To The Chosen Lady

“The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.” (2 John 1:1-4 NASB1995)

Now, we do not know for certain who the “chosen lady and her children” actually were, if she was a literal woman, and perhaps the church met at her house, or if she was the church, the body of Christ, in a particular location, which met at someone’s house. There are differences of thought on that.

The apostle John is the elder who is addressing “the chosen lady.” And an elder (also referred to as an overseer) in the church is someone who rules over the people of God, some of whom work hard at preaching and teaching. The elders serve in positions of spiritual leaders within the body of Christ, who are responsible for the oversight and leadership of the church, who are to shepherd the flock, providing spiritual and biblical guidance to the sheep of our Lord’s pasture. And they have to meet certain spiritual qualifications.

They must be men of God, who are mature in their walks of faith in obedience to the Lord, and who are no longer walking in sin. They must be above reproach, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, able to teach, not drunkards, not violent. They must not be recent converts, not arrogant, not quick-tempered, but upright, holy, and disciplined. They must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught (in context), so that they may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and to rebuke all contradictions, etc.

And they might go by different titles such as elder, pastor, or bishop, etc. But they are not God, and they are not kings, and they should not be cult leaders, though many of them are these days. And in shepherding the flock of God, in exercising oversight, what they do must first of all align with the teachings of the Scriptures and not with modern-day marketing schemes and business models for how to “grow their churches.” And they are not be domineering, but they are to be examples to the flock by how they live.

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

And they are to be those who are spiritually equipping the saints of God, his holy people, for the work of service (ministry), to the building up of the body of Christ to spiritual maturity in Christ so that we will not be led astray by charlatans and wolves in sheep’s clothing in their cunning and craftiness and deceitful scheming, many of whom serve in positions of elder and pastor and Bible teacher within the gatherings of the church. But they are to protect us from the lies of the enemy by refuting the lies and teaching us the full truth.

And as shepherd’s of the sheep, not only are they to be leading us in the ways of righteousness and holiness, in godly and morally pure living, teaching us that faith in Jesus Christ requires that we die with Christ to sin and that we now walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, but they must be setting the example before us by how they live, in practice. And then they need to be engaging us in the work of the ministry, for we are all to be ministers of Christ, encouraging one another, and sharing the gospel.

So, as those who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, who have died with Christ to sin and who are now walking in obedience to his commands, by the grace of God, in the power of God, we are to be the children of God who are walking in the truth, as God has commanded us that we must do. And we know the truth by reading the Scriptures for ourselves, in reliable biblical translations, in context, comparing Scripture with Scripture. For, especially as it regards the gospel message, it should not contradict itself.

But we must read the Scriptures under the direction of the Holy Spirit, who is dwelling within us who are of genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded and God-honoring faith in Jesus Christ. And then, in the power of God, by his grace, we are to be putting into practice the instructions that our Lord has for his church, his body, made up of all who believe in the Lord in truth and in righteousness, which is evidenced by them denying self, dying to sin, and now walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in practice, in his power.

[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; 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 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

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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To The Chosen Lady

An Original Work / May 2, 2025 

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love