3 John

We are now at the book of 3rd John. While you were gone, I already finished the book of Joel. So now we are at 3rd John. We have already studied 1st John and 2nd John, and now we are at 3rd John. Let us have some coffee, and we will see what John has to say in his third epistle. You told me I could not have coffee today. It is decaf if you would like some. There is a coffee company that appears to be Christian-owned. Do you know what they call their decaf blend? They call it Heresy. Let us pray.
Good morning and welcome to Coffee and Devotions. Let us have some coffee, pray, and grow in our love for the Lord together. Lord, we thank You so much for this day. We thank You for the blessing of getting to hear Your word and to read it. We pray that as we spend time together in Your word, Your Holy Spirit would work in our hearts to know You, to love You, and to walk in Your ways. In Jesus' name, Amen.
We begin with Third John. You may know that in the Greek, it is labeled with letters of the Greek alphabet. This is the Gamma Epistle. The Elder writes, "whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you. Just as you walk in the truth, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."
You want to read verses five through eight? Well, first, what is he saying in that paragraph? John is happy that they are walking in truth. Yes. Good. He is very thankful for that. Their souls are prospering. Good. All right. Verses five through eight. I feel that the epistles of John are mostly about walking in truth. There is a... Now you know why people like me think John actually wrote all three of them. All right, go ahead.
Beloved, you faithfully do whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, because they went forth for His name's sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such that we may become fellow workers for the truth. So, what is he saying in that paragraph? He is saying that if we are kind to the stranger and our friends, then it will go well with us. He is encouraging him, is he not? He is doing faithfully to his brethren, people in the Church, and to strangers. They have borne witness, have they not? They are testifying of his love, even to the whole Church, even as far away as John is here. And then he is saying, you are sending them forward in their journey, in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. And you are going to do well with that because they are sent in His name. So John is encouraging him, is he not? Gaze, you are doing a good job, man. You are showing love to the brethren. You are showing love to the strangers. These are good. Perhaps these are like missionaries or other apostles or other Christians traveling through. This is a beautiful picture of encouraging Gaius.
Verse 9-12, I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, priding against us with malicious words, and not content with that. He himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil is not of God. Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself, and we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.
So what is he talking about there? This is a contrast between these two people, one of whom is not doing what John tells him to do. John says, "Do not be like that. Be like Demetrius." So do not be like Diotrephes. But Gaius, you are doing well. And Demetrius is doing well. Demetrius is actually receiving people in the Lord. But this other man, he will not receive anybody who is coming from John and from the other apostles. And he is even kicking people out of the church, if he can. He says, "Do not imitate him."
All right, do you want to read the final part, verses 13 and 14? I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink, but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face. Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.
All right, so what is he saying there? He is saying goodbye in the same way he said goodbye to the elect lady. Yes, that is right. It is the same way it was said in the second episode. He has more to say, but he does not want to do it with pen and ink. We will talk face to face. Yes, and then, I hope to come to you soon. And then he gives him the final blessing, right? Peace to you. Our friends even say hello. Hey, greet our friends there by name.
All right. So how would you summarize all of Third John? You are doing good, Gabe. Good. Yes, you are doing good, Gaius. And hey, people in the church, beloved, follow Demetrius. Do not listen to this Diotrephes. Sometimes when it is in English letters, I have a hard time pronouncing it. I wish I had just written it in Greek above there because I would know how to pronounce it. Anyways, the point being is that do not be like this man. Gaius, you are doing good. And Demetrius, be good. Receive the people. I have more to write but I will talk to you face to face.
What would you underline as the best first point in this section? Probably either three or eight. Three or eight. Or perhaps five. Five? That is also a good choice. Verses five and eight truly capture the essence of what I would describe as the call to hospitality. Beloved, verse five states, "you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers." And then in verse eight, "we therefore ought to receive such that we may become fellow workers for the truth."
I appreciate those verses. They emphasize the importance of hospitality. How does this apply to us? Are we part of the Beloved? Yes, we are part of the church. We act wisely when we welcome strangers and show hospitality to people, when we invite them into our homes. I understand that perhaps you children might find it somewhat irritating when your parents invite various people to our house. However, it is an enjoyable aspect of our lives that we get to meet new people, love them, learn about their stories, and share a meal with them. If we can assist them in any way, it is a commendable act. I was astonished when I visited other cultures, as hospitality is a significant part of their way of life. For instance, many aunties would insist on serving abundant amounts of food, saying, "You have only known me for a short time, but I want to ensure you are well-fed." The point is, many cultures place great importance on hospitality as a means of showing love to strangers. Sometimes, even people from other churches might say, "Oh, you are from another church. You are not from my church. I cannot be friends with you." However, we should love all people who are beloved of Christ.
What about you? What do you believe you are called to do? Welcome strangers and brethren into our homes. For example, you can demonstrate attention, kindness, and love towards them when possible.
Are you ready to pray? Do you want me to pray? Do you want me to pray?
God, thank you so much for this day. Thank you for the time to spend together. We pray that indeed we would have generous hearts, that we would love others as we would want to be loved, that we would treat them with kindness, and that we know that we are sojourners and pilgrims in this life. So when there are pilgrims and sojourners among us, we pray that we would welcome them and show them Christian hospitality. Thank you that you have shown us your love and prepared a home for us in heaven, even though we were once strangers and foreigners. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Well, may God bless you. May you walk in the joy and peace of Jesus. And we will see you next time. Goodbye. Goodbye.