Today (Sunday) I’m standing watch on board. Thank you for your good letter where I read that you are now headed east. I will be finished with my duties on board around November 1, and, for a number of reasons, it would be excellent if you could put off your trip here until then. Maybe I’ll be able to get a few days leave. In any case, I will ask for 8-14 days, since we haven’t had a single day off all summer. There is a whole lot of work waiting for me on land, but I really feel ready to tackle it.

I read your article in Missionæren as well as Barratt’s travelogue in Korsets Seier. It appears as if these travelogues are the nourishment that provides the backbone for Christians today. Maybe that’s the reason they yield to every puff of wind. There still isn’t anyone, man or woman, with a real care and concern, who is taking action in the inner workings of church life—perhaps because there is virtually no one with a real inner life. I think all of these endless travelogues have a lot in common with the final polish of a carpenter’s finished work. He fills all the holes and cracks with varnish and polishes it until it looks bright and shiny. Overall, everything is in great shape; it wouldn’t be polite to say anything else.

Yet these words of Christ stand firm, and I am getting closer to them rather than farther away: “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” Servants of Christ are not to travel around enjoying the fruits of the Spirit’s work; that’s the same thing as fleecing the church and warming yourself with the wool. The apostles worked with things on a much deeper level than the apostles of our day who, by comparison, are nothing more than whitewashers. They never truly rebuild the wall and repair the damage. They use the glory of the world to put a shine on the work of the Spirit. When those who are great in the eyes of the world turn to Christ, they are continually exalted. Their outward shine is used to try to glorify Christ. When a poor working man or woman gives their life to God, not much is said about it; but when someone who is admired in the world gets converted, people shout hallelujah in unison, as if such a soul were more precious in the Lord’s eyes.

But this is what James exhorts us against: “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.”

When a person shows that kind of partiality, they have become a judge with evil thoughts, the apostle says.

Nowadays, the apostolic church life and the good apostles of old are nowhere to be found. A person must be resigned to having sufferings and tribulations in the midst of the church if they are to be able to help. But when someone visits, stays for a while, and then leaves again, like a great man who is admired more according to the flesh than according to the Spirit, that is nothing more than fleecing the sheep.

I’ve just come back from having dinner in the mess where a lively spiritual conversation developed. God gave me grace to take out my Bible and use it to convince them and to testify (with sword in hand) of a personal faith. Most of them seemed to be satisfied with the explanation, even though there were a lot of “ifs” and “buts.”

On his last day as a cadet (senior cadet) on board the Frithjof, Lieutenant Aslaksen stood up and gave his testimony in front of his classmates. Several people had tears in their eyes, he said. The last time he was home, he asked if we could go through the letter to the Romans during the winter, since he will be having more lectures and not so much studying at the Naval Academy.

This tour of duty has been a tour of battle, but thanks be to God, everything has worked out for the best. We have a new commanding officer and executive officer now, and the situation on board has changed beyond recognition.

Br. Anthony sent me a long letter; greet him from me. Greet his wife as well.

Freberg the dentist has now left Horten, so now Sannerud, Reichborn-Kjennerud, and Ring are left.

He who builds a house ought to dig deep and lay the foundation on the rock. It is just the same in the church; we must dig deep so it can be securely rooted and grounded in Christ. Just as digging in the earth requires labor and toil, digging into the corrupted ground of the heart requires even more toil.

I hope we get a chance to talk together in the next few days—God willing. Currently my work on board takes up all my time. We do have a little shore leave in the evenings, but we have to be back on board again by 6 a.m., which means getting up at 5 a.m.; so I’m not up for much when I get home after a hard day’s work.

Warm greetings from your brother,

Br. Johansen is very easy to get along with; he and Br. Ellefsen hold small meetings in different places. Ellefsen is God-fearing.