SonRise Community Church Evening Seminars

About SonRise Community Church Evening Seminars

Weekly Podcast of our Sunday Evening teaching series.

Publisher

SonRise Community Church

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Sept 2024

Latest episode

18 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

66 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Oct 2026

   Be Imitators of Good

   Last week we worked through the call to hospitality. We saw the elder encouraging Gaius to be faithful in welcoming and sending these evangelists and missionaries well. They go out for the name of Christ and take nothing with them, so they need the support of the church to further the mission. John encouraged Gaius to keep it up. This echoes the positive side of 2 John. At the end of 2 John, we saw the other side: false teachers are not to be welcomed into the church or given hospitality. The opposite is true of true believers: welcome them in, and send them on their way well. Last week ended with Gaius being encouraged to keep up this good work and not shrink back. Today, John gives him two examples, one negative and one positive, so that he can see what to imitate and what to avoid. A Negative Example: Diotrephes (9-10) Our first example is Diotrephes. I have mispronounced his name every single time Ive said it, and I will probably do it again, even though I have the pronunciation in front of me. Demetrius, the second example, is much easier to say. John says, I have written something to the church. He doesnt say directly what he wrote. Something was written to instruct the church on certain matters, but Diotrephes has stepped in and, in his own mind, nullified Johns authority to instruct the church. Having put himself first, he no longer acknowledges their authority. He has taken up a position in the church as the authority. John doesnt give us the city or any other details, which again highlights the personal nature of this letter. What we see is a man who has set himself up as the ruling authority in this church, and to do that, he first has to nullify the authority of the apostles. This is our first direct example in the text of a kind of cult leader, because that is ultimately what he is doing. We see it in many cultic leaders and Christian sects. The first thing you have to do is eliminate the actual teaching of the apostles. You eliminate what Scripture says and make yourself the authority. Diotrephes is in effect saying, I am now the authority. What John says is wrong. John clearly isnt instructing you properly. I, having put myself first, am your ultimate spiritual authority. In many ways, we see this pattern in history. The Catholic Church began its error when it ceased to be Scripture-based and became papal-based, where the tradition and the words of the Pope supersede the Word of God. Its the same thing whenever a man sets himself up over the authority of Scripture. What stands out with Diotrephes is that he uses Johns own teaching from 2 John. In 2 John, we highlighted last week the instruction not to let false teachers into the church, and to put out anyone who has anything to do with them. Diotrephes turns that instruction around and uses it against John, as though John himself had become the false teacher. He refuses to welcome the brothers, stops those who want to welcome them, and puts them out of the church. In doing so, he does the very thing John said the church should do to false teachers. Diotrephes takes the truth of Gods Word, shifts it a little, and uses it against John, the apostles, and true believers. You dont have to manipulate the whole thing. You change a couple of pieces and then use it against the faithful. We see this happen throughout history. Paul makes a similar point when he says that even if an angel from heaven preached a different gospel, let that messenger be anathema. Diotrephes is twisting the truths of Scripture for his own ends, and John is highlighting exactly that. Diotrephes also does not have the good of the church in view. Putting himself first is not only about being in charge. It is also a way to reap all the rewards that come with it, and to avoid being hospitable. There is a selfishness in that. Hospitality costs money, and anyone who has been hospitable knows it isnt cheap. Bringing people into your home costs money for food, for clothing, and for the electric and water bills. These things add up. For someone selfish, if it costs anything, it isnt worth doing. So there is selfishness and pride at work in Diotrephes. And because he doesnt want to look bad, he gets rid of anyone who might do the opposite of what he does. His message is, in effect, Imitate me. We dont welcome anyone, because we are the only true church, and anyone who comes near us is bad. So they huddle together and keep everything for themselves. They build little temples to themselves. That is what Diotrephes is ultimately doing. John says, I will come and deal with it. This is an important part of the letter. John isnt simply letting it take place. He has received reports that Diotrephes is not letting the brothers in and is throwing out people who are trying to be hospitable and do what is right. This will not stand. John says he will come, and that he will bring up what Diotrephes is doing, including the wicked nonsense he talks against them. The heart behind it is wickedness, a heart opposed to the gospel. So John shows Gaius a negative example. Gaius is doing great. He is doing everything John has called him to do, everything we see in Scripture and have experienced in the gospel. We highlighted Christs own command in Luke about going out and supporting the work. Here, though, is someone who isnt doing it, and who is even twisting Scripture so he doesnt have to. That is wicked and evil, and Johns point is that he will not let it stand. He will deal with it when he comes. The Warning: Do Not Imitate Evil (11) Then John transitions with a warning, turning directly back to Gaius: Beloved, do not imitate evil, but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. He sets up a contrast. Do not imitate the evil being done here. There is no benefit in it, and no proclamation of the gospel comes from turning to wicked things. Do the right things. Be imitators of God and imitators of those who do good. This is very close to Pauls words in 1 Corinthians 11:1: Be imitators of me as I am of Christ. Imitation isnt bad when we are imitating the right thing: people who are living out the faith well, who point us to Christ and not to themselves. Diotrephes is a negative example. Everything in his life points to himself. He is first, foremost, and supreme, and he is wrong, and he is wicked. Johns warning is: do not be like him. Do not give up on doing good. So this is a continual reminder to keep doing what you have been doing. Be hospitable. Continue in the work of sending the brothers. Continue to build up this good rapport. Do not imitate the evil around us, because it is not from God. It is a reminder to be ministers of the gospel in how we live and in the examples we set. So ask yourself: Is my life based on what God has called us to, and on what we see in Scripture? Or is it, in many ways, based on what is most pleasing to me, what is easiest for me, and what I get the most out of? Is it self-centered or Christ-centered? Does it make much of the Lord, or does it make much of us? This self-centered evil plays out in the church. There are people who build entire kingdoms around themselves and how they can feed themselves. They puff themselves up, stand on stages all across America, and preach something gospel-ish to build their own kingdoms and make money. John is saying: do not keep imitating those things. Rather, imitate the good: walking out the faith in truth, welcoming the brothers, sending the brothers, and being imitators of God. A Positive Example: Demetrius (12) John shows us Diotrephes, a warning, and then a good example to move toward. Do not be like Diotrephes. Be like Demetrius, who has received a good testimony from everyone. Everyone who has met Demetrius says he is legitimate. That is a statement from the apostle John: everyone who has met this man speaks well of him. His way is righteous, faithful, and true, and his testimony comes from the truth itself. The impression John gives is that Demetriuss life is truthful in both how he lives and what he says. His faith and his life match. People who see him and hear him say, That is a godly individual. This reminds me of one of the qualifications for an elder, one that often stumps people and is quickly passed over: an elder must be well spoken of by outsiders (1 Timothy 3:7). Thats a strange thought for our day, and most people would be confused about why its in there. It means that a persons conduct is not antagonistic but is grounded in the truth. Well probably unpack that in QA. The picture is that there is something in how they carry themselves, how they live out the gospel, that is well spoken of by everyone. Their word and their life match. They speak a gospel of forgiveness, grace, and humility. That doesnt mean they shrink back from the truth, but they speak it in a