The World Around Me

The world around me falls apart,

It truly needs a brand new start.

But humans not the ones to give,

In Christ alone will our hearts live.

The hope for us is not in man,

But only in our Father’s plan.

He sent His Son to die for us,

So we’d forsake our sinful lusts.

His grace to us frees us from sin,

So we will now live just for Him.

Obey Him freely, do His will,

And with His word our lives now fill.

Go where He leads, do what He says,

His servants be, not of the pres.

Now share His Word throughout the world,

No comprise of truth unfurled.

An Original Work / January 31, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Church Under Fire, Now Faithful to The Calling

Chapter Five

Now Faithful to The Calling

May 27, 2023

I am still reading in the book of Acts. Recap: Paul was giving his defense to King Agrippa, and so he relayed to him how he had been on the road to Damascus to persecute and perhaps put to death even more Christians (followers of Jesus Christ) when Jesus met him in a vision while he was on his way. Jesus spoke to him audibly, though not visibly, and there Paul (Saul at that time) received his life calling from the Lord to open spiritually blinded eyes, so they may turn from darkness (sin) to light (Christ) and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. Then he said this:

“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” (Acts 26:19-23 ESV)

Do you know what your life calling of God is? Are you being steadfast and faithful to that calling? Now we are all called to holy living and to leave our lives of sin behind us to follow Jesus in obedience to his commands under the New Covenant. But the Lord has assigned us specific callings and ministries, and he has gifted us accordingly so that we can serve him faithfully in those callings and in those areas of ministry. For these are our “body parts” within the whole of the body of Christ, his church.

Now most of you probably know this but let me say here that if we answer the call of Jesus Christ, not only to be his possession and to follow him wherever he leads us, but to fulfill the very specific purpose the Lord Jesus has for our lives individually, this may not go well for us in many respects. And Paul’s life is a great example of what I mean here, and so is the life of Jesus. For Jesus told us that if we follow him with our lives that we are going to be hated and persecuted as he was hated and persecuted.

Especially if you are telling people that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance, you are not going to be well liked and well received even in the Christian culture in America. For so many professing Christians are believing lies which are telling them outright, or which are giving them the impression, that they do not have to repent of their sins, that they don’t have to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ, that they don’t have to obey the Lord, and that no works (deeds) are required of them by God whatsoever.

But let me get back to the subject of our specific callings of God to special areas of ministry that God prepared in advance for us to do them. Paul was not disobedient to the vision and neither should we be disobedient, either to the calling that God has on all of our lives collectively, or to the particular callings he has on each of our lives individually. But then we should be prepared that we are going to be persecuted, even by others who profess faith in Jesus Christ, and even by pastors and elders of church fellowships.

And in being faithful to the calling of God on my life, he has been leading me to share some of my own “Paul” experiences. Only those who are opposing me are not Jews, but many of them are those who claim faith in Jesus, and some are even pastors and elders of church congregations. Now, like Paul said, if what I was doing was wrong, if it was evil, and if it was sinful and disobedient and rebellious, then I would accept their discipline. But if they are disciplining me for obeying the Lord, according to the Scriptures, and if they are judging me by their own standards, then that is wrong.

My “Paul” Experiences

The year was 2004. My husband and I were training to be church planters under the Christian & Missionary Alliance (same denomination as A.W. Tozer). I was training for my consecration as an official worker of the C&MA and my husband was training for his ordination to be a pastor of our small group which was meeting in our home. It was now September and we were invited to their annual official workers prayer conference. But my husband hurt his back and could not go, so he encouraged me to go without him.

And the Lord started speaking to my heart the moment I walked into that first meeting, for I was a few minutes late due to car trouble. And the messages I heard at that conference via the speakers and via my quiet times with the Lord just spoke directly to my heart in a very powerful way. 

The messages spoke to me and to my heart like they were right from the mouth of God to me specifically. The messages said, “Preach the Word of God, not the teachings of man.” “Listen to God, hear what he is saying, and then obey him.” “You were appointed by God as a herald and a teacher of true faith.” “Give your ministry over to God – it is not yours. It is his.” “God may have something else for you to do that you have not even thought of.” 

“Write down what God shows you and then wait on him to bring it about.” “What you are going through is much bigger than you can imagine.” “NOW is your time! For such a time as this you were placed upon the earth.” “The church is in crisis – the crisis of Supremacy. It is indistinguishable between the lives of evangelical Christians and the world. We need to get back to the basics – we need to put our focus on Jesus and the cross of Christ instead of on the teachings of man.” Amen!

Since I was the only one there representing our small church plant, I was also invited to speak before a room full of pastors and other official workers of the C&MA, and before their district heads. And I just let the Holy Spirit lead me in what to say, for I was not prepared in advance that I was going to be asked to speak. And based upon what others were teaching at this conference, and what the Holy Spirit was speaking to my heart, I shared with them what the Lord was saying to me, from the Spirit within me.

When I went back to my chair, though, the wife of the district head over church plants said, “Well, that was the shortest-lived church plant.” Wow! But after the gathering was dismissed, and we went to lunch (or supper), I had maybe a fourth of the pastors there encourage me that what I said needed to be said. But they also recognized that it was the death of me, even though it was the right thing to say, and it was what needed to be said. But I was being led of the Holy Spirit, and there was nothing anti-biblical in what I shared, but it was fully supported by the Scriptures.

