Deceived and Being Deceived

[Christsfreeservant]

“You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:10-15 ESV)​

I believe the Lord Jesus would want me to share here a personal example of such persecution as this from my own experience. And I will state ahead of time that this situation is not necessarily an exact duplicate of Paul’s experience, but that there are similarities and some parallels. For this does have to do with deception and false (misleading) teachings of the Scriptures based on man-made religion and not on the truth of the Scriptures. For many are altering the Scriptures to fit with their own personal preferences.

A few years ago I was watching and listening to another woman’s online (live) Bible studies. This was a person that I knew, so she was not a stranger to me. And I had written her several encouraging responses to some of her Bible studies. But then she misquoted Matthew 7:21-23, primarily verse 21 which says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (but he who is doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens).

But she changed the wording to say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who is in relationship with me.” And this was to fit in with her theology of being saved and on our way to heaven based on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ which is absent of God’s requirements of us that we must die with him to sin and now walk (in conduct) with him in obedience to his commands in daily practice. Sin and disobedience to our Lord, in practice, should no longer be what we do.

Now this woman had thousands of people following her online, but I did not know how many of them were watching her morning devotions. But she was leading them astray by telling them that they could believe in Jesus and be guaranteed heaven when they die but that obedience to God and to his commands is not required of them for salvation because that is works, and we are not saved by our works. It is true - our own fleshly works do not save us, but God requires works as part of us living the salvation he provided.

See: [Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:44; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:24; Rom 11:17-24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 1:8-9; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 3:6,14-15; 1 Pet 1:5,9; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

So the Lord led me to write to her privately and to ask her just 3 questions: 1. How approachable are you? 2. How committed are you to making certain that what you are teaching the people is the whole counsel of God? 3. Are you open to having your words tested against the Scriptures?

Well, she responded with hostility, and she said she was not approachable and that she is not willing to have her words tested against the Scriptures. Then she got very defensive. She felt that having someone test her words against the Scriptures would be a deterrent and might keep her from saying anything at all. And then I mentioned that we who teach the Scriptures should make ourselves open to have our words tested because we want to be certain that what we are teaching is the truth.

I mentioned that she had misquoted a Scripture which is “a life and death situation” if the people that she teaches believe it wrongly. She responded back by telling me that my “life and death” comment was disturbing to her because comments like that turn people away from teaching and spreading God’s word. She wanted me to just encourage her and she felt that I was rebuking her instead. And then she told me that I should not be the reason someone runs from spreading the word instead of embracing it.

The next morning I sensed that I was to listen to her next devotion, so I did. The passage was from James about confessing our sins one to the other so that we may be healed, and about the prayer of the righteous person. She focused on the subject of prayer and did not talk about confessing our sins one to the other, as I recall. But then she spent about 20 to 25 minutes blasting me, although publicly she did not name me, though she did talk to some people privately about me and she may have named me to them.

She admitted publicly that she is not approachable, and she said that the Scriptures do not say anything about us testing one another and what we teach against the Scriptures, and so she said publicly that she did not want anyone testing her words against the Scriptures. But, in the same sentence, she told them that they could challenge her if they thought she was wrong, but then she went right back to saying that they had better not try testing her words against the Scriptures.

Then she claimed that what she was teaching was straight from the Scriptures and she went off on how we are saved merely by a profession of faith in Jesus and not by works. And since I said nothing of that at all to her, I believed she knew the Scripture she misquoted, and why she misquoted it, that it was because it did not fit in with her “not by works” theology. She was very hostile in what she said about me, and she took a lot of liberties in how she described our conversation. And she was definitely trying to paint herself as the persecuted and me as her persecutor. End of story.

All this came about because I asked her those three questions. But all of us should ask ourselves those 3 questions:

1. How approachable are you?​

2. How committed are you to making certain that what you are teaching the people is the whole counsel of God?​

3. Are you open to having your words tested against the Scriptures?​

For if we are going to be teachers of the Scriptures, or merely those who are sharing the message of the gospel, as we understand it, with others, we should be diligent about making certain that we are teaching the whole counsel of God and not a diluted and altered gospel message which uses Scriptures out of context to support their theologies. And if we teach the truth, and not the lies, and if we confront the lies, we are likely to be persecuted by those who do not accept the gospel that Jesus taught.

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!

