Christ, Our Spiritual Rock
“I will be standing before you there upon the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.” (Exo. 17:6)
“Take the rod, and gather the assembly, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, so that it yields its water. Thus you shall bring forth water for them out of the rock and give the assembly and their livestock a drink.” (Num. 20:8)
“And all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ.” (1 Cor. 10:4)
Christ has been crucified to become a spiritual rock that follows His people. This following rock is the resurrected Christ as the life-giving Spirit, who is always with the church to supply His believers with the water of life. (Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2), msg. 4, II)
As the spiritual rock, Christ follows the believers to give them the spiritual drink. The spiritual drink in 1 Corinthians 10:4 refers to the living water that flowed out of the cleft rock (Exo. 17:6), typifying the Spirit, who flowed out of the crucified and resurrected Christ, as our all-inclusive drink (John 7:37-39; 1 Cor. 12:13). In His crucifixion Christ, as the living, spiritual rock, was smitten by the authority of God’s law in order that the water of life in resurrection could flow out of Him into His redeemed people for them to drink. We should all drink the same spiritual drink and should not drink anything other than the all-inclusive Spirit. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3154-3155)
Trouble among God’s people can be caused by the shortage of water, which typifies the Spirit of life. Whenever God’s people are short of the Spirit of life, they will have problems. When God’s people have an abundance of the Spirit, their problems among themselves and with God are solved.
To receive the living water from the crucified Christ, we need only to “take the rod” and “speak to the rock.” To take the rod is to identify with Christ in His death and apply the death of Christ to ourselves and our situation. To speak to the rock is to speak a direct word to Christ as the smitten rock, asking Him to give us the Spirit of life based on the fact that the Spirit has already been given. If we apply the death of Christ to ourselves and ask Christ in faith to give us the Spirit, we will receive the living Spirit as the bountiful supply of life. (Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2), msg. 4, II.A, C, 1-3)
Semiannual Training Live Registrations
The deadline to register for the in-person July Semiannual Training in Anaheim ($205), June 30 to July 5, is this Wednesday, April 30. Late registrations will not be accepted. For LA saints, sign up and payment instructions are at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla. Registrations for our local video training will remain open until June 15.
May the Lord grant us to treasure these trainings and seize every opportunity to attend them—not only to see the intrinsic essence of the divine revelation, but also to serve as a proper audience for the unhindered release of the crystals in the Word of God. Lord, release as many saints as possible to participate in Your speaking to the churches in this training!
UCLA Gospel Meeting
This Friday, May 2, we will have a gospel meeting on campus at UCLA for the college students. Please pray:
- For the Lord to gather many sinners and to soften their hearts so that they can receive the living word of the Lord.
- For the devil to be bound in every way so that many sinners can become sons of God and members of the Body of Christ.
- For the Spirit of power to be the impact in this gathering, strengthening the unbelievers to definitely pray and receive the Lord Jesus.
SCYP Sixth Grade Conference
This weekend, May 2 to 4, the SoCal Sixth Grade Conference will be at Oak Glen. Please pray:
- For the preparation of all the sixth graders in the churches for this time of being infused with the precious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- For the Lord to be with all the speaking brothers, to anoint them with the Spirit and give them the utterance to speak a word that will penetrate the hearts of the sixth graders.
- That the parents and the serving ones will be in one accord to pray and to care for the children in the best way, so that the Lord may dynamically save them and gain them for His purpose.
West Coast Korean-speaking Conference
The 2025 North America West Coast Korean-speaking Conference is this weekend via Zoom. The two sessions on “One Accord and Crucial Aspects of the Book of Acts” are Saturday, May 3, 6:30 to 9:30 pm and Lord’s Day, May 4, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. All the saints are invited to participate; there will be translation from Korean to English. All detailed information, including schedule and Zoom links, may be found at tinyurl.com/2025westcoast. Please pray for the Lord to fully release His burden!
France – Shepherding Trip Testimony
A visiting couple recently shared that their nearly three months of shepherding in France has been an experience they will remember forever. It has been so precious to see the new believers go on. They have been living the God-ordained way, meeting house to house, singing, praying, reading the word, and being blended with all the local saints. They encourage any saint who wishes to experience such a church life to visit France and help shepherd, so that golden lampstands will be established. The only “requirement” is that you be able to shepherd, sing, walk, and cook; age is not a factor. Please pray:
- For the Lord to release more one- to three-month shepherds to French-speaking Europe.
- For the Lord to call some to serve full-time in France and release visas for them.
- For the raising up of at least three new lampstands in French-speaking cities this year.
Warsaw, Poland
This weekend, May 2 to 4, there is an International Blending Conference in Warsaw. Messages on “Taking the Way of Enjoying Christ as the Tree of Life” will be spoken in English, Polish and Russian. Please pray for the saints’ attendance and the release of the Lord’s burden and supply in this conference.
Praising the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth
“Jesus came and spoke to [the eleven disciples], saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18). And Revelation 1:5 proclaims “Jesus Christ [is] the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth.”
Lord, we say amen to this and we praise You that You are the Ruler! Use all the kings, presidents, and prime ministers on the earth for the building of Your Body, and for preparation of the earth for Your return in glory (Matt. 24:30; 25:31) with the crushing of all the earthly kingdoms and the establishing of Your eternal kingdom on earth (Dan. 2:44-45).
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 16 of Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2), vol. 3.
- 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.
- Memorial Day Conference: May 23 to 26 in Phoenix, AZ. General subject is “The Preparation of the Bride.” For LA saints attending in person, please RSVP by April 30 at tinyurl.com/memdayla.
- Semiannual Training: June 30 to July 5 in Anaheim. For LA saints, registration is open until April 30 (live) and June 15 (video) at tinyurl.com/summertrainingla.
- LSM Newsletter: The April 2025 issue of “Having This Ministry…” includes an explanation on the deeper and intrinsic significance of the term blending. Go to newsletters.lsm.org/having-this-ministry.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.