Qualifications of Overseers (Pastors and Elders)

1 Timothy 3:1-7 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“1This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, a temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.

 

“4An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity. 5For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God? 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil. 7Furthermore, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil.”

 

See: 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4

 

Who qualifies as an overseer? Pastors and Elders of the gatherings of the church, the body of Christ, i.e. those of genuine biblical faith in Jesus Christ who by faith in Christ have denied self, died to sin, by the Spirit, and who are following the Lord in obedience to his commands as a matter of life practice, although not necessarily in absolute sinless perfection. He must be:

 

·       Above reproach
·       The husband of one wife
·       Temperate
·       Self-controlled
·       Respectable
·       Hospitable
·       Able to teach
·       Not dependent on wine
·       Not violent but gentle
·       Peaceable
·       Free of the love of money
·       He must manage his own household well
·       Keep his children under control
·       Not be a recent convert
·       Have a good reputation with outsiders
·       Be shepherds of God’s flock
·       Not lording it over those entrusted to you
·       Being examples to the flock

 

“As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: 2Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed, but out of eagerness; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (1 Peter 5:1-4 BSB / Berean Standard Bible)

 

What Does This Mean?

 

So, what does it mean to be “above reproach”? It means to be a person of integrity, honesty, moral purity, and uprightness, who is faithful to God and to spouse. Temperate? A person of self-control and self-restraint, not given over to sinful passions and desires or to outbursts of rage or filthy language. Respectable? Living an honorable and dignified life in submission to God. Hospitable? Friendly and caring for all people, welcoming people into one’s own home. Able to teach? Follows the leading of the Holy Spirit and is a student of the Scriptures who studies and teaches in the correct context.

 

Not dependent on wine? Not addicted to alcoholic beverages; not a drunkard. Peaceable? Not someone who loves to pick fights and to attack with hate and rage with those in opposition. But also not someone who refrains from speaking the truth of God’s Word to the people out of fear of rejection or out of a desire to want to be liked and appreciated. Free of the love of money? Not doing the will of God out of selfish motives hoping to gain a fortune to spend on oneself in luxury, and with selfish motives. Too many very wealthy “pastors” living in luxury, stealing from the poor.

 

Manage his own household well? Loving his wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, being faithful to her, showing her love, honor, and value in kindness and consideration with regard to her being his other half, one with him in marriage. Being an example before his wife and children of a godly man who is following the Lord, doing the will of God as a matter of life practice. Maintaining good discipline, not overly harsh or reacting in anger, but exercising restraint with wisdom in how to best help his children to properly show honor and respect to their parents.

 

Not be a recent convert? Need time in the Word, putting the Scriptures into practice in his daily life, learning what the Scriptures teach in the correct biblical context, not depending on other men to speak truth to him, but relying on the Scriptures (in context) and the Holy Spirit to guide him into all truth so he will be spiritually prepared to instruct others in the faith. Have a good reputation with outsiders? Watch out for this one! Many liars and deceivers and “wolves in sheep’s clothing” have good reputations with outsiders and within the gatherings of the church (or false church).

 

Be shepherds of God’s flock, not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. This is critical! Too many pastors are acting like cult leaders or like military sergeants, ruling with an iron fist, acting like they are God to the people. I even had one pastor tell me that I should sit back and let him be God’s voice to me. No! No man is to replace God’s voice. God is God’s voice. But should pastors and elders be speaking under the power of the Holy Spirit, speaking God’s truth? Yes! But not many seem to be doing that. And we are still to test the spirits to see which ones are of God.

 

[Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 24:11-24; Luke 6:26; John 10:1-15; Romans 16:17-19; 2 Corinthians 11:3,13-15; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 3:2; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 6:3-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:1-25]

 

Ministers of Our God 

 

An Original Work / June 21, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Ministers of our God, harken to hear Him speak.

Have you given Him your hearts and souls today?

Hasten to give all to Him. Let Him cleanse your hearts from sin.

Cast yourselves on His altar. In your lives do not falter.

 

Ministers of our God, flee from all your idols.

