Prayer, Week of March 8
Enjoying Christ as Our Allotted Portion
"Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light." (Col. 1:12)
"It is a land which Jehovah your God cares for; always the eyes of Jehovah your God are upon it, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year." (Deut. 11:12)
The New Testament believers' inheritance, their allotted portion, is not a physical land; it is the all-inclusive Christ. He is the allotted portion of the saints as their divine inheritance for their enjoyment. Because we are practically joined to Christ as the reality of the good land and are enjoying His riches, God's eyes are upon us continually, causing us to enjoy God's presence and making us the object of His care. (Col. 1:12, footnote 2; Deut. 11:12, footnote 1)
Christ is so good. Christ is so sweet. How rich Christ is to us! We must have such an adequate and full experience of Him...as so many kinds of food. We must enjoy Christ to such an extent that the life within us may be matured. Then there will be a building for the Lord and the warfare with the enemy. (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, "The All-inclusive Christ," pp. 247-248)
GTCA—Gospelize, Truthize, Churchize America
"Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind Jehovah, do not be dumb; and do not give Him quiet until He establishes and until He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." (Isa. 62:6-7)
Persevering prayer in the church prayer meetings, sisters' prayer times, and vital groups should be the base for all the labor in His present move. May we receive the spirit of Isaiah 62 to "never keep silent." Let us take our stand as the Lord's "watchmen" who day and night do not keep silent but remind Him concerning His will to establish His testimony on the earth. In particular, may we remind Him of His desire to spread His recovery throughout middle America and the Bible Belt region.
For reports and information, please visit http://GTCA.us.
SoCal High School Sisters Conference
From March 13 to 15, sisters from across Southern California with gather at Oak Glen for the Spring 2020 High School Sisters Conference. The general topic is "Being Watchful in Life and Faithful in Service." Please pray:
- for the Lord to prepare the hearts of all of the high school sisters in Southern California;
- that they would learn to spend time each day with the Lord to be filled with oil;
- that they would be watchful to love the Lord, enjoy Him, and deal with their sins; and
- that they would use the spiritual gifts the Lord has given them to be faithful in service and care for others.
FTTA-MA
The spring term of the Middle-age Training in Anaheim begins this week on March 9. The goal of the training is to foster living, functioning, overcoming members of the Body of Christ for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose. Lord, release the saints from every restraint, and grace them inwardly to give themselves to begin or to continue this training and to fully respond to God's operation in them!
Germany
From March 15 to 18 there will be a retreat at Gut Elim for up to 60 full-timers from Germany and Switzerland. The burden of this time is for these saints to get refreshed both physically and spiritually, as well as have much prayer.
Scotland
Scotland is a constituent country of the United Kingdom. There are currently two lampstands, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The ground was taken in both localities in 2012; a meeting hall was purchased in Glasgow in 2014; renovations were completed early last year. From March 14 to 15 there will be a mini-conference in Glasgow with saints from the UK and Ireland. Up to 110 adults and 30 children are expected. The subject will be "Living the Christian Life Under the Government of God to Experience Christ and Grow in Life for God's Building."
Please join us in prayer for the Lord to bring the local saints and new ones to the conference and bless the time with His rich speaking and much blending. Also pray that the Lord would gain the local Scots, increase the churches in Edinburgh and Glasgow up to 80-100 saints, and spread His testimony to more cities in Scotland.
For a short video report of the Lord's recent move in Scotland, go to https://youtu.be/66hmq5Ie4hA.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is a predominantly Muslim country at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. At present there are a dozen saints meeting regularly in the capital city, Baku, serving and coordinating in one accord, and taking every opportunity to establish gospel contacts. Despite many outward restrictions, the saints are looking to the Lord for His blessing and to establish His testimony in Azerbaijan.
Please pray for the saints' practice of the God-man living and the church life and for the gospel work, including contact with other Christian believers. Pray for the Lord to open up the proper channels for the distribution of the ministry. Lastly, please pray for the establishing of the church in Baku.
For the complete report, as well as an update on the Lord's move in Bangladesh, download the February 2020 issue of the Lord's Move to Asia newsletter at:
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/E-2020-02.pdf (English)
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Asia-2020-02.pdf (Chinese)
Prayer for the Current Situation
As God's people, let us continue to pray for the advance of the divine history within the human history. There are decisions to be made about continuing, modifying, or cancelling various meetings and trips. In some places churches cannot meet face-to-face but meetings continue via Internet. Colossians 1:9 says, "Therefore we also, since the day we heard of it, do not cease praying and asking on your behalf that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding." Let us ask the Lord to fill the elders and co-workers around the earth with wisdom and understanding that the Lord's recovery may advance despite the current environment and its restrictions.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Crystallization-study of Deuteronomy, week 3.
- Junior High Conferences at Oak Glen: for sisters, April 10 to 12 (registration due March 22); for brothers, April 17 to 19 (registration due March 29).
- Memorial Day Conference: May 22 to 25 in Atlanta, GA. Conference and hotel information is posted at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer. Saints from LA should RSVP by April 28 at http://tinyurl.com/memdayla.
- http://LSMchristianradio.com broadcasts hymns and messages of the ministry 24 hours each day.
