Hegge Iverson

18 July 2010

 Dear Phyllis,

Last week I was telling you about some men who knew God. This past week I got a letter from Jeana Crane. In her letter she said some things that reminded me of Hegge Iverson. I haven’t thought about him in some time, but he was one more unusual man who knew God like few men I ever known. Hegge was the JEMA conference speaker in Karuizawa in 1979. You and Ted might have heard him.  He told stories like I have never heard from anyone.

 Dear Hegge was an old school Pentecostal. He told how he had been out having special meetings and came home to find his 21 year old daughter dead. Crash! He said he bottomed out like you would not believe. His grief was utterly inconsolable. He wailed so loudly at night he kept a sock in his mouth to suppress the noise. One night he was walking the street at 2:00 AM and went in the unlocked door of a little chapel. As he was kneeling there in the dark, the Lord spoke to him, “What are you doing here, Hegge?”

“I’m crying.”

“Why are you crying.”
‘Because I am filled with grief.”

“Have you ever thought about being filled with the Holy Spirit?”

What a remark! In great humility Hegge, replied, “Lord Jesus, would you please tell me what it is to be filled with Your Spirit and how I can be Spirit-filled?”

Hegge was a genuine Pentecostal but he tore up Pentecostals more than I any man I have ever heard. No conservative could have peeled them as hard as he did from that pulpit. But the stories he told… .

He had a counseling center in Seattle, Burden Bearers. His motto was “We can help you”. He always used the plural pronoun even when his staff was only four – he, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But he always talked about his Boss.

One day a Jewish lady walked in that was virtually a vegetable. She had been to every psychiatrist in the Seattle area and had been in a revolving door to mental hospitals for 18 years. A Jewish rabbi was a close friend of Hegge and recommend that she go see him.

When she first came in and started to tell Hegge about her problem, he said, “You must meet my Boss. He is a world famous psychiatrist who specializes in difficult cases just like yours.”

“Does he live here in Seattle?”

“Yes.”

“Is there any way that I could see him?”

“Yes. I will call him tonight and set up an appointment. But I promise you, come in tomorrow and I will have a hand written note from Him for you.”

She was thrilled! But after she left, Hegge got down and his knees and pleaded, “Lord Jesus, You have got to give me something to say to this woman.” Then the verse in John 4:25, 26 came to his mind. So he got a sheet of paper and wrote, “The woman saith unto Him, ‘We know that the Messiah cometh, which is called Christ’…and Jesus saith unto her, ‘I that speak to thee am He’.”

The next morning the lady came in tingling with excitement. “Did you get hold of that psychiatrist last night? Can He see me?”

“Yes I did. I spoke with Him about you. He is coming soon but first He gave me a note to give to you.” Hegge handed her the piece of paper with the note on it and told her, “Now read the entire message and don’t respond until you have read the whole thing.”

She read the message and looked at Hegge with perplexity. “They told us at the synagogue that Jesus was just a man.” Hegge responded, “This says He is the Messiah. Now we are going to talk to Him.”

“But they told us that He is dead.”

“Lady, I don’t talk to dead people. Now kneel down and we are going to talk to Him.”

“But I don’t see Him”

“Your eyes will be opened as soon as you get on your knees.”

And Hegge led her in prayer to accept Jesus as her savior.

When they got up off the floor he instructed, “Now Jesus has several things He wants you to do. He wants you to go to a hair dresser and get a permanent. Next he wants you to throw away your house coat. (She was in the habit of not getting dressed each day but always went around the house in an old ragged house coat.) Next He wants you to wash that stack of dishes in the sink.”

Six weeks later her husband called Hegge saying that he wanted to see him. He came in astounded and asked, “What in the world did you do to my wife?! She has been to every psychiatrist in Seattle and no one could help her. She went to you and came home transformed. She is beautiful! The house is spotless. There isn’t a dish in the sink. As soon as she uses a dish it gets washed immediately. And she goes around the house all day singing! What did you do?!

 Hegge replied, “She met my Boss.” And the man said, “I want to meet Him too.”

Hegge said, “I am a story teller. The reason I am a story teller is because my Lord was a story teller. Jesus never taught a spiritual truth without telling a story to illustrate it.” In 53 years I have heard thousands of messages – very few of which I remember. But 31 years later I can recall Hegge Iverson messages like they were a CD burned in my brain.

He told about a lady who called one day and demanded, “Brother Iverson, are you filled with the Holy Ghost?”

