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Introduction
As we gather tonight I’d like to thank each of you for being here, but I’d also like to warn you now that tonight we will be covering almost an entire book of the Bible.
But that’s ok, because the book we will be covering is the shortest book of the Bible.
With just over 200 words, the book of 3 John might fit on the front and back of a postcard.
Maybe you’ve been off on vacation and have taken a moment to write down some encouraging words or a quick note to a family member or friend.
Imagine John here taking the time to write a short letter to one of his closest friends.
Except here, John shares information that pertains to the early church and to specific individuals within it.
As he writes he expresses both rejoicing and concern within the church.
And tonight as we look at this text, I think we will some similarities to the modern church, and maybe even our own congregation.
As you are turning your bibles ’d like to begin tonight by asking you a question.
And the question I’d like to ask you tonight and that I’d like for you to ponder as you leave here and go home is this:
Does my life bring praise to the name of Jesus?
I’d like each of us to think about this tonight.
Ask yourself -
Does my life bring praise to the name of Jesus?
Am I walking in the truth?
Is my main goal in life to live in a manner worthy of the Lord so that he might be glorified and Christ might be made known?
As born again believers in Jesus Christ this is our goal.
To walk in the truth, to spread the Gospel in every circumstance and in all situations.
To live a life that brings praise to the name of Jesus.
And so tonight, before we begin, I’d like for you to think about this.
And as we open in prayer, I’d ask that you pray with me that as a church we would walk in the truth, that we would bring glory to God, and that we would bring praise to the almighty and all powerful name of Jesus Christ.
Pray
Gaius: A Man Stands Faithful (read intro sentences before saying this heading)
As we move through our Scripture for tonight we will see the example of three men outlined throughout the passage.
And as we look at each of the men that John mentions, I want you to examine yourself tonight to see if anyone here looks something like you.
And as you do again ask yourself:
Does my life bring praise to the name of Jesus.
Do I ive out the words in that say
So lets read together, beginning in verse 1
READ V. 1-8
As in the previous letter John identifies himself as “The elder” a name that conveys courage, commitment, and conviction.
John was a man who was well respected because of his spiritual maturity.
And in this letter we learn immediately that he is writing to a man by the name of Gaius.
The tricky thing about the name Gaius is that it was probably the most common of all names in the Roman Empire, leaving many to debate and question who exactly this Gaius was.
So all we learn about this Gaius is what we see here in the book of 3 John.
But even without knowing his background or where he came from, what we can see about Gaius is that John loves him.
Four times throughout this letter he mentions his love for Gaius while commending him for his great work for the kingdom.
And John’s heartfelt love for this man comes from a specific place.
John’s affection for Gaius is due to their shared devotion to the truth, which is to say that both of these men had in common a faithfulness and devotion to the truth concerning Jesus Christ.
And so John gives us the first example of three men in this letter, the example of A Man Who Walks in Truth.
Gaius is a man who is walking in the truth, and as John opens his letter he both commends him for that, and encourages him to keep up the good work.
And this is where the application to our lives comes in.
There are four areas that John mentions we should seek to excel in as Christians.
As Gaius walks in the truth in these areas so should we.
So let’s look back at the text and see how we should do this.
Live Spiritually
Firstly, we should live spiritually.
READ
John’s prayer for Gaius is that he would “be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”
Maybe Gaius was dealing with some health issues, or had an infirmity, and John prays for that, but as he does so he is sure to mention that Gaius doing well spiritually.
As that applies to us today, think of it in terms of your life.
If I were to pray the same prayer for you tonight, and if God were to answer that prayer, what would happen for you specifically?
If I asked God to bless you physically to the same degree that you are healthy spiritually, would you be fit and in great shape or would you be sick?
Or would you be nearly dead?
We are called to live by the Spirit and to walk by the Spirit.
tells us but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Gaius was a man who was living for eternity and not for the temporary, and we are to live in the same manner.
But how was Gaius doing this?
John spells that out for us in the next two verses.
Walk Truthfully
Not only should we live spiritually, in light of eternity, but we should also walk truthfully.
READ
From what John was hearing about Gaius, he was a man that was full of truth, and was living out that truth every day, and this brough John great joy.
The emphasis here is that Gaius faithfulness was not tied only to the fact that he was holding to correct doctrine, but that he was living in correct action.
Gaius believed the right things, and he also lived the right way.
His life was bearing fruit.
Is this how your life looks?
Are you living for Christ in a way that is unmistakable to those around you.
The truth is, people cannot see your heart, but they can see your life.
It’s one thing to know what the Word says and to keep that knowledge in your mind and heart.
It’s another thing altogether to walk and live out, day by day, the gospel.
Gaius was doing this, and in our lives we should be to.
Serve Faithfully
As Gaius lived spiritually and walked truthfully, he also served faithfully.
He was sensitive to the needs of those in the church.
READ 3 John 5-6
In v. 5 we see John mentioning that Gaius was faithful to the “brothers.”
These brothers were a group of missionaries who had been sent out by John to the early Christian churches in order to determine their health.
As they would return, they would literally stand before the congregation and give a testimony of what they had found from each individual church.
Imagine the church doing this today, sending “strangers” as John called them, into our church to determine the health of it.
What would their report for our church look like?
From the report that John had received, Gaius not only welcomed these men so much that upon their return they testified before their church of the love they had recieved from him.
As a church are we so sensitive to the needs of others that if they were to tell others about us they would testify to the love they felt among us?
Are we serving faithfully in a way that each guest who walks through the doors of Belle Fountain feels so loved that they can’t help but tell everyone about it?
Minister Generously
Finally, in order to walk in the truth, we are to minister generously.
READ
As these brothers went out to assess the early churches, they went out in the name of Christ, and yet even so, there were those in the church who did not accept them.
As John states here, they accepted nothing from the Gentiles.
Who were these Gentiles?
Normally we would think of the Gentiles as those who were not of Jewish decent.
In that case Gaius would have been a Gentile.
And yet we’ve already been told that he accepted and loved the men sent to his church.
John uses the word Gentile here to describe those within the church who did not accept the brothers who were sent.
Instead John tells Gaius that by supporting these believers, although they were not a part of his specific church, they would become fellow workers for the truth of the Gospel.
These men depended on the support of the church for their livliehood.
And this support came in many forms, whether financially, through prayer, or simply in showing love.
As a church are we ministering generously to those who enter our doors.
As Christians, are we supportive of the full body of Christ, or just the body we see every Sunday or Wednesday?
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