Prayer, Week of March 1
Knowing the Government of Our Righteous and Loving God
"Seeing that His divine power has granted to us all things which relate to life and godliness through the full knowledge of Him…" (2 Pet. 1:3)
"It is Jehovah your God who is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and lovingkindness to the thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments." (Deut. 7:9b)
God governs by judging; the judgment of God is the for the carrying out of His government. As believers in Christ, we need to realize that we are under God's government… As God is governing us, He supplies us with whatever we need; God grants us His provision so that we may cooperate with His government. (Crystallization-study of Deuteronomy, msg. 2, I.D, F.1)
We need to know God. In particular, we need to know that God is loving and that He is righteous in dealing with us. We also need to know that we ourselves are a failure. If we know this, we will no longer trust ourselves but put our trust in God, the One who is faithful. In spite of our failure in loving God and fearing Him and in spite of our unfaithfulness, God will be successful. No matter what the situation of His people may be, God will be faithful to the end, and eventually He will accomplish His intention that we enjoy His full blessing. (Life-study of Deuteronomy, msg. 2, pp. 18-19)
Spring SoCal YP Conferences
Praise the Lord for the upcoming Young People's Conferences this spring, which will all be held at Oak Glen Christian Conference Center. We encourage all the parents, serving ones and college students to pray for the openness of our junior high and high school students to the Lord and His speaking. Whether our young people are hearing these words again or for the first time, we pray that they would be prepared to enter into more of Christ as their good land and possess Him!
The dates, locations, and sign-up deadlines for the conferences are as follows:
1. High School Sisters, March 13 to 15. Deadline to register: March 1.
2. High School Brothers, March 20 to 22. Deadline to register: March 8.
3. Junior High Sisters, April 10 to 12. Deadline to register: March 29.
4. Junior High Brothers, April 17 to 19. Deadline to register: April 5.
FTTA-OL
The Online Full-Time Training (FTTA-OL) conducts the FTTA curriculum completely online. The hope that this online program will help the believers cultivate a habit of studying the truth through a lifelong pursuit. While some learners may complete all the courses in short period of time, the FTTA-OL is designed with the view that most saints will take one or two courses per year for the next fifteen to thirty years. More information is at http://www.onlineftta.org.
Each calendar year is divided into 5 terms. The 2020 Term B runs from March 11 to May 5. Please pray for every enrollee to be a diligent learner to help others learn and dig into the ministry materials. By the Lord's mercy, may more saints sanctify their time by studying God's Word and being constituted with the divine truth.
Germany
The German YP conference (for ages 11 to 18) will be at Gut Elim March 6 to 8. Pray for full participation by all who have registered and that none would be discouraged by any language weakness.
Gut Elim is a 25-acre property in central Germany with a blending facility which is gradually being improved to increase the capacity. Last week, there was a crucial inspection scheduled from the German foundation for the protection of historical buildings. This inspection was delayed to Wednesday, March 4. An approval means we will be able to move quickly to finish the work here; otherwise, we could be forced to close for an indefinite period. Please pray for no further delays and a fully successful inspection.
Southern Africa
The Southern Africa Weekend Conference will be March 7 to 8 in Midrand, South Africa. The subject will be "The Experience of Christ in Philippians and Colossians for the One New Man." Please pray:
- for the release of the Lord's speaking;
- for the participation of saints from the South African Development Community (SADC) region—which includes countries such as Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—not only in the conference but also in one week of short-term training at the FTTP afterwards; and
- for the Lord to bless the blending of the leading brothers who will meet before and during the conference to fellowship concerning the Lord's move in Southern Africa, followed by perfecting sessions from Lessons on the Eldership with brother Mark Raabe.
Prayer for the Current Situation
"In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses every man's understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6-7)
As God's people, let us pray for the advance of the divine history within human history. Let us pray for the people of this world and those in power. We need to be sober-minded and vigilant, but we do not need to panic or overreact. We believe "the heavens do rule" (Dan. 4:26) so that the environment might be fit for God's chosen people to receive His salvation. In these days of global uncertainty, may the Lord turn all anxieties to the advancement of the gospel. This is the environment for us to proclaim the gospel!
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Crystallization-study of Deuteronomy, week 2.
- High School Conferences at Oak Glen: for sisters, March 13 to 15 (registration due March 1); for brothers, March 20 to 22 (registration due March 8).
- Memorial Day Conference: May 22 to 25 in Atlanta, GA. Conference and hotel information is posted at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer. Saints from LA are asked to RSVP by April 28 at http://tinyurl.com/memdayla.
- http://ShepherdingWords.com addresses certain critical issues facing the Lord's recovery.
Prayer, Week of February 23
A Renewed Training in Enjoying and Keeping Christ
"All Scripture is God-breathed..." (2 Tim. 3:16a)
"...It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.'" (Matt. 4:4; cf. Deut. 8:3)
"But the word is very near to you, even in your mouth and in your heart…" (Deut. 30:14)
All the words in Deuteronomy are God's breathing, and God's breathing is altogether embodied in Christ. As we read Deuteronomy, we need to inhale all that God has exhaled, all that He has breathed out. By inhaling the divine breath in Deuteronomy, we will enjoy Christ, the embodiment of the divine breath. The more we receive the breath of the speaking God, the more we will enjoy Christ.
Whereas the children of Israel were charged to keep the commandments, statutes, and ordinances, we today need to keep Christ. By taking Christ, keeping Christ, and holding fast to Him, we will gain Him, enjoy Him, and live Him. We need to love Christ, keep Christ, teach Christ, wear Christ, and write Christ.
