Have you read the letter? 3 John 1-8

Letters, Letters, Letters Much is said in the Bible about letters.

Acts 9:1-2 Before Paul’s conversion, on his trip to Damascus He carried letters from the high priest demonstrating His authority to imprison Christians.

In Acts 18:27, it is evident that something similar was done in the church When Apollos left Ephesus and went into Achaia, the Ephesians wrote letters to the Achaians encouraging them to accept Apollos.

In I Cor.16:3 Paul declared he would send whomsoever the Corinthians chose with letters to Jerusalem carrying their Gift to them. These letters were essentially the same thing we do when an employer asks for references to call on an application.

Acts 15:20 The conference of the brethren In Jerusalem to settle the question of whether Christians had to be circumcised to be acceptable To God was resolved and the brethren wrote In verse 23 And they wrote letters by them after this Manner.”

Letters. Our Elders get letters – from the people that we Support. They get letters from people wanting Letters. .

The Apostle John wrote a letter to Gaius. We are interested in what the early church Was like: a) We know a lot about its early leaders, such as Paul and Peter, but what about the average church members. b) Were they more spiritual than we are today, and did they have the same kind of problems seen among our members today? I want us to consider the first 8 verses of that letter his morning.

3 John is a private letter to a Christian named Gaius. 3 John tells us about 3 different men. Through these men we can learn something about the brethren of our Lord.

Who was Gaius? Gaius was a rather common Roman name, and appears 5 times in the New Testament. Acts 19:29 Acts 20:4 Acts 16:23 I Cor. 1:14 3 John 1 Thus, both Luke and Paul mentions a Gaius, it is not possible to determined if he was the same Gaius that John now writes about.

There are 3 things we know about this Gaius: 1. A dear friend of John 2. He was faithful. He was an example of hospitality. 3. He was a fellowhelper of the truth.

3 John 1 The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

John desired Gaius to be healthy physically #1 John desired Gaius to be healthy physically As he was matured spiritually! What a wonderful characteristic of a man! To wish for another person to be as well off physically as he was spiritually!. Gaius was a man well off in the kingdom of Heaven

John said that he had heard from the brethren about Gaius who was living in the truth and was Walking in the truth. The truth was a major part of the life of Gaius. Are you walking in the truth? John says that he has no greater joy than to hear That Gaius (and those like him) are walking in the Truth.

Why Truth? 1. It makes you free. John 8:32 2. It is something to get and not let go of it. Prov. 23:23 3. It is the Word of God. John 17:17 4. It is God’s power to save. Rom.1:16

#2 John said in his letter to Gaius That Gaius was Faithful in his living the Christian Life.

John wrote Gaius and commended him for his faithfulness. 5 Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; 6 Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: 7 Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles

Who is faithful today? 1. Those who are desiring to live in Heaven When they die. Rev. 14:13 2. Those who want to please God. Heb. 11:6 3. Those who want to be in life what they want To be after death. Gal.2:20

#3 Fellowhelpers 8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth. Can God depend upon you to work with others to Do his work?.

Christ Has No Hands but our hands.. Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today He has no feet but our feet to lead men in the way He has no tongue but our tongue to tell men how He died He has no help but our help to bring them to His side. We are the only Bible the careless world will read, We are the sinner’s gospel; we are the scoffer’s creed;

We are the Lord’s last message, given in word and deed; What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred? What if our hands are busy with other work than His? What if our feet are walking where sin’s allurement is? What if our tongue is speaking of things His lips would spurn? How can we hope to help Him or welcome His return? —Annie Johnston Flint

A Helper I will be… Daddy, I’ll help you. Even though I am quite small, I can be of help to all; I can use my hands and feet  And my mouth to sweetly speak. I'll be a helper; I'll be a helper; I'll be a helper; And I will please the Lord.

Passages that Propel us upward and onward!.. Gal. 6:10 As we have opportunity, let us do Matt. 25:31-46 On the Right Hand or on the Left Hand…? Eph. 2:10 We are his workmanship, what are we showing to the world. Matt. 5:16 Let your light shine, and glorify your Father in Heaven.

Be a Doer of the Word to reflect the Glory and Majesty of the Son of God! Christians are a reflection of He who lives Within them. Gal. 2:20 Gal. 6:14 I Cor. 2:2

I was listening to President John F. Kennedy when in his Inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1961 he said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” Ask not what the church can do for you, ask what you can do for the church!

Are we like Gaius? 1. Are we strong spiritually…stronger than we are physically? 2. Are we faithful…do we show concern for those who are lost? 3. Are we fellowhelpers..? Do we pitch in and do all that we can to advance the cause of Jesus Christ? Do we cooperate with each other as workers for the Lord?