Remove them from your lives. Be transformed today.

Listen to the words I say. Give your all to Christ today.

Let him rule within your hearts, cleanse from sin, His grace impart.

 

Ministers of our God, won’t you come to His cross?

Die to sin and yourselves. Penitently pray.

Humbly accept Him today. Let Him wash your sins away.

Receive Him into your hearts. His mercy and grace impart.

 

https://vimeo.com/127504455

 

Qualifications of Overseers

An Original Work / June 30, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Salvation Through Sanctification

2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 NKJV

 

“13But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.”

 

Salvation From Sin

 

A very distorted teaching on the gospel of Christ, and of our salvation, is what seems to be the most popular of teachings on the gospel in the USA today. So many are teaching a faith in Jesus Christ which requires nothing other than some kind of confession of Christ as Lord or a profession of faith in Jesus Christ with one’s lips only. And then they are told that they are now saved, forgiven all sin, and on their way to heaven, which they say cannot be taken away from them, no matter how they live from then forward.

 

But here we read that God chose us who believe in Jesus for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. So what does that look like? What is salvation? What are we saved from? Well, Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in him we will deny self, die to sin daily, and follow him in obedience to his commands wherever he leads us. For we are saved out from addiction to sin so we now obey God in practice.

 

And this salvation is through sanctification by the Spirit. And to be sanctified is to be made holy, morally pure, righteous, godly, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands. It is a life-long process in the life of the believer in Christ, but it being “a process” is never an excuse to hold back from God what you know belongs to God and to hold on to sin. For we don’t get to determine the process. God does! And this is a process of God in our lives in changing us and transforming us to be more like Jesus in nature.

 

And belief in the truth comes from God, is authored and perfected by Christ, and it is not of our own doing, not of the flesh of humans. But it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands, in surrender of our lives to him. And truth is not defined by us but by God and by his word. But we must study the Scriptures in the correct biblical context if we want the truth.

 

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Hebrews 12:1-2; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:24]

 

The Gospel of Christ

 

Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

 

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

 

For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

 

And we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments, in practice, we are liars. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.

 

Additional Scriptures

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Hold The Traditions?

 

Now this is not speaking of humanistic traditions created in the minds of either men or women. This is not about observing all the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, circumcision, dietary, and Sabbath laws. This is not about legalistic requirements created in the minds of humans which are not listed for us in the Scriptures. And this is not about going through a list of things “to do” which are routine only but not as led by the Spirit and which have nothing to do with following Jesus with our lives.

 

These “traditions” have more to do with instructions given the people by the Lord’s apostles as to how they are to live to please God, and of the kinds of things that God requires of us, and that he expects of us who claim to believe in Jesus Christ, which are repeated for us in the Scriptures. These were revelations from God given to the people via our Lord’s messengers, the apostles of Christ in New Testament times. So this had to do with repentance, obedience to God, and living to please God in all of our being.

 

Praise Be Told! 

 

Based off Various Scriptures

An Original Work / December 28, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

He was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for all our sin.

Our chastisement was upon Him.

By His stripes, we now are healed.

 

He has witnessed all our trials,

And the sins we choose to wear.

Yet, while we were dead in our sin,

Jesus died, our sins to bear.

 

He himself bore all of our sins

In His body on a cross,

So that we might die to our sin,

And live for His righteousness.

 

By faith in the pow’r of Jesus

And His blood shed for our sins,

We can be forgiven our sin,

And have life with God in heav’n.

 

He will lead us and He’ll guide us

In the way that we should go.

He will comfort and protect us,

Because Jesus, we do know.

 

Though He disciplines for our good,

He will heal us – Praise be told!

Do not fear, your Lord is with you.

Just have faith in Christ your Lord.

