Easter Conference at Brunstad

“I get more and more out of God’s Word. I also get more and more out of each conference.” This was one brother’s testimony at the conference. This testifies to the fact that one is growing; and all of us should be experiencing this growth. Then we will also increasingly understand the importance of our conferences for us personally and for the church as a whole.

The main law in God’s kingdom

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Jas. 4:6. This is a main law in God’s kingdom. Here we can find a reason for the lack of success in a person’s life: pride. If he had been humble he would have experienced victory and progress in all areas.

In verse 5 we read, “Or do you think that the Scriptures say in vain . . . ?” Many people lead such an indifferent “Christian” life that one could think they reckoned that the Scriptures speak in vain, that God’s Word is not meant seriously. Such a person is proud, and God resists the proud.

The beginning of the way of humility is to acknowledge from the depths of our heart how far off we are. God remembers that we are dust. But do we remember it? The humble person judges himself, and only himself. The proud person judges the others. The humble person has more than enough work with judging the “dregs” in his own flesh. The cleansing that the humble person experiences on his way gives him more and more light; and those who walk in the light have fellowship with each other.

Let us hold on to the deep acknowledgment that Romans 3 and Romans 7 give us. And how is it when it concerns our tongue? Doesn’t James, chapter 3, have something to teach us about that? Read also how radical Paul was in his own life. Life passes by so quickly; soon we will have reached the end of the way. Then may we not have to say: I have not used the opportunities for salvation.

In Revelation 2:15 we read about the “doctrine of the Nicolaitans.” May there not be some of us who secretly hold to this corrupt doctrine. We can say that in essence this doctrine states that “you don’t have to be so exact; it will go well anyway.” Such people become worldly-minded. They open themselves to the spirit of this world where fashions, clothing, and vanity have the power. They become thoroughly worldly. In 2 Chronicles 20 we read about Jehoshaphat who ruled in the fear of the Lord. Nevertheless, the high places were not destroyed. He allied himself with the ungodly king Ahaziah, and the prophet Eliezer prophesied that God’s punishment would come over him for that. He made an alliance with the ungodly king Ahaziah to gain worldly goods. This should be a warning to us, a warning to consider all earthly goods as nothing. In 2 Corinthians 6:14 flg., we are exhorted not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. When it concerns earthly business dealings, one cannot even go into business with every brother without running into problems. God often has to chasten someone who is not humble enough to do as it is written, because he jealously desires our spirit.

Therefore we are exhorted further in 2 Corinthians 7 to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting our holiness in the fear of God. We are exhorted to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of that “religiosity” which, in a false kind of confidence in the “work of Calvary” doesn’t care about cleansing itself. For example, it is important to ask for forgiveness for the bad things one has said about others. If this is not done, a person will receive a seared conscience. If you have spoken evil about others, then cleanse yourself; ask God and people for forgiveness! That will open the way to light and a walk in the light.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:34. We will overcome sin if our treasure is in Christ. However, it is impossible to overcome if our treasure is in money, for example. When our treasure is in Christ our thoughts will go in that direction— in the direction of our brothers and sisters—and we will rejoice when it goes well with them. Then our lamps are burning. V. 35.

A person can speak beautifully about unity, but perhaps he is not one with a single person. He can speak beautifully about caring for widows and orphans, but perhaps he has never visited them in their day of need. All these things are manifestations of pride and have nothing to do with humility. “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes will find watching.” V. 37. Yes, may we be ready, with our lamps burning.

In John 12:48 we read about rejecting Christ and not receiving His words. What folly that is, because “His command is everlasting life.” V. 50. It is fateful to reject the commandments of the Lord and push them away as if they were “law” and living according to them is “bondage.” If we give Him our heart unreservedly He will write His laws on it, and His command is everlasting life.