God was leading His people into the good land, a type of Christ, by Christ, and He was sustaining the on their way to the good land also by Christ, who is everything that proceeds out through the mouth of God. Every word in Deuteronomy is the very Christ, who is now the word of God for us to receive as our life and life supply. (Crystallization-study of Deuteronomy, msg. 1, III.B.2-4)
Much Fruit in LA to Glorify the Father
In John 15:7 the Lord said, "If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall come to pass to you." When we abide in the Lord and let His words abide in us, we are actually one with Him, and He is working within us. Then, whatever we ask, it is not only we who are praying but also He who is praying in our praying. This kind of prayer is related to fruit-bearing (v. 8) and surely it will be fulfilled.
Verse 8 says, "In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit....We need to pray for much fruit-bearing that the Father may be glorified, that is, expressed, in the Son. In fruit-bearing the Father's divine life is expressed and so He is glorified. (Life-study of John, msg. 34, sec. 3)
Lord, keep us abiding in You and praying for much fruit in Los Angeles.
GTCA—Gospelize, Truthize, Churchize America
The basis for the Lord to accomplish His present move in this country is through the persevering prayers of the saints in one accord (Acts 1:14). Three directions of prayer are much needed: first, to persistently remind the Lord of His will as the watchmen in Isaiah 62:6-7; second, to intercede for the people and leaders in this country; and third, to beseech the Lord to thrust out laborers into the ripened harvest of middle America—specifically, for at least 300 saints (including 30 full-timers) to migrate to the 10 target cities in the United States. For more reports and information, please visit http://GTCA.us.
Zagreb, Croatia
Croatia is a country in Southeast Europe with over 4 million inhabitants. In November 2019, the Balkan Regional Conference was held in the capital, Zagreb, with 180 saints in attendance, many of whom were gained through the distribution of the ministry. On March 1, the first Lord's table will be taken in Zagreb. Please pray for a strong beginning to the Lord's testimony in the nation's largest city through the blending and fellowship in the Body.
Germany – Meeting Halls
Thank the Lord for His faithful care through the Body to meet the financial need for the purchase of the meeting hall in Berlin. Pray that in a timely way the Lord will grant the saints favor with the building authorities to enable them to renovate the new meeting hall to make it most useful for the Lord's interest.
The church in Stuttgart has found a place available for lease that can suit their needs. They have submitted to the owner a plan with renovations that would need to be made. Pray that the owner will accept their proposal at a reasonable and affordable price.
Malta
Ten saints from Germany visited the island nation of Malta from February 7 to 10. The people were warm and responsive. Over the course of two one-hour distributions, 155 English NTs and 200 copies of The Mystery of Human Life were given out. Gatherings with seeking people were held on each of the three evenings. On the Lord's Day morning there was a time of singing and prayer. Please pray that the three students who spent time with the visiting saints will attend the European University Conference in March, and ask the Lord to gain a local couple with an open home.
Prayer for the Current Situation
On Lord's Day, February 23, Chinese-speaking believers around the world observed a day of prayer for the current situation with regard to the coronavirus outbreak. Saints began to pray at midnight and continued in intervals of 15 minutes or more for 24 hours. They prayed for an end to the epidemic, peace in the people's hearts, and the Lord's move in China. Many testified of the Lord's presence in their prayer.
Several more countries (including Korea, Japan, and Italy) are now seeing a significant increase in virus-related cases. We need to take up the corporate priesthood to stop the pestilence by prayer. Now it is a critical time to rise up in one accord to pray for prevention and containment not only in China, but all over the earth. At the same time, while the black horse of pestilence is running rampant, let us pray to release the white horse of the gospel to first conquer people's hearts and bring them to salvation.
"The earth is Jehovah's, and its fullness, the habitable land and those who dwell in it." (Psa. 24:1)
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Crystallization-study of Deuteronomy, week 1.
- High School Conferences at Oak Glen: for sisters, March 13 to 15 (registration due March 1); for brothers, March 20 to 22 (registration due March 8).
- Memorial Day Conference: May 22 to 25 in Atlanta, GA. Conference and hotel information is posted at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer. Saints from LA are asked to RSVP by April 28 at http://tinyurl.com/memdayla.
- Receive weekly church prayer in English by email: sign up at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer.
Prayer, Week of February 16
Having the New Man in a Practical Way
"And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God." (Col. 3:15-16)
In the new man there is room only for Christ; He is all the members of the new man and in all the members; He is everything in the new man. If we would live Christ as the constituent of the new man, we need to be ruled by the peace of Christ (vv. 12-15) and inhabited by the word of Christ (vv. 16-17). Through the arbitration of the peace of Christ, our problems are solved, and the friction between the saints disappears; then the church life is preserved in sweetness, and the new man is maintained in a practical way. By allowing the word of God to inhabit us, we can become a proper human being, a God-man filled with Christ as the reality of the attributes of God.
If we allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate in us and if we are filled with the word of Christ, we shall have the new man in a practical way; all the saints in all the churches throughout the Lord's recovery will be living Christ in the one new man. (Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, msg. 6, II.A, C, 1.c.(1), 2.c, 3)
Memorial Day Conference
The 2020 International Memorial Day Conference will be May 22 to 25 in Atlanta, GA. Conference and hotel information is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer. Saints are encouraged to make their hotel reservations as soon as possible if they do plan to attend, and to only reserve the number of rooms at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis that they intend to use, because cancelled rooms will no longer be available to others at the discounted group rate.