 

https://vimeo.com/112335646

 

Salvation Through Sanctification

An Original Work / June 30, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

All He Asks is All Of Us

Mark 12:29-31 NIV

 

“29The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31 NIV)

 

This morning I was praying about what the Lord would have me to write on next when I came across a set of little devotionals I purchased a few years ago, put out by “Lighthouse Christian Products Co” (2015). Mark 12:30 was the verse on the front of the card, and on the back of the card it says:

 

“It’s so easy to fence off a small place in our life and designate it only for God. Then, we reserve the rest of it for ourselves – our wants, our needs, our desires. But He wants everything – every room in our life. He wants us to love Him with our entire being. He gave everything for us – the very life of His Son – to bring us to Him. All He asks is all of us. As we give ourselves to Him, He’ll guide us and help us become more like Him” (LCPC 2015).

 

So well said! Yes, love for God is not just an emotional feeling we have for God. And it is not just making a decision to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives. It is total surrender of our lives to the Lord to be His, to give everything we have to Him, nothing held back to be only for self. For by faith in Jesus Christ we deny self, die to sin daily (by the Spirit), and we follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands (see Luke 9:23-26).

 

As the Deer

 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

 

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

 

All He Asks is All Of Us

An Original Work / June 30, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Partial credit to “Lighthouse Christian Products Co” (2015)

Divorce and Separation

Matthew 19:3-6 ESV

 

“And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate’.”

 

Definitions of words related to divorce and separation:

 

Divorce – disconnect, distance, detach; separate or dissociate (something) from something else. Separate – single, unconnected, independent, divide. Also, a legal dissolution of a marriage by a court or other competent body.

 

Adultery - The voluntary sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than the offender's spouse; marital infidelity. Infidelity – unfaithfulness, disloyalty, betrayal, cheating. Adulterate – “to render something poorer in quality by adding another substance.”

 

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28 ESV).

 

“Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ‘The two will become one flesh’” (1 Corinthians 6:16 ESV).

 

Putting it All Together

 

Now I want to put that all together. Yes, a divorce, in legal terms, is the dissolution of a marriage. But it also means to separate, as is evident in this passage in Matthew 19. So, instead of the two becoming one flesh, they are separated. They are no longer one flesh, but two, if they even ever became one flesh at all.

 

For, if one spouse or the other was never faithful to the other, but continually committed adultery against the other, then the one committing the adultery joined flesh to flesh with others, either in mind only and/or in actual physical relations. So that person never became one flesh with the other spouse. Or, if at some point in the marriage one or the other joined sexually in person and/or in mind only with another, then the offending spouse became one flesh with another.

 

Now, you may think this is a stretch, but please pay attention to the meanings of these words. For to separate is not just a physical parting of one spouse to another location separate from the other. If one spouse is continually living in adultery against the other, that spouse is living in separation from the other. The offending spouse is not one flesh with the other because he/she is joined together with so many others (or just with one other).

 

For, as Jesus pointed out, adultery is not just physical, but it is also mental. And it can be spiritual, too, for Jesus and the apostles spoke of the church or individual Christians living in adultery against the Lord. And what did they do to be in adultery against the Lord? They were unfaithful to their marriage to Christ and they went after other gods to serve them. That says a lot.

 

For, becoming "one flesh" is not just about a sexual union. If we become one with our spouse (and/or with God), we are united in heart and mind with the other. Now, in relation to husband and wife, this does not mean that the two will be like the same person. They will each be who they are individually, and they aren't going to think alike in all areas, either, but they are to work together to be united together in heart and mind, and not work against the other.

 

When one spouse decides to separate from the other by committing adultery (which includes all ways which involve lusting after another, even after one's own self), then that breaks that bond of marriage in two. It is separating from the other spouse in body, mind, and heart, and it is joining to another in body, mind, and/or heart. And then when you add lies on top of that, and willful deception, and hiding what one is doing in secret from the other, that again is separating from one's spouse and being joined to another.

 

So, you and your spouse may still be legally joined together as husband and wife but you may be living as separate individuals because one or the other or both are living in betrayal and adultery against the other. And the only way that the marriage is going to be restored is if the unfaithful spouse comes totally clean and refuses to return to the adulterous ways and chooses now to be totally faithful and committed to the neglected spouse.