well-intentioned way, seeking the salvation of others and not making it about themselves. As Paul continually shows, this isnt about building a kingdom for himself. Its about saving sinners from death in the name of Christ. That is the motivation. So Demetrius has this testimony about himself: his word and his deed match. The way he treats people matches the gospel. He is one who lives out the faith, and John is holding him up to encourage Gaius to be faithful. In our day, I encourage people to read Christian biographies. I dont know if you enjoy a good biography, but there are many good ones out there. A good biography highlights the struggles people have and avoids overly heroic portraits. As people work through the faith, they face real struggles. Well watch a video on Luther next week, and it does highlight some of that. It wasnt simply, Im going to nail a bunch of theses to the wall about how bad Catholicism is, and the rest of his life was perfect. There was struggle and hardship, and those hardships were growing him in godliness. Christian biographies help us do in our own lives what Demetriuss testimony encourages. Look at this persons life, and look at the testimony about him. They help us see the history of the church and how the Lord has worked in many different people over many different generations. There are some fantastic biographies. The two-volume George Whitefield biography by Arnold Dallimore, which is on my shelf in the office, is excellent. Whitefield was a complex individual and a central figure in the First Great Awakening. By modern standards he wasnt a particularly strong preacher, but the Lord used him greatly. If you read his sermons, they are not the most impressive theological arguments, but they are filled with the gospel and with passion. Spurgeon is different. He could paint a picture in five words, with a simple wordplay that explained everything. Its amazing. We wouldnt encourage people to copy either mans preaching style, but they were great communicators. Spurgeons life echoes someone who was committed to the Lord in every season, in good and in bad. You dont get these full pictures without reading the good biographies, and seeing the ups and downs of how people come to faith and how the Lord builds out their faith over time. A lot of it is people imitating others who went before them. Biographies highlight the people who influenced these men. Often those people are unknown to us. Theyre mentioned in letters, this bishop of this town, and no one today knows that town or can connect you to those leaders. Yet those people had a profound impact on others, who in turn had a profound impact on still others. They were just men doing the work God had called them to, many of them in small churches in England, in small towns and villages, faithfully doing the ministry God had given them. God used that work. That is the very point John is encouraging Gaius with: keep doing the work well. Imitate those who are doing well, like Demetrius, who has a good testimony from everyone. The truth itself is clearly seen in him. The word he speaks is true, the gospel is true, and his life is true. A Hopeful Conclusion (13-14) John adds, We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. In other words: you have heard everyone else say that Demetrius is great, and you have seen his life, and we agree. This man is someone to be emulated. Demetrius is someone in whom you can see the gospel at work, and he will further the work of the kingdom. So if you are looking for someone doing the work, Demetrius is the one to look to. Do not be worried about the work of the evil one, and do not be discouraged because Diotrephes is over there doing the opposite. If you want a biblical example of that kind of discouragement, think of Elijah. He persevered in the truth, preached the word of God, and did the word of God. Then he had a moment and thought, Im all by myself. Is this actually worth doing? He had something like an existential crisis: Nobody likes me. Im the only faithful one left, and its getting depressing. He reached the point of wanting to die (1 Kings 19:4). Gods answer was that there are 7,000 others in the kingdom who have not bowed to Baal (1 Kings 19:18). You just dont know them. Just because you are unaware of the work doesnt mean the work isnt taking place. You are not alone in being the only one sending. Maybe youve given to the work of the ministry and felt like the only one giving, and wondered whether anyone cares. There are probably others youre unaware of, and God is doing things we may be missing. It helps to be reminded of these things, and to hear of Gods good work from others, so that we are motivated to keep going when things feel hard. So this is the end of Johns letter. He gives a negative example, the opposition that exists, and then a positive example in Demetrius. Then he closes with a hopeful conclusion. We have said before that this is one of the most secular books in the New Testament, because it follows a Roman letter-writing structure. It does the same at the end, very similar to 2 John, slightly different but very close: I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends each by name. This is a hopeful conclusion to a letter. John had so much more he could write, but writing is a lot of work and effort, and you never know if you have said everything you meant to say. I can identify with John. I dont like writing. I dont feel like Im a great writer, and I always feel like Im going to miss something. If Im talking, I can also correct myself: Oh, I forgot to tell you this. Oh, and this. It may annoy people, because my thoughts sometimes jump around. If youve had a conversation with me outside of this room, you know my brain goes all over the place. But when youre writing, that doesnt work. Youre left wondering, did I say everything? I think I did, and then you realize you forgot six things. A personal conversation would be so much quicker. That seems to be Johns situation too. He says the same thing in 2 John: I want to come to you. There is so much to talk about. Especially if the relationship is more of a passing one, where John knows Gaius from a good report and Gaius knows John as an apostle, John wants to come and really spend time together: talking about what he has heard about Gaius and what God is doing through him, unpacking some of the things they are dealing with, and discussing how Gaius can be part of it. John cant even begin to list all he wants to talk about. He wrote 1 John, the Gospel of John, and Revelation. He has a lot to say. Yet these two letters say less, which is interesting. He clearly can write, so it isnt that he cant write. There is something more here. He wants to unpack it face to face. There is a difference between talking with someone face to face and writing a letter. Letter writing is fantastic, and we probably havent done much of it as a society in forty years, but it can come back. Email might as well be text messages nowadays, so we dont have the same kind of expression. Still, there is something different about meeting face to face: a personal connection, especially if you havent seen each other in a long time. Seeing someones face and talking with them matters, especially when youre afraid people will misunderstand you. If John were going to unpack deep doctrine, he wouldnt want to be misunderstood. The written word can be open to interpretation, but face to face leaves less room for that, because you can ask for clarification and fill in any missing context. That is the picture of John here. He wants to meet, talk about what God is doing, and he hopes to do it soon. These small glimpses show us that the apostles were not just set-apart men who wrote books, said God said this, and went back to a holy cave, only to come out again and say, God said things. They had friendships and lives. They wrote personal letters to people, wanting to see good work go forward. They were encouraged when they heard the work was going well, and discouraged when it wasnt. We get a glimpse of John as a person. Then he ends with the common conclusion to a letter: Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends each by name. Gaius is part of this group of friends, all the friends who are with John. The church is greeting him. So greet the body wherever you are, and do it by name. This isnt a passive, impersonal greeting. It means personally connecting with the saints and personally encouraging those who are with you. Be personable with one another, because we are all part of what God is doing. John has encouraged Gaius, Gaius has encouraged John, and the whole church has been encouraged by this moment. That brings us back to the beginning: We have heard reports of your good works, and we are encouraged by them. I hope you are equally encouraged by what has been written to you, and that we will experience that mutual edification soon. That is what has been laid before us in 3 John. I hope it was beneficial, and that you saw some things in a new light. Maybe youve never really spent time in 3 John, so I hope this helped you pick up some of the nuances in the text.Watch at: https://youtu.be/F6C-O_1Pd2M

2. 

