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The Maturity of the Bride

“…I pursue, if even I may lay hold of that for which I also have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus…One thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward. Let us therefore, as many as are full-grown, have this mind…” (Phil. 3:12-15)

As used in the New Testament, the word mature refers to the believers’ being full-grown and perfected in the life of Christ, which they received at the time of regeneration. We should never be content with ourselves but pursue growth and maturity in the life of Christ. We need to go on, to be brought on, to maturity by forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, pursuing toward the fullest enjoyment and gaining of Christ for the uttermost enjoyment of Christ in the millennial kingdom. The prerequisite for maturity in the spiritual life is to grow continually in the divine life. The ultimate issue of the believers’ growth and maturity in the life of Christ is the full-grown man—the church as the Body of Christ growing into a mature man. (The Preparation of the Bride, msg. 3, II.A-D)

Touching and Following the Spirit of the Meeting

Every meeting has a spirit, just as every person has a spirit. Because the spirit of the meeting is a corporate spirit, we must learn to touch the spirit of the meeting and follow this spirit…If each of us learn to touch the spirit of the meeting and to follow the spirit of the meeting, the Holy Spirit would have more liberty in the meetings and would flow out of us more easily…

What kind of learning do we need before we can touch and follow the spirit in the meeting? First, we must learn to be before the Lord in our daily life by following the spirit, not our mind. In every matter, big or small, we must learn to touch our spirit. We must learn to bring our being into the spirit and to exercise our will strongly to turn to God from our emotions, preferences, goals, perspectives, and tendencies. If we practice this all the time, we will be accustomed to living in the spirit. Then when we go to the meetings, we will spontaneously touch the spirit of the meeting. If our spirit is clear, transparent, fresh, and sensitive, we will be able to touch the move of the Spirit in the meeting. (CWWL, 1950–1951, vol. 1, pp. 305-306)

May all the brothers and sisters, especially our young working saints, endeavor to live in the mingled spirit in their daily life, so that they may touch and follow the move of the Spirit during the meetings.

CSUN

The CSUN semester began this week on Monday, August 25. “Meet the Clubs,” one of the big events at the start of the semester where all the clubs introduce themselves and recruit new members, will be next week, September 2 and 3 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. On Thursday, September 4 we will have “Welcome Day,” which is the first occasion to invite those interested in the club to meet together. Please pray:

  • For our six key students at CSUN to grow in the Lord and become more living and energized so that they can be vibrant channels for the gospel.
  • That the Lord will send open and hungry students, especially freshman, to Welcome Day.
  • That our key students and serving ones will be well prepared to continue shepherding and caring for these new people who come to us.

USC

Classes began this week at the USC. We need the prevailing prayers of the saints:

  • For the Lord to empower our existing students to shine forth Christ and seize the opportunity to speak to others about Him from the start of the semester.
  • For the hearts of the freshmen to be open as we reach out to them, and for solid contact throughout the week with many of them.
  • For the new and returning students to be gathered at our first college meeting this Friday, August 29 and each find a a welcoming environment among us with rich spiritual supply.

France – Students Conference

This weekend, August 29 to 31, there will be a conference for college students and young working saints aged 18 to 35 in Semur-en-Auxois, a village in eastern France halfway between Paris and Lyon. The burden of the conference is to shepherd and perfect this age group and prepare the campus work in September. Around 70 saints have registered, including around 30 students. The topic of the conference is “Crucial Dealings for Our Experience of Life.” Please pray:

  • For any saints still considering their participation to still register by faith.
  • For the health, safety, and travel of all the saints.
  • For an uplifted atmosphere filled with the Lord’s presence and timely speaking this weekend.

Germany – Blending Conference

There will be a Northern Germany Blending Conference the weekend of August 30 to 31 at Gut Elim, the blending center for the saints and churches in Germany. Pray that the Lord will bring the saints to this conference and bless the speaking and the blending in these two days.

Germany – October Gospel Trips

There will be gospel trips in multiple cities in Germany from October 5 to 19, mainly to contact students at the start of the semester. These trips will have visiting saints from around the earth combined with as many local saints as can be available. There are 45 spaces for visiting saints with September 15 the registration deadline. As of last Friday, 22 spaces were filled.

The Lord told us in Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest is great, but the workers few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest.” Let us beseech the Lord to fill each of the 45 spaces. Let us also petition Him to release as many local saints as possible to participate in these gospel times.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: Week 3 of The Preparation of the Bride.
  2. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: This term’s ministry series starting Wednesdays at 7:25 pm is on “The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul’s Epistles—Philippians and Colossians.” Saints are invited and encouraged to attend in person at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim. The meeting will also be live-streamed at lsmwebcast.com.
  3. SCYP Blending Meeting: September 13 in Arcadia, conducted in two sessions (4:30 to 6:00 pm; 7:00 to 8:30 pm) with dinner in between. Contact serving ones for registration and more details.
  4. SCYP Parents & YP Serving Ones Fellowship: September 20 in Fullerton, 9:30 am to noon. Translation will be provided into Chinese, Korean and Spanish (please bring a smartphone and headphones). Contact serving ones for registration and more details.
  5. Thanksgiving Conference: This year’s conference will be held in Indianapolis, November 27 to 30. Childcare for K–6 will be provided during the meetings. Saints from LA interested in attending can get more information on hotel group rates and RSVP at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla.
  6. France Shepherding Trips: An invitation letter to participate in ongoing short-term shepherding trips throughout France is posted at lme.org/reports.html.
  7. Germany Gospel Trips: Saints are invited to participate in gospel trips October 5 to 19 in Germany for the purpose of contacting university students. Information is at tinyurl.com/Gospeltrips-2025.
  8. Italy 2026 Winter Olympics: A letter of fellowship and a letter with instructions on how to apply and participate in gospel trips are posted at lme.org/reports.html.
  9. Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.