“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept . . . .” John 17:11-12. Here we can see the importance Jesus attaches to being kept in the Father’s name. “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.” V. 6. Now Jesus was to depart from them, and He prayed that the Father might keep them in His name so that they could be one. The essence of this entire prayer is actually that they may be one—those who believe in Him—as the Son and the Father are one. One of the last things Jesus said was, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matt. 28:19. These three are one. Believers can be one in their name only. They end up in division if they have a different name besides. It is terrible when we consider the development of how it has gone, in the light of this. All believers, with a few exceptions, have taken different names, resulting in division and enmity among them. No wonder that Jesus said, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8. In our days it is difficult to be baptized unless you also take another name. They baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, but afterwards you are a Baptist or a Pentecostal, etc. And if you don’t want to become a member of their denomination and bear their name, they don’t want to baptize you. Thus Satan has deceived the believers and has divided them up into groups so that the world shall not believe. People want to have a name besides the name of Jesus, but Paul fought an intense battle to keep the believers in Jesus’ name. “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.” 1 Cor. 1:14-15. Paul was a faithful servant. He was not ignorant of Satan’s devices. People want to be called by one name or another, and if Paul were to come to Oslo in our days, where should he go to speak God’s Word to people? If he were to be received, he would have to accept the name of a denomination, which would exclude him from serving the others. And if he did not want to accept a name, he would have to speak in the streets. “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.” John 5:43. Jesus was separate from the worshipers of His time. This is also a fact that applies to the Lord’s servants in our days. They are also separate from the worshipers of our time. You cannot take another name without seeking your own. If someone wants to be a preacher in an assembly and make progress and be considered a useful person, he has to work so that his denomination increases in size. He has to gather to his own movement. When there is a revival in his assembly or in his movement, he rejoices; but if there is a revival among others, he cannot rejoice. Of course, he doesn’t say this openly, but that is the truth if he belongs to a denomination. We cannot be set free without acknowledging the truth. People do not have faith to stand alone in Jesus’ name; they feel they need a human organization to back them up. On this authority they are accepted and can make a living. However, then they also have to work and speak in the organization’s name, which goes right against God’s Word. If they don’t, they also have no power or influence. “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Col. 3:17. People’s response to such scriptures and exhortations is superficial and human, and they do not understand how very serious these scriptures are. When we think of all the religious work that is carried on today, how many people would have given money and supported it if this work had been done only in Jesus’ name? They don’t have faith for that, and so they have to work in their own name, the name which they have invented themselves, and in this name they organize everything. Many people say, “Yes, but God acknowledges this work, they do a great deal of good, and they do it in Jesus’ name, don’t they?” Yes, that was also the case with those of whom Jesus said that they drove out evil spirits and performed powerful works in His name. They did a great deal of good. Many people were helped, and so of course it would be natural to reckon that Jesus approved of it, but He says further: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Matt. 7:21-23. This has always been so. Whenever God has equipped a man for service and a revival has broken out, and many people were helped and blessed, this man received authority. All those who have been helped and blessed are then organized, and the assembly is given another name. Consequently, the revival dies out and ends up as a church denomination. Those who are to serve in this denomination must have a human education. It is not sufficient for them that God has equipped them for the work of serving. They receive their authority on the basis of their talents and their human education. People consider it a safeguard if someone has a letter of recommendation from such a church or religious group. However, the opposite is the case. With such a letter of recommendation in their pocket they can live in sin—in the vanity of the world—for a long time and travel around and be received. They can even be leaders of Spirit-filled assemblies for a long time and live in adultery without anyone being aware of anything—until it is revealed quite accidentally. What sort of fellowship in the Spirit is that? It is a dreadful deception of Satan. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. Those who are in this fellowship will notice it right away when sin has entered in. They can hear it. 1 Cor. 13:1. In this fellowship a person does not gain authority because he is talented or has a worldly education. Col. 2:8. He has no more authority than the authority he has in Jesus’ name, and all those who have this authority do not quarrel with each other because of the authority they have. On the contrary! They are one as the Father and the Son are one. The angels did not reveal Jesus’ birth to the acknowledged worshipers of those days. They revealed themselves to the despised shepherds in the field. This will also be the case when Jesus comes again. He will not come to the believers in their own name; only those who have been kept in His name alone will be raptured. Therefore: “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” Rev. 18:4. This is the voice from heaven. If we want to be ready when Jesus comes, then everything we do, in word and deed, must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by Him.Sigurd Bratlie

who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isa. 5:20. 1) For example, birth control. It is hostile to life. It is one hundred percent self-love. People want to enjoy themselves, but they do not want to contribute anything. Now this dreadful ungodliness is so nicely explained as an exalted virtue. How ironic! No effort! Money-saving! No risk! No sacrifice. It is anti-Christian. The very opposite of God’s Word! 2) Sectarianism! Denominationalism! This is also explained as being something noble and good, useful and necessary. It is even explained in such a way that one denomination is one member of the body of Christ and other denominations are other members. In other words, as these denominations divide further, the body of Christ acquires several more members! What impertinence! What outrageous foolishness! Dissensions—the forming of various denominations—are works of the flesh. Gal. 5:20. This means that they are manifest sins. They glory in their shame! They actually call evil good. They glorify sin and ungodliness! Breaking God’s Word and law become noble, good, necessary, and timely virtues. Sin is put on the throne! Now we need wholehearted, faithful, and zealous men of God, of unflinching courage, who can stand in the gap and stop this flood of ungodliness! 3) And what about chastening, the discipline and chastening of adults in the church? The Scriptures speak as one about the necessity of correction! However, now people have become so humane, understanding, and wise that they have concluded that correction is something old-fashioned that only causes harm! People reject God’s Word and thereby also God, putting their human reasoning and understanding on the throne. Thus they become gods themselves without actually realizing it! They don’t only call evil good; they even judge God and His Word to be foolish! They exalt themselves over God! This is a great virtue in their eyes. Hebrews 12 and several other scriptures speak with the utmost, unmistakable clarity! We have a particularly good exhortation in Peter, an exhortation to everyone who speaks in the church: “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.” 1 Pet. 4:11. This is the only thing that is permissible and useful! 4) Of course, this modern, humane, considerate, feeble, extremely conceited spirit that dominates most people in these days has decided that no one can be lost, not even Satan. According to their own fantasy they have discovered—contrary to God’s unmistakable Word—that after they die, everyone will be saved and blessed. This is what their human reasoning and feelings tell them with the utmost certainty. And this is their highest and last resort of appeal! Prophets and apostles and all the saints, even God Himself must bow in the dust before it! If people would just keep to this word from Peter, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God,” they would be completely saved and preserved from all such outrageous madness! Such pitiable wretches who do not even have victory over sin! They occupy themselves with deciding that God who is love cannot allow anyone to be lost. They define what genuine love is for God! They want to instruct both God and people in it! This is truly fertile soil for the Antichrist, who will both exalt himself over everything that is called God and that is worshiped, showing himself that he is God. 2 Thess. 2:4. Hell: “Does not die . . . and is not quenched,” (Mark 9:48) is interpreted to mean: does not die before a certain time, is not quenched before a certain time! “But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.” Matt. 10:28. To whom and to what shall we take heed? There is a wide variety of wills. Whose will ought to be done? God’s will, of course! Whom shall we please and satisfy? God! We must deny both our own and other people’s desires and wills in order to carry out His will! We must choose one of the two because God’s desire and will strongly resist the desires and the will of man! “But, of course, we must take it into consideration . . .”?! Yes, we must consider God, we must consider the Word! The rest can take care of itself! “Let goods and kindred go [everything] . . . God’s truth abideth still.”From the hymn: “A mighty fortress is our God” by Martin Luther.Elias Aslaksen