   11 Oct 2026

   The Heart of Sending

   Sermon transcript, edited for reading As we have done throughout our series, we begin by reading the whole text. It is not a long letter, but it helps to see all of it before us. The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore, we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. I've written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to, and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate evil, but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God. Whoever does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name. This is the letter of the Apostle John to Gaius. Today we come to the idea of missions and hospitality: the idea of receiving and sending. I have always found hospitality an interesting subject, the idea of welcoming people into your home as part of the family. When I was in high school, two women come to mind who were very good at this. The first was Doreen Greer. Her son was one of our friend group, and we practically lived at their house every single weekend. Back when getting a car meant you could finally hang out with your friends, that's where we were. She would make us food. There were four of us, four teenage boys, and every Saturday we'd get a Stouffer's mac and cheese platter. Sometimes it was two. Double it. We would eat the whole thing. I was not as big then as I am now, but we were still a lot to feed. She always had food. We could go over to their house whether or not her son was home, and she would welcome us in. She'd feed us, hang out with us, and talk with us. She always had an open home for us, and she was always there when we needed her. It was a wonderful motherly compassion. She opened her home to her son's friends. The second was what we called our group mom, Tanya. She was not much older than us. I was about 18, our group was 18 and 19 year olds, and she was 26. But she was so much more mature than we were that she felt much older. Anything we did, she made sure we stayed safe and did not hurt ourselves, and she always brought food. If we were going to play flag football, which became tackle, which became bad choices, she was the one making sure we brought water. She would bring water just to hang out and watch us and make sure everything was going well. If anyone needed a place to stay, she took in the women of the church. She ran a Papa John's and owned her own house, so she always had extra room, and she had lots of women staying with her while they dealt with different life situations. These were people with a spirit of caring for others, and I was a minor recipient of some of those graces. It reminds me of the importance of hospitality as we dive into this text. One of the things talked about most in the Christian faith is care for one another: the love of the brotherhood, the love for the members of the church. This is where the Apostle John encourages Gaius in what Gaius is doing. We talked about this last week. Did Gaius have a personal relationship with John? Was this a passing relationship? Or had John simply heard about Gaius and wanted to encourage him? We're not sure, and we'll unpack some of that tonight. But no matter what, what is being encouraged is the spirit of hospitality Gaius is showing, and John wants to commend it. As we see, this personal letter did not stay with Gaius. It was not written only for him. He read it, folded it up, and it went on. It was shared with the churches. So this personal letter, one of the personal epistles, became a church letter, read by the churches as an encouragement to do likewise. That is the encouragement: this should be the spirit of believers and the attitude Christians exhibit. It's not just, "Oh, that's nice, good job, guys." Rather, all of us are seeing what the Lord commends, and we'll unpack that from Luke in a moment. Verses 56: The Faithful Believer Beloved. John's favorite term of endearment for the saints. We unpacked this before. It is John's reminder of the unity we have in Christ. John is the beloved in the Gospel of John, but all who are associated with the gospel are called beloved, and we are all sharing in the love of God in this truth. "Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God." Let's begin with verses 5 and 6. Here we see Gaius's welcome, the efforts he puts forward before these brothers. He's faithful in this. He's faithfully welcoming people into his home, bringing them in off the streets. Hospitality was very important in Roman society. If you were traveling, where were you going to stay? The first century was when commercial inns began to form. They weren't the hotels we think of today, but they were starting to become more of a thing. Inns became more popular thanks to Roman road development. It became safer to travel. Roman citizens, by the nature of being citizens, had protection while traveling, which made travel more appealing. Before that, most people didn't leave their town unless they were merchants who had to, and even then they came with protection. The advancement of travel, as we think of it today, is part of why the gospel went so far in the first century. We've highlighted this when we study the churches. The technological advancements of Greco-Roman society, through the sovereign work of God, allowed the gospel to spread quickly. Part of that was a center of hospitality. While inns were starting to pop up, the proclamation of the gospel ultimately depended on Christians welcoming Christians into their homes. A Christian traveling through town needed a safe place to stay, and it was not uncommon for people to bring strangers into their homes. But there was a set of guidelines. Usually there was a written contract about what a guest would do and would not do, very similar to what we have today. When you check into a hotel, you sign all the things you're not going to do, or they'll charge your credit card a lot of money. They didn't charge your credit card back then, but the idea was the same: you are a guest in this house. The difference is that Christians, as is highlighted here, don't just take you as a guest. They take you as family. You're strangers who become family, so you become one with the household. In this, you build a good reputation. You become known as a hospitable person. Your house had a kind of banner over it that others would take note of and tell others: this is where you need to go. In many Roman provinces, if you stayed at someone's house and were a good guest, think Airbnb with a good review, you carried that reputation with you. If someone else was going to travel, you would write them a letter that said, in effect, "I stayed at your house. You remember who I was. This person is reputable. You should let them stay at your house." They would carry that letter from house to house. That is how hospitality worked, and we see Christians using a similar system. Gaius is known as one who makes every effort. He doesn't pass this off on someone else. He takes it as a joy to be a hospitable homeowner. He brings the brothers in, and if they are in need, he supplies it. He goes out of his way, it seems. He's not just letting them in, but going above and beyond to make them feel at home, cared for, and not a burden. It is a joy to him. He is not feeling the weight of some anxiety, but using the joy the Lord has put on him: this love. He is the beloved. He is loved by God and loved by the church, and he shares that love with the church. So through his life, Gaius lays out a faithful testimony toward these brothers, and even more striking, they are strangers. This is the point most will highlight. He probably has no actual connection