81. Greetings From Ålesund

When you read what is being written in a number of religious periodicals about the work the Lord has done recently in Ålesund, you could almost believe that it is Satan who has performed a masterpiece up there. People who are completely ignorant of the true situation run around spreading negative stories about what has been taught and spoken, and these stories are the foundation that they use for their analysis and their judgments.

The undersigned has been in Ålesund, and what I have taught and spoken during my time ashore there is manifest for the eyes of God and for the eyes of man. If something bad has happened, then let those who feel responsibility for the matter come to me, and I will, by the grace of God which has never failed up until today, seek to give an answer. It is easy to spew out twisted statements about the doctrine which pertains to godliness and cause gullible people to think something dangerous is afoot; but up until today these periodicals with their good reporters have been unable in a realistic way, with wisdom and insight, to refute what has been taught and spoken. And neither will their lies and envy make up for their ignorance and incompetence in their ministry.

I can share good news with our many precious friends: God has done great things in Ålesund. The assembly in Ystenæs is split. Sister Gunda Willersund, who has worked in that assembly for six years, has now been excluded, together with a whole flock of young people, because they could not allow themselves to be dominated or controlled by people who have probably never had even the slightest understanding of the things that belong to the Holy Spirit. The rest of the assembly have aligned themselves with what is written in the papers Korsets seier and Det gode budskap. However, since these two papers, in spite of the fact that they profess the same doctrine, are using two different song books and are edited by people who are unable to work together, the poor people remaining in that assembly are in just as bad a state as they were before.

After the separation we have had many blessed meetings. The friends have learned to love one another in the Spirit and to build one another up in their most holy faith. We have not had a meeting hall, but God has quickened a brother, the diver, Brune, to help out by providing a house for Sunday meetings. And the friends, in spite of their poverty, have proved to be very rich in their ability to help in every way. Therefore we are looking forward in hope to the God who has said: “They will put you out of the synagogues,” and “you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.”

Det gode budskap printed a statement that we in Ålesund supposedly said that when Jesus’ blood flowed, sin flowed out. I have asked the friends up there if any of them have heard someone say anything like that, but they have not heard anyone say anything even close to that. During the many Bible studies that have been held in Ålesund, there is no doubt that many things have been said that zealous opposers could use to get people stirred up. But the fact that people who glory in their travels and write in travel logs about their business endeavors while serving the good news, and at the same time dare to believe and trumpet such irresponsible lies, does not make them seem very honorable.

As far as our teachings go—that they are so extremely dangerous—I will just refer you to the paper Hidden Treasures, which speaks for itself. People scare little children with “the boogey man,” but people who think for themselves and refuse to be influenced by all sorts of superficiality are not scared by threats of the danger of looking into precisely those things which ought to be searched out in depth.

Ignorance within their own assemblies speaks clearly about the condition of the shepherds. It is true that most of them have no knowledge of God.