Deceiving and Being Deceived
An Original Work / February 12, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

[Jo555]

“You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:10-15 ESV)​

I believe the Lord Jesus would want me to share here a personal example of such persecution as this from my own experience. And I will state ahead of time that this situation is not necessarily an exact duplicate of Paul’s experience, but that there are similarities and some parallels. For this does have to do with deception and false (misleading) teachings of the Scriptures based on man-made religion and not on the truth of the Scriptures. For many are altering the Scriptures to fit with their own personal preferences.

A few years ago I was watching and listening to another woman’s online (live) Bible studies. This was a person that I knew, so she was not a stranger to me. And I had written her several encouraging responses to some of her Bible studies. But then she misquoted Matthew 7:21-23, primarily verse 21 which says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (but he who is doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens).

But she changed the wording to say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who is in relationship with me.” And this was to fit in with her theology of being saved and on our way to heaven based on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ which is absent of God’s requirements of us that we must die with him to sin and now walk (in conduct) with him in obedience to his commands in daily practice. Sin and disobedience to our Lord, in practice, should no longer be what we do.

Now this woman had thousands of people following her online, but I did not know how many of them were watching her morning devotions. But she was leading them astray by telling them that they could believe in Jesus and be guaranteed heaven when they die but that obedience to God and to his commands is not required of them for salvation because that is works, and we are not saved by our works. It is true - our own fleshly works do not save us, but God requires works as part of us living the salvation he provided.

See: [Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:44; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:24; Rom 11:17-24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 1:8-9; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 3:6,14-15; 1 Pet 1:5,9; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

So the Lord led me to write to her privately and to ask her just 3 questions: 1. How approachable are you? 2. How committed are you to making certain that what you are teaching the people is the whole counsel of God? 3. Are you open to having your words tested against the Scriptures?

Well, she responded with hostility, and she said she was not approachable and that she is not willing to have her words tested against the Scriptures. Then she got very defensive. She felt that having someone test her words against the Scriptures would be a deterrent and might keep her from saying anything at all. And then I mentioned that we who teach the Scriptures should make ourselves open to have our words tested because we want to be certain that what we are teaching is the truth.

I mentioned that she had misquoted a Scripture which is “a life and death situation” if the people that she teaches believe it wrongly. She responded back by telling me that my “life and death” comment was disturbing to her because comments like that turn people away from teaching and spreading God’s word. She wanted me to just encourage her and she felt that I was rebuking her instead. And then she told me that I should not be the reason someone runs from spreading the word instead of embracing it.

The next morning I sensed that I was to listen to her next devotion, so I did. The passage was from James about confessing our sins one to the other so that we may be healed, and about the prayer of the righteous person. She focused on the subject of prayer and did not talk about confessing our sins one to the other, as I recall. But then she spent about 20 to 25 minutes blasting me, although publicly she did not name me, though she did talk to some people privately about me and she may have named me to them.

She admitted publicly that she is not approachable, and she said that the Scriptures do not say anything about us testing one another and what we teach against the Scriptures, and so she said publicly that she did not want anyone testing her words against the Scriptures. But, in the same sentence, she told them that they could challenge her if they thought she was wrong, but then she went right back to saying that they had better not try testing her words against the Scriptures.

Then she claimed that what she was teaching was straight from the Scriptures and she went off on how we are saved merely by a profession of faith in Jesus and not by works. And since I said nothing of that at all to her, I believed she knew the Scripture she misquoted, and why she misquoted it, that it was because it did not fit in with her “not by works” theology. She was very hostile in what she said about me, and she took a lot of liberties in how she described our conversation. And she was definitely trying to paint herself as the persecuted and me as her persecutor. End of story.

All this came about because I asked her those three questions. But all of us should ask ourselves those 3 questions:

1. How approachable are you?​

2. How committed are you to making certain that what you are teaching the people is the whole counsel of God?​

3. Are you open to having your words tested against the Scriptures?​

For if we are going to be teachers of the Scriptures, or merely those who are sharing the message of the gospel, as we understand it, with others, we should be diligent about making certain that we are teaching the whole counsel of God and not a diluted and altered gospel message which uses Scriptures out of context to support their theologies. And if we teach the truth, and not the lies, and if we confront the lies, we are likely to be persecuted by those who do not accept the gospel that Jesus taught.

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!

Deceiving and Being Deceived
An Original Work / February 12, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

She should have been open, but I also know there are two sides to a story. I feel like I know you some and you have come across as someone that loves the Lord's people and his Word.

The topic of works is near and dear to many believers hearts because it is a matter of salvation. That's a biggie.

