Personal Experiences of S. O. Susag Part 14

On hearing of my experience, the sister exclaimed, "Why! G.o.d's promise, 'My G.o.d shall supply all your needs,' was fulfilled at that time."

ARRESTED FOR BEING A GERMAN DOCTOR

In 1915 I was on the Atlantic ocean on my way to Europe, and the captain came to me a number of times on the voyage, saying, "I am afraid you are going to have trouble if an English boat catches us before we get to Norway, because you claim to be a Norwegian by birth and a minister. We think you are a German by birth and a doctor. We had one sailing with us the last trip from Saint Paul, Minnesota and he spelled his name 'Susage'

and was a German and a doctor. You spell your name 'Susag.' He had a goatee like you and looked just like you, and we think you two are brothers. We believe you are an American citizen, and if you acknowledge that you are a German and a doctor, we believe we can be a help to you. We will guarantee to the English people that we will take care of you and take you back to America the next trip."

I thanked him and smiled and said, "But I am still a Norwegian and a preacher, and I believe I am going to stand the test."

Sure enough a number of us were apprehended by an English war s.h.i.+p, and they sailed us into Kirkwall, Scotland and put nine of us (me included) under arrest. The fourth day a high official came from London to examine our papers, and I was the first one to march in between two rows of soldiers with bayonets on the guns ready for action. The captain and first mate were present to see how I was coming out. Finally a soldier called, "Halt!" and I a.s.sure you, I stopped and smiled at them all. I saluted the officer and handed him my papers After he had examined them thoroughly, he said to me, "Where were you born, Reverend?" I said, "in Norway." "What City?" "Stienkjer," I answered. "Will you tell us that in your own tongue?"

I did so; then he folded my papers nicely and handed them, back to me, smiled and saluted and said, "Pa.s.s on; you are ok." I enjoyed the experience very much.

THE LORD GETS ME A CLERGY PERMIT ON THE RAILROAD

When the Lord saved me, he called me into the ministry. I knew the ministry were securing half fare on railroads, but did not know that they had to be ordained before they could get it. But I did know that the Lord had ordained me for the Ministry. So I went to the depot agent in my home town, and asked him if he would sign for me so I could have the benefits of clergy rates. He had known me for some years, so told me he could if I would swear that I was a preacher. I said, "No, I can't swear. If you can't take my word for it, I'll go without a permit." He said, "If you can't swear, I will sign for you." So I sent in my application to the clergy bureau, and a few days later I received the permit, but there was a little slip with it which said, "Are you wholly engaged in gospel work, or do you do some secular work?" I studied and prayed about it and wrote the clergy bureau and sent the permit back and said, "When I travel, I do nothing but gospel work, but when I am home, I preach twice on Sunday and once a week, and through the week I do whatsoever my hands find to do. I do not want any railroad bill against me in the day of judgment. So if you find upon this explanation that I am worthy of your courtesy, I will be very pleased to receive the permit, and if not, I thank you."

A few days later, the permit was returned to me with a letter saying, "Please accept our courtesy. We are not afraid of being imposed upon by a man like that."

When I was ordained, the brethren said, "Now you can get half fare on the railroads." "Well," I said, "I have had that almost seven years already."

When I explained to them they were astonished.

A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE

I was the evangelist at the South Dakota State Camp Meeting one year. After the meeting was over and I had received my offering from the committee, a brother came to me and wanted to give me $50 extra but I refused to accept it. "Why," he said, "Don't you need it?" "Yes," I said, "I need it badly, but I do not feel I can take it." "Well," he said, finally after much persuasion, "If you won't take it, I'll put it in the bank. For the Lord told me to give it to you, and I don't want it, and it will be there until you call for it."

About nine months later, I needed money and wrote him to see if I could borrow it until the next camp meeting. He sent it right away and wrote saying, "Thank G.o.d, it is out of my hands, and I'll never take it back again." At the next camp meeting, I tried again to pay it back, but I failed, so I went to prayer and asked the Lord what I should do. The Lord said, "You give Brother Renbeck fifteen dollars for a new suit, and you keep the rest for your family." (In those days one could get a good suit for fifteen dollars).