“I’m sorry maam but I can’t discuss that over the telephone.”

“Brother Iverson, I live on the Olympic peninsula and I don’t want to waste my time coming across to see anyone who isn’t filled with the Holy Ghost.”

“Well maam you come in anyway and I believe we can help you.”

Hegge hung up the telephone, went out and said to the receptionist, “Great day, she’s got yellow teeth. She is huge. Her hair is a mess and her stockings are rolled down.” 

The receptionist asked, “Who is that?”

“The person I just talked to on the phone.”

Hegge said the receptionist looked at him like she should call 911 and get some help for him. But he told her, “She is coming in tomorrow morning at 9:00 o’clock and you will see.” Hegge said it was just like he was looking at her on a screen as he to talked with her.

The next morning at 8:50 the receptionist came in Hegge’s office and gasped, “She’s got yellow teeth. She is huge. Her hair is a mess and her stocking are rolled down.”

When she came in, Hegge got out his clip board and began to interview her asking pertinent questions – name, age, married, saved, etc. Then he asked, “Is your husband a Christian”

“No!”

“Why isn’t he saved?”

“Because he hates Jesus.”

“No, he doesn’t hate Jesus. He hates that hypocrite inside of you! He hates that 5 pound box of chocolate you have hidden under the bed, and he hates all those sacks of potato chips you have scattered all over the bedroom. He hates that hypocrite inside of you! You talk about your baptism of the Holy Ghost, but, lady, you don’t know a thing about the Spirit of Christ!” At that she burst into tears and wailed. She was in the habit of always dieting and not have her meals with the family. But she would go in the bedroom and gorge herself with hidden chocolate and potato chips.

 Two months later her husband called and wanted to talk to Hegge. He asked, “What did you do to my wife. She came home and is a new person. She has lost 30 pounds. She sits at the table having meals with the rest of us, but is highly disciplined. And she has become an attractive woman.” Hegge said, “She met my Boss.” The husband replied, “If that is who Jesus is I want Him too.”

 Hegge was the most clairvoyant man I ever met. Some folks at the conference protested, “You talk about all these things you see but none of the rest of us have experiences liked that.” That was a very valid point. But Hegge’s response to that was, “All Christians have a certain degree of clairvoyance. The fact that you have the witness of the Spirit in your heart that you are born of the Spirit of God is an example.” There is truth in that remark. Still in all, very few Christians are that clairvoyant. But then very few Christian know God like Hegge Iverson.

 Gomen nasai, Phyllis, I could go on and write a small book about Hegge Iverson stories. That would be a very interesting narration. But you don’t have time to read all that now. I guess the main thing that I want to say is what I said last week, The name of the game is TO KNOW GOD. Very few of us will ever be like Hegge Iverson, but I believe if we knew the Lord a little better and allowed Him to fill us a little more with His Spirit, perhaps He could use us beyond what we are accomplishing by ourselves.

 Lord Jesus, please take more control of this poor man.

                                                                                        

Joining the Gang

11 July 2010

Dear Phyllis,

There are two Christian houses in this muban (housing area) where I live for university students. The head of one of these houses is a very fine 25 year old Thai boy. James has been coming over to talk to me for several weeks, but last week he said that the organization that is funding these houses has to draw in their belt and is releasing two of their staff. James finds himself out on the street, and asked my opinion as to what to do.

I told him, “Go on.” I see no reason why he should pull back in his desire to serve the Lord. He apparently has the gifts and an intense desire to work full time serving Christ. It looks to me like everything is in place except finances. He wants to continue doing evangelism and run a Christian home for boys like he is doing now. But I warned him, “There are two ways of doing things – man’s way and God’s way. They both work. Ninety five percent of Christian work is done man’s way.” 

God’s way is the George Mueller – Hudson Taylor type of faith. Man’s way is the way every cotton-picking TV evangelist in America operates – plead for money. The tin cup approach.

 Two days later he came back with a very nice promotional flyer that he had developed. It really was very well done. It was done in color with interesting pictures. The title of his new organization was at the top with excellent scripture to express his basic focus – evangelism / discipleship. He had written this in English and then had an American friend rewrite it to put more of an American flavor to it. He asked me what I thought of it, or any suggestion I had how he could improve it. I told him that I thought it was done in extremely good taste and there was nothing I would suggest to change or add. The only thing I saw wrong was that he had just joined the gang and was launching out in life with his shinny new tin cup soliciting funds. I told him. “Lot’s of luck. You’ll need it.” He is on his own rowing his little boat and hoping God will bless it. There is a vast difference between rowing your own boat or allow God to row it. But the way of faith is unpopular.