to these Christian preachers, these evangelists. They probably came with a word that Gaius was someone they could go to. Here's his address, go hang out. And Gaius has a reputation, so he brings them in, overwhelmingly, greeting them and giving them all they need. Jesus will say that such a person is a man of peace, and we'll get to that in a moment. But this is a picture of one who offers himself for the good of those around him. In doing so, his love is testified before the church. His name is well known. He has built a name for himself, whether he realizes it or not, and that is what the text is saying. They come back from spending time with him, and all they talk about is how gracious he is. They testify to his love for the church and for the saints. It is always encouraging. I think of missionaries who come and talk about the different places they go and the love they receive from other Christians. How we receive some of our missionaries, the graciousness of hosting them when they're in town. How many of you go out of your way to offer your home, your car, being overly hospitable to the needs of those who come across our path. We know these missionaries, the ones we support, and we hopefully take advantage of the opportunities to be hospitable and gracious to them. We've had members who are snowbirds open their condo to welcome in missionaries. Others have a house that's available, open, free range: enjoy our home, use it well for those who are workers of the gospel. That is very similar to what we have here with Gaius. This becomes a joy in the faithful work of the saints, which is what we are called to do. We testify. We hear the testimony. We're encouraged by it, day by day. We should be encouraged to hear the stories of what the Lord is doing as he builds these connections. It also highlights the unity that comes from the Christian faith: they can be strangers and yet family. I think there's a deeper bond here than simply the Roman hospitality ethic. Someone says, "Come, welcome to my home," and Gaius goes above and beyond. I think it really is the love he has for the saints, the love we are all called to have, and it is greater than any citizenship we have. Our bond in Christ creates a new family. We are closer, familially and eternally, to our brothers and sisters in Uganda than to the non-Christian next door, or even the non-Christian in your own family. You have a deeper, eternal spiritual bond, because what unites you is eternal. It is a true and lasting family that does not end at death. Gaius has that understanding. Even toward the stranger who is a believer, he is more compassionate and more hospitable than he might be toward a non-believer, even if his heart would be hospitable to anyone. This love he pours out gains him a great testimony. This text also shows us the positive fulfillment of 2 John. As Pastor Adam concluded in 2 John, verses 10 and 11 gave a warning to the elect lady: if anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, meaning orthodox biblical teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting. Whoever greets him takes part in his wickedness. This is the opposite. Gaius, being discerning, sees that these men are of the faith. They are not wicked men; they are orthodox preachers of the gospel. If you are to shun false teachers, you are then called to do the opposite. We see this with the Ten Commandments: if there's a negative, there's clearly a positive you're supposed to do. So rejecting false teachers means welcoming in orthodox teachers. Welcome them, greet them, give them a home. Rather than Gaius having to reject false teachers, he is called to bring in orthodox teachers. We'll see how that plays out in a false sense next week. For now, we see Gaius as an example of living out the faith that John himself commended to the elect lady in the church in, wherever that is. Whether Gaius is part of that church is an open question, and there's lots of debate. Some will say yes, because he follows it. Others will say it's a common teaching. Historically, we don't know, and we don't have any evidence. But we do clearly see that he understands that teaching, and that is why I think he's an example for us. We can see that outworking, putting it into practice. It's one thing to hear the testimony of Scripture. It's different when you see it in person, or see it played out in Scripture. Gaius is putting into practice the bringing in of those who are sound in the faith. He uses discernment, hears their gospel, sees the truth, brings them in, and provides for them. He becomes a central example of hospitality. What we have is a faithful man in Gaius who upholds the truth and then lives out the faithful mission. Verse 6b-8 The Faithful; Mission: Three Aspects of Mission Work This is where we see three aspects of mission work highlighted for the church. We'll unpack three things the church is called to do when it comes to those who are called to spread the good news. What, then, is our role, as we mirror what Gaius is called to do and what we see in Scripture? As this section of our text concludes: "Who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore, we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth." There are lots of echoes here of the Gospel of Luke. Two texts in Luke's Gospel are highlighted here, and they are back to back. Does anyone know what they are? In chapter 9, Jesus sends out the twelve and gives them commands on how to go: not to take anything, but to trust God in what they do. Then in chapter 10, he sends out seventy-two. So we have two commissions, and they highlight that there were more disciples than just the twelve. The seventy-two have a much longer description. The twelve is very short, and there is no follow-up on the twelve. They just get sent, and at some point they came back. We're going to follow the seventy-two, because there's a lot more to go with. In Luke 10, verses 1 through 12, we read: After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way. Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house.' And if the son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you, heal the sick in it, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless, know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town." Luke presents the teaching of Christ in the sending of the seventy-two, which follows the sending of the twelve. This involves going in and proclaiming that the kingdom of God is at hand, but it also requires being received. They were not told to make their own money. This wasn't fundraising in advance. You were trusting in the Lord. You went to a house to proclaim peace and prayed that the Lord would give you peace and a place to stay. If they didn't receive you, you shook off the dust, condemned it, and moved on, trusting the Lord to bring you to a place of hospitality: those who would bring you in, feed you, clothe you, and take care of you for the sake of the gospel. That gospel peace and gospel proclamation was what bound them together. In many ways, John is echoing this event. His teaching is continually reminding them of how Christ commissioned them in those early days. I know we usually love to lean into Matthew 28 and the Great Commission, and it's great. But there are other commissions in the gospels. Luke has two of them. 1. Going for the Name That brings us to the first thing we see: why do they go? They go for the name. We highlighted this last week. Jesus' name is never mentioned in 3 John. We do not have Jesus named, and we do not have Christ named. All we have is "the name." But it is clearly obvious what is meant. This is not simply a generic god. This