Amen. You’ll turn with me in your Bibles, please, to the third letter of John, beginning at the first verse.
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 for the truth.
I have 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 all 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. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Let’s pray. Lord, you have given us your word; you have sent us letters of love that have been carried down through the ages for our good, for our instruction, for our reproof. Help us to hear your word, to receive it, and obey you in love and faithfulness as you command and as you deserve. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
So now we’re going to begin to look at the third letter attributed to the Apostle John. Again, across the whole letter we find the same standard formatting, which marks this as being an ordinary and normal type of correspondence.
As with Second John, this letter is sent from the Elder, the semi-anonymous presbyter, whom tradition and the textual evidence strongly suggests was the Beloved disciple John, the son of Zebedee. Now, we discussed previously how this lack of specificity or obvious authorial connection to an apostle was one of the reasons why there was some debate and concern about the inclusion of both Second and Third John within the New Testament canon.
However, that was not the only major challenge to their inclusion. The other significant argument used against them was their specificity and directness, being clearly written to specific named parties and addressing specific and limited issues. Those who argued against their inclusion did not consider them to have the kind of universal applicability which they believed Scripture ought to have.
Yet, just as with Paul’s letter to Philemon, to Titus, and his two letters to Timothy, these were preserved because of their exemplary and explanatory nature. Each letter demonstrates specific examples where and how the apostles’ Christian teachings were to be applied. Therefore, they actually are universally applicable because of how they teach us to turn our doctrine into practice.
However, I would be remiss if I did not pause to add a final reflection concerning Second John’s intended audience since it’s related to the original recipient of Third John. Although I stated that the addressing of Second John, being the elect lady and her children, was effectively a euphemism for some particular and unidentified congregation and her individual members, there are others who have instead interpreted the statement rather woodenly, literally, and narrowly as being written to some particular yet otherwise unknown and unidentified woman and her kids within an unknown congregation.
Now, the grammar of the letter does not provide enough evidence to be conclusive one way or another. However, it’s in the addressing of Third John that offers enough circumstantial evidence to swing the argument away from Second John being written to a particular woman and her household, instead to a particular church.
Here John clearly writes to a specific man, Gaius, and also references two other individuals, Diotrephes and Demetrius, by name. If John did not seek to obscure or hide the identity of these Christian men, then there is no good suggestible reason for why John would not also directly address a woman and identify her by name and include her household.
I mean, Paul had no qualms against it when he did, and here, John exhibited no such concern by addressing Gaius. Now, neither church history nor Scripture tells us anything more about these three men: Gaius, Demetrius, and Diotrephes.
Gaius was a very common Roman first name, marking him out as a Gentile and very probably a Roman citizen. Similarly, Demetrius was also a Roman name, but while Diotrephes was certainly a Gentile name, it was not necessarily Roman. This means it suggests that Third John was written to a Gentile Christian believer, possibly one with social influence, and maybe even political standing as would be the case with a Roman citizen in a church made up largely of Gentile Christians.
If Gaius was almost certainly a man of means, while this letter was obviously and directly pertinent to him in his time and place, the rest of his personal context and circumstances beyond what is mentioned here in the letter are actually relevant for us to understand or needing to interpret it.
What is most important and relevant for us here is Gaius’s practical example of Christian activity and faithfulness. So let us now focus on the exemplary work of Gaius. The Apostle John writes to Gaius, whom he loves in truth, whom he agapes in agape, whom he truthfully cares for as his brother in Jesus Christ.
That by way of his blessing in the greeting, he prays that Gaius’s life is generally going well, that he may be in good health as it goes well with your soul. See, he’s praying for Gaius’s sense of peace and wholeness by acknowledging the mystical union and interrelation between our bipartite condition of being both physical and spiritual persons.
Next, John praises Gaius for all the good and faithful works he has done in the name of Jesus Christ, writing, ‘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.’
He rejoices because he sees spiritual fruit blossoming within the life of Gaius, as it has been reported to him as being evidence of his faith. So again, we can see the continuity and clear signs of relationship between the three John letters.
John expresses his joy being made complete, knowing that those whom he has discipled and taught to follow in the way of Jesus Christ continue on in the way they should go, walking in the truth.