Paul could testify of being more than a conqueror in the midst of the greatest tribulations a person could image. Rom. 8:37. He had looked into the perfect law of liberty. He saw the glory of the Lord with unveiled face. When someone who has a “veiled face” hears about giving away money, he feels as if he is being robbed. However, the person who has repented of his stinginess has the veil taken away from his face, and then he looks into the perfect law of liberty and becomes blessed in his work. In Romans 12:1 we are exhorted to be a living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice to God. Then we are separate from the world in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. Then we are also not conformed to this world. V. 2. When a person is conformed to this world, he doesn’t care what God’s Word says, and such a person becomes quite simply worldly. In the Scriptures we read about Demas who loved this present world. We do not read that he began to lead a bad life, but he was no longer in the same Spirit as Paul was. Everything has its beginning in one’s thought life. One becomes more and more superficial. In Ephesians 4:17 we read about the “futility of their mind.” A person can go so far that he becomes alienated from the life of God, from the laws of the Spirit of life, and from the workings of the Holy Spirit. If he does not take the laws of the Spirit of life seriously, he will, after a while, become lawless. “Worldliness” should be an awful word for us. In NS #149 we sing, “Jesus’ message is simple and clear, Will you let Him the right answer hear?” A person’s word becomes vague and unclear if he does not have a clear conscience.

“Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Eccl. 8:11. The person who is humble never dares to do anything that is evil.

Quite often God has to work long and thoroughly with a person to get him to be nothing in himself. That is because he is so permeated by pride. Let us learn from Daniel. “For from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard . . . .” Dan. 10:12.

Abide in love

A question can arise as to how we can know whether we are in God. We receive a sure sign of it in 1 John 4:16 flg.: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” Then we are in rest, and we rejoice when we meet our fellow men. In 2 Peter 1:7 we read, “To brotherly love, love toward all men.” If we love in truth it doesn’t matter at all how the others behave toward us. Still, our love can become warmer and more sincere. “That you increase more and more.” 1 Thess. 4:10. Those who already have love still need this exhortation: Pursue love! We must widen our hearts in life’s situations if our love is to become warmer. “That your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment . . . .” Phil. 1:9.

In Matthew 5:44 we read about being good to those who are evil to us. In such situations we are sure to see how poor we are when it comes to love. Nevertheless, this prayer needs to be in our hearts: Dear God, how can I help that person? It is obvious that we need to abide in love in order to increase in it.

In Ephesians 3:19 we are called to “know the love of Christ.” Just think of the depths that are in the love of Christ! It is so deep that it swallowed up the entire fall of mankind. Now we can receive forgiveness for every sin. And God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. V. 20. And this power is love. We will pray in vain if we cease to love. Those who stop loving are beyond the range of help. This can also be the case with entire churches. It can be compared to a cancerous abscess that has developed too far. Bitter roots can gain room if one is not rooted and grounded in love. And that can go so far that there is no room for repentance. Heb. 12:17.

Jesus came with grace and truth. We know that He loves us. Those who have to deal with us should also know that they are loved. Paul could even testify that his love for the saints increased, even though he was loved less by them.

“Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him . . . .” Heb. 12:5. That is God’s goodness toward us. We need to have an upbringing, and the Lord chastens us for our eternal gain. Thus we are led deeper into God and receive more wisdom and understanding in life’s situations. The death of Christ has to work in us if love is to gain more room. Then we can also speak the truth to each other, and exhort each other. The warmth of love creates sufficient confidence in others so that our exhortations are received. It is human to love only those who are good to us. Divine love lets the sun rise over the evil and the good. Nothing must get us to stop loving if we are to manifest God’s love to people.

In his letter to Philemon Paul bares his heart in a special way. He himself had experienced that fellowship became warmer and more sincere “by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” V. 6. Here we do not meet up with some “detective work” in which it is important to ‘sniff out” all that is negative in our fellow men. On the contrary, we read about a living interest in all that is good and praiseworthy in the others. Then he entreats Philemon so tenderly on behalf of Onesimus: “Receive him, that is, my own heart.” V. 12. In Philippians 1:9-10 we see that it is love that enables us to exercise discernment in the various matters.

The mystery of the sure mercies of David

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Ps. 23:6. David was a man according to God’s heart, and here we can see what he experienced. All those who are humble can say the same thing. We also read in Psalm 103:12-14 how the humble experience God. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Many of the friends still remember the demonstration brother Aslaksen gave us many years ago. He used three objects for his demonstration: a huge sledgehammer, an anvil, and a rag full of holes. Then, using the rag, he symbolically put all the pride of man, vanity, and all thoughts of greatness on the anvil and began to use the sledgehammer on it, while reminding us of Jeremiah 23:29: “’Is not My word like a fire?’says the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?’” After we have been worked on by the hammer of God’s Word, we will view ourselves as a useless rag. But then it is important to have a living faith in God that He can do great things in and through such wretched material. Even if we experience God’s educational chastisement in our lives, we can believe His Word when He says, “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.” Is. 49:16. We are called “vessels of mercy” (Rom. 9:23) and have no reason to lose courage. The Lord has compassion with our weaknesses, and we can find mercy and grace before the throne of grace in time of need—so that we do not sin.