is Christ himself. The name of the Lord is before them. That is why we support godly missionaries: it is the reason they go. The heart behind the mission is not self-indulgence or building oneself up, but going with a purpose of making much of the name. Not their name, his name. It's making much of the cause of Christ. It is the same reason the seventy-two were sent: to proclaim the kingdom, to proclaim the coming Christ, that the kingdom of God is near. Christ is coming. He is walking behind them, coming to present the gospel in its fullness. So we have the same picture here of these teachers of the word who came to Gaius and have now returned to the church where John is, proclaiming how hospitable he was. John adds an admonition: keep doing this. This is a good work. We don't want people to stop doing the good work, and you're doing it ultimately for the name of the Lord. There's also an echo of Matthew 25, where sheep and goats are divided by what they do. What is the motivation? Is it for self, or for the good of God? Why are you doing the things you're doing? What is the true motive behind the actions? If you truly understand it's for Christ, you will do these things. When you don't see the name of Christ, you are more often left to not do them. "I didn't know to offer you water. I didn't know to be hospitable," because you don't see Christ in those actions. Here he is highlighting that for the sake of the name, you should act. These are people bringing good teaching and the truth of Scripture, and therefore you are encouraged to keep doing this for the right motivation. They have gone out for the sake of the name. Because of their commitment to the gospel, we welcome them in, we care for them, and we encourage them on the mission. 2. Not Relying on the World It's not only why they go, but how they go. The means of their journey is that they took nothing from unbelievers. They took nothing from those who reject the faith. Here John uses the word Gentiles again, the picture of those who have rejected Christ and are not of the church. They are not trusting in the world to provide for their needs. They are trusting in the saints, and ultimately in God, to provide. So the admonition to Gaius is to provide for their needs. You are the means by which God provides for these strangers, and the means by which God provides for the mission work. It's the same reason we give to our missionaries: we give so that the gospel will go. We're not going. Gaius isn't going. He has his house. He is taking care of his family and has things to do here, and that's not wrong. John is not telling him that he should sell all his stuff and head off somewhere else. God has blessed you to be a blessing, to help those who are called by the name. All that you're doing, keep doing it, and do more with what God has given you. So the missionaries cannot rely on unbelievers, and they're not supposed to. This again echoes what the Lord commissioned. The seventy-two were not to take anything from unbelievers, but to trust the Lord to provide. So it is up to us as believers, as the church, to care for those who are going with the gospel. There is a level of discernment in this. Gaius discerned that they were true and orthodox, that they were faithful, heeding John's warning. He saw that they were going for the sake of the name and for the truth. So he provided for them. And lastly, there is one point that's probably often forgotten. In bringing them in and providing for their needs, Gaius also reaps the benefit. Therefore we support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth, so that you may ultimately be partakers in that mission. It's an encouragement to be part of what God is doing. So how are you part of what God is doing globally? It's by being engaged with, and supporting, the missionary effort. John may be doing a little FOMO here, trying to make the men feel that they don't want to miss out on what God is doing. Give money to it. I don't think that's the main point, and I don't think John is laying on the pressure. But if you have a fear-of-missing-out mentality, let's lean into that a little. If you're missing out, don't miss out on what God is doing. Support it and give. That is a great work to be a part of, the work of the gospel. You may not be able to go physically, but that doesn't mean you have no opportunity to be part of the mission. Just because I can't go doesn't mean I can't be part of the going. That is very much what John is encouraging. By giving, and by bringing them into your home, you are partaking in the mission. You are furthering the gospel and its work. That is an amazing part to play: you become a fellow worker for the truth. You're not passive, and you're not ignoring it. You are actively partaking in what God is doing, and that going is simply by receiving. So we go by bringing. It is a beautiful picture of God's blessed work toward the saints. He gives the joy of being part of the kingdom work without having to go overseas or all around the world, but through partnering with the work. So this is what Gaius receives. He receives a good name, but more than that, he receives the privilege of being part of God's eternal mission. 3. Partnering Today We'll hear from Tim when he's here in a month, about all that has been going on with his time in Thailand and the changes that have transpired. We've supported them since they left in 2000. Just seeing the beauty of the gospel, we get to be part of that in small ways. And there are new opportunities like the Abitzs in Liberia, or Tory in Togo, and all these different opportunities to see the gospel and be part of that work. Not passive, but active. These are great opportunities God gives us. Ultimately, John's letter is a command to be part of this work. I think the key, where I want to end and wrap this up, is that yes, we are commended to be workers in it. And the joy ultimately ends in Luke 10:1720. This is one of the texts that probably hit me when I started learning about pastoral ministry in college. My pastoral ministry professor, Chris Curtis, had us read this text every single day when we started class, and he asked us for one observation: what's really striking and encouraging here? It took us all thirteen weeks to get to the observation he was looking for. We'll see if we can do better today. In verses 17 through 20, the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name." And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." What is the most striking part of that text? Someone got it in the first week: that your names are written in the book of life. So Jesus lists the missionary call and all the cool things God does. God does miraculous work, all the saving. But ultimately, the most important and wonderful truth is that God has saved sinners, and that includes you. That is ultimately your joy. Yes, God can do all sorts of things through ministry, and he does, even through these missionary endeavors. But if you find your satisfaction in all the stuff and not in the Savior, you've lost your source of hope. So even as they find all these cool things and report, "Look at all the cool things God did through us," this is the only thing that really mattered at the end of the day: your name is written in the book of life. You have been saved by Christ's work, and because of that, you get the joy to do all the rest. That is what fuels it, not the other way around. That is what brings it home, I hope for you as it did for me: the heart John is encouraging Gaius to continue to have. We see he already has it, and John is encouraging him to grow in it and further it.Watch at: https://youtu.be/yYlMzbMElbY