I personally see that we are saved by grace, through faith, unto good works.

The distinction in works is, if you are counting on works to save you, then you have fallen from grace.

Works, like fruit, is the evidence and result of our salvation. If we have neither, then we need to examine if we are in the faith.

Now I have had a similar situation on a certain forum. I have a person that pops up after me questioning what I say, often disagreeing. I'll share one, two, maybe even three times, but it appears to me that this person is more interested being contentious. To go on endlessly is of no use, and it often leads to egomania where the love is lost and it then becomes more about who wins. It then becomes a bunch of annoying noise, 1 cor 13. That is not of God.

Here is the thing. The last time this happened I even said, yeah, agreeing with this person on two issues, but they didn't seem to hear that because they seemed more intent on discord and they brought up the same point again. It's like they just didn't want to agree even when I agreed with them. Maybe I'm wrong about what motivated them. Only God truly knows. Just saying, why continue to argue on a point that someone gave you already.

I don't believe in going on like that because that is not of God and just looks bad to all who witness it, and isn't that what the enemy wants, to discredit us and make us look bad to the world.

So you love them, but don't let them derail you and move on.

Just another perspective as I've come across this before, and more recently again, and it's just damaging to all, imo.

You have to know when to share and how much, then let the Lord's Spirit work instead of going on forever trying to play Holy Spirit in others lives.

And in my opinion, no one wins in that situation, but the devil.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

She should have been open, but I also know there are two sides to a story. I feel like I know you some and you have come across as someone that loves the Lord's people and his Word.

The topic of works is near and dear to many believers hearts because it is a matter of salvation. That's a biggie.

I personally see that we are saved by grace, through faith, unto good works.

The distinction in works is, if you are counting on works to save you, then you have fallen from grace.

Works, like fruit, is the evidence and result of our salvation. If we have neither, then we need to examine if we are in the faith.

Now I have had a similar situation on a certain forum. I have a person that pops up after me questioning what I say, often disagreeing. I'll share one, two, maybe even three times, but it appears to that this person is more interested being contentious. To go on endlessly is of no use, and it often leads to egomania where the love is lost and it then becomes more about who wins. It then becomes a bunch of annoying noise, 1 cor 13. That is not God.

Here is the thing. The last time this happened I even said, yeah, agreeing with this person on two issues, but they didn't seem to hear that because they seemed more intent on discord and they brought up the same point again. It's like they just didn't want to agree even when I agreed with them.

I don't believe in going on like that because that is not of God and just looks bad to all who witness it, and isn't that what the enemy wants, to discredit us and make us look bad to the world.

So you love them, but don't let them derail you and move on.

Just another perspective as I've come across this before, and more recently again, and it's just damaging to all, imo.

You have to know when to share and how much, then let the Lord's Spirit work instead of going on forever trying to play Holy Spirit in others lives.

Thank you for sharing. Yes, we don't do works to try to earn our salvation. But salvation that is of God requires that we obey God and that we don't live in sin, in practice. And God has works for us to do as his workmanship that are of him and are empowered by him and we are to obey him. If we don’t obey him, in practice, we do not have life in him.

 

[Jo555]

Thank you for sharing. Yes, we don't do works to try to earn our salvation. But salvation that is of God requires that we obey God and that we don't live in sin, in practice. And God has works for us to do as his workmanship that are of him and are empowered by him and we are to obey him. If we don’t obey him, in practice, we do not have life in him.

I hear you, and I'm going to share one more time on it because as I said, don't care to go on about it.

The problem I see in stressing obedience is that it comes across as works for salvation. Jesus said if we love him we are to keep his commandments. The issue is really a matter of love. If we love God with all and neighbor as self, we walk in obedience to Him, and this is only possible by not relying on our own power and works, but in humility recognizing we can't of ourselves and must rely on his Spirit who drives us by his love. Otherwise we are trying to peddle uphill, but his love gives us wings to soar.

Anyway, love your heart for the Lord and his people.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

I hear you, and I'm going to share one more time on it because as I said, don't care to go on about it.

The problem I see in stressing obedience is that it comes across as works for salvation. Jesus said if we love him we are to keep his commandments. The issue is really a matter of love. If we love God with all and neighbor as self, we walk in obedience to Him, and this is only possible by not relying on our own power and works, but in humility recognizing we can't of ourselves and must rely on his Spirit who drives us by his love. Otherwise we are trying to peddle uphill, but his love gives us wings to soar.

