Lord Jesus will make the overcoming one in the recovered church a pillar built into the temple of God, which is the Triune God Himself. In Revelation 21:22 we see that in the New Jerusalem the Triune God Himself will be the temple. For the overcomer to be a pillar in the temple means that he will be a pillar in the Triune God. This involves being mingled with the Triune God and constituted with the Triune God.
The Lord makes us pillars by transforming us, that is, by carrying away our natural element and replacing it with His divine element. In the church life today the Lord is making us, constituting us, into pillars in the temple of God. The Lord's work in the church is to work Himself into us as the divine flow to carry away our natural being and replace it with His substance that we may be gradually processed by His transforming element. As the result of this transforming work, we become pillars in the temple of God. (An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord's Recovery Before His Appearing, msg. 12, I, Key Statement 4, III, A-B; The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 1215)
December Semiannual Training
It is only by having the divine truth in the Word thoroughly wrought into us that we can live and magnify Christ in our daily life, preach the gospel to the unbelievers, and present the truth and minister life to the seeking believers, thereby becoming the prevailing testimony of Jesus, the living Body of Christ. (From June 2022 issue of LSM's digital newsletter, "Having This Ministry…")
Next week's Semiannual Training will be held in Anaheim from December 25 to 30 and by webcast in Los Angeles and around the world. The general subject is “Laboring on the All-inclusive Christ Typified by the Good Land for the Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ, for the Reality and the Manifestation of the Kingdom, and for the Bride to Make Herself Ready for the Lord's Coming.”
Please pray for the release of the Lord's timely word and burden in this training. Pray for the speaking of the sevenfold intensified Spirit to all the churches and the response of the saints to be the Lord's overcomers to meet His need at the end of this age.
FTTA and FTTA-MA Graduations
This Saturday, December 23 at 9:30 am, the graduation meeting for the 2023 Fall Class of the FTTA, including a recognition of the FTTA-XB (Boston Extension) trainees, will be held at the Ministry Conference Center on the LSM campus. This meeting will also be streamed live at www.ftta.org.
In the afternoon, beginning at 3:00 pm, the graduation meeting for the FTTA-MA (Middle-age) will be held at 1853 W Ball Rd in Anaheim. This meeting will also be streamed live on Zoom.
Please pray for the Lord's leading of:
- All these training graduates—33 FTTA, 2 XB, and 31 MA—to follow the Lamb wherever He may go.
- Each graduate to continue to grow in life and remain under the Lord's perfecting for the normal development of their function in the church.
- Many college graduates, young working saints, and middle aged saints to answer God's call to attend the training in upcoming terms.
European Winter School of Truth
This year's Winter School of Truth will be on “The Two Spirits” and held in the UK and in the Netherlands, December 27 to 31.
Please pray for the Lord's blessing on these truth schools, for the atmosphere during this time, weather suitable for outdoor activities and to bind any illnesses. Pray the serving saints, including the speaking brothers, and all the practical arrangements and especially the groups. May the Lord gain this generation of young people for His interests to meet His need in Europe!
Paris Olympics
Gospel trips are being planned for the 2024 Paris Olympics. An 8-minute video of the announcement given during the Thanksgiving Conference is at www.lsmwebcast.com (click on the red rectangle labeled “Reports”); an information letter is at amanatrust.org.uk/page/2024paris. Saints who are interested should read through all the information carefully. An application form is being prepared and will be available soon.
Let us cooperate with the Lord for the spread of His ministry and testimony through this important event. As we each seek the Lord's calling and leading concerning how we can participate, let us pray:
- For the gospel of the kingdom to be preached all over France in 2024.
- For Satan to be bound and for his kingdom to suffer loss.
- That the gates of the New Jerusalem will be open in every direction in France (Rev. 21:13; 22:14).
- For the French people to repent and to receive forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47; Acts 26:18).
- That during the Torch Relay Christ's triumphal procession will move from city to city all over France.
- That we will be able to distribute Bibles freely in every city we visit and that the distribution will be carried out righteously before God and before men.
- For the church to be raised up in at least ten key cities.
Pakistan
Please pray for the strengthening of the shepherding work in the church in Karachi and that the saints can be raised up through shepherding. Pray also for the Lord's blessing on the propagation work in Faisalabad, that a golden lampstand may be established by the end of the year.
For a report with photos, see the December 2023 issue of the Lord's Move to Asia newsletter:
- lmasia.org/newsletter/december-2 (English)
- reurl.cc/80ljy7 (Chinese)
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 12 of An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord's Recovery before His Appearing. Next week, repeat Week 12 or enjoy the training verses and content.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The final ministry meeting of the fall term will be this Wednesday starting at 7:25 pm.