I have worked with “faith missionaries” for 50 years and the vast majority are the tin cup people. The line is, “We are going out by faith. Our greatest need is prayer. Would you please pray with us about our need of $15,000 for a new car and ask God what He would have you do to help us buy it.” That ain’t too subtle.  That is a very thin veil over a pleading tin cup. The problem with most of this is that it gives God a very bad name.

There was (is) an outstanding radio ministry in Japan, PBA (Pacific Broadcasting Association). I knew all their missionaries. They were all top-flight men. Their ministry was excellent. The only problem was that every month they put out a news letter proving that God was broke or there was a serious depression heaven. If people didn’t come forward to help God out, then their radio ministry was going off the air. God was always short of funds. This is disgusting, but there are extremely few Christian organizations that don’t operate by the tin cup method.

The argument against the George Mueller don’t-talk-about-it faith position is; “How is God going to be able to provide your needs if you don’t tell people?” That question is stupid and insulting to God. The question is; who are you looking to for support – God or people? If you are looking to God, I’m sure He can figure out some way to meet those needs without your help with your cup. If you are looking to men, why involve God? There are hundreds of non-Christian organizations that raise funds exactly the same way; only they don’t claim God as a co-sponsor. Both systems work.

I told James about two outstanding men of God that I knew. Both were rejected by men.  One was Izawa.  I told you about him. He was the man born 100 years ago a horrible freak. Nobody wanted a freak liked that in their organization so he went out and stood on a street corner preaching the Gospel by himself. He wound up a major man of God.

The other man is a dear friend who I feel is one of the top men in Cambodia today. Timothy was saved as a high school lad and went to Bible school straight out of high school. He is very shy and unimpressive. After four years of training and graduating from Bible school, no body wanted him. He had nothing to do, so he stayed on for one more year of Bible school. During that time he married one fantastic sister. Sang Lai is a real dynamo. When no denomination or organization wanted Timothy and Sang Lai he said, “All right, I will go out by myself and preach Christ in Seam Reap.” He had no support or organizational backing, so he started teaching English. He had a couple of failures, but kept going and was able to start a small church.

Five years ago I was in Seam Reap visiting the famous Angkor Wat. The children selling trinket there wound up stealing my heart. I said I must come back here to reach these children for Christ. Three month later I went back to Seam Reap for the expressed purpose of telling those children about Jesus. I knew of no missionary or pastor in that city, but through the most miraculous means the Lord led me to Timothy. The next day Timothy and Sang Lai and I went out to the Angkor Wat to have a childrens meeting. It was tremendous. I was impressed. I came back to Chiang Mai and told Mark, “I have found one of the finest pastors I have ever met.” I took Mark back there to introduce him to Timothy. Mark had some funds and started supporting him. Through that and other contacts his ministry began to flourish.

 He has started at least six churches and has a small fleet of vehicles to transport children to and from church. He is the director for Gideon’s International in that part of Cambodia. He has excellent contact with high government officials, and when someone wants to do something Timothy is the one to go through to get permission.

 Today Timothy is easily the number one pastor from the Bible school where he is from. I doubt that you could take all the other students combined and their outreach for Jesus would equal what Timothy is accomplishing. The difference is that the other students were selected and ordained by men. Timothy was rejected by men, but God laid His hand on him. He didn’t get to where he is today but handing out flyers promoting himself and asking for funds. To the best of my knowledge Timothy has never asked for funds but the Lord has blessed him like very few men in know in Cambodia.

 I told James, “The day will come when you will thank God that you were dumped by AI. That is the best thing that ever happened to you.” He has the opportunity now of walking alone with God with no organizational support. How far he goes, I don’t know. I was heart-sick when I saw his beautiful flyer he had made advertising his new organization. He calls himself, Youth Evangelism Ministries (YEM). He hopes to get that off the ground so he can have home for boys and support for his dendo (evangelism) ministry. God bless his heart – he is doing the only thing he knows. The only problem is that he has launched himself in trying to serve God man’s way and raise funds with his tin cup.