For saints from LA and Santa Clarita who plan to attend, please RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/memdayla by April 28. Children need to be registered in advance.
Please pray that the Lord will take more crucial steps in the advancement of His purpose during this gathering. Also pray that many would be released and empowered to attend.
FTTA
The FTTA spring term begins this week. Ask the Lord to richly supply each trainee and to speak specifically within each one for their growth into Him. From LA we have three new trainees.
GTCA
As the sowing trips to the GTCA cities concluded last week, there is the need to persevere in prayer for the saints following up with all those contacted over the past few weeks. Pray that they would be bountifully supplied by the Spirit of Jesus Christ to carry out this long-term labor. Please also pray for at least 300 saints (including 30 full-timers) to migrate to the 10 target cities in the US.
In addition, last week the co-workers in North America coordinating for GTCA released a new letter calling on all the dear saints to rise up with a fresh burden to intercede in prayer for His move in this country. The co-workers outlined three directions of prayer that are much needed at this time: first, to persistently remind the Lord of His will as the watchmen in Isaiah 62:6-7; second, to intercede for the people and leaders in the United States; and third, to beseech the Lord to thrust out laborers into the ripened harvest of middle America.
In order to arrive at a strong testimony throughout this country, especially in the so-called "Bible Belt," and for the needed migration to the strategic GTCA cities, we must first and foremost pray. As Watchman Nee said, "Why do we work so much, and pray so little, when we can accomplish much more by prayer than by our work?" The basis for the Lord to accomplish His present move is through the persevering prayers of the saints in one accord (Acts 1:14).
To read this letter and the latest reports from the sowing trips, please visit http://GTCA.us.
Hamburg, Germany
The first Lord's table meeting in Hamburg will take place February 23. This will be the first table meeting in Hamburg since the ground was lost in the 1980s. The burden to recover the Lord's table has been in the saints' hearts for many years, and this past year, the Lord has moved quickly to strengthen the local testimony through the migrating saints and the recovery of local saints. This meeting and the subsequent lunch will be a time of rejoicing and blending of many saints in or near Germany. Thank the Lord for His spread in Germany!
Angola
Angola is a Portuguese-speaking country with over 25 million people located on the west coast of Southern Africa. At present, there are over 350 saints meeting on the ground of oneness in various localities, including Uige and the capital city, Luanda. In recent years, the saints in Angola have benefitted much from increased contact with the churches in South Africa and each year some saints attend the conferences for Southern Africa held in Pretoria.
Last month, there was a two-week perfecting training for Portuguese-speaking saints hosted by FTT Pretoria. It was another step for the Lord's move in Angola: 17 saints from Angola attended, and the goal was to perfect them so that they could perfect others. Trainees came from Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé, and South Africa. It was a marvelous blending!
Please pray for the perfecting work started in that time to continue during the upcoming bi-annual blending conference in Angola from February 22 to 23. Pray for the safe travel of the saints and the Lord's timely word to be released. Pray also for more up-to-date ministry materials to get into the saints' hands, and for the Lord to send out visitation teams to more cities to preach the gospel of the kingdom.
India
Pray for the new term of FTT New Delhi, that the Lord will strengthen the 10 new trainees beginning first term. Pray also for all the continuing trainees to be perfected and to advance further in truth, life, service and character in order to be useful to the Master.
Prayer for the Current Situation
Please continue to be strong in spirit and take up the whole armor of God to pray for the current situation with regard to the coronavirus outbreak. We need to take up the corporate priesthood to stop the pestilence by prayer. At the same time, while the black horse of pestilence is running rampant, we need to pray to release the white horse to first conquer people's hearts and bring them to salvation.
Pray for all the saints to be covered and those afflicted to be preserved. Pray particularly for the saints in China to seize this opportunity to preach the good news of the gospel to their friends and relatives. May the Lord gain the victory, His enemies be put to shame, the church be built up, and God be glorified!
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, week 6.
Next week we will begin Crystallization-study of Deuteronomy.
- High School Conferences at Oak Glen: for sisters, March 13 to 15 (registration due March 1); for brothers, March 20 to 22 (registration due March 8).
- http://LSMchristianradio.com broadcasts hymns and messages of the ministry 24 hours each day.
Prayer, Week of February 9
Having Been Made Full in Christ
"That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ." (Col. 2:2)
"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you have been made full in Him, who is the Head of all rule and authority." (Col. 2:9-10)
Because all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ and because we have been put into Him, we have been made full in Him—filled up with the divine riches—and all that He is and all that He has belong to us, and all that He has experienced has become our history. (Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, Key Statement 3)
Do not believe your feelings about yourself, but look away to Christ. Exercise your faith to realize what He is, what He has passed through, what He has obtained and attained, and where He is today. Since He is in the third heaven and we are one with Him, we are in the third heaven also....We have been placed into the Christ who is unsearchably rich. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 178-179)
Giving Our Money with Blessings
"There is one who scatters and increases yet more, and there is one who withholds what is appropriate but ends up only in want." (Prov. 11:24)
"He who sows sparingly shall also sparingly reap; and he who sows with blessings shall also with blessings reap." (2 Cor. 9:6)
All our giving, whether to the church in LA or for Oak Glen or for something farther away, is a sowing. Because God has blessed us with Himself, we are empowered to give with blessings. We give not out of necessity (9:7), but by grace which enables us to abound (9:8).