I looked for Brother Renbeck and finally he came. He had been weeping, although he still seemed happy. "Why have you been weeping?" I asked. "I need a new suit, and I went out and prayed and the Lord told me I could get a new fifteen dollar one." I reached my hand out and said, "Here is your fifteen dollars." He stepped back and said, "No, no! I couldn't take it from you. You need it worse than I do." I explained to him how it was, and he accepted it and praised the Lord. In those days we didn't know any different than to trust the Lord.

AN EXPERIENCE WITH TWELVE MINISTERS ON THE TRAIN

At one time while on the train in North Dakota, I sat down in the company of twelve ministers, representing that many denominations. While listening to them I decided that this was the time for a little fellow to keep his mouth shut. One young minister appeared to be the leader in the discussion standing with his Greek Testament in his hand. Finally he turned to me and said, "Are you a minister too?" I told him I was. "What denomination do you belong to?" I told him Church of G.o.d. "Well," he said, "If you belong to the Church of G.o.d, you have a horn in our side." I had met three of them once and they surely horned me. I said, "Yes, I've got a horn and I pity the minister that hasn't got one." (The horn represents power in scripture). "But," I said, "I use that on only one preacher." "Who is that," he said. "The devil." "Well," he said, "If you have one you have not showed it to us because you have kept still." Then turning, he pointed to each of the ministers individually asking each one what visible church of G.o.d he belonged to, and each answered, naming their own denomination. Then he said, "I belong to the visible Church of G.o.d Congregational." I spoke up then and said, "I belong to the visible Church of G.o.d." Then he slapped his hand on the arm of the seat and said, "You've got me, Brother." Then I said, "You see me, don't you?" "Yes," he said. "I see you, shake hands."

Then he asked me how far I was going, saying that he would like to have a talk with me.

I told him I was going to Bismark, to which he said, "It is too bad that I change at the next station."

That ended the conversation. They seemed to have no more to say.

EXPERIENCE WITH TWELVE OTHER PREACHERS

When I was holding a meeting in a certain state, some of the church said there had been a couple of preachers holding services across the street from the Church of G.o.d chapel, and some of the saints had attended their meetings and became confused. They wanted me to preach against it. I said, "I cannot do that. The Word of G.o.d says, 'Thou shalt not judge a strange servant.' But I will pray the Lord to help me to meet them to get acquainted with their teaching." I did pray earnestly that I might meet them. Later I came to a town where I had to stay all night. I found twelve preachers there who were trying to start a new spiritual mushroom or work, and of the twelve preachers, two of them were the a.s.sociation preachers who had been holding the meetings across from our chapel in the town previously spoken of. I went to their service that evening and sat and prayed earnestly that if G.o.d was displeased with this new work they were trying to start, that the minister who was going to speak that night would have the hardest time preaching that he ever had in his life.

A minister arose to preach. His preaching was Biblical, but he had a hard time, while the other ministers kept on praying, "Lord, give the brother the anointing." He worked and perspired until all of a sudden he sat down.

The ministers huddled together and talked and prayed and finally sent one of their number out into the audience to talk with the people. He finally wound up at me. He asked me a number of questions, whether I was saved and sanctified, and then left. But the ministers seemed to be dissatisfied, and sent another minister to me to investigate. At last he said, "I suppose the sermon tonight scared you." I said, "No, that was a good sermon and I have been preaching that way for over thirty eight years. That is the way the apostles preached."

"Well," he said, "We didn't know there was anyone preaching like that."

Then I said, "But he had a hard time." "Yes," he answered, "He said he had the hardest time he had ever had in his life, and he has preached from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and had never met anything like that he said." "Yes, and he was preaching against me." He replied, "Yes, and it was you that made it hard for him." Then I said, "I prayed earnestly that the Lord would make it hard for him, if the Lord was dissatisfied with his a.s.sociation."