3. 

   4 Oct 2026

   To the Beloved Gaius

   So as we come this evening, , so we come to 3 John, so it is the last of our personal epistles that we are gonna be looking at. So who here has studied 3 John deeply? Who here has read it more than once in passing? Okay, so you've read it in your Bible reading plan probably. You should. You should have at some point. You remember the fine details of what transpires in this text. So again, it is one of those that it is one of the shortest books in the New Testament. Again, it is a personal letter. , so even while reading is opening up this text, , let's begin by reading the whole text that's before us. Again, not long. We're looking at 15 verses. , so let us begin in the Word. "The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testify to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers with, for the truth. I've written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate evil, but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God. Whoever does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone. And from the truth itself, we also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name." Thus the letter of 3 John to us. And so as we read this, as I read it, it really quickly reminded me, take me back to elementary school. We're gonna go back in time, back when we actually had to learn how to write letters. Again, I'm looking at a generation that all probably understands this. Maybe not Isaac. Isaac's like, "We didn't have to learn how to do this. We had computers." But I was still partially in that, that part of my elementary school. In fifth grade, we had to learn how to write informal letters, formal letters, how to properly address the fir, the title, the introduction, the content, how to have a proper conclusion, how your, not benediction, but how your signature was, all of those pieces. And so we had to write different letters for different occasions. Again, 10 years later, who knew that was absolutely useless. But it's a helpful thing. But again, so there are different ways that you write letters. There's more formal and there's more informal, okay? So it's all seen in the content, and knowing your situation, you write accordingly. So in the book that we have before us, this is very much what is before us is a technically a formal letter. This is a formal Roman letter, okay? The Book of 3 John, as we cover some basics of the overview before we dive into our section, is actually considered the most secular letter in the New Testament. So secular meaning it follows a very structured Roman letter, okay? It has very much a basic introduction. It's gonna have a basic greeting. It's gonna have basic charge or purpose of the letter and a very clear, "Peace be with you." There's no benediction. It actually is the letter with the least theological introductions and conclusion. There isn't a long, , benediction at the end. There isn't a long theological greeting at the beginning, okay? You'll see a certain name is not mentioned once. What name is not in this text? Jesus. Jesus and Christ are not mentioned in our text. So this becomes a sticking point for some, like this just doesn't feel, 'cause we're all about vibes in our history , like it doesn't feel very theological. But yet while reading it, it is extremely theological, 'cause in it it's the personal theology that we're seeing. We're seeing the relationship of the apostle to another brother in Christ. So very similar to s- what we saw in Philemon. There's no new theology being presented in 3 John. If you create a new theology out of 3 John, you're a heretic. We'll cover someone who did create an entire theology System out of Third John in a moment. So it doesn't create new theologies, but it highlights the theme ultimately of true hospitality. So what we'll see in the coming weeks, especially the third week, is ultimately the abuse and the recovery of the end of Second John. So at the end of Second John, we had that theology of hospitality and welcoming and separating from the non-believers. In this, we'll see the abuse of that, where the true believers are being exiled while false teachers are embraced through Diotrephes. So we'll unpack a little bit of that in the third week as you see John's teaching get abused and twisted for people's own ends. So how false teachers can abuse true doctrine. So those are all some of the elements that we will unpack in this text. Now, history clearly associates this book with John. There is no debate of John's writing. The letter's language, structure, content all follows with Second John, First John, and has the same language that we see in the epistle or in the Gospel of John. So no one questions the authorship. Everything flows very similar. It just has a different Roman structure, which is a little different, but the content still follows his same language, his same illustrations, his same use of Greek terms. Okay? The only weird nuance is this is the only time that the word ecclesia appears in a Johannine literature. Random note for you. Um, so he will use other terms instead of the called out ones. So this is the one time that he uses that specific phrase. Um, but these are all, again, important parts of setting the tone for what is going on, as what we have here is this personal letter encouraging a brother to stand firm in the faith, to keep doing what he's doing, and to stand in the midst of those who are doing the opposite. Okay, so we're gonna see a man who is great in hospitality being forced to see those who are not great in hospitality towards the brothers, and being encouraged to continue to do the very thing you're doing. So again, not a complex book, but a lot of depth of how we can see the work of the Lord through this short fifteen verses. So this week we will follow that flow of the letter. So we'll look at the introduction and greeting tonight. We will look at verses one through four. Next week we're gonna look at that encouragement that we have to Gaius in verses five through eight, and then we'll conclude with nine through fifteen, the charge, okay? The uplifting of, , Demetrius, and then the condemnation of Diotrephes. So that will be our final week. So as we dive into this text, we begin here, of course, with an introduction. "So the elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth." So again, we open with John using his title, The Elder, okay? Not directly calling himself John, but The Elder, how he has been known. Same thing we saw in Second John, "The elder to the elect lady." Now it is the elder to Gaius, the beloved Gaius. Now again, part of this goes with our understanding that some will say that this highlights, and there are some nuances in the letter, that John may not have a depth of relationship with Gaius. Okay? That they're not buddies. They don't hang out, if you will. They are probably compatriots in that they are both believers, and that John has received this wonderful news of who-- what Gaius is doing and wants to encourage him all the more to keep doing that. So they may have a passing acquaintance, either they know similar people or very much they may have met a long life and it's like, "Oh, I'm hearing he's doing well. Let me keep encouraging him." So they don't seem to have a very, like, buddy-buddy relationship, which is usually the highlight that he uses his title rather than his personal I, John the Apostle, or John the Elder. He uses a very formal title. So again, writing a professional letter, you use a formal title, not a personal one. So he even begins in that way with a very formal address, "The elder to the beloved Gaius." And so then we come across the recipient of this letter, Gaius. Now, Gaius is a very common name in Greek-- Greco-Roman society in the first century. This is Bill. This is John. This is William. Like, this is James. This is just another name. There's nothing that sets it apart. There isn't anything that really historically you can be like, "Oh, it's this one." In the New Testament, besides this reference to Gaius, there are three Gaiuses in the New Testament. Okay, we have three up to this point. Does anyone know the three randomly? Probably not. I had to look them up because I don't remember them. So two in the book of Acts. Okay, so the first one we have in Acts 19 was in Ephesus, but he's called Gaius of Macedonia, so he's part of the time that Paul is in Ephesus. The second, in Acts 20, we have Gaius of Derbe. Okay? Completely different. And then the third one, who's the most popular, who if people want to pick a Gaius, they pick the third one. It is Gaius of Corinth. So we find him in one Corinthians 1:14, okay, that he only... This is who was baptized by Paul. So again, that's why you, if you wanna pick one, you wanna pick the guy that was baptized by Paul. So when Paul lists his, like, "I didn't baptize anyone. Okay, except for Gaius, I did baptize him. But everyone else, nobody has claim to me." So Gaius in one Corinthians fif- or one Corinthians 1:14, and it's the same Gaius that then is repeated in Paul's benediction or the closing of his letter in Romans. So Romans 16, he'll highlight, "I stayed with Gaius in Corinth." So he highlights that connection again. So Gaius... These are the three distinct Gaiuses that exist in the New Testament. So again, is there any definitive one that place one of these as John's recipient of the letter? Not really. Again, we're, we're now 30, 20 to 30 years in the future. Could it be one of the three? Absolutely. Is there anything in scripture history that says it is? No. So the only thing that we have historically is that in the 300s, the Apostolic Confession Church history will say that this is Gaius the, , the Elder in Pergamum. Again, is there any connection historically that lists it? No. But somehow 400 years from... 300 years from now, they'll just say he's the, this is going to Pergamum. 