Week of June 8

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Living in the Divine History by Calling on the Name of the Lord

“Therefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11)

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him; for ‘whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'” (Rom. 10:12-13)

Our divine history in the midst of human history is a history of calling on the name of the Lord to enjoy the riches of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ as the fullness of Christ. By calling on the name of the Lord, we keep ourselves in God's golden, divine history—a history that begins with Enosh, continues through the Old and New Testaments, and concludes with the last prayer in the Bible.

We carry out the divine history within the human history by speaking “boldly in the name of Jesus” (Acts 9:27). This name is the expression of the sum total of what the Lord is in His person and work. (One Accord and Crucial Aspects of the Book of Acts, msg. 7, II.A.1-2, C)

O Lord Jesus! Let us pray to be a group of people who live in the divine history by calling on the name of the Lord and speaking in the name of the Lord, the name of Jesus.

Taking Christ as Our Unique Source in the One New Man

“For we are His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (Eph. 2:10)

“Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace” (Eph. 2:15)

We, the church, the masterpiece of God's work, are an absolutely new item in the universe, a new invention of God. We were created by God in Christ through regeneration to be His new creation. (Eph. 2:10, footnote 2)

Ordinances are the forms or ways of living and worship, which create enmity and division. On the cross Christ abolished all the regulations regarding living and worship, regulations that have divided the nations. From the time of Babel, mankind has been divided by ordinances concerning the ways of living and worship; in God's economy in the church life, we must overcome Babel. Christ should be our only source; we should not allow anything of our background, culture, or nationality to be our source. If we are willing to let go of our cultural pride, it will be possible for the Lord to have the proper church life. (Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2), msg. 10, III.B, 1-2a, c)

The phrase in Himself is very significant. It indicates that Christ was not only the Creator of the one new man, the church, but also the sphere in which and the essence with which the one new man was created. He is the very element of the new man. After we were terminated, in Him we received the new essence. Christ Himself became this new element to us. (Life-study of Ephesians, p. 202)

LA Truth School and Children's Bible Camp

Our 2025 Truth School and Children's Bible Camp for the church in Los Angeles will take place Lord's Day evening, June 22 through Tuesday afternoon, June 24. As we prepare for this time of retreat and blending at Oak Glen, please pray:

• For the hearts of our young people to be soft, open, and ready to receive the Lord's speaking regarding “The Church.”
• For the saints laboring in all areas of service to enjoy the living Christ in their prayer and coordination.
• For many more young people and families to register.

Registration is still open since we have 20 spots available, but must close this Lord's Day, June 15. We are burdened for as many of our young people and families with young children as possible to have a sanctified time to enjoy the Lord together in a focused way.

Bibles for America

In October 2024, BfA began offering free physical copies of The Knowledge of Life to US residents. Since then, over 10,500 books have been sent out to recipients in 49 states and 3 US territories.

Please pray that each of these recipients would read the book in full to receive fresh light from the Lord, advance in knowing and living according to the inward sense of life, and be brought on to have richer experiences of Christ. Pray that many more orders would be placed and more people would gain spiritual benefit from The Knowledge of Life.

Maritimes Blending Conference

The Maritimes refers to the Canadian provinces located east of the US state of Maine. These provinces are New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. There will be a Maritimes Blending Conference in Moncton, New Brunswick on June 14 and 15. The subject will be “The Preparation of the Bride.” Nearly 140 saints have registered, including many from across Canada.

Please pray for the registered saints to be released outwardly and inwardly to attend this gathering and receive the Lord's up-to-date speaking. Pray for this conference to contribute to the preparation of the Bride to hasten the Lord's return. May this be a wonderful time of blending, building up, and encouragement among the churches, especially in this Atlantic region of Canada.

France – Shepherding Testimonies

1. Thank You, Lord, for Your mercy! It is an untold privilege to be able to participate here. My time in France was priceless and has eternal value. It was the best way to redeem my time and to be a faithful slave cooperating with the saints to have new ones for meals and home meetings. France needs many more saints to come to coordinate with the local saints to shepherd the new ones.

2. We arrived in Lille, where there are about 26 new ones, and entered directly into a home meeting, and we shepherded a new one that evening. All the new ones are open to the nourishing, first through Basic Elements of the Christian Life and then The Economy of God. Every week they came, some in the afternoon for tea or coffee, some in the evening for a meal. We rented an apartment for 3 months near the three local families. Through the weekly home meetings the new ones learned to exercise their spirit, call on the Lord, and pray-read. This time has reminded us how fresh, living, and house-to-house our church life should be.

Pray for the Lord to raise up the church in Lille and in at least two other cities in Francophone Europe this year. “The harvest is great, but the workers few; therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2). Beseech Him that more saints of varied ages, with or without French-speaking ability, including some from LA, would be thrust out!

For more reports and an invitation letter concerning shepherding trips, go to lme.org/reports.html.

Announcements

1. Morning Revival: Week 22 of Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2), vol. 4.
2. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: The series on “The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul's Epistles—Ephesians” continues this week starting at 7:25 pm in Anaheim and at lsmwebcast.com.
3. Semiannual Video Training: June 30 to July 5 in Anaheim. This Lord's Day, June 15, is the firm registration deadline for our local video training. Sign up at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
4. Memorial Day Conference: Recordings are available at no charge until June 25 at lsmwebcast.com.
5. Bibles for America's new blogpost “The Immense Significance of the Human Spirit” is available to read and share at bfa.org/blog. Helpful videos are also available at bfa.org/videos.
6. 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.
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.