GTCA—Gospelize, Truthize, Churchize America
The 21 North American and 1 Ethiopian FTTA gospel trips that were active last week have just concluded. Detailed reports are at http://www.gtca.us. Follow-up prayer is needed. Please pray:
- for the strengthening of the core college students in our clubs on every campus;
- for the strengthening of the local saints to care for the positive contacts reached through the various tabling and Bible distributions;
- for those who have received a Bible to read it and receive life; and
- for many people in each city to be gradually brought into the church life.
Malta
Acts 28:1 says, "And having been brought safely through, we recognized then that the island was called Malta." Malta is an island nation south of Italy with a population of about 460,000. It is a member of the European Union and English is one of the official languages.
Last weekend there was a Bibles for Europe distribution in the city center of the Maltese capital, Valletta. Please pray for the literature distributed to be read with an open heart by seeking ones and for the raising up of the Lord's testimony in Malta.
Lord's Move to Asia
The January 2020 LMA newsletter has a report from the church in Islamabad and the recent National Blending Conference in Pakistan, as well as an update on the Lord's move in Nepal:
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/E-2020-01.pdf (English)
http://lmasia.org/temp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Asia-2020-01.pdf (Chinese)
Prayer for the Current Situation
The following word of encouragement is excerpted from an open letter dated February 7 to the Chinese-speaking saints from the Chinese-speaking co-workers in Southern California regarding the coronavirus outbreak:
We need to be strong in spirit and take up the whole armor of God to pray for the current situation. When people in the world are panicking and human agencies are unable to solve the problem, we need to stand in the breach (Psa. 106:23) to pray to the sovereign Lord of all "on behalf of kings and all who are in high position" and "on behalf of all men" (1 Tim. 2:1-2). We need to take up the corporate priesthood to stop the pestilence by prayer (Num. 16:44-48). At the same time, while the black horse of pestilence is running rampant, we need to pray to release the white horse to first conquer people's hearts and bring them to salvation (Rev. 6:1).
We should pray particularly for the saints in China that they will seize this opportunity to preach the good news of the gospel to their friends and relatives. According to the reports we have received, they have done so. In some localities they changed the large gospel meetings during the Chinese New Year into small gospel gatherings in the homes. As a result, the number of baptisms exceeded their expectation, with hundreds being baptized. Although some saints cannot go out, they have been using phone calls and emails to contact over thirty people a day, thereby bringing many to believe in the Lord.
Thus, we hope that the brothers and sisters everywhere will spontaneously gather in each locality to pray. We strongly suggest that the saints in each locality use the weekend that was originally scheduled for the Chinese-speaking Conference to set aside one whole day for prayer at set times. We believe this crisis is the opportunity given by God to His church to proclaim His salvation to the people in the world.
We also hope that the brothers and sisters will seize this opportunity to be laboring priests of the gospel to preach the gospel (Rom. 15:16). Whether we are at home or away from home, whether we contact people by visitation or via the internet, we should all join this battle in groups of twos and threes so that the Lord may gain a great victory in this matter, that His enemies may be put to shame, the church may be built up, and God may be glorified.
May the Lord bless all the churches and all the brothers and sisters so that we will make new progress before the Lord in this new year.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, week 5.
- International Chinese-speaking Conference from February 14 to 16 has been cancelled.
- Reports on the Lord's Move in Germany, website in English: http://germanyreports.info.
- http://ShepherdingWords.com addresses certain critical issues facing the Lord's recovery.
- http://LSMchristianradio.com broadcasts hymns and messages of the ministry 24 hours each day.
Prayer, Week of February 2
Realizing and Loving Christ as the Reality of All Positive Things
"Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ." (Col. 2:16-17)
The reality of all that we need is Christ. We need food, drink, and the feasts. A new moon indicates a new start, and the Sabbath is for rest. However, all these are simply a shadow; they are not the real things. Christ Himself is the reality of all these things.
[May we all] learn to realize Him and love Him. Simply love Him, and do not seek anything else. Everything else is merely a shadow. Of course, while we are still on this earth, we need many things. However, we must use these things in the way of realizing Christ as our reality. The only portion that God gives to us is this wonderful Christ. We must learn to know Him, to live Him, to take Him, to experience Him, and to realize Him. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 2, "A General Sketch of the New Testament in the Light of Christ and the Church, Part 2—Romans through Philemon," pp. 331-333)
GTCA—Gospelize, Truthize, Churchize America
GTCA activities involving FTTA gospel trips continue this week and conclude in the coming weekend in at least 21 North American cities and in Ethiopia. Reports with photos are at http://www.gtca.us. Please pray:
- for those participating in this time of sowing, that they would be energized to spread God's word in a coordinated and living way, and that they would be empowered in the Lord and in the might of His strength as they speak the gospel of the kingdom to the spiritually needy people they meet.
- for the BfA packages that were distributed to be read by seeking ones with an open heart.
- for continuing contact with people who received the Lord or a Bible or other literature.
- for those invited to events this week to be released from everything to attend.
- for the encouragement and continued participation of all the local saints in the gospel activities.
- for many people in each city to be gradually brought into the church life.
