Thank you very much for your letter dated May 15 which arrived today. Erik Andersen and his wife visited us on Tuesday and Wednesday. He preached at Betel both evenings, and they were both good meetings.

I’m not writing this to refute what you say, but rather to look at the matter from a different point of view. You say in your letter: “It’s all well and good to admonish one another, but we must be cautious lest we ourselves are tempted and become entangled in a net so fine that we don’t even notice it.”

A lot could be said about this, and it is always good to talk about things that can be instructive. Personally, I have no faith in Satan’s net, be it fine or coarse. Confidence and faith in God make us strong and give us victory in abundance; so for us, Satan’s net is more like a spider’s web—it’s powerless. Neither can we just say hallelujah to any old thing that is said at the meetings. I’m afraid it wouldn’t be long before everything was choked out by weeds. Weeding is necessary. If the world mocks us, it should be on account of our spirituality, because then we are the victors. But if we do so many foolish things that we get trapped like Samson and are bound and mocked, that doesn’t glorify God. On the contrary, it dishonors Him. You said yourself that it seemed “weird” to see a whole lot of people straining to work themselves up into a spiritual state. There may be something to this, and when I encounter things that seem “weird,” I speak out, so that the people involved can correct what they are doing. There are always things that need to be corrected, but the question is whether it can be said with love and forbearance. Br. Berg and I are often at odds with each other, but when a third person tries to attack one of us, they soon discover that they aren’t just attacking one person, but two. This is also how it is with natural brothers.

I am convinced that in order to keep wild branches from taking over, they need to be pruned—and quickly. Here in Horten things are going in a healthy direction, and Satan does not get much of a chance to attack, because for the most part, people are level-headed and self-restrained. We don’t chastise like the ten thousand instructors who only want to kill. No, God has given us a different mind. When correction is given, it is done for the good of the person concerned. Our fathers chastened us for our profit, but the ten thousand instructors chasten out of hatred, in order to kill. Obviously, it would be best if everything went so perfectly that no correction was necessary, but it has never been that way, and never will be.

“The one who asserts too much authority is despised,” goes the saying. But when a person doesn’t assert any more authority than has been given to him, everything goes smoothly and is as it should be. A person who buries his talent in the ground instead of using it is foolish. If God has given a person the gift of leadership, but he does not take the lead, someone else will come along and lead everyone onto the broad way before anyone realizes what has happened. That’s why it is so important for us to use our talent. If I have been weak in the past, my weakness has been that I have been too lenient. You can be sure of this: Satan’s servants are anything but lenient once they get their claws into someone. But by then it is a little too late.

I know you mean well, but so do I. It is written, “Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort . . . .” 2 Tim. 4:2. If someone has this task and carries it out with all longsuffering, then he is not overstepping his area but is working within his own boundaries. He is not interfering in the affairs of others. If someone tells us about their work, we don’t reply, “Be careful, you might end up bragging and falling into Satan’s fine net.” The same thing applies in spiritual matters. We are within the bounds of our ministry as long as we do not exceed our measure of faith. If the scope of our ministry includes someone whose area is contained within our own, does that mean that we are overstepping our boundaries?

A mother can love her children in such a way that she overlooks all their faults, but in doing so, she is raising serpents in her bosom.

There seemed to be a common thought among the Corinthians, that they didn’t believe Christ was in them—unless indeed they were incompetent [Norw.]. 2 Cor. 13:5. The same holds true today. It is as though we are obliged to be so friendly and nice that we let people walk all over us and allow all sorts of foolishness to flourish. Then we are considered to be loving and godly—then Christ is in us. People say that when we are incompetent, then Christ is in us. No wonder they demanded proof that Christ was speaking through Paul when he reproved them for their folly.

Paul was gladly willing to be regarded as the one who was incompetent, if only they could be approved, because he could do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. On the other hand, he says, “But I trust that you will know that we are not incompetent.” 2 Cor. 13:6.

It’s 3:30 in the afternoon now, and I think I’ll take a walk; perhaps over to Ellefsen’s or Berg’s place.

Heartiest greetings from your son and brother,