The a.s.sociation must have died because I never heard of it again. It turned out that the two ministers at that place were the two which held the meeting previously spoken of.

Once at the South Dakota State Camp Meeting, on account of the weather, we had the services in the chapel. One day a man came who said he was a minister. No one knew him, but he looked like a good man. He asked for the privilege of preaching and it was granted him. After he had been preaching a while it was evident to all that he was badly confused, so the spiritual ones commenced to lift their hearts in prayer to G.o.d to stop him, which He did, insomuch that he left the platform and went to the stove to spit, trying to clear his throat. However, there was nothing in his throat. He tried again to speak, but he could not, so finally went out and left the grounds. We never saw him again.

Brother Thomas Nelson and I held a meeting in Wisconsin and we had the same kind of an experience as the one given above. The man in this case was a professor in college and a real orator, but his religious doctrine was unscriptural. Brother Nelson and I had given him the privilege of preaching. We gave one another an understanding glance to be agreed in prayer asking G.o.d to stop him immediately. He lost his voice and could not continue speaking.

DISCOURAGEMENT BLINDS A PERSON

At one time I was holding a meeting at Badger, South Dakota. The meeting was fairly good in a way but I expected results and hoped to see souls saved. I worked and fasted and prayed, but to no avail. It seemed there was no conviction upon sinners. When that meeting was over, I decided to quit the ministry, thinking to myself, "What is the use to go on this way, enduring hards.h.i.+ps and sufferings and not seeing any souls saved." I thought I must be a failure, so going home, I went through Minneapolis, Minnesota to visit my sister. After the evening meal I thought I would take a walk. As I strolled up Lake Street, I saw to my left in the middle of the block, a large sign, 'Revival Meetings, Minnesota's Greatest Evangelist.' I became interested because I had lived in Minnesota many years and had never heard his name before, so I decided to attend. By the time he was half through his sermon, my discouragement had vanished. I thought, "I'm a better preacher than that; I can preach the Truth." So I went back to preaching with fresh courage and determination.

The next year just before the Minnesota State Camp Meeting at St. Paul Park, I came home with another load of discouragement. It seemed to me I was backslidden and that Brother Nelson and Brother Tubbs were going to deal with me at the meeting and tell me so. I told wife to go on to the meeting and I would stay home and rest a few days, as I was tired. She objected and refused to go without me, telling me the saints would be asking about me, and if I told them you were home they would be wondering why and I would have no peace, so that was that. We went and I did not attempt to preach neither Sat.u.r.day, Sunday, nor Monday. I was waiting, expecting the brethren to come and have a talk with me. Finally on Monday afternoon Bro. Nelson came and said, "Let us go out into the timber. I want to have a talk with you." Then he said, "Brother Susag, what is the matter with you? You are holding up the meeting. Everyone is expecting you to preach and you sit there and say nothing." I answered, "Yes, I know that you know what it is." "Why I don't know anything," he said, "What do you mean?" I said, "Aren't you and Bro. Tubbs going to deal with me? You know I am backslidden." "Since when?" he asked. I told him I did not know. He then said, "We surely do not know anything. It is just an imposition of the devil. Rebuke him and get into the pulpit and preach." We had prayer, and rebuked the devil and his accusations, and the spell was completely broken.

A year later at the Minnesota State Camp Meeting, Brother Nelson was not feeling well, neither was I. One day, Brother Nelson said to me, "What do you think is the trouble with us? Maybe we are bad boys." I told him, "No, that is not the reason, however, we do not see many healings and miracles now." As we stood there talking, we could not think of anything that had taken place of late.

Just then a sister came up to where we were and said, "Praise the Lord, brethren." We said, "Amen." "I do not suppose you know me?" "Yes, we know you," we said, "But we have forgotten your name." "My name is Rasmussen,"

she said; "I haven't seen you, Brother Nelson, since you were down and prayed for our youngest son who was down with double pneumonia." Brother Nelson said, "The Lord healed the boy, didn't He?" "I should say He did,"

she answered. "He not only healed him, but changed him from a puny, delicate child to a strong, husky child--the healhiest one we have." She went away and we felt we had gotten a reproof, and yet an encouragement, from the Lord.