International Chinese-speaking Conference CANCELED
After much and thorough fellowship among the co-workers, the decision has been made to cancel the International Chinese-speaking Conference this year. We realize that it is not a small thing to cancel one of the seven feasts and that many saints may have already purchased plane tickets to attend the conference. However, in light of the current outbreak of the coronavirus in China and its spread to other parts of the world, we feel it would be irresponsible on the part of the Living Stream Ministry to expose the saints to the risk of contracting this highly contagious and deadly virus. Please accept our apologies for any hardship this may cause you. (http://www.lsm.org)
Asia
Please pray for the saints to be covered and preserved from any sickness. At the same time, pray for the white horse to run. In this period of hardship and uncertainty, may the gospel of the kingdom be preached like never before!
United Kingdom
As of January 31, the UK has formally left the European Union. However, during a transition period due to last until December 31, the UK effectively will remain in the EU's customs union and single market while negotiating a trade deal with the EU.
Please continue to pray that the Lord will arrange all things for His interests and for the advancement of His move and for a resolution that will not hinder blending among the churches, visitation by the co-workers, or participation in trainings and conferences in the UK and Europe.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, week 4.
- http://LSMchristianradio.com broadcasts hymns and messages of the ministry 24 hours each day.
Prayer, Week of January 26
Giving Christ the Preeminence in All Things
"...God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name." (Phil. 2:9)
"And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church." (Eph. 1:22)
For Christ to have the preeminence in all things, God needs a people; apart from God's having a people, there is no way for Christ to be made preeminent. Christ, the preeminent One, must be the centrality and universality in our church life, family life, and daily life.
Under God's heavenly rule everything is working together for our good. This is especially true of the things in our personal universe. Our personal universe includes ourselves, our families, and the church. In our personal universe many things happen day by day for the purpose of making Christ preeminent. We need to realize this and be submissive to God's heavenly rule.
In order to give Christ the preeminence in all things, we must be willing to be adjusted, to be broken, and to be made nothing so that the Lord can have a way in us, through us, and among us for the building up of His organic Body. If we have a vision of the preeminence of Christ, our living and our church life will be revolutionized, for we will realize that in all things Christ must have the first place. (Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, msg. 3, I.B, III.B-E)
"The Heavens Do Rule" (Dan. 4:26)
The entire world situation is under the rule of the heavens by the God of the heavens to match His intention in His economy, of which Christ is the center. Under His heavenly rule God is using the environment to make Christ the centrality (the first) and the universality (everything) to us. (Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, msg. 3, I.A,C)
As God's people, let us pray for the advance of the divine history within human history. We believe the Lord rules sovereignly over the earth that the environment might be fit for God's chosen people to receive His salvation. In these days of global uncertainty—from politics to epidemics and reminders of the brevity of human life—may the Lord turn all questions and anxieties to the advancement of the gospel. May all forms of "shaking" open the hearts of people to receive the gospel and stir us to speak the gospel in more places at more times.
Southern California Special Training on the Eldership
The third term of the special training on the eldership for SoCal elders and responsible brothers began last Saturday with a plenary session in Arcadia. Through monthly corporate gatherings, weekly group fellowships, and weekly personal study, the burden is to strengthen the present eldership and responsible brothers in the churches, to perfect and raise up the next generation of elders and responsible brothers, and to gradually bring more younger brothers into a functioning role in an organic way. Please pray:
- That the Lord will strengthen all the participants and become their perseverance and faithfulness to continually present themselves absolutely to this training.
- That an unprecedented one accord among the churches in Southern California will be ushered in as all the participants are attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion.
- That the Lord will continue to bless this training so that all participants will be perfected further for the Lord's testimony in Southern California and for the building up of the church, the Body of Christ.
GTCA
GTCA activities, including FTTA gospel team trips, continue this week in at least 23 North American cities and in Ethiopia. Please ask the Lord to use these trips to:
- strengthen all the local saints and the churches receiving and coordinating with the trainees;
- encourage the trainees with a rich view and experience of church life outside the training center;
- bless the distribution of NTs, gospel tracts, and other literature;
- continuing contact/appointments with people who received the Lord or a Bible or other literature;
- those invited to events this week to be released from everything to attend;
- bring seeking believers into homes these weeks and into long-term fellowship with the churches.
United Kingdom
Please continue to pray for the Lord to rule over the UK's withdrawal process from the European Union. Brexit is scheduled for January 31, although many details will be negotiated throughout 2020. Ask the Lord to exercise His authority so that every aspect is beneficial for His move in the UK and in Europe.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, week 3.
- The International Chinese-speaking Conference is February 14 to 16 in Anaheim. Information is at http://www.2020icsc.org and at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer. All saints are welcome, and there will be translation via FM radio. Advanced registration by January 31 is required only for childcare, and for special Saturday fellowship sessions (one for Chinese-speaking saints presently in school, and one for Chinese-speaking working saints).
- GTCA—Gospelize, Truthize, Churchize America: a fresh expression of this burden is presented at http://www.gtca.us. All are encouraged to read the home page, where you may sign up for email updates.
- LSM Internet Radio: http://lsmchristianradio.com broadcasts hymns, Life-study of the Bible broadcasts, and spoken messages of the ministry 24 hours each day.
Prayer, Week of January 19
Rooted in the All-inclusive Christ and Made Full in Him
"Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light." (Col. 1:12)
"As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, having been rooted and being built up in Him, and being established in the faith...abounding in thanksgiving." (Col. 2:6-7)
The purpose of God's calling is to bring God's chosen people into the enjoyment of the all-inclusive, extensive Christ, typified by the good land flowing with milk and honey.