So, I got called to see the heads of the district, and they told me that I was not hearing from God, even though they had confessed that they were not actually listening to me speak, from what I recall. And so at that moment I had to make the decision to remain with the C&MA and to ignore God’s calling on my life, or to depart from the C&MA and to follow the Lord Jesus in obedience. I did the latter, and here I am today nearly 20 years later still answering that appointment by God to be one of his heralds in these last days before the return of Jesus Christ. And I have no regrets!

I Surrender All  

Hymn lyrics by Judson W. Van De Venter, 1896

Music by Winfield S. Weeden, 1896

… Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee. (Mark 10:28)

All to Jesus I surrender,

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily live.

All to Jesus I surrender,

Humbly at His feet I bow;

Worldly pleasures all forsaken,

Take me, Jesus, take me now.

All to Jesus I surrender,

Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;

Let me feel the Holy Spirit,

Truly know that Thou art mine.

All to Jesus I surrender,

Lord, I give myself to Thee;

Fill me with Thy love and power,

Let Thy blessing fall on me.

All to Jesus I surrender,

Now I feel the sacred flame;

Oh, the joy of full salvation!

Glory, glory, to His Name!

I surrender all,

I surrender all;

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2BnL_zI7uw 

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The Church Under Fire, Now Faithful to The Calling

An Original Work / Originally posted May 27, 2023

Reposted January 31, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I Saw a Beast Rising

“I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on his horns, and blasphemous names on his heads. The beast which I saw was like a leopard. His feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. I saw one of his heads as if it was mortally wounded, but his deadly wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. They worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshipped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war with him?’” (Revelation 13:1-4 ESV)

There are many speculative theories on who this beast is, and the second beast, too, and I don’t believe any of us are going to be able to prove, at this point, if what we believe to be true, indeed, is the whole of the picture. But time will reveal these things. So I am going to share with you what I believe to be the truth, as best as I understand it, from my times spent in the word with the Lord. For I believe some of these things are already becoming evident for those who are willing to see them in the right light.

It wouldn’t take much research on the internet to find out about the United Nations, or to listen to some of their sessions, and to learn that what they are promoting is a one world order. It is not a deep dark secret that the world, as we know it, is headed in that direction, and this fits with the prophecies of Scripture regarding these last days before the return of Christ, too. And if we read in the Scriptures much about the signs of the last days, I don’t think that we can miss that we are in them right now.

And we have to face the reality that this beast (these beasts) are deceptive, which is how they deceive and fool a whole lot of people. And remember with me that the Scriptures teach about “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and messengers of Satan who masquerade as servants of righteousness. So, just because someone claims to be a Christian and to believe in Jesus doesn’t mean at all that the person really is a Christian, in the purest biblical sense. So we cannot take people only at face value, especially those who are rulers.

Now we live in a day and age when anything, and I mean anything can be faked, photoshopped, altered, and made to look one way while it might be something else entirely. Especially with the use of AI (artificial intelligence) most anything can be made to look one way while it is something altogether different. So we can’t trust everything that we see with our eyes or hear with our ears or read and take in with our brains. Liars abound in the government, in the media, and in “the church.” So test EVERYONE!

So, just because it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it doesn’t mean that it is a duck. So we need to be very discerning people who test the spirits and who do not believe everyone and everything at face value. Believe me when I tell you that deception abounds everywhere. And here I recall the words of my marketing teacher in college. He said the US government is way advanced in technology beyond what we can see with our eyes, like 20 years out, but they keep that knowledge from us people.

And so what they say to us, and what they show us regular people, may not be at all the reality of what is really going on. And we must be so careful to not buy into this idea that everything that conflicts the “official narrative” is a “conspiracy theory.” That is being used to keep us from knowing the truth, although there are a lot of wild theories out there, too. Same thing is in the church where they call those who teach the truth of the gospel as those who teach “works based salvation,” so as to keep people from hearing the truth.

There is a whole lot of corruption going on in the world, and within our individual nations and their governments, and within the institutional (incorporated under the government) “churches.” And this corruption begins at the top and trickles its way down to the people. So test everyone! Don’t believe it just because “so and so” says it, no matter who they are. And just because someone claims to be “not one of them,” it does not mean that they are not “one of them.” As the saying goes, “the proof is in the pudding.”

So, pull the curtain back, and look at who the man is behind the curtain, and don’t rely only on what you can see on the surface. For we are living in the days of Revelation 13. And liars are all over the place deceiving naïve and gullible minds. And I used to be one of those “naïve and gullible” people before the Lord started opening up my eyes to see what is going on all around me. And I am not saying that I have everything right yet. But I believe the Scriptures and what they teach about deception in the last days.

And one of the things that these deceivers like to do is to play with our minds, to see what they can get away with, and who they can fool. And they are monitoring all of us who are connected to the internet, smartphones, TV sets, and who use credit cards or the internet to make financial transactions, etc. So they have a footprint on all of us, and like the devil, they know our weak points, and they will target those. And they like to leave hints for us, too, for it is one of the games they play, like clues to see who gets it.

So, be wise, be discerning, and pray through everything. We need to ask the Lord to open our eyes and minds to see the traps being laid for us so that we don’t fall into one of them. For they are very clever in how they lay their traps, too, for they wouldn’t be traps if they were easily discernable. And we have to get inside the mind of an addict, really, i.e. the mind of one who is a compulsive liar and manipulator who does set traps for his opponents in hopes to trip them up. For, in reality, this is what we are up against.

False Messengers: [Matthew 7:15-23; Matthew 24:11-14; Luke 6:26; John 10:1-15; Romans 16:17-19; 2 Corinthians 11:3,13-15; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 6:3-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1:1-25]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

Caution: This link may contain ads

I Saw a Beast Rising

An Original Work / January 31, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Save Your Servant

“Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,

    for I am poor and needy.

