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Running the Christian Race by Looking Away unto Jesus

“Therefore let us also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us, looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:1-2)

The Christian life is a race. Every saved Christian must run the race to win the prize (1 Cor. 9:24). We need to run with endurance, asking the Lord to direct our hearts into the love of God and into the endurance of Christ (2 Thes. 3:5).

We can live the Christian life, run the Christian race, by looking away unto Jesus with undivided attention by turning away from every other object. Jesus is the Author of faith, the Originator, the Inaugurator, the source, and the cause of faith. In our natural man we have no believing ability, but when we look away unto Jesus, He as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b) transfuses us with Himself, with His believing element. Then spontaneously, a kind of believing arises in our being, and we have the faith to believe in Him. This faith is not of ourselves but of Him who imparts Himself as the believing element into us that He may believe for us. (Spring 2022 ITERO, God’s Economy in Faith, msg. 4, I.B-C, II.A-C)

Lord, in this final stretch of the race, continue to infuse every member of the church in Los Angeles with more faith!

Memorial Day Conference

The 2022 International Memorial Day Blending Confer­ence will be held both in person in Anaheim on the LSM campus and online via webcast. All the saints are invited and encouraged to attend. The first message is on Friday, May 27 at 7:00 pm and the last message is on Monday, May 30 at 10:00 am. The general subject is “Taking the Way to Enjoy Christ as the Tree of Life.” Saints may download the conference outlines beginning May 24 at http://conf.lsmwebcast.com.

Please pray for the Lord to take more crucial steps in the advancement of His purpose during this gathering and for many saints to be released and empowered to attend. Pray also for the Lord’s wisdom and grace to those overseeing all practical and logistical preparations.

Campus Retreat Follow-up

Thank you, saints, for all of your prayers for last week’s campus team retreat from May 9 to 12. Over 320 full-timers from around the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico came together for fellowship and blending. The Lord’s presence was with us in each session, and many were encouraged through the Lord’s speaking. May the Lord continue to move among and through all those laboring with the next generation in all of the churches!

Ukraine

“During the Babylonian captivity Daniel prayed toward the Holy Land, the holy city, and the holy temple three times a day by opening his window toward Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10). This indicates that God will listen to our prayer when our prayer to God is toward Christ, the kingdom of God, and the house of God as the goal in God’s eternal economy. This means that no matter for whom we are praying, our prayers should be aimed at the interests of God, i.e., at Christ and the church as God’s interests on earth, for the fulfilling of God’s economy.” (Footnote on 1 Kings 8:48)

Please continue to pray for the ruling of the heavens over the entire situation so that:

  • The shipment of Russian NT Recovery Versions will be released to pass through customs and be distributed among the refugees in Europe.
  • The gospel teams who labor among the refugees will be filled with the Spirit inwardly and outwardly and will lead the chosen ones to receive the Lord as their dynamic salvation and to enter the church life.
  • The saints in Ukraine and the refugees in the European countries will receive the supply of the resurrection life and will rise up to live and proclaim the gospel to their fellow Ukrainians.
  • The tripartite being of the saints who are under attack, including the brothers fighting in the army, will be protected and preserved.
  • The Ukrainian families that have been separated by the war will be preserved and eventually reunited for God’s economy.
  • Those who care for the Ukrainian refugees in Europe will enjoy the Lord as their bountiful supply of grace, wisdom, and endurance.
  • Satan and the authority of darkness over Europe will be bound, 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’.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is currently in the midst of an economic crisis, resulting in fuel and medicine shortages and anti-government protests. Please pray for the Sri Lankan government to solve the economic crisis so that the saints may lead a quiet and peaceful life. Also pray for this generation of university students to be captured by the Lord during this time of drastic change.

Announcements

  1. Morning Revival: REPEAT Week 4 of Crystallization-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, vol. 1.

  2. July Semiannual Training: The general subject will be on 1 and 2 Kings. Registration for webcasts in LA ($130) is still open until 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.

  3. Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: Live broadcast this Wednesday beginning at 7:25 pm at http://lsm.org/live in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. Outlines will be posted on the same site.

  4. Bibles for America continues to offer easy-to-use resources for telling people about God’s salvation. Visit http://gospel.bfa.org (English) or http://gospel.bfa.org/es (Español).

  5. 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.”

  6. 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.