Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 4,209
Paul and Barnabas were on their missionary journey. They were being persecuted in one place, and so they fled to some other cities. In Lystra Paul was instrumental in the healing of a man who had no strength in his feet. The natives then began to raise Paul and Barnabas up as though they were gods, but Paul and Barnabas strongly discouraged them from doing so.
“But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe. After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’ When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” (Acts 14:19-23 NASB1995)
How quickly human beings, in the flesh, can be persuaded to turn from going one direction to the exact opposite direction, and from supporting one person or group of people, to rejecting those same people. All it takes is the persuasion of some jealous, hateful, and/or lying voices to turn even your neighbors, friends, acquaintances, family, and even the church against you. And we can look at the example of how the crowds so quickly went from praising Jesus to calling for his crucifixion, as a prime example of this.
This is one of the reasons why gossip is so dangerous, for so many people so easily believe rumors, and then draw their own conclusions based on those rumors. For example, when I was in high school there was this boy that I liked. We were just friends. Then one day he stopped speaking to me, and he began ignoring me, and I was not a courageous person then who had the nerve to ask him why. But it hurt me deeply. And then, maybe a year later, he admitted to me that he had believed some false rumors about me.
And, then take the internet and social media of today. So much of what is on social media is propaganda and lies being spread. There is so much fakery. But there are also many gullible people who see a meme or a story and they assume that it is true. But anything can be and is being photoshopped, faked, altered, and AI generated to look real, and to be believable. But then you learn that it was all lies. But then many people convince people that the truth is the lie, and that the lie is the truth. It is a mixed up world, for sure!
But this is one of the ways in which the devil gets people to believe the lies and to reject the truth, and to believe the liars, and to reject the truth tellers, and to cast off those who are of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus, while embracing the liars and the deceivers, as though they are the “good guys.” He gets his servants and messengers to spread the lies and to make the lies look like truth and kindness and all that is good, while painting the truth tellers as legalists, teachers of works salvation, and as unloving and hateful.
So, just because it looks good and it sounds good and it feels good to the human emotions, it does not mean that it is good for the human soul. For many lies feel good, for many lies are telling people that God’s grace accepts a mere profession of faith in Christ Jesus as a guarantee of forgiveness of all sins and of heaven as their eternal destiny. It sounds good. It feels good. And it appears to be biblical, but it is Scripture being taught out of context and twisted to say what it does not teach if taught it the correct context.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
And if you are someone who is believing, in practice, what Jesus taught, and what his New Testament apostles taught in agreement with the teachings of Christ, if taught in the correct biblical context, and if you are someone who is sharing the truth that Jesus and his apostles taught, then you should prepare yourself that you might be treated as Jesus was, and as his apostles were treated. For, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” So, keep speaking the truth, and do not fear the opposition.
Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; 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 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
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
Caution: This link may contain ads
People Will Turn On You
An Original Work / September 11, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe. After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’ When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” (Acts 14:19-23 NASB1995)
How quickly human beings, in the flesh, can be persuaded to turn from going one direction to the exact opposite direction, and from supporting one person or group of people, to rejecting those same people. All it takes is the persuasion of some jealous, hateful, and/or lying voices to turn even your neighbors, friends, acquaintances, family, and even the church against you. And we can look at the example of how the crowds so quickly went from praising Jesus to calling for his crucifixion, as a prime example of this.
This is one of the reasons why gossip is so dangerous, for so many people so easily believe rumors, and then draw their own conclusions based on those rumors. For example, when I was in high school there was this boy that I liked. We were just friends. Then one day he stopped speaking to me, and he began ignoring me, and I was not a courageous person then who had the nerve to ask him why. But it hurt me deeply. And then, maybe a year later, he admitted to me that he had believed some false rumors about me.
And, then take the internet and social media of today. So much of what is on social media is propaganda and lies being spread. There is so much fakery. But there are also many gullible people who see a meme or a story and they assume that it is true. But anything can be and is being photoshopped, faked, altered, and AI generated to look real, and to be believable. But then you learn that it was all lies. But then many people convince people that the truth is the lie, and that the lie is the truth. It is a mixed up world, for sure!
But this is one of the ways in which the devil gets people to believe the lies and to reject the truth, and to believe the liars, and to reject the truth tellers, and to cast off those who are of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus, while embracing the liars and the deceivers, as though they are the “good guys.” He gets his servants and messengers to spread the lies and to make the lies look like truth and kindness and all that is good, while painting the truth tellers as legalists, teachers of works salvation, and as unloving and hateful.
So, just because it looks good and it sounds good and it feels good to the human emotions, it does not mean that it is good for the human soul. For many lies feel good, for many lies are telling people that God’s grace accepts a mere profession of faith in Christ Jesus as a guarantee of forgiveness of all sins and of heaven as their eternal destiny. It sounds good. It feels good. And it appears to be biblical, but it is Scripture being taught out of context and twisted to say what it does not teach if taught it the correct context.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
And if you are someone who is believing, in practice, what Jesus taught, and what his New Testament apostles taught in agreement with the teachings of Christ, if taught in the correct biblical context, and if you are someone who is sharing the truth that Jesus and his apostles taught, then you should prepare yourself that you might be treated as Jesus was, and as his apostles were treated. For, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” So, keep speaking the truth, and do not fear the opposition.
Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; 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 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
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
Caution: This link may contain ads
People Will Turn On You
An Original Work / September 11, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