We can walk in Christ as our living land and absorb Christ as our rich soil...so that we may grow with the elements that we absorb from the soil. When we are rooted in Christ as the soil, we are made full in Him; we are filled up with all the divine riches to become His expression. In Christ as the soil we are filled, completed, perfected, satisfied, and thoroughly supplied; we do not lack anything.
If we would absorb the riches of Christ as the soil, we need to have tender, new roots. We need to forget our situation, our condition, our failures, and our weaknesses and simply take time to absorb the Lord; as we take time to absorb Him, we grow with the growth of God in us for the building up of the Body of Christ. (Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, msg. 2, II, III, A.1.b-c, B.1-2)
May the Lord grant us fresh, new roots that we would absorb the riches of Christ and become His full expression!
Households Loving, Pursuing, and Serving the Lord
Joshua, near the end of his life said, "As for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah." (Josh. 24:15)
"Now there was in Caesarea a certain man named Cornelius…devout and one who feared God with all his household" (Acts 10:1-2)
Let us beseech the Lord to bring our whole households to loving Him, pursuing Him, and serving Him. Through us may He care for our children, young people, and young adults in ways best suited to each age, and erase any separation between home life and church life.
GTCA
Teams from FTTA will join local saints at the end of this week for 15-18 day long GTCA activities in 21 cities in North America; activities in two other cities began last week. This week a team will also go to Ethiopia and the team in Switzerland will return. Ask the Lord to use these trips to:
- strengthen all the local saints and churches receiving and coordinating with the trainees;
- encourage the trainees with a rich view and experience of church life outside the training center;
- bless the distribution of NTs, gospel tracts, and other literature;
- bring people to initial salvation and baptism;
- bring seeking believers into homes these weeks and into long-term fellowship with the churches.
Nordic-Baltic Blending Conference
The Nordic countries include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The Baltic states include Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All of the countries, except for Iceland, have lampstands, including in the capital cities. The churches in this region have two blending conferences each year for all the saints to gather to enjoy the ministry. The next such conference will be held this weekend, January 24 to 26, in Tallinn, Estonia.
Vietnam
Pray for the literature work to translate 800 hymns and prepare to translate the Old Testament.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, week 2.
- The International Chinese-speaking Conference is February 14 to 16 in Anaheim. Information is at http://www.2020icsc.org and at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer. All saints are welcome, and there will be translation via FM radio. Advanced registration by January 31 is required only for childcare, and for special Saturday fellowship sessions (one for Chinese-speaking saints presently in school, and one for Chinese-speaking working saints).
- GTCA—Gospelize, Truthize, Churchize America: a fresh expression of this burden is presented at http://www.gtca.us. We encourage all to read the home page, where you may sign up for GTCA email updates.
Prayer, Week of January 12
Knowing God's Will Concerning the All-inclusive Christ
"Therefore we also… do not cease praying and asking on your behalf that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding." (Col. 1:9)
"To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27)
In Colossians 1:9 God's will refers to Christ… God's will for us is that we would know Christ, experience Christ, enjoy Christ, be saturated with Christ, and have Christ become our life and person. We need to be infused, saturated, and permeated with the all-inclusive, extensive Christ until in our experience He is everything to us.
The all-inclusive, extensive Christ desires to replace every element of our natural life and culture with Himself so that we may be the one new man as His corporate expression; this is the message of the book of Colossians. (Knowing and Experiencing the All-Inclusive, Extensive Christ, msg. 1, III.D.1-2, F, F.2.b)
May the Lord strengthen all of us to know and experience the all-inclusive, extensive Christ so that we may become His corporate expression, the one new man!
Spanish-speaking and Young People's Conferences
The Southern California Spanish-speaking Conference is Friday night, January 17 to LD noon, January 19 at the MCC in Anaheim. Messages will be given in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish. Conference details are posted at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer and http://www.socalspanish.org.
The Southern California Young People's Blending Conference will take place at the same time in the MCC's cafeteria (HS) and a classroom (JH). There is no cost and no meals will be provided, but all attendees (YP and serving) must be registered in advance at http://tinyurl.com/2020YPblending. Registration deadline was Lord's Day, January 12.
May the Lord super abundantly pour out His rich blessing on these conferences. Let us ask the Lord to open the hearts and outward circumstances for everyone He wants at these conferences and to take a step forward with both Spanish-speaking and young people.
Lord, Flock People In!
"Thus says the Lord Jehovah, Moreover for this I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock." (Isa. 36:37)
Here the Lord promised that He would bring in flocks of people. Although He has promised to do this, we still need to inquire of Him. This means that we need to pray for the increase, saying, "O Lord, flock people in. You promised this to us."
In the past, whenever we prayed for an increase of number, the Lord answered. I feel that we need to pray more. The Lord promised, yet He needs our inquiring. He promised that He will increase our number by flocks of men, but we need to pray for this and ask Him to do it…. We should never be content with our present number. Rather, we should all aspire to be doubled within a period of time. Thus, we need to pray, "Lord, flock people in." (LS Ezekiel, ch. 17, sec. 4)
We need to pray, "Lord, flock people into the church in LA."
The Lord's Renewed and Intensified Move in North America
We are burdened for Europe but the Lord's move in North America is not yet completed. We need an intensified move in the heartland of this continent. Please pray for:
- our continued prayer for this move until we see definite and adequate results;
- the Lord's blessing on the GTCA gospel trips; two begin this week, the others January 24 or 25;
- the release of 300 saints of all ages to migrate to 10 cities in the US, including 30 full timers and 5 player-coaches to form 5 campus teams, and leading/responsible brothers for leadership.
http://GTCA.us has good videos of all the target cities and much practical information.