 

[Genesis 2:24; Matthew 5:28; Matthew 15:19-20; Matthew 19:4-9; Mark 7:20-23; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 13:9; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; Galatians 5:13-24; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; James 4:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7; 2 Peter 2:13-19]

 

Broken Cord

 

An Original Work / August 29, 2018

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Your bond is broken with your Lord and Savior

And your testimony is separate from Him.

Your words not matching your actions today.

Repent of your sin and bow down and pray.

Live what you testify in truth always.

 

Purity’s lacking in your life and witness,

For you profess one thing, but other you do.

Not moral, spiritual. Still of the flesh.

Not living in truth to what you confess.

Lying about it puts you in a mess.

 

Living a lie is your practice, ‘tis true of you.

Masquerade righteousness – none of it true.

Your heart is not given to your Lord God.

Because of how you live, you are a fraud.

Turn from your sin and give your life to God.

 

https://vimeo.com/287303934

 

Divorce and Separation

An Original Work / June 30, 2022

Reposted June 29, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Working of Satan

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NKJV

 

“9The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

 

The Lawless One

 

There are many theories out there as to who this “lawless one” might be. In a writing from earlier this morning the Lord led me to take a look at who might be this “man of sin.” And after I posted the writing I thought about how the word “man” is often used in the Scriptures as a reference to human flesh, so this could be a reference to sinful human flesh. And he is a man of perdition (hell). And he is in the temple, the church, among the body of Christ. And many of the people are falling away, i.e. denying Christ as Lord, refusing to obey God, still living in sin instead of for Jesus Christ/God.

 

So, who today sits in the position of “God” in the temple of God, i.e. the church, i.e. the body of Christ? There are many pastors of “churches” who behave as though they are “God” to the people in the way that they sit as “cult” leaders and think that they are to be worshipped and their words adhered to, whether or not their words are of God or of the flesh. And most of them have incorporated (partnered) “the church” with the government and with the world. And so many of them are altering the gospel message and are removing God’s requirements for repentance and obeying God.

 

Partnered with The World

 

So, the sinful flesh of man is ruling in the position of “God” in probably the majority of these institutional “churches,” at least here in the USA. For so many of them are partnered with the world and with the government in marketing “the church” to the people of the world. And thus it appears that the majority of them are changing up the gospel message to make it less offensive and more appealing to human flesh, which is largely what is leading so many to fall away from the faith provided by God and taught by Jesus and his NT apostles. So many are headed for hell on a false promise.

 

Now the coming of this lawless one is according to the working of Satan, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish. And where is this lawless one located? Within the gatherings of “the church,” i.e. the temple of God. So those who are perishing are many of the people being led by human flesh rather than by God and by the truth of the Scriptures via the Holy Spirit. And the ones leading them in the wrong direction, via all unrighteous deception among those who perish, are mainly those who are serving as pastors of these (usually) institutional churches in bed with the world.

 

No Definite Declarations

 

Now I am making no declarations as to who this “lawless one” is, as I do not know with any amount of certainty. What I am doing here is making an observation that in our world today we definitely do have men serving as pastors of the church, the body of Christ, or what are falsely being called “churches,” who are deceiving the people, feeding them lies, and who sit as gods, in a sense, in that so many of them want to be worshipped and followed above God and above his Word. I had one pastor tell me one day that I was to sit back and let him be God’s voice to me. No! I won’t!

 

A Great Falling Away

 

The world has infiltrated the gatherings of “the church,” and “the church” has largely embraced the world, and the ways of the world, and the deceitful teachings of human flesh. And many people who sit in these “church” gatherings are being fed lies, and so many are believing in and following the lies. And so they are holding on to a false promise of heaven secured for them for when they die while they continue to walk in deliberate and habitual sin against God, and while they do not submit to Christ as Lord, leave their sins behind them, and follow God in obedience to his commands.

 

And, as a result, there is presently a great falling away, which comes first, and then the man of sin is revealed, i.e. the sinful flesh which has been dominating the gatherings of “the church” for some time now. For this has been hidden from the eyes of so many who are blinded to the reality of what has been taking place in these “church” gatherings for a long time now. But one day it will become obvious where all the deception is coming from, and a lot of it is coming from the heads of church denominations and seminaries and “Christian” schools. And it is coming from the use of marketing schemes in how to “grow their numbers.” Not many are teaching the gospel in truth!