From the first Christians we learn that we have everything in common: a common goal, a common faith, a common salvation, and we bear each other’s burdens, joys, and sorrows.

There was tremendous grace over David, the man according to God’s heart. In Isaiah 55:3 we read about the sure mercies of David that come over everyone who bows his ear and heart to the Lord. Saul was humble and lowly in his own eyes before he became king. There are many people who, in the beginning, are humble and small in their own eyes, but when they are appointed to do a work they become great in themselves. In 1 Samuel 16 we can see how Saul, in his stubbornness, spared the best and the next best of what he had been commanded to destroy utterly. It appeared that he kept the Lord’s word, but Samuel said, “what then is this bleating?” V. 14. If a person exalts himself you will hear this bleating. Perhaps they even think they can instruct the servants of the Lord and exalt themselves over them. The way to lose your kingdom is to become great in your own eyes.

Nebuchadnezzar lost both his mind and his kingdom because of his pride. However, during this treatment by God, which was also proof of God’s goodness, he regained his understanding and his former glory. He praised the King of heaven and said, “Those who walk in pride He is able to abase.” Dan. 4:37. We must eradicate all thoughts of greatness from our thought life in the zeal of the Lord.

In 2 Samuel we read about Uzzah who wanted to intervene, but had to pay for it. There are also many people who want to “intervene” with their human reasoning, yet they end up lying on the ground with “broken wings.” In the same chapter we read about David who said, “And I will be even more lowly than this, and will be humble in my own sight.” Michal, Saul’s daughter, despised him. She obviously had some of Saul’s attitude, which is cursed forever. On the other hand, David’s attitude is blessed forever. Jesus was descended from David.

“But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant . . . .” Phil. 2:7. This is what we read about Jesus. He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, for our sake. We can ask ourselves: How much have I renounced for my brother’s sake? Oh, let us go the way of humiliation! Perhaps it has succeeded with the children in my family. Let us not become proud and puffed up because of that, but rather be thankful for those who have worked untiringly with our children and youth in our local fellowships. Some people have become conceited and have wanted to instruct others about family life and how to raise children. Yet they have harvested only ruins in their own family because of their pride.

Truth and falsehood

Through the Fall, mankind ended up under the sway of Satan. Most people live a lie without being aware of it. When a person admires earthly things, worldly education, and the philosophy of this world, he is powerfully deceived by Satan. Jesus is the light of the world. He says, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12. Both light and darkness are joined to spirit powers. If a person is in darkness, he is blinded by the spirit of falsehood. In verses 31-32 Jesus exhorts us, “Abide in My word.” That is the first thing. We have to come to the Word, to the light, and in that light we get to see our own fallen nature. By purifying ourselves and walking in the light, the enormous powers that are in the Spirit of truth will have a liberating effect.

“The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive . . . .” John 14:17. That is how much power falsehood has in this world. In Psalm 4:2 we are asked the following question: “How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood?” Think about this powerful inclination that is in our nature: to imagine we are something. Think about how easy it is to lie a little bit, to paint a nice picture of a situation so that we ourselves receive the honor! A disciple of Jesus will know how to cleanse himself in these very pertinent areas. In Psalm 52:3 we read about loving evil more than good and about lying rather than speaking righteousness. Yes, it is even possible to preach the word of righteousness and speak God’s word correctly, and yet to have fallen away in one’s heart. The angel of the church in Laodicea (Rev. 3) believed that his true state was different from what it was in fact. The Spirit of truth had to tell him: “You do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked . . . .” If the leader of this church would only acknowledge it, then the truth would set him free. From Jesus’ words, “that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed,” we can gather that He only wanted him to repent, not to expose him.

Let us love and obey the Spirit of truth. Bit by bit He will give us light over the nature of falsehood from which He wants to set us free. Let us believe and obey the truth when God’s light is cast into our inner man. Otherwise we will remain liars for the rest of our lives. God be praised that it is possible to overcome the power of all sin and falsehood!