New Year’s Conference

“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise . . . .” Prov. 6:6. This was the theme of a feast song that was sung by the church in Oslo/Follo during the New Year’s Conference. Of course, the Oslo friends had our common effort for the Brunstad Conference Center in mind. However, first the natural, then the spiritual. In other words, both the natural and the spiritual. May the church be like an anthill in every respect in the coming year.

“Also in the church all ways lead to the anthill,” writes Johan O. Smith about the same topic in Skjulte Skatter, June 1932. “Be active in the edification of God’s kingdom. If a log is too heavy for your brother, then lay hold of it and help him to get it to its intended destination.” In connection with the ant not having a leader, overseer, or ruler (verse 7) he writes: “And yet the work is done quickly. All of them build lawfully according to an inner desire and an inner urge. This is how it shall be.”

We had a festive time during the New Year’s Conference, but first and foremost there was a strong appeal and encouragement to a holy seriousness and godliness. The following are excerpts of the main messages from each meeting.

Love God and Keep His Commandments

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3. This is love, and this is faith and obedience to the faith. A faith that does not lead to obedience is unbelief. In these days, generally speaking, a gospel without commandments is preached, which is a terrible deception. The new covenant is not without commandments. “Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.” Heb. 10:7. Jesus said this when He came into the world, and He leads His disciples to the same life of faith and obedience. We have left the gospel—the glad tidings—if we depart from the commandments and stop being obedient to them.

In the beginning of a Christian’s life the commandments have the effect of putting him in bondage to the law. Let it be bondage! You will experience that you fall short and must ask for forgiveness over and over again. Then the law will be a tutor to Christ for you. Then we will come to this acknowledgment, as Paul did: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), nothing good dwells . . . .” Rom. 7:18. We come to the end of our own strength and are now sufficiently mature to receive the all-conquering power of the Spirit. The law is spiritual, just, righteous, and holy; and when we also become spiritual, righteous, and holy, then obedience is far from bondage. God’s commandment was like a protective fence around the people of Israel. The person who is no longer careful to obey God’s commandment slides out into darkness and is swallowed up by the spirit of the world. Even if you still feel you are in bondage by keeping God’s commandment, be God-fearing, be a First-Commandment Christian who loves God with all his heart, with all his soul, and all his strength. Then the Holy Spirit will come to you and lead you into the world of the Spirit, to God’s will, and then it will be easy to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires.

In James 1:21 we read an exhortation concerning laying aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness. Then we are able to receive the Word that is mighty to save our soul. Every kind of evil, such as backbiting, dissatisfaction, etc., will hinder all growth in the good. The Word cannot take root in such soil. It is totally possible to deceive ourselves by taking the Word into our mouth, thinking that we have done what we believe, and yet leaving it undone. V. 22.

In the tabernacle there was an outer court, an inner court, and the Holiest. We can also speak about these three stages in a New Testament sense. After we have passed through the outer court into the inner court we will see the lamps that shine onto the veil—the flesh—which separates the inner court from the Holiest. Jesus has consecrated the way into the Holiest. We are to go in there—but it costs our self-life. That is where we receive the testimony of the blood which testifies that our self-life is poured out. This is the way to life, to divine nature. Paul was so gripped of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the way He consecrated that he counted all other things as rubbish that he might gain Christ.

The Fight Against the Hosts of Wickedness

Jesus is seated in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might. He is the head of the church. Eph. 1:19-23. And when we are members of His body—which is the church with Him as head—we have unbelievably great possibilities.

In Ephesians 2:2 ff. we read about the power and the spirit that is working in the children of unbelief. It is these powers—the hosts of wickedness by which the majority, also religious people are influenced—that whip up the sea of mankind. We who have a heavenly calling must keep ourselves pure from all these things and not be influenced in any way by these spirit powers. Only as crucified with Christ can we be preserved pure; for example from these terrible spirits of accusation by which many people are defiled. Jesus, who Himself suffered and was tempted, can come to our aid who are being tempted. Heb. 2:18. And we must seek this help not the least when it concerns our mutual fellowship, because that is where difficulties often arise. If we are to overcome the devil and all his power in the great battles, we must first of all be faithful in our inner life, so that we do not succumb to the will of the flesh and of the mind. Vanity, thoughts of greatness, and the desire for honor must be overcome in our hidden life. They must be overcome on the cross. We must drink deeply and boldly from the well of the Word to be able to overcome in the many battles when “powers and principalities” want to exercise influence in our life.

We read in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. Then one does not see the gospel of the glory of Christ. This is a serious matter. Such a person is on the way of perdition. But when we see our “I” as our darkness, then we can also see the light of the gospel; then we receive new thoughts and enter into a new life.

As long as a person is a babe in Christ—carnal—he can even dare to accuse members of the same body. The devil is called “the accuser of our brethren.” Rev. 12:10. Every accuser is his messenger. The person who is carnal, who has not forsaken his self-will, easily falls prey to this spirit of accusation.

Jesus is our intercessor. He prays for us. Which sin can He not forgive, and over which sin can He not give us victory? Do you and I dare to accuse someone for whom Jesus is praying? Let us not be defiled, not even in the least, by these horrible spirits of accusation. Be diligent in going to the meetings where the preaching of the Word can also wash clean the person who has allowed himself to be defiled. Those who overcome are pillars in God’s church. “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more.” Rev. 3:12. This is open to everyone who overcomes, brothers and sisters, young and old. Pillars never fall away; they never fail. Never!

