Arriving at the Goal of the Out-Resurrection
“To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if perhaps I may attain to the out-resurrection from the dead.” (Phil. 3:10-11)
“Do you not know that those who run on a racecourse all run, but one receives the prize? Run in this way, that you may lay hold.” (1 Cor. 9:24)
To arrive at the out-resurrection means that our entire being has been gradually and continually resurrected. God first resurrected our deadened spirit (Eph. 2:5-6). Then from our spirit He proceeds to resurrect our soul (Rom. 8:6) and our mortal body (v. 11), until our entire being—spirit, soul, and body—is fully resurrected out of our old being by His life and with His life. (Life-study of Philippians, p. 188)
Paul was desperate. By any means, he wanted to arrive at the goal of the out-resurrection. We all need to have this sense of desperation infused into us. We need to be desperate to attain to the out-resurrection.
This is the only way for the Lord to go on in His recovery, the only way for the Lord to build up His church, the only way for Him to prepare His bride, and the only way for us to bring the Lord back. The unique way is to be conformed to the death of Christ so that we may attain to the out-resurrection from the dead. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” pp. 391, 483)
Blending Trip to Taipei
“And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands.” (Rev. 1:12)
According to footnote 121: To see anything requires the right position with the right angle. First, the apostle John heard the voice (v. 10), and then, when he turned to see the voice, he saw the golden lampstands. He was rightly positioned, but he still needed the right angle to see the vision concerning the churches; so he turned.
In preparation for the brothers’ visit to Taipei during the week of October 8 to 15, do pray for the brothers going to continue seeking the Lord’s speaking, and that upon hearing His voice there would be the proper turning to see the vision concerning the churches, especially in Taipei and Los Angeles.
Also pray for the well-being of each brother, that each one would remain physically healthy and strong in the coming weeks and for the entirety of the trip. May the Lord bind any sickness, ill effects from travel, or change in time zone and diet, so that each brother would receive the full benefit from fellowshipping with the brothers in Taipei.
UCLA Fresh Start
Throughout this week we are spending much time together with the students in our UCLA corporate housing to get to know one another, be built up together, and be prepared to participate in the Lord’s move on the campus. Please pray that the Lord would give each student a new and strong beginning in the Lord and link them with companions that they can pursue with throughout this year.
UCLA Follow-up
Over the summer, we received more than 300 names and contact information for freshmen who have showed some interest in fellowship with us. These ones will be moving into the dorms throughout this week. Please pray for many profitable face-to-face interactions with these ones including our upcoming Lord’s day morning meeting on campus this weekend.
SoCal College Meeting
This Saturday evening, September 23, for the first time in a while, there will be an all-Southern California Praise and Ministry Meeting for college students in Irvine. Please pray for the Spirit to flow mightily in this time and for the word to be richly imparted into the students!
LA High School Bible Clubs
There are a number of high school Bible clubs across LA that our young people have started. The Fairfax High School Bible Reading Club meets on Thursdays with an average of 20 people coming to each meeting. The Venice High School Bible Club meets on Mondays during lunch and averages around 10 members. Los Angeles County High School for the Arts is just beginning a new Bible club this Friday and 25 people signed up to attend the club in this weeks club rush. Please pray that:
- The students would be courageous and proud of showing up to read the Bible.
- The Lord would work in each member (including teachers) to gain them.
- They would see, experience, know, and enjoy the Lord through His Word.
- Each club would have a comfortable environment for students to be fully open!
Lisbon, Portugal
The saints in Lisbon have been meeting as the church since October 2022. The number of adult saints who meet regularly is 20 to 25. The Lord is adding to the church from the local Portuguese people as well as from immigrants from Portuguese-speaking countries. Since February 2022 more than 3,200 copies of the NT Recovery Version have been distributed in the greater Lisbon area. At the beginning of the fall 2023 semester more than 160 copies were given to students at the University of Lisbon; a good number have asked for further contact.
Please pray for the openness of these new contacts, for the strengthening of the small groups, and for the Lord to send more laborers to sow the seed of His Word and care for the open ones.
Germany Gospel Trips
Continue to beseech the Lord of the harvest to thrust out at least 100 workers for the gospels trips taking place October 8 to 22 in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Pray that an adequate number of saints from overseas would respond and be released for these trips. Registration deadline is September 29 at bit.ly/GermanyGospelTrips.
Announcements
- Morning Revival: Week 6 of Knowing, Experiencing, and Enjoying Christ as Revealed in Philippians. Next week, we begin An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord’s Recovery before His Appearing (July Semiannual Training).
- Wednesday Night Ministry Meeting: Saints are invited to attend this week’s ministry meeting in person at 7:25 pm at the Ministry Conference Center in Anaheim or online at www.lsmwebcast.com. The general subject is “The Crucial Points of the Truth in Paul’s Epistles—First Corinthians.”
- Thanksgiving Conference: November 23 to 26 in Dallas. Saints from LA interested in possibly attending in Dallas should RSVP by October 31 at tinyurl.com/thanksgivingconfla. This site also has an information packet with hotel information and children’s registration.
- December Semiannual Training: December 25 to 30 in Anaheim. For LA saints, registration is now open until October 30 (live) and December 11 (video) at tinyurl.com/wintertrainingla. Past issues of LSM’s digital newsletter contain helpful fellowship on the burden for semiannual trainings, the need for training and regulations, and the purpose of training donations.
- 2024 ICSC: The next International Chinese-speaking Blending Conference will be in Taipei, Taiwan from February 10 to 11, 2024. Registration is required to attend in person and must be done by locality. For LA saints, registration will open next week; the deadline is November 28, 2023. Both the live and archived messages will also be available to view at www.lsmwebcast.com.
- LSM Digital Resources: Living Stream Ministry’s many digital resources, including newsletters and free booklets, may be found at lsm.org/daily.
- Ways to Give: Information about the church’s online giving platform, Subsplash, and where to mail checks, are at www.churchinlosangeles.org/members/offerings.