Preserve my life, for I am godly;

    save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.

Be gracious to me, O Lord,

    for to you do I cry all the day.

Gladden the soul of your servant,

    for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,

    abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;

    listen to my plea for grace.

In the day of my trouble I call upon you,

    for you answer me.” (Psalms 86:1-7 ESV)

Jesus Christ told us that if we follow him with our lives that we will be hated and persecuted as he was. Other people will come against us, and will fight against us, and will accuse us falsely of what we did not do. We will be cast out of certain gatherings, and treated like the scum of the earth. We will not be wanted nor appreciated for who we are, nor for who God has made us to be for his glory and purposes. We will be outcasts, unwanted, and rejected.

And this is no picnic! This is not fun! It is not comfortable at all! It hurts like crazy!! So, we have a choice. We can go with God and face certain persecution and mistreatment, or we can live to please people and our own flesh and not have a part in the Lord and in his eternal kingdom. And you know what? You are not going to please everyone anyway. And this group of people will want you this way, and the other group a different way.

But when we go through these trials and tribulations, which test our faith, we are to call out to the Lord for his grace and mercy so that we do not lose heart, and so that we do not give up and run away from it all. For running away never solves anything. Usually it just makes matters worse. We should submit to God’s will and purpose for our lives and ask him to teach us what he wants us to learn through it all, and then give him all the glory.

“There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,

    nor are there any works like yours.

All the nations you have made shall come

    and worship before you, O Lord,

    and shall glorify your name.

For you are great and do wondrous things;

    you alone are God.

Teach me your way, O Lord,

    that I may walk in your truth;

    unite my heart to fear your name.

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,

    and I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your steadfast love toward me;

    you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.” (Psalms 86:8-13 ESV)

Now, I admit that I have a difficult time understanding the first part of this which sounds like all the nations of the earth will one day worship the Lord. For, in reading the Scriptures, as a whole, we know that not everyone on this earth is going to worship the Lord, but only a small number will choose the narrow way which leads to life and will reject the broad way which leads to destruction. So then I read, “that you have made.”

Now another word for nations is people, and although we were all created by God, and made by his hands, we are not all being formed into his likeness. And God making us is God working in our lives in conforming us to his likeness. For he is not making those who resist him and who will not submit to him. He is making only those who will bow down to him and who will obey him, and who will do his will. We are the ones who will worship him.

Now, as followers of Christ, we are to be a people who desire our Lord, to do his will, who want to be taught by him, not those who see following Jesus as a drudgery to be avoided. We should want to be taught the ways of the Lord, and so we should hunger and thirst after righteousness and for the teachings of his word. We should be so thankful for his salvation, that our lives will be surrendered to him and to his service, eager to know and to do his will.

“O God, insolent men have risen up against me;

    a band of ruthless men seeks my life,

    and they do not set you before them.

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,

    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Turn to me and be gracious to me;

    give your strength to your servant,

    and save the son of your maidservant.

Show me a sign of your favor,

    that those who hate me may see and be put to shame

    because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” (Psalms 86:14-17 ESV)

Yes, this is true. If we are wholeheartedly following the Lord Jesus with our lives we should be facing some of this type of treatment. For Jesus said that if we follow him that we will be hated and persecuted as he was. So don’t be surprised when this happens, as though something strange is happening to you. For the devil is going to fight against those who are opposing him and his work, and who are walking in obedience to the Lord’s commands.

So, when we come up against this type of persecution, we should take it all to the Lord in prayer. We should seek his face and his will, and we should pray for the strength to endure and to keep pressing forward. But you are not likely to face this kind of persecution if your life is not surrendered to Jesus Christ to doing his will, but if your life is being lived for your own selfish pleasure. So not all who claim to be Christians will be persecuted.

And please know that a lot of this persecution and these “insolent men” may come, not from the people out in the world who make no professions of faith in Jesus Christ, but from within the gatherings of what are called “churches.” So don’t let that take you out. For not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. So keep following the Lord, and keep speaking the truth.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 9:23-26; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 10:27-30; John 15:18-21; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387

Save Your Servant

An Original Work / January 31, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

In What Way Did You Learn Christ?

“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:17-24 ESV)

 

The basic foundation of our Christian faith and practice is taught for us here in this passage of Scripture. And it was the same message under the Old Covenant. No one was saved back then by keeping the liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions. What determined then and what determines now who is in genuine relationship with God, by faith in him, is if the individual has died to sin and now is walking in conduct in obedience to our Lord, in the power of God. For that is what faith is.

 

Read with me 1 Corinthians 10:1-22. God used Moses to deliver the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt with the plan to take them into the Promised Land. But with most of them God was not pleased, and so they were overthrown in the wilderness. Why? Because they desired evil, and they were idolaters, and revelers, and those who indulged in sexual immorality, and who put Christ (yes, Jesus Christ) to the test, and they grumbled against the Lord and against his servant Moses. So God had them killed.

 

And these things took place and were written down for our instruction as examples for us to not follow, so that we will not desire evil as they did and suffer the same consequences. So we are not to harden our hearts as they did which then resulted in them not entering into God’s eternal rest (eternal life with God). And they did not enter God’s eternal rest because of their disobedience, i.e. because of their unbelief. For faith=obedience, but disobedience=unbelief. (See Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16)

 

So, if our faith in Jesus Christ is biblical spiritual faith, which is from God, and which is gifted to us by God, and which is persuaded of God, then we will die with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and we will walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to him and to his commands. No longer will we walk as the ungodly do who have given themselves up to sensuality and greed, due to the hardness of their hearts against the Lord. But we will now serve the Lord with our lives in walks of holiness and righteousness.

