The Five Annual, Great Conferences,...

The Five Annual, Great Conferences,
the many local conferences, youth conference,

What shall we say about them? All in all, they are a marvelous and great work of God on earth! They are an invincible, irresistible work of God’s creation, joined together and intertwined by invisible, divine bonds—everlasting bonds, bonds of perfection—without any interference from the work of man, without a sect name, without pen and ink and membership rolls, without so-called priests and pastors, and without going after money.

Even though the large religious masses are blind and so unspeakably far from having any sense for such great and glorious things, every upright and truth-seeking soul will nevertheless see it, love it, and follow in the same steps, in the steps that Jesus and His great apostles have left behind.

The main thrust of the meetings and conferences is a constant pursuit of everything that is godly, of all the virtues of Jesus Christ. But it is not a slavish pursuit or a useless pursuit. It is the desire that propels the work forward. One’s love of this life makes it so that it is not burdensome or bondage. Living faith makes it so that it is not in vain; on the contrary, it causes it to succeed to an ever greater degree. Glory to God for time and eternity! Imagine that it really succeeds in spite of the enormous unbelief and scorn of the entire religious world.

Therefore we are mightily drawn together to meetings and conferences. Admittedly, there can be a few people who feel differently, but it is because they lack the living, biblical, and apostolic faith—the faith of Jesus Christ—that it shall succeed. One can even lack a desire and love for this bountiful, wonderful, forward-looking life.

An uninterrupted, earnest, and true edification, driven by sincere, unselfish love for each other and a living faith that God Himself will let it succeed to an increasingly deeper degree is, unfortunately, so to speak, unique in this world where almost every person is saturated by a spirit of unbelief. Their principal attitude can quite correctly be expressed by these well-known phrases: “It is of no use,” and, “It will never work,” as well as, “I have tried, but fortunately I am finished with that kind of bondage.” They have given up when it concerns not sinning, when it concerns perfection, as the Scriptures exhort to and promise with clear words.

Think of the great work that God is doing among us. No wonder attendance at the meetings is so unusually high, with people coming over very long distances. Every single conference is especially blessed and filled with content; every conference is so to speak the best we have ever had! This is the best! I have yet to hear (in the course of forty to fifty years) that any of the servants of the Lord among us have mentioned anything about not having sufficient funds. There is nothing like that among us. Glory, glory, glory!

Revival! There is revival every time at every conference, even at every children’s conference, where every time almost all the unsaved are saved. Indeed, it is nothing but revival. Everything is revival! Glory to God and to the Lamb!

Church order. Order? Of course, God is a God of order. There is organization and order wherever He and the Spirit are permitted to rule. This is not an organization’s extremely deficient order, but a glorious order of a living organism that functions according to laws; it is an order that is brought about by the laws of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, by living faith and fervent love. It runs like clockwork precisely because it is anointed.

Just as every individual’s life is hidden with Christ in God, so is also the leading of the Spirit, missionary activity, the order of the meeting, the bonds that bind us together, the order in the church hidden to the natural eye.

Ministers of the Word, men of the Spirit, true and good shepherds are born, nourished, molded, and growing forth in our midst. Young men of God—full of faith in victory and progress travel in the service of the gospel. Glory to God!

Missionary activity is increasing at a steady tempo. Tape recorders are also increasing this missionary endeavor considerably. In this way, many of the brothers are speaking without knowing about it, without being present, all over the land. We also praise God for this!

All opposition only increases victory and progress, working very much like advertising. Glory to God also for that!

As it is written, “All things work together for good to those who love God . . . .” Rom. 8:28. How glorious it is to have this living faith in victory over all sin and all opposition. We view difficulties, great difficulties with joy, with delight, and with courage precisely because we know from experience that He is with us and gives us complete victory.

Our slogan is: Difficulties and opposition are there to be overcome! God be greatly praised!

Liberty—not to sin but to serve each other with the grace, the strength, and the gifts that every single member has according to the laws of the Spirit of life. This liberty is very great; it is so great that none of us, wherever we have been in this world, have seen or heard anything that can come close to being likened to it!!!

At the same time, it is far from lawlessness and disorder. There is no liberty at all for wickedness, but there is full liberty to do good.

Eternity will not be too long to praise God for all this unspeakable grace and goodness to us, for this glorious work of creation in our inner man! That is where it is happening in those who believe.

Thank you very much for the last time we were together, and for all the other times! We will meet again, all you believers, and all you loving, precious friends as well as all those who desire to partake of the same!

Long live every true and wholehearted brother in the Lord, whoever he is, and wherever he is in this world!