419. Trip to Tjøme 1925

Some time ago, brother Elias Aslaksen traveled out to Tjøme together with a brother, Pilot Even Evensen, who had a great desire that his old sea-faring comrades in Tjøme should be allowed to hear the truth which had made him so happy. Brother Aslaksen spoke in the “Free Church” meeting hall out there about “purification,” but those bold, courageous seamen who had ridden out so many storms off the coast of Færder in the Northeast, with swirling snow in the fall and winter nights, could not bear it. They fell to their knees when they heard about purifying themselves. Their reckless courage, which stood up to the storms of the elements, was not sufficient for this; they lost courage and hoped that they could be saved without such a thorough-going purification. So brother Aslaksen had to leave that place after having held only one meeting. Brother Evensen also learned a lesson in this, which he had never learned before: an old woman, crippled by arthritis, stood right in the way of the people when they came out of the meeting hall and gave brother Aslaksen this testimony: “God bless you, my boy. Never has anyone spoken like you have in this meeting hall.”

The same thing happened when brother Aslaksen was in Hemsedal among the Home Missionary Society people. He spoke to them about purification in two meetings, but then they asked him to leave and never come back. They wanted to hold on to their good old doctrine of “sin and grace” without purification. It is a strange form of religion that hates purity of heart and those brothers who only have their best in mind.

As we can see, the preaching of “the Way of the Cross” is not tolerated in religious circles. From the extreme Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholics to the most free of the Pentecostal assemblies, one thing they all agree about is that Jesus bore the cross, but we do not have to. Only a very few have had their eyes open to taking up their cross daily and for the need to purify themselves.

Brothers Th. Ellefsen, K. Pedersen, and I are planning to take a trip to visit the friends in Copenhagen during the holiday. We do not know for sure yet if brother Aslaksen will accompany us.

Pray for us that God’s work through us may succeed, for we also are planning to preach the Word of purification—purification of the flesh and of the spirit.