SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 05-26-04
My Worship Time Focus: Gaius’ practical ministry
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 3John 5-8
Message of the verse: “5
Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the
brethren, and especially when they are strangers; 6 and they bear witness to your love before the
church; and you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of
God. 7 For they went out for the sake of
the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.
8 Therefore we ought to support such men, that we may be fellow workers
with the truth.” (NASB)
“ 5 Dear friend, you are doing a good work for God when
you take care of the traveling teachers who are passing through, even though
they are strangers to you. 6 They have
told the church here of your friendship and your loving deeds. You do well to
send them on their way in a manner that pleases God. 7 For
they are traveling for the Lord and accept nothing from those who are not
Christians. 8 So we ourselves
should support them so that we may become partners with them for the
truth.” (NLT)
In this section John describes the practical ministry
that Gaius had, and that was helping the traveling Pastors that came to
minister to the church he attended. By
doing this Gaius became a partner with them in the Truth. Dr. Wiersbe describes four reasons as to what
was the motivation for this practical ministry to fellow servants of the
Lord. The first reason for this kind of
motivation is that it is honoring to God as seen in verse five where John
writes, “Dear friend, you are doing a good work for God when you take
care of the traveling teachers who are passing through, even though they are
strangers to you.” Also in verse six
where John writes, “send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.” The second reason is that this is a
wittiness to the lost as seen in verse sever where we read, “and accept nothing
from those who are not Christians.” When
the lost world sees that believers give to other believers and that they do not
look to unbelievers to meet their needs in a financial way this can attract
them to the Savior. The third reason is
obedience to God, “Therefore we ought to support such men, “is how John put it
in verse 8a. John’s letter is the Word
of God and so when I read that I should do something as it comes from the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The last
reason or motivation for this practical ministry that Gaius has is seen in the
last part of verse eight, “so that we may become partners with them for the truth.” Missionaries could not do the work they are
doing without the support that they receive from the people of God, and by
giving to the work of the Gospel we become a part of that work. Paul describes the Church as a body that has
many different parts and these parts each have different functions so that the
body will work as a whole.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I think in order to wrap this section of
Scripture up in what I have learned it is in obedience, I am to be obedient in
a practical way in which I minister to others, things like providing a place to
stay for traveling ministers and their families, and providing gifts to
ministers who are laboring in other parts of the world. I need to be obedient in using the gifts that
God has entrusted me with for the cause of Christ.
The Word of God was
challenging to my heart as I studied it this morning.
My Steps of Faith Today: Continue to trust the Lord and see if He
opens this door of opportunity to go to South America to minister and to work
in order to get myself out of the financial trial that I am in.
Memory verses for the week:
1Cor. 13:1-2
If I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of
prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so
as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
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