'Cause history's fun that way. Sometimes people like to add and embellish. But there's nothing in the text that gives us who Gaius is, and part of that, again, I think is an encouragement to us because, again, it highlights the fact that it's not just about the big names. It's not just the big name apostles that are doing the work. It's showing the fact that it is everyday believers living out the faith well in the midst of hostility. And even this is who the apostles are reaching out to. John isn't just writing to the church that we saw in Second, but he's also writing to personal believers that are doing well and encouraging them to keep doing well. Okay? So there's a pastoral lesson even in here for us, that it's not just about writing to the whole, but to the personal. So it is the, it is the individuals in the church and the church as a whole that are to be encouraged, and so John here is giving us a beautiful example of that. There's nothing that lists Gaius as a leader of a church, that he runs a church, but rather that he is just hospitable to believers as they come along the way. So we'll unpack that here in a bit. So all of these are parts of what we have in this wonderful introduction. Who is Gaius? We don't know, but he is a beloved brother. And again, right there we have John doing what John does. Beloved. So right back to his use of language. We talked about a lot. Pastor Adam unpacked it in Second John. Again, the word used often about himself in the gospel is the same word he then often recites to all believers. Okay? Beloved is one of John's favorite terms for a believer, is that they are beloved. Okay? Again, we highlight the fact it's one of Sam Knox's favorite phrases when he's preaching. He, you've, if you've heard Sam preach, if you hear from... Sam will say, "Beloved" when he addresses the church. The beloved, those who are loved by God. Okay? This is where we have it. John's phrase, "Those who are loved by God." And again, it's rooting it in this reality. It is those who are loved by God that are beloved. Okay? So it begins most often connected to 1 John, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another." So that love that God has for us is for one another, and thus those who love God are loved by God and are loved by each other. Is that a fun way to look at that in a big circle? So we should love one another as God has loved us, and therefore we use even that same word of, "You who are loved by God are equally loved by me." So that's what John is communicating. "Whom I love in truth." Okay? So this is all what John is bringing into this introduction. So again, while it is a very f- formal Roman introduction, it is still packed with great depth. Okay, "Beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth." So John's connecting again that love that exists within brothers and sisters, whether they know each other or don't, there is a commonality because Of Christ that bounds their lives in love. That it's not about anything but the gospel that unites them in this truth. And again, in truth, not a passing just love in general towards all Christians. Like, we are bound together in the truth that we share. The truth that we have experienced has bound us together. And so he's communicating that. He's encouraging him. Okay, again, just imagining for a moment receiving this letter in the midst of whatever trial is going on where you have this Diop- Diotrephes and what he's doing, and you're in a different spot, and you're like, "Well, these guys aren't doing well," and you just get this letter from one of the apostles just encouraging you. And this is how he greets you. Like, that's an encouragement. We should, we should encourage each other in similar ways. As we see one another doing things that are admirable in the faith, encourage in that direction. This is what John begins to do. And so in this, he addresses him, "I love in truth." Again, that truth in love playing itself out that we saw a lot in 2 John, again, echoes again here. And then he transitions to the second part. So he has the basic introduction, who it's from, who it's to, and then his opening lines. So again, this is still part of a basic Greco-Roman introduction. Okay. "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health as it goes well with your soul." This phrase is often very commonly found in Roman literature, though John, as we will see, is adding a theological depth here in a minute. But he uses a very common introduction in a very deep theological way. I pray... Okay, the Greco-Roman one was, I wish or I uphold for you. Okay, so a little bit different. He will add the prayer rather than a simple, I'm wishing you good things. Or our, our Great Amer- I'm thinking good thoughts, positive thoughts. Our, our modern American weird hippie whatever that is. But good vibes, good vibes. Good vibes to you and to all of your family, whatever that means anymore. But that like... There's still the rec- I'm praying for you. There is a reality of John's prayer. Okay, this is where the only heretical teaching that I have found in church history pulls from John's letter. So 3 John, this is where the prosperity gospel began, if you will. This is the text that, , Palmer Roberts pulled from. Or Oral Roberts, not Palmer Roberts. Oral Roberts, when in the midst of great sickness, read 3 John, heard the epistle or the apostle's prayer that all will go well for you, that you will be in good health as your soul, to reflect on the fact that your soul must be in good health for you to have a healthy body, so you must be living righteously to experience a righteous physical body. Again, that's a, that's a twist on that text, but that's how he interpreted it. Thus, prayers were always for good health and that if your health is failing, it's because your spirit is failing. Clearly a twist on the text, but that is where he created that... If you were ever wondering where that prosperity gospel health, wealth began, right there in 3 John 1:2. It's amazing how you can twist some scripture sometimes. But this is clearly not what John is doing. Again, all the more as history says this is a very common introduction. Very much like, "I hope everything is well with you and your family." That's usually a very common way you start a conver- How's the family? Doing good. I hope they're doing good. I hope everyone's well. Like, the... It's very much what he's doing, but highlight- In fact, I'm praying that it is well, not simply a wishing, a pra- But I pray dearly that your life is going well. I hope that your family is not sick. These are good things. We should pray for each other. Okay? We pray for the physical well-being of another. Okay, you're in good health. Okay? And he does have this, "As it goes with your soul." And so what we have, the word soul here is the word psyche. It's a great word. Many of you may be familiar with it. We get psychology, brain, being. Okay, it's not... It's where soul becomes kind of a weird choice. It's not a bad choice, it's just can be limiting. So the way John uses the word psyche, this Greek word, is whole being, your spirit, body, mind, all encompassing. Your whole being. Okay? So that you are stable. So I hope that your health reflects, okay, that you may be in good health and it goes well with your whole being. So all of life. Okay, so yes, your spiritual well-being, your physical well-being, your daily well-being, all of who you are is going well. Okay That you're lacking in nothing is ultimately John's prayer. So I'm praying that life is good. I'm praying that you do not have struggles, that you're theologically and biblically sound, that you are full in who you are. Okay? And it's a strong encouragement. If you're gonna walk through trials, if you're gonna walk through having to deal with what we have as an opposition here apparently in the weeks to come, like, are-- I pray you are grounded to experience that well, to not see it as a strike against you, but rather the Lord at work in these moments. So he's praying for his whole being, so good health and full being. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. And so this prayer begins to echo these wonderful testaments of what he has been doing. So what is John responding to? He's responding to the message he's been told. The brothers came to me. Okay? Brothers came to me from wherever, so they clearly passed through your home, and they gave me this report of how you are living, and I rejoiced greatly when they came and told me of your truth. Now, again, this isn't using our modern vernacular. Again, in our everyone has their own truth, and this idea that John's like, "I like your truth. Your truth is great. I was so great when I heard your truth. Unlike that guy's truth, which is very way off, but, you know, he's got his truth, you've got your truth, and I like your truth." That is, that is not what John is highlighting. Okay? When John uses the-- that I rejoiced in your truth is the idea that you are walking in the truth. It is the reflection that you are living in the same truth. Okay? The truth of the gospel. So it's echoing the same thing. Whom I love in truth, so I rejoiced in your truth, that you are in the truth. Okay? So they don't have a weird hippie everyone's got their own relativistic view. It's not even a Roman thought at that day, so it's a very modern thought. Okay? Same here. So he's rejoicing greatly in this test. They're testifying of your truth, of all that you've done. Okay? So again, even this isn't just your truth in what you've said, but your truth in how you live. Okay? That his truth isn't just in words spoken, but in actions done, 'cause they're rejoicing in how he cared for them. That's not just like he preached the truth, but he welcomes them in truth. He is-- gives of himself for these brothers. Again, as we get into later, that-- he's like, "That you didn't even know. Christians showed up to your house one day who are strangers to you, but as brothers you welcome them in." So again, it's not just he knew the words of God, believed them, but he put them into action, that a stranger in the faith is welcomed into his home as a family member. Okay? That's putting the theology into action. Okay? So I rejoice not only that you believe it, but that you do it. Okay? Again, if we go back all the way to our Philemon, that's ultimately what Paul was encouraging him to do, not just to hear the words, but to do them. John here is going, "You hear them, and you do them, and I rejoice in that truth." I'm excited to hear, okay, when people live out the faith well. I think we can all echo that. We should-- When you receive reports of believers living out the faith well, it should encourage you. It should bring you joy, okay, maybe to write them a letter. Especially when we hear from our missionaries of things going on around the world, of how the Lord is using them, to be encouraged, but also then to encourage them to continue to do that all the more. Okay? It's easy to do the right thing. Sometimes it's helpful to be encouraged to keep doing the right thing. Okay? It can be a lonely thing when you do the things of God by yourself, or it feels like it. And again, some of our missionaries who are on the field can feel lonely at times when they're doing the hard labors for the gospel. So when we hear these good reports, it's helpful to encourage them to keep doing it well, keep doing in the midst of what appears hard. And again, we have great Barnabas teams who do this work. So if you're interested in being a part of a Barnabas team which cares for our missionaries, we do have that. It's available. You should join one. Leanne and Isaac are part of the one for Tori. , myself, my wife, several others are a part of the one for the Abbotses. Great opportunities to encourage the ministries as they are going. You hear reports, you encourage them to continue and help them along the way. It's very much what the apostle here is doing. He's encouraging them. I've heard this truth, and I'm so excited for it. I rejoiced greatly when they came and testified, for you are walking in Truth. You're doing the right thing. Keep your-- keep walking in this truth. And so he encourages him all the more, keep pursuing God in this way. And then he has this, "For I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." And so this ties us back to we saw this, he said the same thing to the church in question mark, the elect lady, church of unknown destination. But that same thing, he had no greater joy than hearing his children were walking in the truth. Same thing he said in second, he now echoes to Gaius, that there is a joy in hearing the work of the Lord being accomplished, and it brings him great joy. And so this is the other end, not just in hearing that believers are, but people connected to your ministry. So again, this is the question whether or not he directly knows Gaius. Is this a passing relationship or connected through ministry? But he groups him with one of my children. So connected through his ministry is Gaius, and he is overjoyed to hear how he has progressed or how this progression of this man is going. So maybe some of you probably, hopefully I would connect with you with this. If you've been in the faith a long time, you've been a part of the church for a long time, you've probably ministered with and to people, hopefully. That the-- over the scope of your life, you can look back at people that you rejoice when you hear what the Lord is doing five, 10, 15, 20 years later since you've talked to them. Like it brings you joy to hear of how the Lord uses them even today. Okay, I'm reminded of, I gotta go way back here. We're gonna go back 36 years. Dun, dun, dun, dun. Now if anyone wanna guess how old I was? No? Okay, that's fine. Good, don't. But, so I'll give you a guess. It's called Sparky's. Does anyone know what Sparky's is? There we go. There's my Awana crew. So I was an Awana kid. So F- Sparky's is kindergarten, so it's, it's, I was five years old. So I was a five-year-old Sparky, and so I invited at that time my best friend Jono. We were gonna go. He-- we were on baseball team. We were f- so he came, came, started coming to our little independent Baptist church there in Clarkston, Michigan. So Jono actually came to faith through there couple years later when we were about seven. So we started in Sparky's. His parents kept... He is actually a youth minister in the United Methodist Church today. He's been a part of ministry ever since then, grew up in the church after that. Even after my family left, they kept going and being a part of ministry. , came to faith, and the Lord has done a lot with him throughout the years. Um, so it's again, those are just little things. And now we have Facebook, so everyone sees everything. Everyone does. It's just kind of how the Lord has worked in those relationships. Again, seeing other friends since seminary, different people that ministered to, ministered with, or was ministered by, and just how the Lord continues to use them. It brings joy. It brings encouragement. Again, so hopefully you have those relationships and those reminders of the work that the Lord has done through you. Again, there's always, we can go back to our Christian music days. We liked a little thank you for giving to the Lord. I was a life that was changed. Anyone? Anyone? We got a few. Got a few head bows, yes. It is on my Christian playlist. It still exists. It still gets you a little bit. It gets a little, little teary. Sorry, Isaac, you don't know the tears of... I couldn't remember the name of the guys, guy right now, but it's a thank you for giving to the Lord. And it's that, again, encouragement of how the Lord uses the ministry of others, again, to encourage the saints to keep going. And we have those little reminders in here. We have a similar reminder that it's great joy hearing people continue to walk in the truth. And there's just those little moments that they're little blessings from God to us to give us encouragement, to see how He is doing with His work that you were a part of, that we were a part of God's eternal work. And so John is encouraging him again, how great a joy is to hear walking in the truth, pursuing the truth, that your life is transformed by the gospel and you continue to live this out. This begins John's encouragement to Gaius that, again, next week we'll begin to unpack some of the personal stuff. We'll get into a little bit of that, what that love looks like, what the missionary support looks like. So we have a lot of little nuances that we'll unpack as we get into the meat of the letter over the next two weeks, but this is our introduction to John's letter to Gaius. He's been a part of ministry ever since then, grew up in the church after that. Even after my family left, they kept going and being a part of ministry. , came to faith, and the Lord has done a lot with him throughout the years. Um, so it's again, those are just little things. And now we have Facebook, so everyone sees everything. Everyone does. It's just kind of how the Lord has worked in those relationships. Again, seeing other friends since seminary, different people that ministered to, ministered with, or was ministered by, and just how the Lord continues to use them. It brings joy. It brings encouragement. Again, so hopefully you have those relationships and those reminders of the work that the Lord has done through you. Again, there's always, we can go back to our Christian music days. We liked a little thank you for giving to the Lord. I was a life that was changed. Anyone? Anyone? We got a few. Got a few head bows, yes. It is on my Christian playlist. It still exists. It still gets you a little bit. It gets a little, little teary. Sorry, Isaac, you don't know the tears of... I couldn't remember the name of the guys, guy right now, but it's a thank you for giving to the Lord. And it's that, again, encouragement of how the Lord uses the ministry of others, again, to encourage the saints to keep going. And we have those little reminders in here. We have a similar reminder that it's great joy hearing people continue to walk in the truth. And there's just those little moments that they're little blessings from God to us to give us encouragement, to see how He is doing with His work that you were a part of, that we were a part of God's eternal work. And so John is encouraging him again, how great a joy is to hear walking in the truth, pursuing the truth, that your life is transformed by the gospel and you continue to live this out. This begins John's encouragement to Gaius that, again, next week we'll begin to unpack some of the personal stuff. We'll get into a little bit of that, what that love looks like, what the missionary support looks like. So we have a lot of little nuances that we'll unpack as we get into the meat of the letter over the next two weeks, but this is our introduction to John's letter to Gaius.Watch at: https://youtu.be/dnRDnuKtIh0