 Regardless of what means he uses for support, I sternly pleaded with James, KNOW GOD! I told him that was the most important thing I could say to him and the most important thing he will ever hear. There are very few Christian workers who know God. Very few pastors and missionaries know God. I have met very few men in my life that impressed me that they knew God. I told you about Louie Ishi. He was a man who certainly knew God. JB Friends of South Africa was a rare man who knew God. Tozer wrote a small booklet about Tom Haire, The Praying Plumber from Lisbon. What a man! He knew God. These men are unique. They are much different from the rank and file of average Christian workers. A man may have spiritual gifts; he may have organizational skill, and a strong personality; and be highly successful without a deep personal relationship with God.

 James is at the starting point of Christian service. If he makes God his goal and devotes himself to this one great pursuit of knowing God, there is no limit on how far God could use him. But if he makes his ministry his main focus and seriously engages in fund raising, he will just be another worker with an outstretched hand. His limit then will be just how successful he is in collecting coins.

As I was talking to James I was much challenged by my own advice to him. What is the difference between those rare men who walk with God and those who are simply Christian workers? If there is one fundamental common denominator with those who are friends of God is TIME. I believe it is basic to all that they spend a great deal of time alone in secrete with God.

Operational policies and organizational affiliations all are factors, but I believe it is impossible to have much of a relationship with God without spending a great deal of time with Him in the closet. And for those who are busy, this is one of the greatest challenges. Jesus is able to lead His sheep where He wants them. And He is highly capable to see that they are fed. But there is a rare quality about those who make Jesus everything and allow Him to worry about the rest. It will be interesting to see what happens to our dear brother.

  If you see Jesus this week you might remind him that there is another poor man in Chiang Mai who has a great desire to know Him better.

Arigato (thank you),   bill

Andrew Murray

4 July 2010

 Dear Phyllis,

Today is the 4^th of July. They always have a big shin-dig at the US consulate each year where most of the gaijins (foreigners) here go for a free barbeque and fireworks. I haven’t gone for several years, and this year I believe it would be more appropriate to have a day of mourning for the death of our nation than for a celebration for it’s birth. But the Kingdom of Jesus is progressing right on schedule. The day will soon come when the nations of this world become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever (Rev. 11:15). It is most significant that this cry comes right in the middle of the darkest time on earth. The anti-Christ is at his peak and has just killed the two witnesses. (But then they come back to life and are bodily taken up to heaven.) You would expect that cry to come after Armageddon and the anti-Christ is in the pit.  This is before Armageddon and things will get worse. It was at this dark time on Earth that the cry was made in heaven that the kingdoms of this world ARE BECOME the Kingdom of Christ.

 It has been correctly said that history is His-story. And the Bible is His-story. Therefore the Bible is simply history in advance. It is through the events recorded in Revelation that the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord, but on heavens time clock of eternity they have already become. In that, we too can rejoice even today.

The meeting at Scott’s house really keeps me off balance. A week ago we had the best meeting we had had in a year. After that surge forward I was looking forward to a repeat this past week. But most of the students that were there the previous week had mandatory school activities. Instead of them, there were three first timers who knew nothing about the Gospel. So I had to put my burning message back in the refrigerator and talk about the basics of the Gospel message.

 To talk about being born-again of the Spirit of God and having eternal life sounds to these first timers like science fiction or meeting with aliens from outer space. Only the Spirit of Christ can take His Word and make it real to their understanding.

I am going through Andrew Murray’s, The Holiest of All, for the 4^th time, and much of it is just starting to soak in. Melchizedek has never meant anything to me. Suddenly it has become the central message of the NT. I am amazed at what a distorted view we have of the work of Christ.

Andrew Murray correctly points out that the work of Christ is in two aspects – what He did on earth, and what He is doing in heaven. What He did on earth was to shed His Blood for our redemption; but what He is doing in heaven is shedding abroad His Spirit in our hearts by eternal life. Heb. 7:11 says, “What further need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not called after the order of Aaron?” In answering that question Murray contrasts the fundamental difference of their respective ministries. One is dealing with the law, and the other is dealing with life. This is the difference between the two Covenants. The Old Covenant dealt with law and the essence of the New Covenant is LIFE. There is nothing wrong with the law. The problem is that the law can only tell us what to do, but does absolutely nothing to enable us to do it.

A good friend of mine told how, before he was saved, he was going to a liberal church and heard a message on how he was supposed to love his neighbor. Tom agreed with the message. The pastor was right. He was working in an accounting office at the time and he despised the man working at the desk next to him. After hearing that message Tom purposed in his heart that he was going to love that man. Monday morning he went to work with his heart all prepared. From now on he was going to love him. And he did. For fifteen minutes. After that Tom thought he was going to explode with anger and had to go to the water cooler to cool off. So much for loving his neighbor.