Anyway, love your heart for the Lord and his people.

We don't teach the Scriptures according to how they might come across to other people. We teach them as they are taught in the Scriptures. We don’t alter them out of concern of how others might receive them. If they stress obedience as necessary for salvation, so should we. Thank you for your comments.

 

[Jo555]

Thank you for sharing. Yes, we don't do works to try to earn our salvation. But salvation that is of God requires that we obey God and that we don't live in sin, in practice. And God has works for us to do as his workmanship that are of him and are empowered by him and we are to obey him. If we don’t obey him, in practice, we do not have life in him.

I hear you, and I'm going to share one more time on it because as I said, don't care to go on about it.

The problem I see in stressing obedience is that it comes across as works for salvation. Jesus said if we love him we are to keep his commandments. The issue is really a matter of love. If we love God with all and neighbor as self, we walk in obedience to Him, and this is only possible by not relying on our own power and works, but in humility recognizing we can't of ourselves and must rely on his Spirit who drives us by his love. Otherwise we are trying to peddle uphill, but his love gives us wings to soar.

Anyway, love your heart for the Lord and his people.

I hear you, and I'm going to share one more time on it because as I said, don't care to go on about it.

The problem I see in stressing obedience is that it comes across as works for salvation. Jesus said if we love him we are to keep his commandments. The issue is really a matter of love. If we love God with all and neighbor as self, we walk in obedience to Him, and this is only possible by not relying on our own power and works, but in humility recognizing we can't of ourselves and must rely on his Spirit who drives us by his love. Otherwise we are trying to peddle uphill, but his love gives us wings to soar.

Anyway, love your heart for the Lord and his peopl

We don't teach the Scriptures according to how they might come across to other people. We teach them as they are taught in the Scriptures. We don’t alter them out of concern of how others might receive them. If they stress obedience as necessary for salvation, so should we. Thank you for your comments.

I agree. Therefore what did Jesus say? To love the Lord with all, and neighbor as self. And, in these two commandments are all commandments fulfilled.

No one is twisting scripture, but i see how my wording came across as trying to accommodate others.

So, let me state clearly that what I see in this continuous stress of obedience is often accompanied by leaven. That is how I see it.

Sone proclaim they are not promoting counting on works to save, but when I read it, it does look like what they are doing. So when i say looks like, I'm trying to give the person the benefit of the doubt.

Does not the word of God say that to love the Lord with all, and neighbor as self fulfill the commandments?

Does not the word clearly state that we are saved by grace, through faith, and not of works?

Ephesians 2:
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 3:
28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

If you'd like. I'm open to lovingly debate this matter. But if we disagree on a matter, we'll eventually have to agree to disagree.

 

[Jo555]

Furthermore, you appear to be accusing me of purposely twisting scripture to accommodate others.

If that is what you did with her, no wonder she shut you off

I speak what God has laid on my heart. to stress love by his Spirit, for when we love we obey.

The fallen natural man is at enmity with God and cannot obey God. He doesn't love God and never will. It is the Spirit's work that causes us to love and as a result, walk in obedience.

 

[Jo555]

I should also add on that it is important to be led by the Spirit even when we share the word. In my knowledge of scripture there was much said against legalism by the apostles, then wrapping it up with a warning not to abuse grace for we will reap what we sow.

Now James appears to take a different approach and stresses fruits and works as the evidence of genuine faith. From reading that book it appears that he was dealing with people that were professing being in the faith, but had no fruits and good works as evidence.

I walk into some places and as I said, some appear to be drowning in guilt and condemnation, they say so. And also of their own admission, they the can't face God in prayer.

In these instances, within, I don't feel led to continue to stress how they need to leave their sin and just continue to try harder and harder. By their own admission they have shown that they know they need to turn from sin and want to, and feel so awful and ashamed about it they can't even turn to God in prayer.

What?!

That's not Christ and his Spirit working in their life.

 

[Jo555]

Keep hitting that post button too soon.

If I walk into a place and people appear to be drowning in legalism and the defeat that comes with that, not to mention the shame and condemnation, i feel compelled to share the difference between the way of old and the way of new and how they can't move forward by looking to the old.

If I walk into a place and the people are proudly practicing sin and teaching others to do so, I may say this is shameful. Depends on what the Lord lays on my heart.

But I agree, if we are just teaching to the general public, it should be inclusive of all.

Sometimes though we are teaching in progression and others may want you to jump from A to Z and you need to say, not done yet.

