1. From: John the Apostle 3rd John vss 5-8
Outline for Mar 13, 2011
To: Gaius c/o Sovereign Grace Fellowship P. O. Box High Street Boscawen, N. H

2. 3 John 1:1-14 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth
3 John 1: The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. (2) 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. (3) For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. (4) I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (5) Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, (6) who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. (7) For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. (8) Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. (9) I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. (10) 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. (11) Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. (12) 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. (13) I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. (14) I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. (1:15) Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, every one of them.

3. 3 John 1:5-8
Dear friend, you are showing your faith by whatever you do for the brothers, and this you are doing for strangers; (6) they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God, (7) since they set out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from pagans. (8) Therefore, we ought to support such men, so that we can be co-workers with the truth.

4. CARING ACTIONS
Mutual Christian love can be expressed in so many ways by word of mouth, but still more is necessary. John says, 'let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth' (1 John 3:18).
To be genuine, love has to be seen in action; Christians should always seek to do good to one another.
The New Covenant not only tell us to 'love one another‘, it also inspires us live in like manner by providing us with a number of pen-portraits.
This brother Gaius, the man to whom 3 John was written, is as good an illustration of what is expected as any. His life pictured love in action.

5. Q. Are we to “show” our faith?
Verse 5.
Dear friend, you are showing your faith by whatever you do for the brothers, and this you are doing for strangers
Q. Are we to “show” our faith?
Showing or displaying our faith is extremely important.
Gaius displayed his faith through acts of love.
John said Gaius ministered through “whatever you do for the brothers.”
He ministered to brethren who were for all practical purpose strangers (though in Christ).

6. Verse 6a.
They have testified to your love before the church.
As a result of this friend’s display of faith and love these strangers in Christ
- testified of his love
- bragged of his love to the church
Verse 6b. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God
John then encourages Gaius to follow through in his kindness by:
- Sending (equipped?, rested?) them on to their journey (mission?)
- In a manner worthy of God
- Up to this point everything this friend has done towards these strangers in Christ was as if he ministered to God himself.
John directs him to now send them away in like manner.

7. Verse 7.
Since they set out for the sake of the name
Their service was exclusively for Christ
- They were dedicated to His service.
Verse 7b-8a.
Accepting nothing from pagans.
They would not accept anything from non-believers
Q. What is implied here?
Therefore, we ought to support such men.
- Let there be no doubt about it. Believers are on their own.
- The unbelieving world has no share in our labors as we serve together for the sake of that NAME.

8. Verse 7 continued. “…. for the sake of the name”
Ephesians 1: ESV
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, (17) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, (18) having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, (19) and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might (20) that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. (22) And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, (23) which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

9. Verse 8b.
So that we can be co-workers with the truth.
It is the joy and privilege of God’s saints to work towards their common goal together.
The goal? To bring honor and glory to that NAME!
JESUS CHRIST
How? By spreading the knowledge of God’s Truth throughout the world.

10. Luke 1: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people (69) and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, (70) as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, (71) that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; (72) to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, (73) the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us (74) that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, (75) in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. (76) And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, (77) to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, (78) because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high (79) to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."