Johan O. Smith

Johan O. Smith

During the night of May 1, 1943, our highly esteemed and greatly beloved brother in the Lord, who has been our keenly watchful, excellent and faithful leader and overseer for so many years, passed away.

Thus, the greatest man of God we know of in our generation has finished his course in this world. He died in his home. The last words he was heard to utter were “Oh, praise God!” while he was praying and praising God earlier that night. That was indeed a fitting conclusion to a life and a walk such as his.

His faithfulness to God and to the light that God gave him was certainly exceptional—so much so, that he must be regarded as a reformer.

When God gave Br. Smith revelation about His way—that new and living way which leads through the flesh of Jesus into the Holiest (Heb. 10:19-20)—he was faithful to this light. He shared it both verbally and in writing with other believers, including those Christian leaders whom he felt were most able to receive it, but they became his adversaries. One of them said something very significant: “What you say is true, but you won’t gather many people that way.” These adversaries thought it better to silence the truth, to resist it, even to warn against it and condemn it, rather than to receive it and preach it, since it didn’t attract many members! What deplorable unfaithfulness!

This is all the more reason to praise and extol God for Br. Smith’s faithfulness! Even though he encountered opposition wherever he turned, he continued faithfully in the light that God had so clearly given him. He chose to remain alone, if necessary, for the rest of his life outside the camp, in faithfulness to his Lord and Master, rather than be unfaithful in order to win recognition from the multitudes.

What were these truths that caused him not only to be rejected by the multitudes, but which caused practically all religious people and their leaders to oppose him? That we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ; that we are actually to do the will of God with our bodies; that we both can and should do His will, that we are called to this very thing and that God will give grace and help to this end; that God’s intention is that we should conquer our self and all sin in this world; that we should speak the truth, practice righteousness, humble ourselves—in short, that we should keep God’s commandments, all the laws of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which the Scriptures so clearly teach and exhort us to do!

Just think! This was what they opposed, and it is still being opposed! Indeed, virtually the entire religious world is unanimous in its opposition to this teaching—to their shame, we must add, but especially to the shame of their leaders, who bear the chief responsibility for such disastrous stupidity!

With such a backdrop, Br. Smith’s unshakable faithfulness shines and radiates all the more gloriously, a faithfulness that has been richly rewarded, both with respect to the glory of his inner life and to the outward fruits—the effects in others’ hearts and lives! Praised be God!

Br. Smith certainly did not live in vain, he most certainly did not go astray, and he certainly did not get caught up with controversial questions!

His Life

Instead of arguing about and championing certain theories, all the while living just like any other person in his daily life, and ending up like so many other leaders, so dry and empty in their old age that people would rather not have to hear them, Br. Smith found the way of life, the way of sanctification and the way of transformation, and he walked on it. This made him a man of the Spirit—a strong man, burning with zeal, always anointed with fresh oil, fresh light and new revelations in the knowledge of God concerning life and ministry in the church—right until the end!!! It would be hard to find anyone else like him in this world!

On this way of life, he truly partook of divine nature, in accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures. He was an exceptionally righteous, exact and truthful man, strong and fearless in declaring what was true and right, to those of both high and low estate. At the same time, he was a remarkably meek, longsuffering and forbearing man, humble and lowly in his own eyes—the complete opposite of religious leaders and “great men” in general!

Oh, how much all these people could have learned and benefited from this precious brother and leader! Instead, they resisted him! And now it is too late!

With a watchful eye and heart, and with a spirit that was free from guile, he fulfilled his calling, his gifts and his ministry throughout all the local churches across this country and those abroad, right until his last days. Our last time together with him was at the conference in Hokksund just before Easter. He was full of spirit and life, blessing and glory—as usual.

By God’s unspeakable grace, I have been allowed to share unbroken fellowship and glory with him for about 35 years. The significance of this is something that very few people can appreciate.

Br. Smith was by far the most effectual, weighty, faithful, beloved and blessed man I ever saw or heard. His memory is an everlasting blessing. Praised be God! Soon we will be reunited with him, and clothed with incorruptible bodies—provided we, too, are faithful until the end.

The Fruit of His Work

From being contradicted, opposed and rejected by everyone everywhere, he experienced the virtual fulfillment of what is written in Isaiah 60:22: “A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”

It didn’t exactly go quickly to begin with. Not at all. But in its time, one revival was followed by another, and breakthrough followed breakthrough. Town after town and village after village opened up for these glorious, liberating truths. A great many souls have been saved from the world, and many souls from different denominations have had the eyes of their hearts enlightened to a deeper life in God. An indescribably great amount of salvation has occurred.

It was not easy to win anyone in the beginning. It is hard to accept something from a man who is contradicted and rejected by all those who are supposed to be well informed about such matters, even if what that man says is true, noble and good! But God led the right people in Br. Smith’s path one by one, and gradually more and more people who loved the truth received it, followed it and proclaimed it!

Several years elapsed before the work had grown to such proportions that there was a little flock that met in a small living room in Horten. Yet, as it is written, we are not to despise the day of small beginnings. Even though this flock was small and difficult to become a part of, it was, by its very nature, that much more vital and full of the seed of life. Therefore, it could not do anything but grow and develop. We had found life in God, not just a set of doctrines.

This is how one man, by his unswerving faithfulness, became a thousand—and more than a thousand—scattered throughout all of Norway as well as Denmark and other countries. Nevertheless, it is not the numbers that are so significant; in terms of numbers, other movements are even larger. Rather, it is the scope that is important—the width, breadth and depth of the life in God into which individuals have been brought, and the fervent, divine fellowship they enjoy with God and with one another as a consequence, and the victory over sin and the sanctification that, by God’s abundant grace, they have attained to—all of which can be traced back to the life and ministry of this blessed, faithful servant of the Lord.

What unspeakably glorious fruit from one man’s life! What a glorious crown is waiting for him! Isaiah 49 has been fulfilled for him.

He was also able to enjoy precious fruit such as seeing all his children walking on this same way, and seeing that one of his sons is a valuable, trusted co-worker on the way of God.

Without the slightest possibility of contradiction, these words of Jesus stand fast: “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” Matt. 7:17-18 [Emphasis added].

We owe our highly beloved brother, J.O. Smith, an eternal debt of gratitude. Praised be his indelible memory!