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

As the Deer

 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

 

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

The Working of Satan

An Original Work / June 29, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Son of Perdition

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 NKJV

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

The Falling Away

I live in the United States of America. I have lived here all my life. I have never even visited another country outside of my nation, so my nation is what I know, as far as I know it. Also, I am 76 years old, and I have attended gatherings of the church, the body of Christ, from birth on up, mostly in person, but also on the internet. And I have been in Christian ministry and engaged in teaching the Scriptures for at least 50 years of my life. So I have a pretty good feel for where the American church is right now.

When I was growing up as a child, and as a young adult, holiness, moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, integrity, repentance, and obedience to God and to his commands were taught and were insisted upon in the lives of those who call themselves Christians. At least that is what I was taught. But as time progressed I noticed a moral decline taking place in the gatherings of those professing faith in Christ. The gospel was being diluted, and sin was becoming acceptable, and repentance and obedience to God outdated.

And I have noticed this in many of the gatherings of the church in my nation in multiple cities and states, and of varied church denominations, from my own personal experience. And I have done tons of research on this subject and have listened to what others are teaching as the gospel, and if this is not “the falling away,” I don’t know what else is. For I would say that the majority of the church, or what is falsely called “the church,” has abandoned the teachings of Christ, and they are following the ways of man, instead.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:23-26; John 4:31-38; John 10:27-30; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 10:14-15; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-14; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9,21,24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

The Man of Sin

Who is this “man of sin”? Is he a singular man? Or could he be a conglomerate of sinful man? Well “man” is usually used as a term to mean human flesh, and sin is all that is against our Lord’s commands on what constitutes genuine faith in Jesus Christ, i.e. it is all that God’s word calls “sin.” So a “man of sin” would be someone (or a group of people) who are committed to pleasing the flesh and walking in sin and to disobeying God as a matter of life practice. He (or they) are all who are opposed to God and to Jesus Christ and to righteousness, godliness, and obedience to God.

Now where is the temple of God today? It is in the hearts and lives of all who profess faith in the Lord Jesus, who are walking in the ways of the Lord in obedience to his commands, in practice, and for whom sin is no longer what they practice. We are that temple! God now dwells in the hearts and minds of those of faith in him. So who sits in the temple of God today, within the gatherings of the church, acting in a position of rule and authority over the people of God, who desires to be worshipped? Who is worshipped?

Well, let’s go back to my childhood. I was trained in school and in the gatherings of the church that I was to put my hand over my heart and that I was to pledge (vow) my allegiance (worship, fidelity, loyalty) to the government of the USA. And the US flag stood in front of the room in which we gathered for the teachings of the Word of God. But we were also taught to sing patriotic songs of worship to our government as well as to honor our military as our “saviors” who were “keeping us safe” from “the bad guys.”

Who else is worshipped?

Pastors are worshipped by many people who think they are God’s messengers to them just because they have a diploma from a seminary which entitles them to become pastors of “churches.” Often what they teach is not questioned by the people, and so many people follow them and what they teach blindly. They forget that it is the whole body of Christ which are to be ministering to one another, encouraging, exhorting, and warning each other in order to help one another to grow to maturity in Christ as Lord.

Also, the physical and political nation state called “Israel” is also being worshipped by the people in so many of the gatherings of the church. The Jews are often raised above us who were not Jews by birth, as though they are somehow superior to the rest of us, and as though we are to give them our undying support, devotion, honor, praise, loyalty, and worship. But most of them do not believe in Jesus Christ, so they are the antichrist (1 John 2:22). And they are NOT part of biblical Israel for that reason.

So, who is this son of perdition (hell) who sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God? I don’t know with any certainty. What I do know is that pastors are being worshipped, and so is the government, and so is the nation state called “Israel,” which is “the antichrist” because they reject Jesus as their Messiah. And the people of God are being trained to give their worship to them. And they are being educated to reject the gospel which teaches we must deny self, die to sin, and obey God, in practice. So things are not looking too good for “the church” in my nation today.