 

For we should not have learned Christ and his gospel of salvation as it is being most popularized today. For so many are now teaching that all we have to do is acknowledge Christ and who he was/is and what he did for us in dying for our sins and in being resurrected from the dead, and now we are saved, all sins are forgiven, and heaven is guaranteed us when we die. But Jesus and his New Testament apostles did not teach that gospel message. They taught we must die to sin and now walk in obedience to our Lord.

 

So, if our faith in Jesus Christ is of God, and not of the flesh, we will die with him to sin, and we will now desire him and his word and his ways, and we will want to be taught by him regarding the way that he would have us to go. And this is not saying that we will be instantaneously perfect in every way. We still live in flesh bodies. And we are clay in the hands of the Potter being molded and shaped by him. But we shouldn’t remain addicted to sin, making sin our practice, and not live in walks of obedience to our Lord.

 

Therefore, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we put off our old self, which is corrupt through deceitful desires, and we are now being renewed in the spirit of our minds, by the Spirit, as we cooperate with God’s work of grace and salvation in our lives. And now we put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. But we can only do this in the power of God as we surrender our lives to the Lord and as we submit to his will and purposes for our lives, in cooperation with his work.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

 

Songs in the Night  

 

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

 

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

 

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

 

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

 

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

 

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

 

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

 

https://vimeo.com/379484387

 

In What Way Did You Learn Christ?

An Original Work / January 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Church Under Fire, Hear My Case

Chapter Four

Hear My Case

May 27, 2023

I am now reading in Acts 25. The Apostle Paul was being held in custody under the authority of the governor Felix. And during this time, Felix would visit him on occasion and would listen to Paul sharing about his faith. And this went on for two years, and then Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison (chapter 24).

Now Festus went to Jerusalem, and he listened to those who had a case against Paul. And those people urged Festus to summon Paul to Jerusalem, for they were still planning an ambush against Paul to kill him. But Festus said to the men, “Let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.” Then, after he had stayed among them for a little over a week, Festus went down to Caesarea where Paul was being held.

The next day Paul was brought before him, and the Jews from Jerusalem brought many and serious charges against Paul that they could not prove. And Paul was given the opportunity to argue in his own defense:

“’Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.’ But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, ‘Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?’ But Paul said, ‘I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.’” Acts 25:8-11 ESV

Now, I do not intend to go into all the history of this, for the Lord Jesus is having me make practical application of these passages of Scripture to our lives, to our world, and to our church today. And as of late he has been having me share some of my own experiences with church leadership accusing me falsely of what I did not do, and to share these experiences in order to illustrate the kinds of persecution we can expect to face today when we follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his ways, and when we share the truth of the gospel with others, and when we do not dilute the truth in order to appeal to other humans.

Now, I don’t have an exact parallel to this story, but there are principles here that I have picked up on that do relate to situations I have experienced myself, such as a group of people being opposed to Paul, them appealing to someone in higher authority to take their side and to go against Paul, him having to defend himself against false and unkind accusations against his character, no one supporting him or taking his side, and then him having to appeal to a higher authority to hear his case.

Hear My Case

It was in the early 1990’s, and we were attending a church fellowship of a rather large church congregation. I loved the preaching. The preacher reminded me of my pastor of my youth. We loved our Sunday School class, too, and we enjoyed that teacher’s teaching. And I joined a small support group for women who had been hurt by others, and who needed healing. And I invited a friend to go with me, for she had many hurts from her past experiences. So this was to be a group that was supposed to help both of us to heal from past hurtful experiences.

Now my friend was very timid and shy, but she expressed to me that she did want to share something with the group, and she asked me for my help, and so I agreed to help her. And at the next meeting she began to share, and she started to chicken out, and so I encouraged her, as she had asked me to do. But at the next meeting a new rule had been added to the group that had my name written all over it, figuratively speaking here. For the new rule said something to the effect that if your friend is trying to say something that you should not try to help that friend. I felt so hurt!

No one had spoken to me about this. They just waited until the next meeting to announce the new rule that everyone in the group knew applied to me. So, I called the lady who headed up the group, and I expressed to her how that had hurt me, and I tried to explain to her that I was doing what my friend had asked me to do. But her response to me was hateful and harsh and accusatory, for she had concluded that I was being pushy or a bully or taking over or something like that, and she would not hear me out when I tried to give my own defense. 

And remember here with me that this was a support group for people like me who were already hurting from other hurtful experiences, and these were people who were supposed to be helping me to heal. But she was treating me as though I was the enemy, and as though I had purposefully committed some horrible crime. And then she told me I needed to talk with one of the assistant pastors, and so I did, but he would not listen to me either. He then began accusing me sharply of attitudes I did not have and of deeds I did not commit. And even though I sat there in tears, appealing to him, he was hard as a rock and had no sympathy towards me whatsoever.

And I wish I could say this was the exception to the rule, but it is not. And I am not the only one being treated like this by church leadership, either. But this wasn’t just about me trying to help my friend. This was a deeper issue than that, I ascertained. For this assistant pastor, who I had never met before, was using terminology to accuse me that had much further implications than just that. So I believe the real issue was the kinds of things I was sharing in the group, as a whole, things which were from the Scriptures and not anything that should ever have been an issue. 

Now, since this is not the only time I have faced such persecution as this, some people have suggested that I must, therefore, be the one at fault. Well, Paul faced a lot of persecution, and he was not the one at fault. And Job was accused by his friends of sinning as the reason for his suffering. But what my experiences symbolize, I believe, is the reality of where much of the church in America is today, where they are weeding out those who have strong convictions so that they can persuade the naïve with their lies without any hinderance from those who know better. And I hope you can see that.