Bibles for America
We have developed a new online store, http://materials.bfa.org, to replace http://LetHisWordRun.com, where saints in the US can order gospel tracts and offer cards in English, Spanish, and Korean, as well as apparel and other BfA materials. Individual distribution kits will no longer be available.
Please pray for the saints at the distribution center as they fulfill multiple large Bible and book orders in preparation for GTCA and other local distributions throughout the US. Pray that every Bible, book, tract, and offer card would get into the hands of God's chosen vessels.
India—Spreading of the Testimony
The Lord has been faithfully moving in the subcontinent of India for more than 30 years. Currently there are 185 local churches with over 4,400 saints meeting regularly on the Lord's day and over 7,000 saints enjoying the Lord in the church life. However, as most of these churches (approximately 75%) are situated in the southern part of the country, there are still 12 northern and northeastern states without the Lord's testimony.
Through the coordination of Amana Literature and Rhema distribution serving ones, many doors are open to the ministry. Please pray that the Lord will soon gain His testimony in these 12 states.
Announcements
-
Morning Revival: Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ, week 1.
Please keep your copy of Material Offerings; we will use it again. - The International Chinese-speaking Conference is February 14 to 16 in Anaheim. Information is at http://www.2020icsc.org and at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer. All saints are welcome, and there will be translation via FM radio. Advanced registration by January 31 is required only for childcare, and for special Saturday fellowship sessions (one for Chinese-speaking saints presently in school, and one for Chinese-speaking working saints).
- LSM Internet Radio: http://lsmchristianradio.com broadcasts hymns, Life-study of the Bible broadcasts, and spoken messages of the ministry 24 hours each day.
- New website: http://shepherdingwords.com addresses misinformation about the Lord's recovery and certain critical issues facing the recovery; updates are posted frequently.
Prayer, Week of January 5
Sending Our Treasure and Our Heart to Heaven
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt. 6:21)
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love." (Eph. 3:14-17)
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness." (Matt. 6:33)
The kingdom people must send their treasure to heaven so that their heart also can be in heaven. (Matt. 6:21, footnote 1)
Money is a material thing that belongs to the earth. Yet the Bible puts God and mammon together. This proves that man's heart is either touched by God or by money. God's test of a man's heart toward Him is in the way of man's giving. (CWWN, vol. 43, pp. 726-727)
In this new year may the Lord make more home in our hearts than ever before. May He gain us as those who seek first His kingdom and His righteousness for the Father's glory and the enemy's shame.
Middle-Age FTTA
The FTTA-MA is a one-year program with two 15-week terms. This coming term will begin on March 9 and conclude on June 20. Saints may attend the training on a short-term basis with a minimum period of one week.
The classes are given in English, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. We hope that many saints in the Lord's recovery will seize this opportunity to be perfected. All applications must be received no later than February 18. If you are interested, please fellowship with the leading brothers in your hall. Testimonies, detailed information, and application forms are at http://www.fttamidage.org.
May the Lord release some from LA for this training. May the Lord also release many from the heartland of America in preparation for strengthening and raising us churches this year.
BFA Distribution in San Fernando Valley
Saints in hall 2 will distribute English and Spanish Bibles at a Walmart January 11 to 12 and 18 to 19. Please pray:
- for many saints to participate in this endeavor including some young ones;
- to bind any distractions or opposing people that will prevent Bibles for being distributed;
- that every Bible will get into the right hands so that God's word can multiply;
- for positive experiences and for the spirit of the gospel to be stirred up in all the saints participating;
- for some recipients to enter continuing fellowship with us.
Bible Distribution at the Winter Youth Olympic Games
Approximately 1900 young people from 70 countries will participate in the third Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland from January 9 to 22. Thousands of visitors will also be present. The churches in Switzerland with saints from other nations and some FTTA trainees will distribute NTs in three languages the weekend of January 11 to 12. Please pray for:
- many local saints and saints from nearby countries to help distribute NTs;
- NTs to be received by many seeking young people;
- the Lord to use this event to open up the whole country for the gospel;
- a sweet coordination among the churches, good weather, and the Lord's rich blessing.
Stuttgart, Germany
Please pray for an adequate meeting hall for the church in Stuttgart in the best location, at an affordable price, and readily accessible to public transportation. (Their current rented meeting place will become unavailable due to a change in management.)
Turkey
Please pray for the perfecting and functioning of the Turkish-speaking saints in Istanbul. They will begin to have their own meeting once a month with the goal of forming a new district, in addition to English- and Chinese-speaking districts, later this year.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Material Offerings and the Lord's Move, week 2.
Next week, begin Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive, Extensive Christ (Thanksgiving Conference). Keep your copy of Material Offerings; we will use it again.
- New website: http://www.lsmchristianradio.com broadcasts Life-study messages 24 hours each day.
- New website: The co-workers in North America have launched http://shepherdingwords.com to address misinformation about the Lord's recovery and certain critical issues facing the recovery.
- The Southern California Spanish Speaking Conference and the Southern California Young People's Blending Conference will both be Friday night, January 17 to LD noon, January 19 in Anaheim. Information in English is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer y en Español en http://www.socalspanish.org. All YP must be registered in advance at http://tinyurl.com/2020YPblending.