Firmness and Power to Act

The main focus in all our activity is the Word of God. We cannot adjust the way the church works for the sake of a few weak people because then powerlessness would come over the entire church. We cannot allow Satan to govern the church through the “weakness party.” You shouldn’t feel sorry for weak people with all their various problems. Don’t be so quick to give your ear to those who complain and whine. Women should not be allowed to govern the church. The structure must follow a biblical pattern. Sisters can give us many good words of advice, but they have not been given a place of responsibility to guide the church. They should not teach men, and they should not take authority upon them­selves that is not appropriate.

We need to learn to take heed to the times. Most people are too slow in their actions while others are over-zealous and act too quickly. It is easy to be too sluggish, and once you do take action, you can deal much too severely and strike with far too much force. To act at the right time with the right strength is well pleasing to God. It is easy to believe that it is spiritual to wait, but usually it is just a lack of power to act. A lot of things can become so “lopsided” that it is difficult to correct them if they are not worked with early. We have to work according to the promptings of God and do what God wants when He prompts us. Do it with confidence in God and never allow doubt to come into your heart.

In one of his letters Johan O. Smith writes: “I have no faith in Satan’s net, be it subtle or crude. Confidence and faith in God makes us strong and gives us victory in abundance. So for us, Satan’s net is more like a spider web—powerless. We can’t just say, ‘Hallelujah!’ to all that is said at the meetings either. It wouldn’t be long, I’m afraid, before everything was choked by weeds. Weeding is necessary. When the world mocks us, it should be on account of our spirituality, because then we are the victors. But, if like Samson, we are mocked because we do so many foolish things that we are captured and bound, this does not glorify God; it dishonors Him. You said yourself, that it is a strange sight to see a whole lot of people straining to work themselves up into a spiritual state. You have a point there, and when I encounter this sort of thing, I speak out so that the people concerned can be made aware of what they are doing and change course. There are always many things that need correcting.”

An intense education is required to be able to fight for God’s cause, and all the friends must learn to wage spiritual warfare. The promises belong to those who overcome. We war against spiritual hosts and against all who allow them­selves to be used by them. We must fight against all coward­ice, hypocrisy and weakness.

We must have our senses exercised so we can hear what the Spirit is speaking to the church. Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me more than these?” We must feed and watch the sheep and lambs. “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me,” David said. The rod is for the wolves and not for the sheep. An overseer must have power in his spirit to pre­vent strong people from taking an authority in the church that God has not given them. The shepherd goes ahead of the sheep—ahead of them in humility, truth, goodness and all the virtues of Christ. Then the sheep also recognize the shepherd’s voice when they are being led to the slaughter.

If you have sheep, you need to be full of the power to act. John 10:12. If you see a wolf coming and you are not filled with the power to take action, it is a tremendous judgment against you. If this is the case, you have not gone through the door, and you are a thief and a robber. A lack of this power to act comes from unfaithfulness in your own life. The zeal of the Great Shepherd must burn in our hearts if we want to be well pleasing to Him.

In the church we must have power to act. Soulish people cause trouble. Don’t think horizontally—about who will get offended, etc. Soulish people will get offended. Let God’s Word pierce and divide. Put things in order, and let people find their own life and come to rest. Those who think they have understanding and know all about this and all about that must find their own lives. Many soulish people need to come to faith in the cross. They may be born again, but often they live a life partially in faith and partially according to their own reasoning.

We must be warriors—that is what will best serve the church in the long run. We must be weapons of righteous­ness, and weapons are meant to be used. Don’t take a lot of human opinions into consideration, because then you will not have the power to go to action. All instability comes from double-mindedness—a person has two things he is trying to protect. If you are thinking about your own reputation, you cannot receive anything from God.

“The Holy Spirit and we decided,” the apostles said. We must have an ear for what the Spirit wants. When that is car­ried out, salvation and security will result. It will become manifest that you have contact with God. Of course we have to think things through, but when we go to action, we do it with faith in God and go straight ahead. Our work must be done in God, as far as we understand. If you walk in the Spirit, you don’t go around full of all kinds of regrets.