For what I have experienced are the kinds of persecutions that others are experiencing who are serious about their walks with the Lord and who are walking in obedience to his commands. For today’s modern market-driven “churches” (businesses) leaders are being trained to weed out those with “strong convictions.” And this is because it appears that most of them are teaching lies. So, if you are facing such persecution as this, take courage. Just keep trusting the Lord, keep loving the people of God, and keep speaking the truth. For the days are evil, and our Lord will soon return.

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

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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The Church Under Fire, Hear My Case

An Original Work / First published on May 27, 2023

Reposted on January 30, 2025

Christ's Free Servant, Sue J Love

Speaking the Truth in Love

 

An Original Work / January 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6 ESV)

Faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, which is persuaded of God, and which is gifted to us by God, is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man. So we humans do not get to decide what this faith looks like. God does. His word does. And his word teaches us that faith in Jesus Christ requires that we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if we obey obedience to God, its end is eternal life with Christ Jesus, our Lord.

So, we who are of genuine faith (ONE FAITH) in Jesus Christ are all called of God (ONE GOD) to forsake our sins (die to sin daily), to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, to submit to Christ as Lord (ONE LORD) of our lives, and to follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands and in holy living, in daily practice, although not necessarily in absolute sinless perfection (1 John 2:1-2). But sin must no longer be our practice. Righteousness and obedience to our Lord are now to be what we live by. Thus we are instructed to walk (in conduct) in a manner worthy (fitting to) our calling in Christ Jesus.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-32; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2] 

Now the Scriptures talk much on this subject of unity, but this is unity first and foremost with God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – and with the gospel of our salvation, as Christ and as his New Testament apostles taught it (in context). It is unity with Christ and with his calling upon our lives and with his character and heart and mind and purpose, which are taught to us all throughout the Scriptures. So this peace is first and foremost peace with God and with his will and purpose for our lives, which never compromises righteousness to make peace with other humans.

Now, when this says here that there is ONE BODY, this is speaking of the universal body of Christ, the church, the people of God who are his by genuine faith in Jesus Christ, which results in us dying with Christ to sin, being reborn of the Spirit of God (ONE SPIRIT), and now walking in conduct in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice. For the church is not a building, and not a church denomination, and not a business incorporated under the state which is marketing “the church” to the people of the world via worldly means and methods. Yet that is what many have turned “the church” into. But the church is us who believe in Jesus!

And this body of Christ is the universal body of Christ, which is comprised of believers in Christ Jesus all over the world. So there is only ONE CHURCH. We just live in different locations and meet in different places, but we are all still one church, one body, not to be separated by denominational differences and location. And we become members of this ONE CHURCH by genuine faith in Jesus Christ. So we don’t have to rejoin “the church” in order to be members of “the church,” if we are speaking of the biblical body of Christ and not of human institutions called “church,” which are really businesses.

And the ONE HOPE to which we are called can be summarized for us well in Romans 6:1-23 and Luke 9:23-26 and in 1 Peter 2:24. And this is the gospel message, that Jesus Christ (God incarnate) was crucified, dead, buried, and rose again for you and for me that we might die with Christ to sin and now live to God and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, and no longer in walks of disobedience and in sinful practices. For if sin is still our practice, and not obedience to our Lord, we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will face the wrath of God, instead.

Now, regarding this ONE BAPTISM, I am finding that there are varied opinions on this subject, and that most seem to favor water baptism as the one baptism, but there is a problem with that theory. For many people are baptized with water in the name of Jesus Christ who have never been reborn of the Spirit of God and who do not know God because they do not obey him, but they have continued in their sins. They are just going through a religious ritual. And then there are the cases when people were saved and filled with the Spirit prior to water baptism (Acts 10:44-48).

And then we have John the Baptist’s words when he stated: “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 10:11-12) So, the indication here is that the baptism that we receive from Christ is not of water, but of the Spirit, in death to sin and living to righteousness.

“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:3-7). 

So, this is a spiritual baptism. And this can take place apart from water baptism, as well as water baptism is no indication that this spiritual baptism has ever taken place at all. So, I believe that our water baptism is more of an outward sign of an inward faith which has already taken place, and that this baptism into death (Romans 6) is of the Spirit of God, so this is also the baptism of the Spirit, since there is only ONE BAPTISM. And the only one that can literally bring about death to sin and living to God and to his righteousness is the one done of the Spirit and not of water. See:

[Matt 3:13-17; Matt 10:11-12; John 1:29-34; Mk 10:37-39; Ac 9:15-18; Acts 10:44-48; Acts 18:7-8; Acts 22:12-16; Rom 6:1-7]

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

An Original Work, Originally posted June 29, 2024

Partially Modified January 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I Urge You to Walk

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV)

A Prisoner for The Lord

This was Paul speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Paul, because he was a preacher of the faith, came under the same scrutiny as did Jesus Christ by the Jews who were opposed to Jesus and to his message. They hounded and harassed him in many of the same ways that they did to Jesus, and they had him beaten and falsely accused of wrongdoing and imprisoned on false charges, and for a very long time. Thus, much of his ministry came in the form of letters while he was serving time in prison for doing good.

But God works all things for good for those who love (obey) God, who are called according to his purposes. And through Paul’s writings and his imprisonment, even more people were reached with the gospel message. And his writings (many or most of them) were included in the Scriptures, and they continued throughout history to teach and to guide us in the ways of the Lord and in his truth and righteousness, and in godly living, for they came from the Lord, and thus they are God’s words to us, his people.