Sometimes we are just giving a summary too and more can be said.

 

[Jo555]

Furthermore, you appear to be accusing me of purposely twisting scripture to accommodate others.

If that is what you did with her, no wonder she shut you off

ead speak what God has laid on my heart. to stress love by his Spirit, for when we love we obey.

The fallen natural man is at enmity with God and cannot obey God. He doesn't love God and never will. It is the Spirit's work that causes us to love and as a result, walk in obedience.

Just wanted to say I apologize if I misread your intentions. Wasn't sure, just how it came across to me at the time.

What is most important is that you love the Lord's people and have a heart for them, and my heart cries out for them too, especially when they appear bound by legalism and are hiding from God in shame. That's heartbreaking for me.

From that love we share for others, and in humility, God's Spirit will work and straighten for us what needs to be straightened.

Thank you and Happy Valentine's Day to all.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Just wanted to say I apologize if I misread your intentions. Wasn't sure, just how it came across to me at the time.

What is most important is that you love the Lord's people and have a heart for them, and my heart cries out for them too, especially when they appear bound by legalism and are hiding from God in shame. That's heartbreaking for me.

From that love we share for others, and in humility, God's Spirit will work and straighten for us what needs to be straightened.

Thank you and Happy Valentine's Day to all.

Apology accepted.

 

[Jo555]

Great! I don't know why people don't apologize more often. I find it can be very healing for the recipient, if they are open to it.

I believe it is because people feel it is an admission of guilt and there is nothing to apologize for if they feel they did nothing wrong. Nonetheless, even if we are more right in word or deed, we can be more wrong at heart.

Spreading 1 Corinthians 13 for Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Great! I don't know why people don't apologize more often. I find it can be very healing for the recipient, if they are open to it.

I believe it is because people feel it is an admission of guilt and there is nothing to apologize for if they feel they did nothing wrong. Nonetheless, even if we are more right in word or deed, we can be more wrong at heart.

Spreading 1 Corinthians 13 for Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Thank you.

 

[Johan2222]

“You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:10-15 ESV)​

I believe the Lord Jesus would want me to share here a personal example of such persecution as this from my own experience. And I will state ahead of time that this situation is not necessarily an exact duplicate of Paul’s experience, but that there are similarities and some parallels. For this does have to do with deception and false (misleading) teachings of the Scriptures based on man-made religion and not on the truth of the Scriptures. For many are altering the Scriptures to fit with their own personal preferences.

A few years ago I was watching and listening to another woman’s online (live) Bible studies. This was a person that I knew, so she was not a stranger to me. And I had written her several encouraging responses to some of her Bible studies. But then she misquoted Matthew 7:21-23, primarily verse 21 which says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (but he who is doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens).

But she changed the wording to say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who is in relationship with me.” And this was to fit in with her theology of being saved and on our way to heaven based on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ which is absent of God’s requirements of us that we must die with him to sin and now walk (in conduct) with him in obedience to his commands in daily practice. Sin and disobedience to our Lord, in practice, should no longer be what we do.

Now this woman had thousands of people following her online, but I did not know how many of them were watching her morning devotions. But she was leading them astray by telling them that they could believe in Jesus and be guaranteed heaven when they die but that obedience to God and to his commands is not required of them for salvation because that is works, and we are not saved by our works. It is true - our own fleshly works do not save us, but God requires works as part of us living the salvation he provided.

See: [Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:44; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:24; Rom 11:17-24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 1:8-9; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 3:6,14-15; 1 Pet 1:5,9; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

So the Lord led me to write to her privately and to ask her just 3 questions: 1. How approachable are you? 2. How committed are you to making certain that what you are teaching the people is the whole counsel of God? 3. Are you open to having your words tested against the Scriptures?

Well, she responded with hostility, and she said she was not approachable and that she is not willing to have her words tested against the Scriptures. Then she got very defensive. She felt that having someone test her words against the Scriptures would be a deterrent and might keep her from saying anything at all. And then I mentioned that we who teach the Scriptures should make ourselves open to have our words tested because we want to be certain that what we are teaching is the truth.

I mentioned that she had misquoted a Scripture which is “a life and death situation” if the people that she teaches believe it wrongly. She responded back by telling me that my “life and death” comment was disturbing to her because comments like that turn people away from teaching and spreading God’s word. She wanted me to just encourage her and she felt that I was rebuking her instead. And then she told me that I should not be the reason someone runs from spreading the word instead of embracing it.

