I received your very good letter dated the 11th. It is always a pleasure to hear from you. Thank you very much for the English New Testament; that was a very nice gift.

Olsen the gardener has rented out the house where we had our meetings, so we have now rented a small room in the courtyard where we live so we can have a place to speak together, etc. Lately, God’s power has been present in an amazing way in our meetings, but since we don’t have a public meeting hall, there are not that many who attend. Br. Berg is now in Fredrikstad. Br. Ellefsen is becoming a true servant of the Lord. I have never before had the ministry of teaching anyone directly with regard to serving the Lord as I do now with Br. Ellefsen. He is well-suited because he is reliable, unassuming, exact, sober-minded, and has many good qualities.

When a local church is established, it is of utmost importance that some be appointed to shepherd the flock; that responsibility is to be given to those who are equal to the task and who live there. Paul stayed a year or two in each place. During this time, he would raise up a flock, where he would subsequently appoint elders, etc.—not ambitious tyrants who would rule over the flock, but brothers who could say at all times, “Follow me even as I follow Christ.”

In order to fully convey something to you, I want to draw your attention to the German translation of 2 Tim. 2:15. Seek to prove yourself before God, as a worker who is not ashamed, and who brings the word of truth in its sharpness22.

It is essential that a servant of the Lord does not take the edge off the Word. It must be used in all its sharpness. Let it have its full effect—whether unto death or unto life. It is just the fear of man and cowardice that cause people to take the edge off the Word. And then they tell themselves and others that they are doing this out of love. This is and always has been a lie. Who is sufficient to be an aroma of death leading to death for those who are perishing and an aroma of life leading to life for those who are being saved?

Since the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one, a person ought to be harmless as a dove and cunning as a serpent in their faithfulness to the truth, remembering to reap where they have not sown and gather where they have not scattered seed, since one person sows and others enter the work and do the reaping. It is blessed to sow beside all waters, blessed to reap in the harvest of Christ, so we, as a speck in time, can finish our work before we pass on and can do no more.

When we plow deep, we encounter more resistance than when we plow shallow. The resistance we encounter depends on how deeply we dig. We get off easily if we just pass over lightly. Superficiality abounds, but Christ dug deep. To dig deep in Christ means to dig deep into self-acknowledgment. Every human being has within them what is necessary to be made alive—if only they would put everything into the Master’s hand to be dealt with by Him.

Br. Gerrard is a very dear brother. I just wish he were more daring and that he wouldn’t cling so slavishly to the letter but rather would get hold of the spirit in the matter. In order to be a soldier, a person must be free and unencumbered. However, he is actually well-suited to be a teacher in Christ Jesus, if only he could learn the art of being free and not so rigid. We got along well, and I asked him to look after those in Kristiansand who are not yet established, to teach them thoroughly, and to chase away adversaries and enemies of every kind, so that the lambs could graze in peace.

There is much to learn, dear brother, but when we no longer care about pleasing men, we will learn. The one who seeks only God’s honor is true, and there is no guile in him.

Don’t be afraid of your opponents, but conquer them with wisdom from God. Let no one overpower you—except the truth itself. Don’t show partiality; then God’s power will be with you and will increase, for God Himself is not a respecter of persons.

Yesterday we had a wedding in our home. Pauline’s brother got married; he arranged for a priest to come to our house to officiate. Otherwise, everything is as usual. Kristian is suffering from a severe case of constipation.

May you make good progress, both personally and in your ministry. I would like to hear how it’s going. Hearty greetings with Acts 4:12.

Warm greetings from everyone here. Please write back soon.

Yours,