In Revelation 5:9-10 it says, “You have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and You have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth.” May the Lord and His recovery do such a wonderful thing in Europe, gaining people of every language, people, and nation on the continent, building them together unto Jehovah God!
The saints in French-speaking Europe are mainly distributed in the three countries of France, Belgium, and Switzerland. In France, the saints largely reside in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lille, the two cities of Dieppe and Rouen in the Normandy Region, and the two cities of Strasbourg and Metz in the Grand Est Region. Out of these cities, five are locations with the testimony of the golden lampstands: Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Dieppe, and Strasbourg (marked with yellow stars on the map). In addition to these, four other cities in France (Rouen, Toulouse, Lille, and Metz) have saints residing and meeting there. It is noteworthy that in the 2022 global study abroad rankings, Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, and Montpellier were rated as the four most desirable French cities for international students; they are naturally the cities with excellent campuses and concentrations of students in France. Hence, we have been fervently praying over the years for Toulouse and Montpellier, hoping that the Lord will have a new start there.
Following the Lord’s call, my wife and I immigrated to Paris, France, in June last year, and we began our corporate life with the saints here.
Over the past decade or so, the grace of God has been ever increasing upon the church in Paris; the Lord’s testimony here has become increasingly strong and bright. At present, the church in Paris has a total of four districts; over 100 adults, 15 young people, and 35 children gather together week after week in the Lord’s name. Here, about 35 young professional families bear the main burden in population and testimony among the church life. In the greater Paris area, there are more than 170 Bible seekers who maintain contact with us. The whole church, seeing the blessing of the Lord, has stepped forward to cooperate with His move; as a whole, they coordinate and participate in the weekly young people’s and children’s perfecting, the semi-annual young professionals’ adjustment, and the distribution of the Bibles and gospels during the opening of the school term. During the epidemic, the saints continued steadfastly to perfect the homes and accompany the seekers in reading the Bible online. The isolation could not confine the saints’ prayers and fellowship; the time saved from commuting was used to pray and contact others more, and to participate in various online conferences and trainings. We can testify: the Lord adds wisdom and grace in every aspect!
He is also the Lord who spreads with the Word! During the epidemic, the saints in France adjusted to receive the fresh speaking seven times a year; and they coordinated together and held the French-speaking young people’s special conference in February, the French-speaking special conference in April, the European Chinese-speaking special conference in September, and the French-speaking sisters’ special conference in December, all online. Over the past two years, the Lord’s word has brought bountiful greasing; it has further brought about the “oneness” and fellowship among the churches. Praise the Lord that He always does what is beyond our imagination! The serving ones of the churches in France meet together for prayer month by month to fellowship on how to care for the French seekers who are obtained through Bible for Europe, and to maintain the fellowship with them through one-on-one shepherding. The fellowship of “mutually one with another” always brings in fresh blessings! In the city of Metz, which is located at the juncture of France and Luxembourg, a group of seekers emerged; they are very active and proactive in pursuing the Lord’s word and in fellowship. This year marks the completion of the translation and publication of the French Life-study; the French-speaking gospel bookstore, at the invitation of the saints in Metz, held a physical seminar in Metz in early June to promote the Lord’s word through the coordination of the churches. In this seminar, the saints not only met with dozens of seekers; a family from Luxembourg also shared that they had already read many of Witness Lee’s messages and expressed their desire to purchase the complete set of the French Life-study to enter into. Praise the Lord for the spreading of His Word!
Taking advantage of the convenience of the Internet, the churches in French-speaking Africa contacted the churches in France, requesting to join in entering into the Lord’s word (31 out of the 54 countries in Africa have French as their official language). Before the epidemic, the French churches encouraged the saints in Africa to enter into the Lord’s word by mailing them ministry books and magazines. Due to postal inconvenience and lack of fellowship, they could not enter the Lord’s “real-time speaking.” In these two years, the Lord has opened a “wonderful window” for the French-speaking churches in Europe and Africa: they all share in the fresh speaking, and even more, they share in face-to-face fellowship and encouragement; everyone is truly rejoicing in the Lord! In the summer of 2023, a brother living in France held his wedding gathering in his hometown in Africa; he invited the brothers from Paris to support the gathering. This trip led to another truth seminar; the local brothers in West Africa (Togo, Benin, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire) invited local seekers; the brothers coordinated and covered a week’s time there, entering into the basic truths of the Lord’s recovery day by day (a total of 17 messages). What amazed us was that after these African brothers and sisters were nourished by the word, they in turn spread the good news to their family members and friends in France, urging them to seek the French ministry books and magazines and the nearby church life. Praise the Lord for the multiplication and increase of the churches!
Prayer burden:
Pray for the Lord to raise up the golden lampstand in Metz and Luxembourg;
Pray for the rise of the golden lampstand in the southern university city of Toulouse;
Pray for the mutual fellowship and coordination among the churches in France; may the Lord continue to bring in a flow of action!
Pray for the young professionals and the next generation in the church to rise up and shoulder the commission.
