David Typifying Christ, the Real David
“He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of David His father, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)
“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matt. 12:8)
The Lord’s word in Matthew 12:3-4 implies that He is the real David. David had followers, and Christ, the real David, also had disciples as His followers. All of this implies that David and his followers were a type, a prefigure, of Christ and His disciples. The Lord’s word in Matthew 12:3-4 also implies a dispensational change from the priesthood to the kingship. (CS 1 and 2 Samuel, msg. 7, I.B.1, a-b, 2)
In ancient times the coming of David changed the dispensation from the age of the priests to the age of the kings, in which the kings were above the priests. In the age of the priests the leader of the people should listen to the priest (Num. 27:21-22). But in the age of the kings the priest should submit to the king (1 Sam. 2:35-36). Hence, what King David did with his followers was not illegal. Now by the coming of Christ the dispensation has also been changed, this time from the age of the law to the age of grace, in which Christ is above all. Whatever He does is right. The matter of keeping the Sabbath belonged to the old dispensation of the law. But in the age of grace Christ has the final word. It is not a matter of law but of Christ. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 721)
Ukraine
Since the war began on February 24, more than 6.6 million refugees have fled, mainly into Eastern Europe. Poland has received the bulk of the refugees—about 3.5 million. Another 700,000 have gone to Germany. In response, the saints have ministered to them through seven gospel trips in April and May, the last one concluding on June 5.
Through our meeting facility in Warsaw, Poland, and conference center in Gut Elim, in the heart of Germany, most of the 300 saints who have been evacuated have found refuge and comfort. In addition, the white horse of the gospel has been running. As a result, many thousands of the refugees have been contacted, with hundreds being saved and now desiring the fellowship.
There is a great need to feed the lambs. Therefore, two additional trips are being planned to focus primarily on shepherding Ukrainian saints, local saints, and new ones. We will concentrate on only two cities—Warsaw and Krakow—so the Lord can strengthen these two important lampstands in Poland.
Please continue to pray for the ruling of the heavens over the entire situation so that:
- The Lord will use the shepherding gospel trips to Warsaw and Krakow in June and July to bring many newly saved refugees into the church life, where they can be perfected to be living and functioning members for the building up of the Body.
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The saints in Russia and Ukraine will be kept in the oneness of the Body and the reality of the new man, where Christ is all the members and in all the members.
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The shipment of Russian New Testament Recovery Versions that are held up in customs will be released and be distributed among the refugees in Europe.
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The tripartite being of saints in besieged cities will be protected and preserved for the Lord’s interests.
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The Ukrainian families that have been separated by the war will be preserved and eventually reunited for God’s economy.
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The spiritual forces that seek to destroy the Lord’s interests will be shattered, and God’s move in His economy will advance.
As the Lord leads, saints may give through the church in Los Angeles designated for ‘Ukraine’.
LA Young People
As our young people enter into their summer break, please pray for them to stay connected, have many experiences of the Lord, and attend the church in LA’s 2022 Truth School in late July.
European Young Peoples’ Conference
This summer from July 31 to August 6 will be is the first in-person gathering of young people from across Europe in three years. Please pray for the Lord’s leading, guidance and wisdom in all the considerations and preparations. May all the practical needs, including flights, be taken care of, and sufficient burdened serving ones be released. May the Lord meet the particular needs of the young people after the long period of isolation.
Bibles for America
The BfA Blog at http://blog.biblesforamerica.org currently has over 58,000 subscribers from all over the world. Blog posts cover topics related to the Bible and the Christian life, including categories such as Peace vs. Anxiety, Experiencing Jesus, Understanding God’s Word, and many more. They highlight key footnotes from the NT Recovery Version and conclude with an offer for a free copy for those who reside in the US. Readers outside the US have still been able to receive the riches of the ministry through the blog posts and downloadable e-books.
Please pray that all those who read these blog posts will continue to feed on the riches in the ministry and grow in the divine life.
Madagascar
Madagascar is an island country off the east coast of Africa. There is currently one lampstand in the capital city, Antananarivo, where a property was purchased in 2020 and a meeting venue built in 2021. There are also saints meeting in four other cities.
Last December, a student training was held in Antananarivo with 40 young saints enjoying messages on “Shepherding for the Building Up of the Body of Christ.” Many genuinely received the word of the ministry and enjoyed it. Please pray for the Lord to gain, train and equip many young people in Madagascar!
To see photos as well as read an update about Kenya, see the May issue of the Lord’s Move to Africa newsletter in English or Chinese at http://www.lmafrica.org.
Announcements
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Morning Revival: Week 7 of Crystallization-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, vol. 2.
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July Semiannual Training: The general subject will be on 1 and 2 Kings. Registration for webcasts in LA ($130) is only open until next Tuesday, June 14. Information and registration for LA saints are at http://tinyurl.com/summertrainingla. In preparation, saints are encouraged to read the Recovery Version with footnotes and the Life-studies as their time allows.
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Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: Live broadcast this Wednesday 7:25 pm at http://lsm.org/live in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean.
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Memorial Day Conference: Audio and video recordings of conference messages may be accessed on a per-message or subscription basis at http://www.lsmwebcast.com.
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Free e-Booklets: Living Stream Ministry offers a series of free e-booklets to read and share at http://www.lsm.org/booklets. The latest release is “Life’s Regenerating – the Need of the Moral.”
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LSM Newsletter: The April issue of “Having This Ministry…” contains enriching articles such as “Knowing the Time That We Are in and the Lord’s Work of Recovery” and “The History and Significance of the Life-study and Crystallization-study Trainings.”
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Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at http://www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.