Now, I am no Paul, and my words, although I believe I am being led by the Lord in what to write, are not Scripture, unless I am quoting Scripture. But throughout my life I have experienced some of the same kinds of persecution as did Jesus, and as did Paul, and for being a servant of the Lord, doing his will, speaking his messages from the Scriptures. And as a result of all the persecutions and rejections I faced, the Lord took me out of those “institutional market-driven churches,” and he put me on the internet.

So, whereas I may have been able to share the gospel message and the teachings of the Scriptures in small groupings of people in more localized settings, to some extent, although limited, by the Lord putting me on the internet, and giving me a ministry of writing, the message of the gospel and of the Christian walk of faith has been able to, through me, his servant, reach way more people across the globe. So this is yet another example of how God works all things for good for those who love and obey him.

The Lord had me write about some of my experiences in a book called, “The Church Under Fire,” which can be read here: The Church Under Fire (edited)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LWcasDfyC8mMbKpydGAph29-gcJfopmC/view?usp=sharing

Walk in a Manner Worthy

One of the main thrusts of the ministry to which the Lord has called me is to urge those who profess the name of Jesus to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have all been called, if we are of genuine walks of faith in the Lord Jesus. And our walk is how we live our lives day in and day out. This has to do with our attitudes and our way of thinking and believing, which is then reflected in our actions (behaviors). For what we truly believe will be reflected in what we do, not just by what we speak with our lips.

So, if we are to walk (in conduct, in practice) in a manner worthy (fitting, suitable, appropriate to) the calling to which we have been called of God, what should that look like? Well, first of all, what is that calling? We are called to belong to Christ, as his possession. And we are called to holy living, which means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of the character of Jesus Christ, by the Spirit, if we cooperate fully with his work of grace in transforming us.

And we are called into fellowship (partnership, cooperativeness) with Jesus Christ whereby we no longer walk in sin, but now in righteousness and holiness, by the Spirit. We are called to freedom from addiction to sin and to obedience to our Lord and his commands. We are not called to impurity, but to holiness. We are called out of our bondage to sin to now follow Jesus wherever he leads us in doing his will. For this is what it means to believe in Jesus, to die with him to sin and now walk in obedience to his commands.

[Psalms 139:13-16; Romans 1:6-7; Romans 8:28-29; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 1:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 1:3; Acts 26:18]

And if this is how we perceive what it means to be a Christian, to be a follower of Jesus Christ, whose life is now surrendered to the Lord to do his will, and that our lives are no longer our own to be lived however we want, then this should be reflected in how we live our lives day in and day out, as a matter of practice. For this is what it means to walk worthy of the Lord, to obey him and to follow him in his footsteps in living holy and morally pure lives and no longer to live in sin. For now Jesus is our Lord and Master.

But we are to do this in all humility, not thinking too highly of ourselves, but to think of ourselves with sober and honest judgment, realizing that we are only able to serve the Lord and to do his will because of what Jesus did for us in putting our sins to death with him on that cross so that we can now die with him to sin and live for him and his righteousness, in his power. And I am totally aware of my own inadequacies of my own flesh to be pleasing to God, and that I am only able to do his will because of his grace to me.

And we are not to be harsh and unloving in how we treat others, although we are to speak the truth in love to them. Yet some of them may regard the truth as harsh, but it isn’t our truth, if it is God’s truth which we are relaying. But we are never to compromise the truth of God’s word to spare people’s feelings, but we should be loving and kind without compromise of truth. And unity has to be first unity with the mind of God before we can unify with each other. And that involves all of us submitting to his will for our lives.

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387

I Urge You to Walk

An Original Work / January 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Church Under Fire, We're Not All the Same

Chapter Three

We’re Not All the Same

May 27, 2023

Acts 21,22,23 and Acts 24:1-23 Summary

The apostle Paul was now in Jerusalem, and he was being accused by some Jews of things he did not do. And so the tribune arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. And he was placed in some barracks. But before that, he was given permission to speak and to give his defense. And so he took this opportunity to share his testimony. But when he mentioned how the Lord had sent him to the Gentiles, the people were in an uproar, and they wanted Paul dead.

Then there was a plot to murder Paul, but his nephew caught wind of it and informed Paul who then sent him to tell the tribune, who then sent Paul to the governor Felix. Then, after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, Tertullus, who set their case before the governor against Paul. And then Paul was given permission to speak in his own defense. Then Felix decided to wait until later to decide Paul’s case, and so he ordered him to be kept in custody, but given some liberties.

Now, what is standing out to me about this story relates to a situation I faced in my early 30’s, which I will share, but before that I want to share a couple of verses from Acts 24 that particularly jumped out at me. Paul said:

v. 13: “Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me.”

v. 16: “So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.”

Since I have been reading through the book of Acts, I have been reminded of all of Paul’s suffering for the sake of the gospel. And the Lord is reminding me of the many ways in which I suffered, too, for the sake of the gospel, which all serve as examples of the kinds of sufferings we will face when we commit our lives to Jesus Christ and to his service. And a lot of this suffering will come from those within the gatherings of what is called “church,” and from some pastors and elders of these “churches,” too.

So, without further ado, I am going to share with you a situation in my life which serves as an example, not only of the condition of today’s church here in America, but of the kinds of sufferings we should be facing and/or will yet be facing the closer we get to the Lord’s return, when we choose to follow Jesus in obedience to his commands, and when we desire to do what he has called us to do, because we love him, and because we love our fellow humans, including the body of Christ, those who believe in Jesus Christ.