- Thanksgiving Conference: Recordings may be accessed at lsmwebcast.com at no charge until December 26. The subject was “The Enjoyment of Christ and Our Growth in Life unto Maturity.”
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry's many digital resources, including apps and free booklets, may be found at lsm.org/daily. The December 2023 newsletter features the third part of an interview with Brother Ron Kangas concerning the history of the Life-study publication work along with a report on the literature service in Brazil.
- Bibles for America's recent post entitled “The Deep Significance of the Birth of Jesus Christ” is available to read and share at blog.bfa.org.
- GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, visit gtca.us.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church's online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.
Week of November 26
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.
Week of November 12
Reigning in Life
“…Much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:17)
“And have made them a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5:10)
“So we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Rom. 12:5)
We need to enter into the experience of reigning in life. We were regenerated with a divine, spiritual, heavenly, kingly, and royal life. This life enthrones us to reign as kings over all things.
In experience, to reign in life means to be under the ruling of the divine life. Christ is a pattern of reigning in life by being under the ruling of the divine life of the Father. To reign in life is to subdue all kinds of insubordination. To reign in life is to have our hearts directed by the Lord. Since we reign in life as God does, we become God in life, nature, expression, and function but not in the Godhead.
The issue of our reigning in life, under the ruling of the divine life, is the real and practical Body life expressed in the church life. (An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord's Recovery Before His Appearing, msg. 8, II, A-B.1, C, D, E, IV)
SoCal College Conference
This weekend, November 17 to 19, the second fall college conference will take place at Oak Glen. 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.
Thanksgiving Conference
The 2023 International Thanksgiving Blending Conference will take place November 23 to 26 in Dallas, Texas. The general subject will be “The Enjoyment of Christ and Our Growth in Life unto Maturity.” Furthermore, the six conference messages will be broadcast live at www.lsmwebcast.com from Thursday evening through Lord's Day morning; they will also be available to view after the conference without a subscription for 30 days.
Please pray for the release of the Lord's present burden to His recovery in the conference messages.
Bibles for America
So far this year, BfA has sent out over 191,000 free copies of the NT Recovery Version to people throughout the United States. Many of these recipients have written to us to express their appreciation of the footnotes. Please pray that all the recipients would dive into the Recovery Version and that they would develop a taste for the ministry of life and truth in it.
October Gospel Trips – Berlin
The two-week gospel trip in Berlin reached the three major universities. There are more open and positive student contacts then ever before. At least 54 contacts are open to meet and about 20 are in regular contact and appointments with the saints. The greatest difference this time is the openness of the typical German students. Even German unbelievers have been eager to meet and get into the Bible. One such contact received a recovery version one year ago and has been reading it and feels peaceful when he does. Surely this is a son a peace.
With very few Christian groups active on the campuses we met several Christians who were greatly encouraged by meeting us; some even thought they were the only Christians on their campus prior to seeing us. The Lord has given us a good beginning to the school year and we pray for a strong continuation for the bearing of remaining fruit for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Although we did distribute at least 360 Bibles, our main goal was to establish personal connections with the students. We saw the Lord answer specific prayers and meet specific goals. Hallelujah!
Please pray for the Lord to firmly establish our connections with the new contacts that we can keep laboring on them for the months to come and that they can be an acceptable offering to the Lord. Pray for all the students to be strengthened and encouraged and for the new ones to find their community with the saints, in the church.
Israel
We thank the Lord that none of the saints in Israel have been harmed by the ongoing conflict. Please continue to pray for the physical and spiritual well-being of the young adults currently serving in the army. Also pray that the people from all backgrounds would hear the gospel and receive the Lord's salvation.
India
There are currently 205 churches in India. Please pray for the churches' practicing of the God-ordained way, that the saints can be strengthened with the word and rise up to cooperate with the Lord in the last two months of the year in order to reach the goal for this year in their respective localities.
Pray also for the 50 current trainees in the FTT New Delhi, that the Lord can continue to perfect their usefulness to the Master. For the January 2024 term, let us ask the Lord to release 21 new trainees for the two years of the full-time training.
For a full report, see the October 2023 issue of the Lord's Move to Asia newsletter at reurl.cc/4WDqlY.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 8 of An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord's Recovery before His Appearing.
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The ministry meeting continues this Wednesday at 7:25 pm.
- Semiannual Training: December 25 to 30 in Anaheim. For LA saints, the video training registration remains open until December 10 ($130) at tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla.
- Thanksgiving Conference: November 23 to 26 in Dallas. Saints from LA who are attending should RSVP at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla to receive any pertinent updates.
- 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.
- GTCA: To learn more about the burden for migration within North America, please visit gtca.us.
- 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.
- 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.