After this greeting, blessing, and earnest praise, John now expresses the reason for his correspondence: a commendation and an exhortation for Gaius to continue doing what he is doing.
‘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 for the truth.’
Although this sounds vague concerning what Gaius is actually doing and for whom — I mean, John has no need to repeat the details to Gaius; he is doing them — the general idea is really quite clear. John was commending Gaius for his personal support of certain unnamed Christian missionaries traveling throughout his region.
They are the ones who have given John their good report, which prompted John to write to Gaius and offer his thanks. Now, those commentators who argue that Second John’s elect lady and her children referred to one particular woman in her household will rightly correlate this affirmation of Gaius’s missional support with John’s broad admonition and warning against receiving antichrists, where he writes, ‘Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.’
They suggest that they are really two sides of the same coin; they argue that Gaius was exercising good and proper judgment, while this anonymous woman needed to be instructed and reminded because either she had made some poor decisions in the past concerning whom she supports, or she needed to be warned because she was at risk of doing so.
Now, that is a very uncharitable perspective to hold and a very non-charitable position; that’s actually a rather offensive position to take against this alleged woman, especially when she is not being directly named or counseled. Because if that interpretation were true, then the anti-patriarchal mob would have a justifiable reason to come to her defense.
However, New Testament Scripture is filled with so many names of strong women being recorded as supporting the work of the Apostles of the early church: we have Phoebe in Romans 16, Priscilla in Acts 18, Lydia in Acts 16.
For John to take that kind of negative approach and attitude would be very much out of character for him, especially when Paul showed such affection for Lydia, an independent woman with her own household and successful business. It would be very unusual indeed for the Apostle Paul to look or sound nicer than John the Beloved in his writings.
Now, while those interpreters are right in connecting the two statements, it’s not strong evidence to support their position because John’s admonition against receiving and heeding false teachers would have been more properly communicated to the wide body of believers without prejudice: warn everyone together and at one time, while also praising individuals directly and privately to avoid the appearance of favoritism and preventing those who do well from becoming puffed up. This is kind of the spiritual opposite of the praise in public and punishment in private that the world so loves as a way to avoid social embarrassment.
So no, really, the most loving and reasonable interpretation here concerning who the audience of Second John and Third John were is that Second John was sent to a particular congregation, while Third John was sent to a particular member of that church. Between these two letters, John warned them to not welcome, receive, or support false teachers and antichrists — people who claimed to teach Jesus but instead taught false doctrines — commend them corporately for their faithfulness, and then personally to Gaius for his support, his personal support of the good teachers, these missionaries.
We know from the narrative provided by the book of Acts that during the first century, faith in Jesus Christ was spread widely throughout the Roman Empire through the intentional efforts of Christian missionaries and evangelists such as Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, and Philip, as well as through the passive efforts of Christian believers who were scattered because of persecution and prejudice. They became scattered, and then once they were settled into their new homes and locales, many of these first Christian exiles formed the core, the initial seed of Christian worshiping communities, ekklesiae, especially once the followers of Jesus were put out and excommunicated from the Jewish synagogues.
Many of these ekklesiae became loving places of support, always glad to assist and host other Christians as they traveled. We also know from Paul’s various letters that other Christian disciples were being sent out among the increasing number of ekklesiae, carrying both corporate and personal messages. That is the kind of circumstance into which John is writing in these two letters.
He writes, ‘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.’ Gaius has clearly welcomed, received, and taken care of some Christian missionaries, and they’ve sent his praises to both John and his local ecclesia concerning Gaius’s charity and generosity.
We’re not told what he specifically did, and we’re not told how much he did; his good works of Christian agape are neither qualified nor quantified. As much or as little as they might have been, because those specific details are ultimately unimportant for us here in posterity. Otherwise, we would be tempted to limit our own expected efforts and charitable support to his first-century standard.
Not only was Gaius being commended for what he’s already done, he was also being encouraged in what he is presently doing. He was being exhorted, stirred up, and spurred on to do more and even greater good works in love because these missionaries were still on site; they had not yet returned from whence they came.
This is why John writes to him, ‘You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God,’ telling him that despite all that he had already done — despite having already done so much — he should not yet stop and should continue for as long as needed, providing for their needs for as long as he is able.
