3 John 7-8-John Gives Gaius Three Reasons Why Gaius Should Continue to Aid Itinerant Communicators of the Gospel
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday September 22, 2013
Third John: Third John 7-8-John Gives Gaius Three Reasons Why He Should Continue to Aid Itinerant Communicators of the Gospel
Lesson # 5
Please turn in your Bibles to Third John 1.
3 John 1 From the elder, to Gaius, the beloved, whom I myself divinely love by means of the truth. 2 Beloved, I myself make it a habit of praying that you would be prospered with regards to all things as well as that you would be in good health just as your soul prospers. 3 For I was prompted to greatly rejoice during the time when brothers and sisters arrived as they testified to your truth because you make it your habit of living by means of the truth. 4 I never experience a greater joy than this, namely that, I regularly hear about my own spiritual children because they are making it their habit of living by means of the truth. 5 Beloved, you continue to act faithfully with regards to whatever you work hard accomplishing on behalf of your spiritual brothers and sisters even though this is on behalf of strangers. 6 They testified to your divine-love in the presence of the church. You will act correctly by sending them on their way in a manner of the one and only God. (My translation)
3 John 7 For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. (NASB95)
Verse 7 presents the reason for John’s last statement recorded in verse 6 in which he assures Gaius that he will act correctly by sending itinerant communicators of the gospel on their way in a manner of the one and only God.
“The Name” is the noun onoma which refers to the Lord Jesus Christ indicating that these communicators of the gospel whom Gaius demonstrated great hospitality to in the past were representing the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaiming His death and resurrection.
These pastor-teachers and evangelists were serving on behalf of or for the sake of the Name, i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ.
“The Gentiles” refers to unregenerate human beings, non-Christians, heathen or we could say pagans who possess no relationship with the triune God.
Non-Christians were never used as a source of financial and material aid to support the ministries of these communicators of the gospel.
3 John 7 Because for the sake of the Name, they went out while accepting absolutely nothing from the heathen. (My translation)
The apostle John presents the reason why Gaius will act correctly by sending itinerant communicators of the gospel on their way in a manner of the one and only God.
He teaches Gaius that he will act correctly by sending itinerant communicators of the gospel on their way in a manner of the one and only God because they went out for the sake of the Name, while accepting nothing from the heathen, i.e. non-believers.
These communicators of the gospel went out for the sake of the Name while accepting absolutely nothing from the heathen, i.e. non-Christians.
In the first century apostolic church evangelists and pastor-teachers normally received financial and material support from other Christians (cf. Acts 20:35; 1 Corinthians 9:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9) or they sometimes supported themselves (cf. Acts 18:3).
They never solicited support from non-Christans (cf. Matthew 10:8; 2 Corinthians 12:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:9).
In 3 John 7, the noun onoma, “the Name” has a five-fold sense.
First of all, it refers to the “Person” of the Lord Jesus Christ who is undiminished deity and true humanity in Person forever and thus the unique theanthropic Person of history and creation.
Secondly, the noun onoma refers to the character of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It also refers to the Lord Jesus Christ’s life’s work during His First Advent where He fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Mosaic Law, destroyed the works of the devil, redeemed the entire human race from the slave market of sin, propitiated the Father’s righteous demands that every sin in history be judged, reconciled the entire human race to God.
He did all this through His voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the Cross and also alludes to His resurrection, ascension and session at the right hand of the Father.
Onoma refers to the Lord Jesus Christ’s reputation before mankind as the Savior of the world and Redeemer of all mankind and Sovereign ruler of history.
Lastly, onoma refers to the Lord Jesus Christ’s standing before the Father as righteous and holy and as His beloved Son.
3 John 8 Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth. (NASB95)
This verse is the direct result of an inference from John’s statements in 3 John 7, which records the apostle presenting to Gaius the first of three reasons as to why he is acting correctly in providing material and financial aid to itinerant communicators of the gospel.
“We” is emphasizing a strong comparative contrast between non-Christians and Christians and is an “inclusive we” meaning that John is referring to all Christians with this word, without exception, all are under obligation to support itinerant communicators of the gospel.
“Support” is the verb hupolambanō which means “to take someone under one’s care, to receive as a guest, to support, to help” referring to demonstrating Christian hospitality to itinerant communicators of the gospel by receiving them as a guest in one’s home as well as supporting them financially and materially.
The present tense of the verb is a customary present used to signal a habitual action indicating that every Christian without exception is obligated to “make it their habit of” supporting or helping itinerant communicators of the gospel.
“Fellow workers” is the adjective sunergos, which means “co-worker” and is used to describe the Christian who supports itinerant communicators of the gospel both financially and materially.
The word describes these hospitable Christians as joint-partners with these itinerant communicators of the gospel in the advancement and propagation of the communication of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire (cf. Phlp. 1:7).
It denotes that these Christians contributed their time, talent, treasure and truth for the advancement of the communication of the gospel and for the care of the body of Christ.
As was the case in 2 John 2, the truth here in 3 John 8 is personified and is a reference to the Trinity since each member of the Trinity indwells the Christian permanently and each as to their nature is truth.
Each member of the Trinity permanently indwells the Christian (Father: Ephesians 4:6; 1 John 4:15; Son: Romans 8:10; Colossians 1:27; Spirit: Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20).
Therefore, when John speaks of truth here in 3 John 8 he is saying when Christians support itinerant communicators of the gospel they become coworkers on behalf of and in association with the Trinity since each member of the Trinity is truth and permanently indwells the Christian.
In particular it is the Holy Spirit who is working through these evangelists and pastors when they communicate the gospel to their audiences.
3 John 8 Therefore, we are, as an eternal spiritual truth, obligated to make it our habit of supporting such individuals in order that we would become co-workers on behalf of and in association with the truth. (My translation)
The church in the twenty-first century is to follow the example of the early first century apostolic church and provide financial and material support for those who communicate the gospel.
By Christians supporting such men, they would be good stewards of the finances God has given them.
John informs Gaius that the purpose of supporting these men is that the Christian would become coworkers on behalf of and in association with the truth, and specifically the Trinity who as to their nature are truth.
Christians become coworkers with God and in particular the Holy Spirit when they support itinerant evangelists and pastor-teachers.
By supporting itinerant communicators of the gospel, the Christian would be a good steward with their time, talent, treasure and truth.
Four areas of stewardship: (1) Time: Galatians 6:9-10 (2) Talent: 1 Peter 4:10 (3) Treasure: Luke 6:38 (4) Truth: Colossians 4:5-6.
The Christian’s stewardship in these four areas will be evaluated at the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church which occurs immediately after the rapture or the resurrection of the church.
A steward is one who manages the property of another and is not an owner; he is a manager.
Everything that we are and possess as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, both spiritually and materially, namely, our time, talent and treasure are in fact, trusts given to us by God which we are to invest for God’s kingdom and glory (1 Peter 1:17; 2:11; 4:10-11; Luke 19:11-26).
Good stewardship stems from recognizing our relationship to Jesus Christ, but it also means recognizing our partnership in Christ’s enterprise on earth.
By supporting itinerant communicators of the gospel, Gaius would be experiencing fellowship with these traveling evangelists and pastor-teachers.
He would be taking part in the companionship, stewardship and partnership aspects of Christian fellowship by supporting these men financially and materially and giving them a place to rest their feet.
Christian fellowship is a relationship and partnership with God and His royal family and involves sharing His objective of advancing His kingdom on earth by caring for and working together with the royal family in this endeavor.