What is patience? Patience is to wait and wait for, wait and wait for—minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, without having yet seen what you hope for, enduring and persevering without losing faith, without giving up. Patience is the perfect evidence of a living faith. Just as faith without works is useless—as lifeless as a body without spirit—we can also say it about faith without patience. Therefore it says that we shall follow them who by faith and patience inherit the promises. We need patience after we have done God’s will so we can inherit the promises—the things we hope for and believe in. Why doesn’t God immediately fulfill everything that we believe? He does it in order to test us, to purge the slag out of us so that we shall become even more established, so that we shall become even more perfect, so that what can barely stand will be replaced by something immovable. We can say that everything that can fail will fail, and the sooner the better. Everything that can break and fall to pieces will break and fall to pieces. The temporary is of minor consequence; it is nothing to be concerned about—just let it be crushed; it isn’t worth anything more than that. We are under treatment—it was only an exercise. It is the final result that counts. The intention is that our faith is gradually strengthened, and as we receive it, it must be tested. We are to be tempted from the front and from behind, from within and from without with all kinds of temptations and tests, so that that which is perishable can appear that way in my own eyes so that I can have it replaced by something that is imperishable. In Proverbs it is written that “a man is tested according to what he says.” “We believe, therefore we speak.” “For we are the circumcision who . . . glory in Christ Jesus . . . .” Phil. 3:3. Speaking boldly what we believe and glorying in Christ Jesus is not wrong. On the contrary, it is necessary; it is the way itself. By doing it, we bear fruit. Boldness has a great reward. However, the things that are perishable and false will appear together with the things that are imperishable and genuine. This is what God wants to do away with. He wants to continue His work as Jesus said, “Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2. This process of purification is painful; the way is narrow and long. In this long, persistent state of tribulation we have a need to be strengthened with all might for patience (Col. 1:11) so that we do not become discouraged and grow weary, casting away our boldness and giving up attaining to what we hope for. All those who give up do it because of impatience. All those who continue do so with patience. We can therefore also say that the entire race is just a question of patience. The aim of our heavenly calling is to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ on this earth, or in other words: to lead us to a perfect work. How could corruptible man possibly attain to anything like that? By a powerful baptism in the Spirit? Or by a new baptism in the Spirit even more powerful than the first? Not at all! Not by a momentary devotion and blessing, even if it is ever so blessed and powerful. Not by an intensive, all-out effort, not by anything momentary, but by an incredibly long race, by exercise, by repetition, by doing it one more time and again one more time—over and over again, seven times seventy times, ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times, etc.—because it goes so slowly, foot by foot, inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter, millimeter by millimeter, inconceivably slowly and long. In spite of all this, the Scriptures say that God is not slow to fulfill the promises. With the Lord, a thousand years!!! are as one day!!! 2 Pet. 3:8. Oh, what sinful, impatient creatures we are! We can understand that our heavenly Father is justly called “the God of patience.” Is this really biblical? Yes, that is just what it is. From Luke 8 we see that we bear fruit with patience. This is not just possible, but it is the only way to do it. All the seeds that did not bear fruit were hindered by impatience, and the only ones that bore fruit bore it with patience. Likewise we have a word in James 1:4 that is as clear on this point as we could possibly wish: “Patience must lead to a perfect work.” We would rather have imperfection swallowed up by perfection right away, in a moment. However, that is not how the wise and righteous God wants it. What would then become of the difference between the patient and the impatient person, between those who value perfection a little bit, those who value it greatly, and those who value it exceedingly much? The exact God places us patiently (because it transpires very slowly) according to the exact laws of His heart in a just and reasonable manner in eternity. This is His firm decision. If someone doubts it now, he can be consoled by the fact that such doubting will cease at the resurrection of the dead, because the apostle Paul says that then the one will shine like the sun, another like the moon, and others like stars that shine with varying degrees of brightness. “You have heard of the patience of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord . . . .” Jas. 5:11. We have also heard of the patience of Jesus Christ and know the end that God intended. Let us exert every effort to follow Him in the same steps! Let us once more state what is meant by patience: Again, again—again, again. Over again, over again; One more time, one more time—until infinity! When every one of us has matured unto the goal that God has established that He can lead us to, He immediately sends the sickle. “You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory!” Ps. 73:24. His holy name be praised and exalted! Amen.Elias Aslaksen