Then a brother came along and he said, "Praise the Lord. Wasn't it wonderful how the Lord restored Brother Krutz?" That was another reproof.

Then a sister came by and said, "Have you heard about Sister Johnson?" We asked, which Johnson, and she said, "Brother Morris Johnson's mother. She fell and broke her leg just above the ankle and they took her on the train to St. Paul and while waiting in the Union Depot for a train for home, saints came on their way to the camp meeting and seeing her suffering they had compa.s.sion on her, and prayed the prayer of faith, and she was instantly healed, insomuch that she went back to the camp meeting." After she left, Brother Nelson started one direction for the timber and I the other. We felt the Lord had been grieved because of our discouragement and had reproved us in this way.

On Sunday morning while I was holding a meeting at Rice Lake, I was preaching on the Joy of the Lord. After speaking a few minutes, the Lord spoke to me and said, "Your theme today will be trials and discouragements," so I announced to the congregation that the Lord had changed my subject, and in my talk, I related some of the worse trials and discouragements I had pa.s.sed through. After I was through speaking, a brother came up to the pulpit and said, "Shame on you, Brother Susag." I said, "Say that again." He did a little stronger than before, so I said, "Say it again, for 'all good things are three.'" Then he did say it strong.

He said, "Here you have been standing here telling that preachers get tried and tempted and discouraged like that--" and he turned and went out.

When he had gone, a young lady came up and asked me for dinner and said that Brother and Sister ---- were coming to dinner, too. On arriving at their home, they all sat down to visit. They didn't take off their wraps, nor ask me to either. They said to me, "Do you know why the Lord changed your subject today?" I told them it must have been for somebody. "Yes,"

they said, "It was for the four of us." (These four had gotten saved in the revival I had held the year before.) "We have been tempted and tried so much," they said, "so we came near giving up." Then they'd said to one another, "Look at Brother Susag. He is happy all the time. He is not tried and tempted like we are." But when they heard of my experiences, they said, "The shame is on us." They were much encouraged and went on in the service of G.o.d. They finally moved somewhere to the northwest and I am told that one of the brothers became a minister, and the other three Sunday School workers.

Many people do not realize that ministers pa.s.s through much suffering both spiritual and physical for the sake of others, but they are glad to do so for Christ's sake and for the sake of others.

While pastoring in Grand Forks, North Dakota a lady called on the phone one day and asked to speak to The Rev.

Susag. "I am the one speaking," I said. Then she told me she had heard from Mrs. Werstlein that I would pray for anyone no matter what church they belonged to. I told her I would. Then she said, "My husband is at the Catholic hospital and the doctor just called up and said he is liable to die any minute, and cannot live longer than until three o'clock this afternoon. He is an infidel." Then she continued, "Would you kindly go see him and talk to him and then come by the house as I'd like to hear what he had to say and what you think about it." I told her I would if I could get in to see him. "Tell them that I sent you," she said. At first they refused to let me in, but after telling them I was pastor and that his wife had sent me they said alright. They said, "He is near death and almost has one foot in the grave."

When I went into his room and saw how bad he was, I introduced myself to him and said, "I'm sorry to find you in such a condition. I have been where you are now. I will not tire you out with much talk, but would you let me read you a scripture lesson and pray with you?" He answered, "It would be out of place to refuse such an offer under such circ.u.mstances." So I read Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:1). Then I knelt and prayed a short prayer. When I got through, he put his hand out and said, "Thank you, I have got to see you in the morning." I asked him what time and he told me nine o'clock. Then I bid him good-bye and went to the door. When I reached the door I thought I heard him say something and turned and said, "Beg your pardon, did you say something?"

He said, "Can I depend on you?" I answered, "Yes, you can depend on me, and furthermore we have service tonight in the church, and I will tell the folks to agree in prayer for you and also to fast and pray tomorrow that the Lord will heal you." He thanked me and I left him.