Suffering for the Gospel

So, the year was 1980. I was pregnant with our fourth child, and I had a prolapse of my uterus and bladder three months into pregnancy, which was extremely rare. By the time I was about five months pregnant I began having many contractions, so the doctor ordered me off of my feet for the remainder of the pregnancy. And our two youngest children had to be placed in daycare. So, I had a lot of time by myself to study the Scriptures and to draw close to my Lord in fellowship with him, and so that is what I did.

But at the end of that year (1980), after our youngest son was born, my husband lost his job, and so we moved back to our hometown which was about 700 miles away. And we returned to the church fellowship we had been attending before we moved 700 miles away from home. 

Now it was 1981, and the pastor was preaching on Spiritual gifts, and he sent around papers for everyone to fill out listing what they believed their spiritual gifts were and what ministries they were interested in. The expectation was then that they would place us in an area of ministry. But, after being back for a year, still no word. So, I contacted the pastor, and he came to our home, and I asked him why I had not heard anything, and then he told me the reasons were that I was (a list of false accusations against me that I don’t recall).

And then he said, “Would you say you have been crucified with Christ?” I answered, “Yes!,” and then he said, “I would say you haven’t!” Wow! And this man and I had never had a conversation before that I recall, so I don’t know where he was getting this idea. But I was crushed! And so I withdrew into my dream world and I escaped because I really believed this man had power over me that God could do nothing about, for I had been abused as a child by my father, and the Lord never rescued me from that abuse.

And then one day I was reading the story of Jonah to my children and the Lord convicted me that I was running away from his calling on my life, and that I needed to get back in there and fight this thing through. And so I contacted one of the elders who was a friend and he and some other elders came to our house and they accused me falsely of things I did not do and of attitudes that were not mine to possess, but which turned out to be their attitudes, and so they were judging me by themselves. 

And they accused me of having earthly and unspiritual wisdom and of wanting to be seen of men. For they falsely assumed that because I wanted to serve my Lord in ministry that it must be because I wanted to be seen of men, for that was their reasons. And so, like Paul, I had to come to my own defense, and I had to declare to them that my motives were pure and that their accusations against me were not founded. 

So next I went to see my friend whose husband was one of the elders, and we talked, and she came up with all kinds of things she thought might be the issue, but I knew wasn’t. And then, as if a lightbulb turned on inside her head she said, “Hon, I know what it is. It is a spirit of fear.” That spirit was oppressing me, so I asked if we could pray for deliverance, and we did, and I felt that spirit leave my presence. 

After that all these memories of my childhood began to surface, and I began to remember things I had forgotten because I was taught to forgive and to forget. But what I did was suppress the memory, but the pain of the abuse of my childhood was still impacting me. I asked my friend what to do, and she didn’t know, and she suggested I ask the pastor, and I said “No, he hates me!” So she called him, and he called me, and he apologized to me for how he treated me. And he said, “As your pastor, I am to be your spiritual father, but I have not been a very good one, but I want to be.” Wow!

Now he encouraged me, that as the memories surfaced, that I was to release them to God and let him heal me, and so that is what I did. And later he apologized to me for himself and for the elders, admitting that they were threatened by me and my wisdom, which was from God, and that they were wrong about me. I accepted his apology, and we became friends. 

Now, not all of my experiences ended that well, but what this experience is an example of is not only the kind of abuse that goes on inside church fellowships coming from church leadership who falsely accuse people of what they did not do, but it is a warning to us against falsely judging others by our own selves, by our own thinking, and by our own personal prejudices, etc. For that is what they did to me. 

So, if we are going to judge, we need to do it by God’s standards, and we need to have proof that someone is truly doing what is wrong. And we need to accept that God didn’t make us all the same.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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The Church Under Fire, We’re Not All the Same

An Original Work / May 27, 2023

Reposted January 29, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Cut! Cut! Cut!

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’” (Mark 9:42-48 ESV)

 

It is a grave sin to willfully (purposefully, deliberately) do or say what you know is going to lead a brother or a sister in Christ to sin against the Lord, particularly those who are young in the faith or who are not yet matured in their walks of faith in the Lord Jesus. So all those pastors out there who are telling the people that all they have to do is profess faith in Jesus and now they are “good to go to heaven,” and that they don’t have to repent of their sins, and they don’t have to obey God, are in BIG TROUBLE with God!

 

All throughout the New Testament Scriptures and the teachings on what constitutes the gospel of our salvation, we are taught that we must die with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily (in practice), that sin is no longer to be what we practice, and that we must now walk in obedience to our Lord and to his New Covenant commands if we want to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God in heaven. But not to earn our salvation, but living out the salvation already provided for us in the power of God at work within us.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

 

So, it is not okay with God for us to deliberately and habitually pursue sinful pleasures and not walks of obedience to our Lord. We who believe in Jesus, in truth, should be those who take sinning against God seriously to the point to where we do everything we know, as directed by the Lord, according to His word, to die with him to sin daily and to pursue righteousness, godliness, holy living, uprightness, honesty, moral purity, faithfulness and obedience to our Lord’s commands – all in the power of God, by his Spirit.

 

So, as drastic as it may sound, you will be a whole lot better off if you are missing an eye or a hand or a leg or a foot, but you maintain a holy and pure walk of faith in the Lord Jesus until he returns for his faithful ones, which is when our salvation will be complete. Yet, I tend to take this passage of Scripture less literally and more figuratively when it comes to cutting off body parts. For our eyes are our judgments (discernments), and our hands are our deeds (behaviors), and our feet are our walks of faith or in sin.

