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3 John "Imitate What is Good"
The little book of Third John introduces us to three people.
Before we study this book let me read to you verse11. "Beloved,
do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of
God, but he who does evil has not seen God." These three people
are all Christians. They are all leaders in the church. But two of them
we should imitate, and one we should not.
My son is 4 years old. If I want to teach him something I usually have
to show him how to do it. If it is difficult I will show him again and
again. But soon he will imitate me and can do it by himself.
We have a very difficult time now, because my son is getting older.
He used to have very few models to imitate. My wife, myself, grandma
and grandpa. But now he has many models. Some are good, Christian friends,
teachers, good television programs. But some are not so good. Now he
brings home strange words, imitating his friends at school. Sometimes
he does things that are really strange. The other day he started to
pull down his pants and sing a silly song. I found out that he had been
watching Crayon Shin-chan on TV.
Part of growing-up is learning who to imitate and who not to imitate.
The Christian life is the same way. The Apostle Paul said, "Imitate
me, as I imitate Christ." Like my son, if we want to learn how
to live our lives for Christ, we need a practical model to follow. We
can listen to somebody talk about it and not quite understand, but if
we see someone doing it, then we can do it too. God put this letter
in the Bible to show us who to imitate and who not to imitate.
"The Elder,
To the beloved Gaius, 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.
Beloved, you do faithfully 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."
John wrote the letter to Gaius. Just like the woman in
2 John, Gaius was the kind of Christian that shines. His actions spoke
loudly that He was a child of God. John could hear from far away that
Gaius was walking in truth. Specifically, Gaius was showing the love
of Christ in a very practical way. He would receive into his house those
missionaries who were passing through. Even though he had never met
them before, Gaius would show these missionaries hospitality. And John
encourages him, saying if we receive these missionaries we become fellow
workers for the truth.
I have thought a lot about missions. Mission work is spreading the gospel
of Jesus Christ across cultures. The missionaries of John's day were
men like the Apostle Paul, Jews, who were going to share the love of
Jesus with Greeks. I am a missionary, an American sharing the love of
Christ with Japanese. I believe that as long as people need to hear
the gospel there will always be a need for missionaries. I believe that
God's plan is to save people from every race, tribe and nation. But
God does not call everybody to be a missionary. We are all called to
shine! We are all called to share our faith and the love of Christ!
But we don't all have to go to a different culture.
There are things that we can all do to support missions though. Gaius
was doing one of those things. Gaius used his resources to support and
encourage missionaries that passed his way. Earlier this month I went
to Cambodia. I visited missionaries there and toured the different ministries
that they had started. My heart was touched as I saw both the abject
poverty of the country and the difference that the love of Jesus Christ
was making there.
I believe that as a church Tokyo Horizon Chapel can do a lot to be like
Gaius, a supporter and encourager of missions. The director of the Cambodia
Mission will be in Tokyo on November 23rd and we will be hosting him
for a seminar at our church in Machida. Please pray and consider with
me how you can be involved in supporting the mission in Cambodia.
Now Gaius needed encouragement from John because he was getting discouragement
from another Christian. A man by the name of Diotrophes had actually
kicked Gaius out of the church because he was housing missionaries.
"I wrote to the church, but Diotrophes, 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, prating against
us with malicious worlds. 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 has not seen God."
Diotrophes was a man who wanted to be first. He wanted
to have control over the church. So he cut off ties with John and the
rest of the Christian world. John sent him a letter but Diotrophes refused
to listen. Unfortunately this is not an isolated case. There have been
many pastors who wanting more control over their congregations have
broken off contact with others. This is what has happened with many
of the cults. It starts with a teaching that is not really Christian.
Then when other Christians try to talk to them about it, they cry out
"persecution". They cut off contact. Soon they are thinking
that all the other Christians are wrong and they are the true believers.
What is surprising is that this kind of church usually is more "holy"
or more "spiritual". They are more zealous, or "on fire"
and so many Christians who are looking to grow in their spiritual life
will head to this kind of church. The problem is that the spirit there
is not the Spirit of our Lord, Jesus. The Spirit of Jesus is humble,
the spirit there is pride! The Spirit of Jesus is love, but the spirit
there is fear! If you want to grow in your spiritual life, don’t
imitate a Diotrophes! Diotrophes is dynamic! Diotrophes is exciting!
When you first go you will feel like his church is really moving. But
if you want to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ you need
to imitate a different kind of person.
"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.”
John pointed out a person for Gaius to imitate. Not the
star, Diotrophes, but somebody named Demetrius. He wasn’t as dynamic
as Diotrophes but everybody that knew him knew that he walked with Jesus.
Demetrius wasn’t telling everybody how great he was, but John
recommended him as a model.
If you want to grow as a Christian, don’t look to the great television
evangelist or the pastor with a huge church. Find someone closer to
you, it might be a pastor, but it might not. However, find someone that
you can trust. Recommended by other Christians. Then watch what they
do. See how they pray, how they put their faith in Christ when trials
come. Watch what they do when a fellow Christian needs help. Notice
what things are important to them and what things are not. Then little
by little start to build the same kind of things into your own life.
This is real spiritual growth. “Beloved, do not imitate what is
evil, but what is good.“
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