Bible verses on biblical Israel:[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Matthew 21:43; John 8:18-19,38-47; John 10:16; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:1-6; Colossians 3:12-15; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10,24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]   

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

The Son of Perdition

An Original Work / June 29, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Not Everyone's a Fake

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 NKJV

 

“12And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.”

 

Recognize Those Who Labor Among You

 

Now, I believe Scripturally that this can be applied, not just to those who are over us in the Lord, in positions of authority over the church, but to all who, within the body of Christ, are those who labor among us in bringing us the truths of the Scriptures which admonish us in the Lord to live holy lives, pleasing to the Lord. And this includes both males and females, for Jesus honored women, and he used women to share the gospel, and the apostle Paul honored women who were co-laborers in the work of the Lord, too.

 

But the word that is standing out to me today from this passage of Scripture is to “recognize,” which does mean to appreciate, but which also means to identify, to know, to distinguish, to discern. And since we live in a day and time when there is so much fakery, much of it being produced by Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is getting harder to discern what is real, and what is fake, and who or what to believe, and who or what to not believe. And I do now have some people who may think that I am AI, which clearly I am not.

 

Susan “Sue” Jane (Thorn) Love

 

This is who I am, born December 31, 1949, to my parents Hugh Evan Thorn and Dorothy Evelyn (Jones) Thorn, at Akron City Hospital, in Akron, Ohio, where I lived 32 years of my 76 years of life. And I had four siblings, Noel, Dale, Dorothy (goes by Dorty), and Carol. Dale and Carol are no longer with us. And my parents moved around a lot, all within the general area of the City of Akron. So I lived in 11 different houses in my first 22 years of life. I went to Mason, Leggett, and Windemere elementary schools, Hyre Jr High, Goodyear Jr High, East High, and the University of Akron, in Akron, Ohio.

 

The gathering of the church I attended from infanthood to age 27 was Brown Street Christian & Missionary Alliance Church (same church denomination as A.W. Tozer, if you know who he is). Our church denomination had/has a church camp on Lake Erie in Vermillion, Ohio, called Beulah Beach Camp. I went there nearly every summer for a week of camp, and that is where I made the decision to turn my life over to belong to Christ, to repent of my sins, and to walk with my Lord wherever he led me. I was not a perfect child, but I was not a rebellious child, and I loved the Lord with all my heart.

 

I met my husband (who was not my husband then) at the University of Akron. I was a music education major who majored in voice, and both of us sang in University singers. We had a mutual male friend who introduced us to each other and they all had another female friend, and the four of us formed a quartet and we got asked to sing in many places in the city of Akron. Rick and I dated for about six months, got engaged for a year, and we got married a year later on August 5, 1972. We have four children + spouses, and 14 grandchildren + 2 spouses and 2 great-grandchildren.

 

My husband and I have now lived in a total of 19 different locations in 5 states and in 10 cities, all in the USA over a span of almost 54 years. We worked together in Christian ministry from the time we were engaged until 2006, which is when he stopped, and the Lord started me full-time in doing what he had called me to do in 2004. For he called me to write down what he was teaching me each day from my times spent with him in his word and then to post these writings on the internet for a herald to “Run With It,” the name of my blog. And that is what I have been doing ever since then.

 

So, if you were thinking I might be AI, I hope that this will put your minds at rest and that you will realize that I am flesh and blood just like you are, unless you are AI. For I am here only on a mission from God, doing what God has called me to do, all in his power and strength and wisdom at work within me, and not of my own doing, of my own flesh nature. My will is to do the will of God, to be his servant and messenger, and to obey my Lord in bringing to the people the words he would have me share with you. I am not perfect, but I am walking in obedience to the Lord and I am not living in sin.

 

A Believer’s Prayer

 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

 

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

 

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

 

https://vimeo.com/114796263

 

Not Everyone’s a Fake

An Original Work / June 28, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

PDF of Not Everyone’s a Fake (With pictures)

PDF of Not Everyones a Fake