 

So, to me, this is really talking about cutting out of our lives all actions and thinking and behaviors which are contrary to the will of God, and which are sinful, so that we can live holy and morally pure lives in the power of God. And it is cutting out of our lives the things we take into our eyes and minds and hearts and ears on a daily basis which might tempt us to sin against the Lord and lead us into sin. And we replace them with all that is godly and morally pure and loving and kind and submissive and obedient to God.

 

For the Scriptures are very clear on this subject. We are not saved and on our way to heaven on the basis of lip service only to the Lord. We must deny self, die to sin daily, and walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power. For if sin is what we practice (our habit, addiction), and if walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands are not what we practice (deliberately and habitually), then we will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, regardless of what faith in Jesus we have professed with our lips.

 

The Spirit Calling

 

An Original Work / November 12, 2019

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Hear the Spirit calling.

He’ll keep you from falling.

Tenderly He’s calling,

“Come and follow Him.”

 

Walk with Jesus daily.

Don’t give in to lazy.

Folks may call you crazy.

Fellowship with Him.

 

Follow where He leads you.

Eat what Jesus feeds you.

His love will renew you

If you follow Him.

 

Do what Jesus tells you.

Don’t let your faith fail you.

His love will avail you

If you walk with Him.

 

Jesus, Lord and Savior,

Reigneth now forever.

He gave us His favor

So we’d live with Him.

 

Turning now from our sin,

Holy Spirit live-in.

Holiness we walk in,

Purified by Him.

 

https://vimeo.com/373006449

 

Cut! Cut! Cut!

An Original Work / January 29, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

In Fairytale Land Now

Once upon a time in fairytale land,

Oh, let’s back that up..

Now upon this time in fairytale land,

Many are convinced that life on earth is grand.

Smartphones now in tow, and internet galore,

All that entertains, abundances and more.

All about what’s fun, let’s laugh ‘til day goes by,

Telling all their jokes, poke fun at others’ lives.

Live in unreal world, in movies and in books,

Entertainment world has you now on its hook.

Not reality, not matters what to God,

Not about His plan, His death our freedom won.

All about the self, what pleases flesh desires,

Not about the Lord and what His Word requires.

But God created us, not so we live for self,

His plan for our lives – put self up on the shelf.

Live now for the Lord, thus, now to do His will,

Do not live your life for entertainment’s thrill.

Give your all to God, to follow in His ways,

Do this not just once, but all throughout your days.

Let Him be your Lord, now let Him rule your heart,

Not from faith in Him should you now ever part.

An Original Work / January 29, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

And Servant of All

“And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’” (Mark 9:35 ESV)

 

What does that look like? It looks like Jesus Christ, for one, and the kind of life that he lived when he lived on this earth. He lived an unselfish life committed to ministering to the needs of others, even at the cost of being hated, rejected, persecuted, and then murdered by the people who did not like him and who wanted him removed from their sight. He did the will of God, and he shared with the people the truth which could save their souls from hell, even at the cost of being mistreated and misunderstood.

 

It means that we put the true needs of others above ourselves and above how they might treat us, in return. We don’t do what we do for the praise of humans and to get “likes,” but we do what we do to honor and to glorify the Lord and to show love and compassion and caring for the people of the world, and for our fellow Christians. Our lives are committed to serving the Lord and to doing his will, even if it means being hated, persecuted, cast aside as unwanted, rejected, and killed for the sake of the gospel.

 

And that is because it isn’t about us. It isn’t about our needs being met. It isn’t about if people will like us, or not, or if they will think that we are great, or not. It isn’t about human approval at all. It is about doing what is right and what is needed and what is necessary to meet the true needs of people and to obey the Lord and to do his will. It is about self-sacrifice and not selfish indulgence in worldly pleasures. It is thinking about the true needs of others above our own needs because we love the people of this world.

 

This is how we are to live our lives as followers of Jesus Christ in doing the will of God and in showing love both to God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and to our fellow humans. And it makes no compromises with the world or with the flesh in order that the world might like us and not think us to be odd (strange). This kind of unselfish love sticks our necks out on the line time and time again in order to show love and compassion to the people of this world, even if we are kicked to the curb and treated like dirt, in return.

 

“And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’” (Mark 9:36-37 ESV)

 

And this isn’t just about receiving physical children, but this includes receiving the children of God who are followers of Jesus Christ. And this is about humility and love and compassion and caring for one another’s needs, and ministering God’s love and grace, even if our own needs are not being met. This is about showing love to our fellow Christians, even ones we disagree with. And showing biblical love to others includes speaking the truth in love to one another for their benefit, for their good, because we love them, and because we care more about them than how they treat us.

 

How we treat other people is how we treat Jesus Christ. And being honest with other people is how we are to treat Christ, for we are to be honest with God, too, although he knows when we aren’t being honest. But being honest has to be coupled with love and compassion, and it needs to be based on truth and righteousness, and it should not be expressions of bitterness and resentment and all that comes from selfish motives and which is intended to hurt other people. For we are to speak the truth in love to one another.

 

Basically, what this is talking about is loving people with the love of Jesus. He is our model, our example for how we are to love one another. And he told people the truth about themselves and about himself and what he requires of us in the way of thought and deed and obedience. And he ministered to their true needs in a manner in which was good for them and not to do them harm, and not to pacify them in their sins, and not to lie to them just so they will feel good about him. So love as Jesus loves us.

 

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

 

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

 

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

 

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

 

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

 

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

 

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

And Servant of All

An Original Work / January 29, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love