The Lord’s Move to Asia (November 2012)
The Lord’s Move to Asia – LMA Conference in Singapore
From October 17th to 19th, a three-day Conference for Elders and Responsible Ones in Asia on the Lord’s Move to Asia was held in Singapore. Over 385 saints from 25 countries attended this conference. The General Subject was “Experiencing and Applying Christ as the Centrality and Universality of God’s Economy in the Divine History”, and brothers from the U.S., Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, etc. took turns to speak on the seven messages, which were:
Message One: The Divine History in the Human History Being unto the Economy of the Fullness of the Times
Message Two: Christ as the Greater Jonah, After His Death and Resurrection, Preaching the Gospel of Peace to the Nations
Message Three: Christ as the Desire of All the Nations, Coming for the Building of God’s House
Message Four: Christ as the Messenger of the Covenant Being like a Refiner’s Fire and like Fuller’s Soap
Message Five: Christ with the Key of David, Coming to Restore His Kingdom
Message Six: Christ with the Mighty Ones Descending to Conquer the Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation
Message Seven: A New Revival Issuing in Heading up All Things in Christ
During this conference, the Lord spoke strongly through the brothers and revealed to the saints that we need to live in the divine history in order to labor with the Lord for His move. We need the Lord to deliver us from either one of these two conditions: one is saying that we are enjoying the Lord, yet without the outflow of life, without any fruit, and the other is seemingly having many activities and gaining much result, yet being altogether in the human realm, having nothing to do with the divine history. The brothers reminded us that Christ is the centrality and universality of God’s economy. As the Asian countries open up to the gospel one after another and as we go forth to labor in these countries, if all we are doing is getting people saved, yet Christ is not spreading in them and through them, then what we are doing cannot be considered part of the divine history. In the evening session before the last day of the conference, Brother Benson Phillips from the U.S. gave a testimony concerning the work in Russia as an encouragement to the brothers. The move in Russia began with the migration of the saints. It was altogether a move in the Body and the Lord greatly blessed it. Now the Lord also has a move in Asia. The saints in Asia should not only take the lead to migrate, but also have much fellowship in the Body. Through fellowship with the churches, the Lord will surely raise up saints from everywhere, and not just from Asia, to join in this labor and coordinate in one accord so that the Lord can have a shining testimony in Asia.
During the second half of each session, brothers serving in various Asian countries took turns to share the present situations and needs in their respective countries. Even though Russia and Ukraine are not considered LMA countries, some brothers also attended this conference and shared with the saints how the Lord had blessed the labor there. The saints were encouraged to see that the Lord is indeed a moving God. Through the saints’ faithful cooperation with Him, the gospel of the kingdom has been preached in so many countries. But we still cannot be satisfied. The Lord’s need in Asia is still big, and many countries are still void of the testimony of the Lord’s recovery. For this, the brothers encouraged the saints to redeem the time and grasp the opportunity to cooperate with the Lord’s move. We need to contact the acting and moving God in us by prayer and follow His leading within to pray, to give, and to preach the gospel.
Current Situation and Items for Prayer by Country
Bangladesh: Of the whole population, 87% is Muslim and only 0.5% is Christian (or Catholic). There were several gospel moves in this past year, and a number of Hindus and Buddhists turned to the Lord. Some Christians who previously met in denominations also turned to the Lord’s recovery. As for the literature work, three gospel booklets and some hymns have been translated into the native language. Currently there are 25 local churches with 775 saints in Bangladesh. The brothers have set the goal that the number of saints in Bangladesh would double every year in the next five years. For this there is the need for more families to migrate there for the sake of the gospel. The local saints also need to be perfected so that each one can rise up to function.
Cambodia: There was a gospel move in Cambodia from May 14th to 19th of this year. Sixty saints from Taiwan, the Philippines and Hong Kong also came to participate in this move. A total of 267 people were saved and baptized. A number of conferences and trainings were also held this year for the perfecting of the saints. There was also much blending of the saints with each other and with those from overseas. Two new local churches were raised up this year.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): GCC (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) is probably the most restricted area among the LMA countries as far as the gospel is concerned, but the Lord has done great things here. Since 1995, through the migration of overseas saints who came here for work, the Lord raised up churches in country after country and added together those who were being saved. Among the six GCC countries, Bahrain was the last to have a local church raised up, which was established in February of this year. Presently there are 15 local churches with over 300 saints in the GCC area.
India: Currently there are 100 local churches with close to 5,000 saints. About 3,600 saints attend Lord’s Day meetings. In this past year, the saints in India received much blessing in the area of trainings, parents’ fellowship and children’s presentations, and campus work. The Full-time Training in New Delhi also moved into a new training facility in April. The saints are aiming to raise up 500 churches in India before 2020.
Laos: Currently there are 110 saints in Laos, and 90 of them meet in the capital city of Vientiane. The number of those who meet regularly is 40. Even though the number is small, the church life is very rich with the Lord’s Table meeting, prayer meeting, small group meeting, corporate morning revival, Recovery Version study groups, and serving ones’ meeting. There were four gospel meetings in Laos this year, and full-time trainees from Thailand also came to coordinate in the preaching of the gospel. By the end of September, 43 new ones had been baptized. An urgent need now is for more saints to join in the translation work.
Myanmar: There were a series of gospel moves this year. Among them, the propagation in Kachin State, the northernmost state bordered by China, was the first time in eighteen years that the saints were able to enter a college campus to preach the gospel. Three students were saved and baptized. A variety of trainings were also held this year, including young people’s training, sisters’ training, and elders’ training, for the perfecting and equipping of the saints. Presently there are 40 local churches with approximately 1,880 saints in Myanmar.
Nepal: Over 80% of the total population is Hindu, and only 0.5% is Christian. There are two local churches with 140 saints in Nepal. Even though a good number of ministry books have been translated into Nepalese, almost none of them has been published.
Pakistan: Pakistan is a country dominated by Islam, with 97% of the population being Muslim and 2% Christian. Even though the outward environment is not easy, there are still saints who have migrated there. They have given themselves to adapt to their surroundings and blend with the local people, follow the ministry closely, and exercise to live a God-man living, all for the sake of the gospel.
Russia: The campus work at Moscow State University began in 1992. In 2001 the responsible brothers began to have a definite burden to purchase a meeting hall near campus. From then on the saints in Russia began to offer for this need. At the beginning of this year, saints found and purchased a facility very close to the campus. There is still a lack in the fund necessary for the purchase and remodeling of the facility. We hope all the saints would remember this need in your prayer and offering. The saints in Kiev, Ukraine, also purchased a piece of land recently and plan to build a training and conference center there. Please also remember this need.
Sri Lanka: As of the end of October, there were six local churches with about 100 saints attending the Lord’s Table meeting every week. Two of the churches were newly established this year. Many overseas saints came to participate in the gospel moves this year and blended with the local saints. Through the translation of the ministry books and distributing Rhema cards, the saints are endeavoring to preach the gospel of the kingdom far and wide. Before the end of this year, the saints in Sri Lanka hope to raise up two more churches and bring the total number of saints meeting on Lord’s Day to 150.
Thailand: The brothers from Thailand fellowshipped regarding the current situation of the Full-time Training in Bangkok, especially the purchase and building of the new training facility. The total area of the land measures 3,818 square meters and construction will begin in 2013.
Vietnam: Two new churches were raised up between April and September. Currently there are 42 churches with 3,200 saints. A series of trainings, conferences and blending activities were held this year. A good number of ministry books were also translated into Vietnamese.
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