He should do this, not because John expects it of him, but he should continue to treat them in a manner worthy of God because they are God’s image bearers, his emissaries, and are deserving of such respect and good treatment because of whom they represent.
We should not assume that John was raising the bar in terms of hospitality and generosity towards missionaries, evangelists, or pastors because of our particular ministries, education, or ordination. He was not, because this is the attitude and manner we ought to treat each and every guest and each and every person with whom we have dealings.
What John was doing was encouraging Gaius by reminding him that what he was doing is an expression of Christian agape towards others and that what he was doing was both exceptional and very ordinary. His generosity and hospitality were exceptional because they went above and beyond the social norms and conventions that governed the treatment of strangers.
His generosity and hospitality were also very ordinary because they typified what every person and what especially every Christian ought to do for any other person, whether they are family or friends, neighbor or stranger, Christian or pagan.
Then John further qualifies and highlights why these men in particular were worthy of his continued support because of the positive impact which Gaius’s good works were having through them, saying, ‘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 of the truth.’
John was saying that even though what Gaius was doing is what he ought to be doing for anyone with a need, it was especially needful and important and exceptionally good that he do it for men like these because they were men who’ve gone out for the sake of the name — men working on account of the name of Jesus Christ.
These men were traveling, preaching, teaching, discipling, evangelizing, and ministering all across the region in the name of Christ for the expansion of Christ’s Kingdom and for the glory of God alone. Why did these men accept nothing from the Gentiles?
It was not because of religious purity concerns; that issue had largely been settled in Acts 15 by the Jerusalem Council and in 1 Corinthians 8 by Paul when he discusses food that comes from sacrifices to idols. Instead, it was really about avoiding two things: first, to avoid the appearance of the Christian faith being presented as just another vain philosophy, and second, to avoid the appearance of selling the gospel and its spiritual benefits.
This was an imperative of their Christian witness to accept nothing from the Gentiles because they did not want to seem to profit from the open, free offer of God’s redeeming grace. They would not accept anything from those whom they were calling to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ because their ministry was not self-serving.
However, notwithstanding all that, these men were still needing and deserving of support by their fellow Christians because the Scriptures teach us that ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while treading out the grain,’ meaning that their ministerial work was rightly deserving of a fair wage paid for by Christians as support for the continuation of their ministry.
Not only did John believe and teach that it was right and good for Christians to support professional Christians as they preach the gospel and work for the coming of Christ’s Kingdom, but that there is an even greater reason for us to support them in such manner: so that we may be fellow workers of the truth.
So that, through our support, we may be joined together with them in communal service, so that our good works of support would flow out through them in their own good works of ministry for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ.
Now, John goes on to say that with Second John, where John tells the church that ‘everyone who receives, supports, or even greets a traveling false teacher and antichrist takes part in his wicked works.’ And while John was actively warning against false prophets and antichrists—like that former PCA pastor, Andy Stanley, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, and many other similar individuals—these and their heretical messages were being transmitted throughout the Roman Empire using the same mode and model as those who carried the true gospel of grace in Jesus Christ.
That is why John warned the church and reminded them that the only way the two sorts may be told apart is by their message. Did they preach the man Jesus Christ, crucified, dead, and resurrected in the flesh, or did they preach a different message entirely: salvation by works, a need for deeper hidden secret knowledge, trust in Jesus and then receive temporal prosperity, or did they elevate the spiritual over and above the physical?
The first example will be someone that is faithful and true, while every other example offered a counterfeit gospel preached by a false, satanic antichrist.
Once again, John emphasizes our unity in Christ Jesus through these shared and supported good works which are being done in his name. So, like Gaius, as the ecclesia, as we support Christian missionaries, evangelists, and pastors in their Kingdom work, we become united with them through this union as fellow workers for the truth.
Opportunities to support other Christians in this manner is a blessing for us both as individuals and as a congregation. I mean, not every Christian is called to go into foreign missions; not every Christian is called to go into the inner city. Not every Christian is able or capable to labor and do the physical work that missionary and evangelistic endeavors often require.
But every Christian is called to be engaged in Christian mission and Christian ministry. Through our support of others, we are all still able to participate in these works. We are all still able to help to the best of our ability and resources by helping those who are called into these ministries and those who are able to go and do.