The church described in God’s Word is not merely a collection of people who meet together now and then and congregate around one particular individual. The church is made up of individuals, all of whom are personally members of the body of Christ. All of them need each other, just as the eyes, ears, arms and legs need the other members of the body, and the greatest honor is bestowed on the lowliest and least honorable members. This “body life” blossoms where love and fellowship in the Spirit are allowed to rule and where the members are alive and active. The church is flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone, for we are all baptized by one Spirit to be one body. This is the church. It is crucified according to the flesh but made alive according to the Spirit. It has been registered in heaven but does its work on earth. The members serve as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, in order to perfectly prepare the saints. Through the mutual help and effective working by which every part does its share, life comes about in the church. There is balance and unity within the church; it develops like a living organism. There the Word of God is preached with Spirit and life, and the cross and death are preached over all flesh and carnality. From this we understand how wrong it is for one man to assume the sole responsibility for the development of an entire church—without making use of the help that the other members can provide. This would be like the captain of a large ocean liner insisting that he be the mate, the engineer, the sailor, the stoker and the cook on his ship. The help that the others provide makes it possible for him to function effectively as captain. If he refuses that help, he won’t go anywhere. By the same token, if the apostles, prophets, shepherds, evangelists and teachers are not allowed to do their work, the church will be no more than an assembly of dead souls. Adding a lot of procedural regulations to such an assembly will not improve it one bit, but rather will make it more puffed-up. The life in an assembly is what gives it value. If you take that away, it is irrelevant whether or not people register as members. Ordering a dead church according to a biblical pattern is like dressing a dead man in new clothes. In the church every single member is to present his body as a living sacrifice to God; this is his spiritual service. On the other hand, if people adorn their bodies to please people, they are poor material with which to build a church. The church is the body of Christ, and it must be presented holy and blameless. If the leaders of the churches would stop quarrelling about whether or not they should have a membership list and instead make sure that the sword of the Spirit is not kept from blood, then I believe it would quickly become apparent who is a true member of the church that is registered in heaven. Then the enemies of the cross would quietly excuse themselves. But maybe that would be too bitter a pill to swallow.Johan O. Smith

Some time ago, Br. Elias Aslaksen traveled to Tjømø with Br. Even Evensen, the pilot. Evensen wanted his old pilot friends on Tjømø to hear the truths that had made him so happy. Br. Aslaksen spoke at the “free church’s” meeting hall about “cleansing,” but they couldn’t stand it. When these brave pilots (who had probably ridden out many a storm and blizzard on autumn and winter nights off Færder to the northeast) heard about cleansing themselves, their hearts sank. Their fearlessness, which had defied the raging of the elements, was of no use here. Their courage sank, and they hoped they could be saved without having to endure such a thorough cleansing. Br. Aslaksen had to leave after having only held that one meeting. Br. Evensen also learned a lesson here that he had never learned before. An old woman who was crippled with arthritis stood right in the way of the people coming out of the hall and gave Br. Aslaksen this testimony: “God bless you, my boy! Nobody has ever spoken as you did in this hall.” The same thing happened when Br. Aslaksen visited the evangelicals in Hemsedal. They let him speak at a couple of meetings, and he again spoke about cleansing, whereupon they asked him to leave and never come back. They wanted to keep their “good old” unadulterated doctrine about sin and forgiveness—without being cleansed. What a strange religion that hates purity of heart and the brothers who only want the very best for them. As we see, the preaching of the “way of the cross” is not tolerated anywhere in the denominations. From the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches on the one extreme to the most liberal Pentecostals on the other, they all agree that Jesus carried the cross, but that we must be spared from bearing our cross. Very few have understood the need to take up their cross daily and cleanse themselves. Br. Theodor Ellefsen, Karl Pedersen and I have planned to visit our friends in Copenhagen during the holidays, but I don’t know for certain yet if Br. Aslaksen will be able to come with us. Pray that God’s work will succeed through us, because we intend to preach the Word about being cleansed from all filthiness of flesh and spirit.Johan O. Smith