(Translated from Google Gemini)
主在法国的开展报导
启示录五章9-10节：“祂是用自己的血从各支派、各方言、各民族、各邦国中，买了人来归与神，又叫他们成为国度，作祭司，归与我们的神；他们要在地上执掌王权”。愿主和祂的恢复在欧洲作这样奇妙的事，得着欧洲各个语言、民族和国家的人，把他们建造在一起，好归与耶和华神！
在欧洲大陆的法语圣徒主要分布在法国、比利时和瑞士这三个国家。在法国，圣徒们主要居住在巴黎（Paris）、里昂（Lyon）、波尔多（Bordeaux）、图卢兹（Toulouse）、里尔（Lille）、诺曼底大区两个城市迪耶普（Dieppe）和鲁昂（Rouen）以及大东部区的两个城市史特拉斯堡（Strasbourg）和梅兹（Metz）。在这几地方，有金灯台见证的城市有五个，分别是巴黎、里昂、波尔多、迪耶普和史特拉斯堡（图上用黄色五角星标注）。在她们之外，还有四座法国的城市（鲁昂、图卢兹、里尔、梅兹）有圣徒们在那里居住和聚集。值得关注的是，在2022年全球留学榜单上，巴黎、里昂、图卢兹和蒙彼利埃被留学生评为最想去的四个法国城市；她们自然也是各大法国优秀的校园和学生云集的城市。因此，我们多年来迫切为图卢兹和蒙彼利埃祷告，期望主在那里有一个新的开始。
因着主的呼召，我们夫妇移民于去年6月移民到法国巴黎，并开始在这里跟圣徒们同过身体生活。
已过十多年间，神的恩一直在巴黎召会身上加增，主在这里见证也越来越刚强明亮。目前，巴黎召会一共有四个分区，超过100位大人、15位青少年和35位的孩子周周聚在主的名里；这里有近35个青职的家庭承托了召会生活大部分的人口和见证；在大巴黎区域，有170多位圣经寻求者保持与我们的接触。全召会看见主的祝福，就迎上去配合祂的行动，全体配搭作周周的青少年和儿童成全、一年两次的青职相调、开学季的发放圣经福音行动。在疫情期间，圣徒们仍然坚定持续在网络上成全各个家和陪寻求者读圣经。隔离限制不了圣徒们的祷告和交通，节省出来的乘车时间就用更多的祷告和联络上，参加各种在线的特会和成全。我们能见证：主加各面的智慧和恩典！
祂也是借着话扩展的主！在疫情期间，法国圣徒们调进一年七次新鲜的说话里，并且一同配搭举办了在线的二月法语青少年特会、四月法语特会、九月欧洲华语特会以及十二月的法语姊妹们特会。已过两年，主的话带来丰厚的膏油涂抹，进一步带来众召会的“一”与交通。赞美主总是作超过我们能想象的事！在法国的众召会服事者们月月一同祷告，交通如何照顾圣经发放（Bible for Europe）得来的法语寻求者，并借着一对一的牧养维持与他们的交通。“彼此相互”的交通总能带进新的祝福！位处法国和卢森堡国的枢纽位置的梅兹城里出现了一帮寻求者，他们在追求主的话和交通上非常地积极主动。今年恰逢是法语版生命读经完成翻译并出版的时候，法语福音书房在梅兹圣徒们的邀请之下，借着众召会的配搭，6月初在梅兹举办了一次实体的研讨会来推广主的话。在这次研讨会中，圣徒们不仅见到了几十位寻求主的人；更是有一个来自卢森堡的家，交通说他们已经读过倪弟兄的很多信息，愿意购买整套法语版生命读经回去进入。为着主的话扩展赞美主！
借着网络的便利，在非洲法语区的众召会纷纷联络到法国的众召会，要求加进来一同进入主
的话(在非洲54个国家中有31个国家以法语为他们的官方语言)。疫情之前，法国众召会都是通过邮寄职事书报的方式，鼓励非洲圣徒们进入主的话。因为邮寄不便和缺少交通，他们无法进入“主实时的说话”。在这两年里，主开了一个“奇妙的窗”赐予欧洲和非洲法语众召会：大家一同有份新鲜的说话，更有份面对面的交通和鼓励，众人在主里真是喜乐欢腾！2023年夏天，一位在法国生活的弟兄于非洲家乡举办婚礼聚会，他邀请巴黎弟兄们前去扶持。这次的旅行促成了另外一个真理研讨会，西非当地弟兄们（多哥(TOGO)、贝宁（Bénin）、加纳和科特迪瓦(CÔTE D’IVOIRE)）邀请了当地寻求者，弟兄们在那里配搭一周时间，天天进入主恢复基要的真理(共17篇)。令我们惊奇地是，这些非洲的弟兄姊妹们得着话的滋养之后，反过来把好消息传布给在法国的家人和朋友，催促他们寻求法语的职事书报和临近的召会生活。为着召会的繁殖扩增赞美主！
代祷事项：
为着主在梅兹和卢森堡兴起金灯台祷告；
为着南部学生城市图卢兹兴起金灯台祷告；
为着法国众召会彼此相互的交通和配搭祷告，求主继续带进一道行动的流来！
为着召会中青职和下一代兴起承担托付代祷。
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