Two hundred years ago, Presbyterians were well-known as the Christians who went and did—that’s why there’s so many hospitals and schools with the name of Presbyterian around the world. Presbyterians went and did things out of our Christian agape for people, and then when they asked us why, we were able to tell them about Jesus after having first shown them Jesus.
Our works helped them to hear and listen to the message that we were bringing. But early on in the 20th century, many Presbyterians decided that the works themselves were what was most important, and then they began to leave the gospel out. Later on in the 20th century, many Presbyterians decided that it was now too difficult to go and do—that it was too challenging and too dangerous. So a lot of Presbyterians stopped going.
But many still continued to fund those who were willing to go and share the gospel for the sake of Jesus’s name. Nowadays, it seems as if most Presbyterians across all of the many different Presbyterian denominations are now too old and tired and no longer able to go and do, so much so that now it may feel as if all that we’re able to do is write a check so that other people may do on our behalf.
But if you think that, you’re wrong. While we can and should support other Christian missionaries financially, there is still so much more that we can do to support them and the Christian mission out in the field. And again, we can also be missionaries in the fields closest to our homes through all the various means of support that we are presently engaged in or that we have the opportunity to engage with.
We are all still able to be involved in the broader Christian ministry that every believer and follower of Jesus Christ is called into. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded, though, about what the many declarations in Scripture have to say that inform us about God’s plan and purpose for his ecclesia—about what our mission actually is and what we ought to be doing to fulfill it.
Matthew 28: ‘And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I’ve commanded you. Behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.”
Mark 13: ‘And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.’
Habakkuk 2: ‘For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.’
Acts 13: ‘And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”’
James 1: ‘Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world.’
That is the ministry of the church, the ecclesia, to which every professing Christian is called. We are to make disciples of Christ and teach them to do all that He commands, to baptize them into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and bring them into the covenant community.
To proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in and to all nations and all peoples until the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. To be a light to the Gentiles and bring salvation to the ends of the earth; to bring the gospel to everyone, everywhere, without exception, and to perform good works of charity and kindness by caring for and providing for those who are less fortunate than ourselves—those who are marginalized, maligned, and forgotten—merely to show forth the agape love of God.
All of that is part of our calling and is part of our ministry. Not one of us is able to do all of that on our own, alone, but we are able to do it together through our support of Christian missionaries, missions, and even secular charities.
Our congregation is exceptionally generous, and that’s something that I love about us. Last Sunday was the first time the angel tree ministry was publicly mentioned here. We did not publicize anything about it earlier because it wasn’t until very recently that we knew for certain that we were going to get to participate this year because of all the hoops and requirements which Jen Bae went through. Yet, every angel was picked off of the tree last Sunday. Thank you!
However, there’s more to that ministry than just buying the gifts. We also have the opportunity to give these children their gifts and show them the love of Jesus through something much more important than mere stuff: the gift of presence.
So be on the watch for more information about that to come soon. Then, every year, many of us fill and collect shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, filling those boxes with wonderful stuff for these unknown children.
Then the workers from Samaritan’s Purse get the opportunity to have the gift of presence on our behalf. They get the opportunity to tell those children about Jesus and what he has done for them. So don’t forget your boxes need to be packed by Sunday the 19th!
We also here support various other causes and ministries: from Samaritan’s Purse, ones for veterans, and ones for disaster relief. Their workers and chaplains go to the lost, marginalized, or forgotten people and help them with what they need most. First, they provide for their physical needs, and then they provide for their spiritual and emotional needs.
They go to be present with them right there in their pain and suffering, misery, or misfortune, and then minister to them in the name of Jesus Christ. Locally, we gladly support Richland Pregnancy Services as they help women to make better-informed choices for their lives and for the lives of their unborn children.
A key part of their work is introducing them to Jesus and offering to connect women with a congregation who will love them in his name. Then sometimes our work of ministry is best done as charity. Not everything must be evangelistic; most should be, but not everything must be because it’s still about sharing Jesus’s love with others.
If it’s a Christian doing it, then it’s still a little evangelistic. This is why we also support a local shelter for women and children, often taking them sweet cereals as a treat for those who rarely get to enjoy such luxuries.
