"living by the Standard of the Gospel"

The New International Version 3 John

The elder,

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,  even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

Text: (3 John 1-14)

Introduction: Does your Christian lifestyle reflect your true values? Are those values consistent with the teachings of God’s Word? Although this is a personal letter to Gaius, it is loaded with implications and truths that you and I can apply to our daily living. Three individuals are mentioned in this short letter. Which one do you identify with. I am not here today to point fingers at anyone but there is hope and help for those of us who will receive the message of the text with an open mind.

“The importance of being kind to others” (Hospitality) (3 John 1-8)

Just the word kindness itself conjures a warm feeling in the heart.  How can one word mean so much? We cannot underestimate the importance kindness makes on human life.  Often just a smile or one kind word can make all the difference. Being kind and receiving kindness could arguably be the key to promoting happiness in our lives and the lives of others. While we are still celebrating a time of Thanksgiving let me remind you that when company came over the likely hood of dirty floors, dirty dishes, altered schedules, personal expenses and inconveniences were factors too. From sharing a meal to providing a bed or a service, hospitality costs. Energy, time and money. But how we treat others reflects our true values. Do we see people as objects, or inconveniences or as creations of a Loving God? which is more important to God, a person, your carpet, or your selfishness. There is some evidence that being aware of our own acts of kindness, as well as the things we are grateful for, can increase feelings of happiness, optimism and satisfaction. Doing good may help you to have a more positive outlook about your own circumstances. Genuine hospitality for those who are laboring in the Lord’s work was needed then and it needed now! Faithful Christian teachers, missionaries and essential workers need our support. Whenever we extend hospitality to others it makes you a partner in the work they are doing for the Lord. At the time of the writing of our text, Church leaders traveled from town to town helping establish new congregations. They depended on the hospitality of fellow believers. Gaius was one who welcomed them into his home. This letter teaches us the importance of living by the truth of the Gospel. The truth according to the Word of God teaches us to look for ways to support our pastors and other Christian workers. All Christians should work together to support God’s work both at home and around the world. John starts out by letting Gaius know that he is concern about his physical and spiritual wellbeing. God is concerned for both your body and your soul. As responsible Christians we should neither neglect nor indulge ourselves but care for our physical needs and our spiritual needs so that we are always at our best for God’s service. We should not fall prey to heresy of the day taught by those who are against biblical teaching on how we should support those whom are laboring for the advancement of God’s kingdom. If we fail to practice what the Word of God teaches because ungodly attitudes, we open ourselves up neglecting to do what the Word of God tells us to do and that failure leads to sinful practices that are against the Word of God.

Be careful of Pride (3 John 9-11)

Pride is at the root of fear and anxiety when we refuse to humbly rest in God's sovereign care. Fear simultaneously reveals our lack of trust and our poisonous self-reliance. All we know about Diotrephes is that he wanted to control the church. The Apostle John denounces his refusal and attempts to not listen to sound biblical teaching, his attempts to slander, complain, and disrupt everything that he didn’t like, his attempts to excommunicate or run off anyone who opposed his way of thinking, and his refusal to welcome Gospel teachers. The spirit of Diotrephes still lives in the modern church today. The church is responsible for confronting the spirit of rebellion or anything that threatens the unity of believers in Christ. When we complain and refuse to address issues that are causing problems we won’t have healthy fellowship. When we are in denial because we are afraid to confront issues or violations we get worse rather than getting better.

“Embrace a spirit of Faithfulness”

Everything that God has promised will come to pass. His faithfulness guarantees this fact. He does not lie. What He has said in the Bible about Himself is true. He will honor His promise that our sins will be forgiven and that we will live forever with Him. He will never leave us, no matter what.

Little is know of Demetrius except he probably carried this letter from John to Gaius. John says of Demetrius that he has a good report of all men, he has a high regard fro the truth. He was a faithful witness. When the church gets back to regarding faithful witness over popularity and position then we’ll see a moving and a revival like we never seen before. Instead of embracing power and focusing on who running the church, our focus needs to be on commitment, faithfulness, and obedience to the Lords commands. Our institutions suffer because we have allowed feelings to rise above the Gospel truths and warnings that are designed to keep us in step with the Lords commands and teaching. We can grow in our faithfulness by having a personal relationship with Christ. If we are truly faithful to Him and obey His commands, this will be evident in our lives. My challenge to you is this: Think about the ways you show your faithfulness to God. Are there things that are getting in the way of your faithfulness? Faithfulness is the seventh in the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 (New King James Version). Essentially, faithfulness to God is loyalty to Him and to His teachings, which should shape how we think and act.

Closure: Time is of essence today, the longer we take for granted the essential teachings of the Bible, the further we drift into fallacies and erroneous concepts that threatens our relationship with following Christ. Our Christian duty is to be hospitable, watch out and don’t get caught up in a spirit of pride, and embrace a spirit of faithfulness, because without faith or a spirit of faithfulness to God you cannot please Him.