The Obedience to the Faith

In Hebrews 12:1 ff., we read about a cloud of witnesses who were all obedient to their faith. They were a flock of sojourners, and they are now a flock of witnesses who encourage us to fight the good fight of faith, even to “run with patience the race that is set before us.” Jesus was tempted, but He overcame. He consecrated a way for us. Now we can overcome in the hour of temptation so that the capacity of the love of Christ can constantly increase in our hearts. We read that Jesus patiently endured the cross. But not only on Calvary; the cross was a reality throughout His entire life, even long before Calvary.

We read further about not growing weary or getting discouraged, but resisting even until bloodshed in our fight against sin. We are tempted! But as the blood of our self-life is gradually poured out, we enter into rest. We cease from sin. Just as the chick breaks through the egg shell and out into liberty, so we can go the way through the flesh into liberty and rest.

Concerning temptation, James writes that it is being drawn away and enticed by one’s own desires. And “then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin . . . .” Ch. 1:14-15. We must be awake in our fight of faith so that there will not be a “then.” But if it should happen, we must cleanse ourselves right away.

Paul writes about the laws of the Spirit of life. The Spirit works according to certain laws. They are laws that lead us to life, to liberty from chains and bonds. We are born again. Our entire existence becomes good, our fellow sojourners become light; everything becomes light. We are lifted up on resurrection ground where there is light and glory. This is a blessed result of “always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” 2 Cor. 4:10. Or as we read in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me . . . .”

The person, who obeys the Spirit, receives the Spirit. Paul starts his epistle to the Romans by speaking about obedience to the faith. He concludes the epistle with the same message. The life of Christ is revealed in those who live in obedience to the faith. This is “Christ manifested in the flesh” in our time. Philip said to Jesus, “Show us the Father!” John 14:8. This is precisely what Jesus did every day during His entire life. Now He calls us to manifest the Father in our life. Then it should be natural for us to think like this in life’s situations: “Is it fitting for me who has such a calling to do or say something like this?” Let us live in obedience to the faith! Let us preach obedience to the faith!

Pay Heed to Yourself

In Romans 6:22 there is a blessed description of the course of life of a disciple of Jesus: Set free from sin. Entered into God’s service. Fruit unto sanctification. The end, everlasting life. This is a New Testament disciple’s life.

First and foremost we must be set free from the power of sin. Each sin represents a burden, with darkness and despair following in its wake. The form of doctrine of the new covenant (verse 17) can set us free from this bondage when we are obedient to it. No one can have a ministry in the church if he has sins on his conscience. Everyone who has entered into God’s ministry is set free from living in conscious sins. No one can help others to a salvation of which he himself has not partaken.

Therefore we see in Paul’s letters to Timothy, that he does not particularly concern himself with the ministry, but rather with Timothy’s own salvation and development. “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” 1 Tim. 4:16. By taking heed to himself Timothy could be better equipped for the work of ministry. Then the others’ salvation would be a consequence of his own salvation. Paul writes to him in verse 15: “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.”

Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to preach deliverance to the captives, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:18 ff. Every servant of the Lord is anointed for his ministry. This has to do with his inner faithfulness to the Lord. An acceptable year of the Lord! This will also be so in the New Year which we are entering; for everyone who has been set free from sin, has become a servant of God, and has his fruit unto sanctification and the end, everlasting life. When mention is made of having fruit of one’s ministry, then many people think of a successful work, many souls who seek salvation, etc. But the Scriptures say that sanctification is first and foremost the fruit. It is in the many circumstances of daily life, by being together with our spouse, our children, and our colleagues, that this development mainly takes place. In these circumstances we find out where “the shoe pinches.”

Exercise in Godliness

Paul writes to Timothy: “Exercise yourself rather to godliness . . . godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” 1 Tim. 4:7-8. Only faith in Jesus has these promises for time and eternity.

When we are to exercise ourselves in godliness we can, for example, think of Colossians 3:1-2. “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” This sounds good when we read it, but we really need to exercise ourselves in godliness if we are to have our thoughts and minds in heavenly things and not in earthly things. A disciple’s life is his hidden life with Christ in God. The person who lives according to his passions (for example: getting angry, being offended or impatient in response to contradiction and humiliating situations) will meet with understanding from other people who recognize themselves in such a reaction pattern. On the other hand, the average person will not understand the person whose mind is in heavenly things, living the hidden life with Christ in God.

When we read the exhortations in Ephesians 6:5-8 about serving the Lord in our employment situation not with eyeservice as menpleasers, we must acknowledge that we cannot do this without exercising ourselves in godliness. The hidden life will one day be revealed. Read Matthew 10:26. The Lord will richly reward faithfulness in the hidden. Let us work in all that is good. Pray for each other, forgive each other, even cast what needs to be forgiven into the sea of forgetfulness and never bring it up again on a “suitable occasion.” Read Psalm 1 about the blessedness of those who fear God. Shouldn’t we find good reason to exercise ourselves in godliness? In this Psalm we also read about the “un-blessed” state— and end—of the ungodly. The blessedness of God-fearing people is, among other things, that Romans 8:28 is fulfilled in their lives. All things are for their good! These are unalterable laws of life.

Jesus is described as the “High Priest of the good things to come.” Heb. 9:11. These good things are so good and so great that only the pure in heart will see them and experience them. It was love that constrained our heavenly High Priest to sacrifice Himself without spot to God in the power of the eternal Spirit. He sought only God’s will and God’s honor. Love was the motivation, not any desire for human greatness. The person who does something to acquire a reputation will ruin himself.

Let us follow Jesus on the way which He has consecrated into the Holiest. Heb. 10:19-20. This way goes through the veil, which is the flesh. It is only with a crucified life that we can enter in where we will taste the powers of the world to come, where we are set free from everything that is human, and become partakers of a heavenly life. That will be our message from heaven and not from the earth.

Arild Tombre