The next morning I sensed that I was to listen to her next devotion, so I did. The passage was from James about confessing our sins one to the other so that we may be healed, and about the prayer of the righteous person. She focused on the subject of prayer and did not talk about confessing our sins one to the other, as I recall. But then she spent about 20 to 25 minutes blasting me, although publicly she did not name me, though she did talk to some people privately about me and she may have named me to them.

She admitted publicly that she is not approachable, and she said that the Scriptures do not say anything about us testing one another and what we teach against the Scriptures, and so she said publicly that she did not want anyone testing her words against the Scriptures. But, in the same sentence, she told them that they could challenge her if they thought she was wrong, but then she went right back to saying that they had better not try testing her words against the Scriptures.

Then she claimed that what she was teaching was straight from the Scriptures and she went off on how we are saved merely by a profession of faith in Jesus and not by works. And since I said nothing of that at all to her, I believed she knew the Scripture she misquoted, and why she misquoted it, that it was because it did not fit in with her “not by works” theology. She was very hostile in what she said about me, and she took a lot of liberties in how she described our conversation. And she was definitely trying to paint herself as the persecuted and me as her persecutor. End of story.

All this came about because I asked her those three questions. But all of us should ask ourselves those 3 questions:

1. How approachable are you?​

2. How committed are you to making certain that what you are teaching the people is the whole counsel of God?​

3. Are you open to having your words tested against the Scriptures?​

For if we are going to be teachers of the Scriptures, or merely those who are sharing the message of the gospel, as we understand it, with others, we should be diligent about making certain that we are teaching the whole counsel of God and not a diluted and altered gospel message which uses Scriptures out of context to support their theologies. And if we teach the truth, and not the lies, and if we confront the lies, we are likely to be persecuted by those who do not accept the gospel that Jesus taught.

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!

Deceiving and Being Deceived
An Original Work / February 12, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Thank you.

Forgive my disagreement with your assessment but I must also share what I believe Christ would want me to share.

Christ prescribed a method for exposing sin in the body and it did not include providing anonymous “he said, she said” long winded accounts of our various experiences with people who disagree with us.

Not only do such things edify nobody, but they detract from the teachings Christ exhorted us to focus on.

As you may have noticed, they also encourage likeminded copycats with similar experiences and even stumble others into providing surety for things that not only have no value but have not been established by witnesses.

Furthermore, to describe someone’s rejection of your counsel as “persecution” is an exaggeration, revealing a heart we are all prone to, and which the wise will certainly appraise us of at the slightest sign of it. Luke 16.15

But the heart that walks in the rejoicing commanded of us in such circumstances is the one we strive for and hopefully you can agree that such a post does not reveal it. Matthew 5.12.

I think, if you are honest with yourself, you will see that reviling is probably as far as you can go in assessing the response that you received and although that should perhaps not arouse as much rejoicing in you as persecution, it is certainly cause for that, and your post only serves to negate any evidence of that testimony.

I know that if you walk in the truth in spirit and in truth in all things considering the exhortation of Philippians 4.8, you will be unable to write such things for the joy of the reward of your father who sees in secret and who has rewarded you openly.

There are several aspects to our ministry, not limited to evangelisation, edification, confronting sin, encouragement, exhortation and prophecy, but there is no value in, nor any call to provide long “he said, she said” accounts about encounters with anonymous wolves troubling the flock.

Indeed, in the last days when the love of men has grown cold and they refuse to receive sound doctrine, but heap to themselves teachers who teach them what they wish to hear, this site should be overrun with such accounts if the faithful were here and there was any value in such things.

All it does is encourage others who are quick to speak and slow to hear to promote folly and further their errant interpretations of scripture.

Those within gain nothing from such things and the weaker among them are only encouraged to do likewise, while those without are stumbled seeing the division and discord in those whose lives are supposed to be full of joy and unity.

If you consider the teaching of the beatitudes you may see that after Christ gave that sermon there was nothing else that he needed to teach, and why would you expect any different from the son of God? Do you think he would have left there without telling us what we needed to know to become “great in the kingdom of heaven”?

The only reason he had to teach anything else or perform miracles was because we were faithless and loveless and rebellious and unbelieving.

Christ told us what our focus should be and in the days when rebellion is all around you and sin has overrun the body, as the tares overrun a field of wheat after 2000 years, that instruction has become more important than ever before.

Matthew 5:19 NKJV
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew chapter 5-7.