Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Little Things That Make A Big Difference | New Testament | 3 John

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to 10 minute Bible talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Patrick Miller. Today we're looking at the shortest book in the New Testament. It's a letter, and in the original language, which was Greek, this letter is only 219 words. That means it's actually shorter than most chapters in the New Testament. After all, it's hard to say a lot in so few words. In some ways, it's actually the most everyday normal thing that we have in the New Testament. Testament. I say that because most letters in the ancient world were short, just like this one, short and simple. You may not realize it, but most of the letters in the New Testament are very

Starting point is 00:00:47 strange. They're some of the longest letters that we have from the ancient world. So I'm grateful that we have this short letter. It's an ordinary slice of life from the early church. In this letter, you'll see that John, who calls himself the elder, that he's applying many of the themes we've already explored in 1st and 2 John. He talks about love, righteousness, and false teaching. And so this letter is a simple, real world, pastoral application of the sermon recorded in 1 John. This is what love lived out in the church really looks like. And as you'll see, it's not entirely a rosy picture. Church life is messy, but it's a messiness that you've been called into. Here's the letter written to a house church leader named Gaius, third John. The elder, to my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

Starting point is 00:01:41 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Dear friend, you are faithfulness. You are faithfulness. in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they're strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the name, he's talking about Jesus, that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.

Starting point is 00:02:21 We ought, therefore, to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. Let's pause for a second. Apparently, Guy has had a really great reputation for one simple reason. He was always accepting missionaries into his house, into his church, and sending them along in God's grace. He was hospitable to the right people. Continue the letter. I wrote to the church, but Diotreffes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So, when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us.

Starting point is 00:02:54 Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone and even by the truth itself. So pause again, apparently, John is talking about one of these missionaries. He's saying, look, everyone is saying great things about him,

Starting point is 00:03:25 and it's really great that you guys have welcomed him. Let's continue. We also speak well of Demetrius, and you know that our testimony is true. I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. greet the friends there by name. So what can we learn about this everyday letter, about everyday church life? The first thing is that we are called to love people in our church. John can't stop talking about how much he loves Gaius, and it's not because he's got a man crush. It's because he's seen the love of Jesus for him, and that love spills out into love for others. Do you love people in your church?

Starting point is 00:04:11 Do you care for them in your prayers? Do you show them your love through deeds of service, through hospitality? The second thing that this letter shows us is that false teachers in gossip are always a problem in the church. It's clear that someone named Diotrefes has been denying that Jesus is the promised Messiah. He's out there spreading malicious rumors about John himself. But what's interesting about John's response is that he doesn't run away from the problem of diotrophies. He doesn't try to put his head in the stand and avoid the problem. No, John is going straight to deal with the problem. He's going to talk to diotrefes and everyone that he's influenced. So often in our lives, we try to avoid the problems in our churches. But John's example is forthright.

Starting point is 00:04:58 Hit them head on. Confront false teaching. Stop gossip. And this leads to my third point. Gossip destroys the body of Jesus. How often do we talk about the people we're supposed to love in our churches with veiled malice? I know we all do this. Maybe we shared a rumor that we heard, or maybe we assumed the worst about someone. This is especially the case in a culture like our own that's very skeptical of leaders and skeptical of institutions. We love to listen to or watch failure porn. We love reading and listening to stories of someone we don't know falling from grace. So perhaps it's no surprise we try to sniff that out in our own midst. Do you gossip about your leaders?

Starting point is 00:05:44 About the pastors and elders God's put in place for your good? Do you realize how that gossip destroys lives and points people away from Jesus? John doesn't gossip. He goes straight to the person who's causing the problem and sorts of, it out. The fourth thing that this letter shows us is the importance of hospitality. On the one hand, John warns that playing host to people who teach falsehoods about Jesus, well, that's playing with fire. False teaching must be confronted, not coddled. But he also calls Gaias to actively play host to anyone who comes in the name of Jesus, teaching truth and living in accordance with the truth.

Starting point is 00:06:22 But we're called to support pastors and missionaries in ministry in every way that we can. Are you hospitable to those kinds of people? Or do you find every little thing that you dislike about a pastor or a missionary and poke and prod at it to try and knock that person down a notch? One way we show hospitality isn't just by opening up our tables, it's by opening up our lives and opening up our bank accounts. While John doesn't talk explicitly about giving, hospitality was a form of giving in the ancient world. Meals were costly. Giving a guest a bed for free was cost. In the same way, this letter invites us to partner with Christ-centered ministry by making costly choices.

Starting point is 00:07:06 You should be tithing to your church as an act of hospitality, as an act of generosity and partnership. You should find ways to support missionaries and the ministries that are out there proclaiming the truth about Jesus. And he should do that as an act of hospitality, generosity, and partnership. If we've experienced the extravagant love of Jesus, how can we not be extravagant with our tables, our homes, our wallets? Now, I know none of this is earth-shattering, but I think that's why I appreciate this little letter, because the little things make a big difference in our churches. So let's join John in loving our church, loving the people there, confronting false teaching,

Starting point is 00:07:49 disowning gossip and showing unreasonable hospitality to those who share the gospel.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Little Things That Make A Big Difference | New Testament | 3 John

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