Life is something that spontaneously operates within us. Birds fly because of the life that is in them. Fish swim because of the life that is in them. What we do is simply the expression of the life that is in us. There is something in the seed of rice that says this stalk is going to be rice. And there is something in the seed of corn that says that stalk will be corn. It is the life that is in the seed. When a person is born of the Spirit of God there is a totally new life that comes to live in that person’s heart. This is nothing less than the very life of the Spirit of Christ.

Several years ago I was in Phnom Penh in Cambodia. I went into a Christian bookstore to buy a Bible. A lovely young Cambodian girl waited on me and asked what translation I wanted. I didn’t know they had different translations of the Khmer Bible. I looked at her very sternly, and – like a policeman interrogating a criminal – demanded, “Are you a Christian?” She was somewhat frightened and timidly responded, “Yes”.

“How long have you been a Christian?”

“Four years.”

“Has there been a significant change in your life since you have become a Christian?”

“Well, yes.”

“What is different in your life now?” All this was done in the spirit of the harshest interrogation.

“Before I used to hate my father but now the Lord has given me a deep love for him”

At this point my heart melted. I could hardly keep my hands off her from taking her in my arms. I said to this lovely young sister, “Oh you are beautiful! What translation do you like?” She told me, and I replied, “That is the one I want.”

What was the difference between Tom and the girl in the Phnom Penh bookstore? Tom had the law – he should love his neighbor. The girl in the bookstore had the life – the loved of God was shed abroad in her heart by the Holy Spirit, and she had a genuine love for her dad. One was law and the other was life.

 The priesthood of Aaron dealt only with the shedding of blood and redemption. The veil hung in the Tabernacle testifying that the way of access to God was not yet open. The earthly ministry of Christ was the fulfillment of the type of Aaron with the shedding of His Blood for our forgiveness and redemption. But the heavenly Melchizedek ministry of Christ deals with the divine life that He has given us from heaven.

One hundred years ago Andrew Murray lamented that there were multitudes of Christians whose entire Christian life had never progressed past the Aaronic priesthood. They believed that Jesus shed His Blood for them. By His Cross they were saved and they had a new the code of Christian ethics. But they had little experience in knowing the joy of the life that Jesus is now dispensing from heaven and maintaining in the heart of His people. This is the Melchizedek priesthood of Christ. He sheds His Spirit in our hearts and maintains that Spirit within us. That is the law of LIFE. The law dispensed by Aaron can tell us what to do, but the LIFE of Jesus within us spontaneously does it.

John, in his 1^st epistle told us that the reason why he wrote that book was that we might know that we have eternal life. KNOW is the key word of 1^st John. He said there were three infallible indicators by which we could know that we have passed from death into life. The first proof is because we keep His commandments (1^st Jn. 2:3). The 2^nd is because we love the brethren (1^st Jn, 3:14). And the 3^rd proof is by His Spirit that dwells in us (1^st Jn. 3:24; 4:13).

I didn’t know the book of 1^st John when I was first saved but I knew that something radical had happened inside me. Sin fell off like dead leaves from a tree. Suddenly I had a craving to read the Bible and pray. Formerly, the last people I wanted to talk to were Christians, and now I loved Christian fellowship. And then there was that indescribable witness of the Spirit in my heart that I knew that I belonged to Christ (Rom. 8:16).

 One of the highlights Friday night at Scott’s Bible study was when I called on a new believer, OA, and asked her to tell the others how she got saved. She has been saved about six months and just got back from being in the states for three months. Her testimony was in Thai so I didn’t understand it, but she is very clear about salvation. Later I asked her, “OA, do you have eternal life?” She looked at me surprised that I would ask such a question, and firmly replied, “Yes!” The girl sitting next to her has been going to church and is getting close. I asked her, “Geek, do you have eternal life?” She honestly answered, “No”. I don’t know what the three new attenders must have thought.

 This is the massage we are trying to impart to them. Not only that Jesus died to save them but also that He lives to fill them with His Spirit. This is what it is all about. I have known and taught these things for over 50 years, but it is coming with such freshness now it is like I never heard it before. Oh my goodness, what a salvation Jesus has provided for us!

Praise God!

                               bill