Forside Articles Norway – Our Big Brother
Norway – Our Big Brother Udskriv Email
Skrevet af Jørn Nielsen   
Fredag, 30. september 2011 13:09

Normal 0 21 false false false DA X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabel - Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

Norway again impressed me as an extremely wealthy  nation.  It´s abundance of oil profit surpasses any imagination.  It has wisely stayed away from the deceitful EU (The European Union), and up there it´s not an issue whether it can afford to build new hospitals, schools, old age homes or anything, it´s rather a question of how to get enough qualified labor for the jobs.  Deficit is an unknown word, the European and American crisis something they just read about, -  in truth, Norway is now our big brother.

When you meet the Norwegians on the roads they may at first sight appear somewhat “buttoned up”.  They don´t greet as we do in Denmark, Germany and above all in the U.S., but if you take the initiative and approach them with a smile and kind words, they are very friendly, and as a Dane you always feel warmly welcomed.

I had the privilege of holding forth the word of God for six evenings at a Lutheran meeting hall in the beautiful town of Egersund.  Besides I was invited to speak three times at a couple of old age homes and then also at a Christian school.

What a thrill to meet the Norwegian school children.  I greeted them with the word from John 9:21:  “You are of age, too, - old enough for Jesus!”  I made them say in chorus, “I am old enough for Jesus!” and they all got a small package with a calendar for 2012 with beautiful pictures and gospel words plus other things for them to read (in English and Danish).  That calendar an American brother has generously got printed for me in Danish.  Amazing!

And on the market place I kind of walked in the footsteps of the apostle (Acts 17:17) and talked to people handing out my little “card”.  A young man said to me, “I shall never become a Christian…”  I said to him, “I once was like you…” and he was not the least “buttoned up” when he felt the love of Christ through my testimony.

Am I painting a romantic picture now?  I hope not.  In that wealthy country, spiritual poverty is prevailing.  The apathy among professing Christians is perceptible, indeed.  They call their meeting houses “prayer houses” (in Denmark they are called “mission houses”), but very few show up for the prayer meetings announced ½ hour before the regular meeting starts. So a revival among us is badly needed, as it is the need everywhere in the Western world.

And yet I was among friends.  The Norwegian hospitality is genuine and warm.  They wouldn´t dream of installing me at some local hotel, but I was embraced in a lovable home with many facilities and many good, cheerful meals with my host and hostess where devotion was always practiced at the morning table.  The liberty in preaching was not of this world which doesn´t mean that I´m a good preacher (I mean, the Lord could even open the mouth of a donkey!  Num. 22:28), but rather due to the fact that I was carried through on the wings of intercessors on both side of the pond, day by day.

Our longing above all is to see souls saved.  In a spiritual sense we  pray like Rachel, “Give me children, or else I die!”  (Gen. 30:1).  There are plenty of spiritual side issues going on – (I´m often surprised at the many “spiritual” ideas I´m bombarded with from my fellow Christians), but the saving gospel and its power is the real issue of the spiritual battle, isn´t it?

Sept. 29, 2011 – jn

 
Copyright © 2024 For Kristus. Alle rettigheder reserveret.
 

Til eftertanke

”Ethvert skrift er indblæst af Gud”

(2. Tim. 3:16)