Pentecost Conference

Elias Aslaksen:

1 John 3:4-10 and 1 John 2:29. I was especially thinking about verse 7 [in Chapter 3]. This is a peculiar verse. It seems quite incomprehensible. What does it mean to be deceived? You are easily deceived when you are not discerning but take everything at face value. Almost everyone is deceived. People say, “He is our righteousness!” Be on guard against them. Read the last verse in Chapter 2. Many people do not know that God is righteous. However, as many people who do know it, they realize that the person who does righteousness is born of Him—of Him who is righteous. Cattle give birth to calves, not anything else. Hens have chickens. Thus those who are born of the Father are His descendants; they do righteousness. Everyone who sees them shall know that it is a seed that the Lord has blessed. They will say, “There is one of them!” People know them by their righteousness and purity—that they are above; they are overcomers in word and in deed. We are disciples if we love one another. This is not a word of condemnation. It is given to us as a warning in order to urge us on to the goal. You can be one of the righteous, of God’s seed. Begin by weeping over yourself! It is not dangerous to go down deep. Why do people get tired? They mix with other people; they become superficial. “Come out from among them . . . Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” He will receive us so that we will overcome, so that we are above. You shall be the head and not the tail. Who are His people? They are the ones who do righteousness. Those who exclusively live on grace are a different people. Your descendant is Isaac; that is your proper people. The other people are unrighteous, ungodly people. Understanding all these things is not everything, but understanding your own way, that is the crucial thing. We don’t need to understand everything, only what we need to know from one hour to the next. The day tomorrow belongs to God. I fear that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, etc., (2 Cor. 11:3) so your minds may be corrupted. God gave them over to a debased mind. Rom. 1:28. Understand your own way, and then you will become wise! Thinking that people are righteous when they are not is deception. Examine your own state and see if you have been deceived. It is for your own profit. When we become so many we are tempted not to be so exact. This has been the downfall of many. One becomes more occupied with increasing the numbers than with purity. Seek God’s kingdom first and not the masses, and then the rest will follow. We have revival here because we have followed the Word. That is a bonus. Let all of us go on “God’s way,” and then we will receive the bonus.

2 Timothy 3:1-14. Of special significance is the following: “Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” Note verse 4. One could believe that this was spoken to the world, but when we read further we realize that it was said to God’s people. We are only dealing with those who are on the inside. God will judge those who are on the outside. Verse 5: “Having a form of godliness,” etc. They give off an aura of peace! They radiate, yes, it radiates from them, but they deny the power. Note this in verse 5: “And from such people turn away!” The fear of God is that we depart from evil. They deny the power in the work. They speak about righteousness. They say, “He is my righteousness!” Shall we convince them? No! Turn away from them. Such people are worthless. You say, “Imagine if I could win them.” Obey Paul’s word! I think he had more experience in these matters than you. I have tried to convince them myself! I began many years ago, but I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing else to do but to turn away from them because they are extremely rich and content; they possess everything in abundance; they do not hunger in the least for something more. Therefore break up fallow ground! “But” you say, “The ones you are advising me to turn away from could also become fruitful ground.” No, it will never become good ground. The Scriptures say, “Turn away from them!” It pays to do as it commands. The fields are white for harvest; why then put yourself out for these? It is wasted time and effort. Leave as soon as you hear the song, “Jesus is my righteousness,” and at the same time they practice unrighteousness. Be understanding and take Paul’s words to heart, for he was wise. They say, “He is my righteousness,” therefore they are innocent. That is denying the power, which means that they deny the power for living a personally righteous life—righteous as He is righteous. God-fearing women profess their godliness with good works. 1 Tim. 2:10. The opposite—without works—is to deny the power. 2 Tim. 3:5.

They say that the blood cleanses. They are weighed down by sins. Such people do not belong among us. They vanish; they can’t stand being here. They resist the truth (Vs. 7- 8), whose end is destruction, and whose god is their belly. If they are not converted, they will be lost. Verse 6: Among them belong those who creep into households and make captives of [gullible] women. And why are they found in that flock? Precisely because they deny the power of godliness for the purpose of living a victorious life. Therefore we can expect them from that corner. It is a serious matter to resist the truth. Therefore their folly will be manifested to all. V. 9. “But you have carefully followed my doctrine . . . persecutions . . . afflictions . . . .” You, too, shall follow those who are being persecuted, whose name is rejected as something bad for the sake of Christ’s name. Continue therefore in the things which you have learned (v. 14) and let those who deny the power of godliness find out from whom they have learned it.

Andreas Nilsen:

When we know what is good but do not do it, it does not mean that we avoid judgment, for the judgment

remains in force. I deceive myself, thinking that the end will be better than it will actually be. Therefore let the light judge you. But you say, “What must I do for this to happen, so that I too can be happy? Do what Moses did. He chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Heb. 11:25. It is the sufferings that scare people. I have to deny myself daily and take up my cross. I am blessed if I do that. If I do not have a good life now while suffering in the flesh, I will have a good life awaiting me like Lazarus did. The rich man had the life he wished for on this earth, but he had to suffer afterwards.

No one can avoid sufferings. If in this life you live according to your self-life and do not deny it for the will that is so much greater—God’s will—you will suffer for it in eternity. But those who deny themselves and thereby deny their self-will, they will be comforted in all eternity. I think this is a very simple mathematical equation, because every knee shall bow before Him. Therefore the time has now come that judgment will begin at the house of God—with us. And if we accept the judgment now, we will avoid it in the next life. You say, “I want to, if only I could.” Of course you can, but you must begin, because by beginning, you show that you want something. Do not let your feelings rule over you, for God’s will and word are greater than your feelings.

It has been a comfort to me that God asks only for my will—if I want to. By obeying Jesus, I grow quite naturally, and my self-life is quite naturally destroyed. In the midst of all this, we sense God’s comfort and joy. This is how it shall be. In this way the end will be blessed and good. Lazarus was in pain during the time he endured natural sufferings; but our sufferings, which are spiritual sufferings, are greater. Therefore the Son is correspondingly greater. Let us therefore choose to suffer evil; for if we suffer with Him, we will also be glorified together. Rom. 8:17.