Walk the Walk

So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul’s travel companions.

Acts 20:4

Acts 20:4 NKJV

And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.

Gaius is one of the few people whom Paul baptized

1 Corinthians 1:14

1 Corinthians 1:14 NKJV

I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

Gaius was also Paul's host in Corinth

Romans 16:23

Romans 16:23 NKJV

Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother.

v.2:

John’s prayer for Gaius is significant, but first lets recognize what it is not.

John's prayer is not a nod to the prosperity gospel. This is in no way a promise of material prosperity and good health.

The false promise that one will be prosperous and healthy if only they have enough faith cannot be found here.

In fact, you'll find no such promise in Scripture. Such a position is based on wishful, selfish, flimsy and erroneous interpretation of Scripture.

Such a promise can only be asserted when one takes great liberties with the Word of God, totally ignoring the plain and straight-forward meaning of Scripture.

Such a position ignores the inconvenient truth of the many very faithful saints, who throughout the centuries have suffered poverty, sickness and perecution.

Paul himself had a physical ailment, that apparently his faith could not eliminate.

Paul is not preaching a prosperity gospel, or that physical healing is guaranteed

Paul had an ailment the God did not heal

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 NKJV

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Timothy had a stomach ailment that required medicinal treatment

Timothy had a stomach condition which needed more than faith to treat, otherwise he could have willed it away, but we see no such instruction from Paul.

1 Timothy 5:23

1 Timothy 5:23 NKJV

No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.

Were neither of these Godly men faithful enough? Would the followers of the prosperity gospel assert that they are of greater faith than Paul and Timothy?

Let's be clear, John is not advocating some false prosperity Gospel. He has something far different in mind.

To ask about one’s health was standard custom in ancient letters, but John used it in a unique way. . . to highlight Gaius’s excellent spiritual state.

Gaius’s spiritual state was so great that John prayed that his physical health would match his spiritual vitality.

This prayer speaks volumes, would you want someone to pray this for you?

If your physical health matched your spiritual health, what kind of shape would you be in.

I'm afraid that this prayer might be all but a death sentence to many Christians.

This prayer is also a reminder that Christians should pray for the physical needs of others.

While there is no indication that Gaius was in poor health, John was obviously concerned with the state of his health.

Such should be a concern of all Christians.

v.3:

The fact that Gaius' spiritual condition was so excellent didn't go unnoticed. People were talking about it, and word had made it back to John.

To see people walking in the truth was a great joy for John

2 John 1:4

2 John 4 NKJV

I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received a commandment from the Father.

We cannot simply speak or hear the truth, we also need to walk in it

This is the first attribute we see in Gaius, is that he walks in the truth.

Gaius apparently didn't just talk the talk, he also walked the walk.

James 1:22

James 1:22 NKJV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

James 2:14-17

James 2:14–17 NKJV

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Such, of course, is a requirement of Christ.

Matthew 25:32-46

Matthew 25:32–46 NKJV

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

This, of course, is not teaching a works based salvation, but that true faith will be seen in one's works. True faith will bear fruit.

v.4:

Once again, we see that John derives great joy to see people walking in the truth. Such should be the case for us also.

Are you walking in the truth?

Is your spiritual health such that you'd want your physical health to be a reflection of it?

When you make it a point to walk in the truth, you’ll have no need to worry about your spiritual health.

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