Just as we recently finished collecting food for the local food pantry charity, People Helping People, we’re also partnering with other Christian groups. This Christmas season, we are supporting the Salvation Army’s red kettle campaign, helping to fund all of their local work—all the work that they do in the name of Jesus to help them share his name and his agape with everyone who comes to them for help.
They help with food and shelter; they help kids with their education and by providing a safe place for them in the afternoon. We do not often see it, but the Salvation Army does far more than just ring bells and collect money, and they cannot do any of it without the generosity of the people who donate to the red kettle campaign.
Internationally, we support our own resident missionary, Angie Hunter. Through her, we support GEM, Greater Europe Mission, and the Euro Brass; they are helping to take the gospel throughout Europe, returning it to parts of the world that have often become unchurched and secular. Thank you, Angie, for all that you have done and all that you will continue to do through your musical ministry.
We also support a family of missionaries through Pioneers. Most of you know who they are, but for their protection, I’m not mentioning them by name. We’ve been supporting them for many years as they introduce Muslims living in Europe to the true gospel of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, they had to cut their American visit short this summer and return overseas due to a family death, so we missed hearing about their present ministry experiences.
Lastly, but not least, we also support Edunations and their school in Sierra Leone, Africa. Through our denomination, we just sent them a large quantity of books and Christian curriculum gathered and collected by our congregation. We’ve also helped them to replace a truck in the past, and we join our funds with the rest of the EPC in financial support.
So yes, we already support many missionaries and missions very well, and I did not even get to mention everyone or everything. But there are still other forms of missional support that we can be more or better engaged with.
Every Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m., we have a group who gathers together in the Parlor for prayer. We would love to have more people join us because a prayerful church is a powerful church.
Beyond our walls, Deb Roof has helped get a monthly prayer group started at the YMCA, meeting every first Monday, also at 10:00 a.m. Tomorrow will be their fourth meeting.
We also have the opportunity to serve our preschool at their events as a classroom volunteer or to just come in and read the kids a storybook. The teachers and kids would all love to have you come spend some time with them.
Everyone has access to a copy of the church directory. Every month someone has a birthday, so you can send them a card, a text, or a phone call. It does not even have to be for a birthday; you can just drop a note to say hi.
We must not forget that each of us can and should be missionaries in our own family homes and in our neighborhoods. So, we need to know as a church how we can help better support one another there, too. How can we help support you as you evangelize and disciple your children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren? What do you need? How can we help you show forth Christ with your neighbors?
What do you talk about when you meet someone you know at the grocery store or at the mailbox or at the Garden Club? Do you know whether or not they know Jesus? Are you willing to make an introduction?
So we, together as an ecclesia, are very busy, and we are doing a lot to help support many different missionaries. And that’s great! I want to commend you for all that you are doing. You have been generous and faithful, and I encourage you to continue doing so.
Your efforts are surely storing up treasures in Heaven, and you are truly showing forth the kingdom of God in this world, giving everyone a foretaste of the glory which is still to come.
You are doing what you should, so keep on doing it because it’s the right thing to do. Yet for all the good that you presently do, is there something more that you feel you could be or should be doing? Come talk with me, and I will help you to find a way to put your gifts and your talents and your time to works of service.
Everyone cannot do everything, but everyone can still do something. Help us to help you in your support and in your work for the mission that God has given to the ecclesia.
You are—we are—the church, and this is what we do because it’s part of why we are the church: to be a blessing to all the families, nations, and peoples of the world in Jesus’s name.
Remember, we get to do this joyfully because we’ve been chosen and called by God. Being involved in Christian mission and ministry, supporting missionaries, and doing local missionary work ourselves and other works of Christian activity are our responses of faith and faithfulness.
They are works of fulfillment of God’s purpose; they are why He has brought us together as the church, as the ecclesia, as his beloved people. Those who are loved by Him are brought together to love others on His behalf for the sake of His name.
We love because we are loved. Therefore, we support our missionaries because at one time some missionaries reached out and brought the gospel to us. And since they brought us news of God’s freely given gift of grace, why should we hinder? Why should we not help to see others converted to faith in Jesus Christ?
As we have been through their good works and their sharing of the gospel, others will come to believe through their touch and ministry. So it’s by our support that we are able to also touch others for the sake of Christ and his eternal kingdom, for God’s glory and the honor of his holy and precious name. Amen.