In the church you are not free to do whatever you want, but you are free to be transformed. Things must be guided and directed, and there is also a spiritual gift of administration. In the wake of our ministry, we should see very gradual turns and not a lot of jerking from one side to the other. We must deal with things that are not so good and exhort and correct when necessary. That can be rather unpleasant, but it is part of the work of a warrior of the Lord.

It’s been painful for me to see how older brothers have “beaten” wholehearted young people because they did things that lacked wisdom. Brothers like that are full of themselves. They have become great through their ministry, and they are not following in the Master’s footsteps. People like that are not afraid to backbite others when they are speaking about concerns in the ministry. Few people have enough backbone to do what they have to do on the day of battle. Some people seek their own interests and their own honor at every oppor­tunity. I don’t dare turn my back on such people. You can never rely on people—rely on the Lord. Listen to Him and do what He speaks within you. Take this seriously! The laws of seniority in the spirit world cause us to respect those who have gone before us in the Lord. But respect for others must not cause us to have less respect for God.

Previously, there was an inherent understanding that those who came from a higher position or a higher place in society were better people. Today our understanding must be: A good man is one who does God’s will. We can lay the founda­tions for an entirely new generation, and they can grow up to an entirely new life. A fervent zeal is required to get rid of all the old preconceived ideas and ways of thinking. Our thoughts should be like God’s, and we will come to His thoughts only through the Spirit’s revelation. We must listen to the Spirit’s voice. Don’t think that you know everything and can do everything. In the spirit world, one and one does not always equal two. Now and then it’s three or five or, of course, sometimes it can equal two.

We cannot act based on past experiences only; we must listen in each individual situation and be wide awake in our spirit. Outwardly two situations can seem just the same, but inwardly they can be quite different. Here you learn to discern spirits.

“And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” 2 Cor. 5:15. We serve Him and we must not be­come slaves of any man just so we can get a good testimony from them. Give yourself first to the Lord and then to people, according to the will of God. Then you will never be a slave. No one can put demands on you. We serve God—the King. If you seek to serve God, stand up for what is right, even if you offend some people—but do it in goodness!

When you know you are right but someone who has more authority or responsibility scorns your view, you must ex­press the matter the way you understand it, even though you have to bear the reproach of being rejected. Tell the truth and stand for the truth and be faithful in love. “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame.” Song of Sol. 8:6.

We must abide in this pure, exalted brotherhood, which has never been as united as it is today. Nevertheless, we must be awake so that no high thoughts are allowed. Don’t set your little “me too” against God. It helps to have lowly thoughts about yourself. Think about what you would have been with­out the brotherhood. Think a little bit about the work you have done and what you have really accomplished in the kingdom of God. When you compare what you have done to what Paul did, you will no doubt come to some sober thoughts, and that will help keep you in your place.

When people are poor in spirit, they make an effort to come together. If you become spiritually “rich,” you start thinking you can manage on your own. Then Satan can easily get power over you. His tactic is to scatter us from one an­other. As long as we stay together, the evil is kept out. Often we must make decisions in poverty—and we must not judge ourselves later for the choice we made. Once you have made your choice, just let it be; otherwise Satan can come in.

It is ridiculous to think that a father has to be half house­wife or the children won’t be happy. The spirit of the times speaks that way. It’s usually not the case that a father has to be home a lot for it to go well with the children. If the children have a good mother, a great deal will work out just fine. We must not sacrifice our calling on the altar of family life.

We teach that victory is won by fighting. How can a person overcome without fighting? Many teachers and journalists are very left-wing. Do not let people like that dominate you. Our fathers were warriors, and they taught us to fight. They also taught us to obey orders. Obedience was not a foreign concept to them, and we continue in that tradition. When a command is given, the church is ready to go to action. For example, for generations we have held work parties. If people have participated in that kind of work in their youth, it leaves an impression on them for the rest of their lives! We have de­veloped good habits this way. That is why we are able to ac­complish things that others cannot. Teach your children to work—that is a very good thing. We have to have projects that keep our young people busy if we want them to be saved. They thrive in such an atmosphere.