A Consistent And A Caring Christian Series

Scripture

This is the concluding message of our study in the Apostle John’s letters that I am calling “That You May Know That You Have Eternal Life.” John wrote three letters toward the end of the first century. He was responsible for the churches around Ephesus. He loved the believers in the churches for which he was responsible. Some false teachers were making the rounds of the churches, teaching that Jesus was not the Son of God. So, John’s letters were written to encourage Christians to know that they have eternal life.

The Second and Third Letters of John were each written on a single sheet of papyrus. The common theme in each of these letters is hospitality shown to traveling teachers. The Second Letter of John is concerned about withholding hospitality from false teachers, whereas the Third Letter of John is about extending hospitality to true teachers.

The Third Letter of John tells us about four men and their reputations. The first man, Gaius, had a reputation for being a commendable Christian. The second man, Diotrephes, had a reputation for being a conceited Christian.

Today we are going to examine the reputations of the third and fourth men: Demetrius and John. We will learn how a consistent Christian and a caring Christian lives.

Let’s read about a consistent Christian and a caring Christian in 3 John 11-15, although for the sake of context, I shall read the entire letter, beginning at verse 1:

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.

15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name. (3 John 11-15)

Introduction

John Wooden’s UCLA basketball teams won ten NCAA championships in 12 years. No one speaks more eloquently about Wooden than Bill Walton, who played for UCLA at a troubled time in America, a time of Vietnam and Watergate, a time when young people were asking hard questions, when dissent was in style.

For Wooden, the answers never changed. “We thought he was nuts,” Walton said. “But in all his preachings and teachings, everything he told us turned out to be true.”

“His interest and goal was to make you the best basketball player but first to make you the best person,” Walton said. “He would never talk wins and losses but what we needed to succeed in life. Once you were a good human being, you had a chance to be a good player. He never deviated from that. He never tried to be your friend. He was your teacher, your coach. He handled us with extreme patience.”

John Wooden lived to be a few months shy of 100-years old. Walton talked with the elderly Wooden frequently.

“He has thousands of maxims,” said Walton. “He is more John Wooden today than ever. He is a man who truly has principles and ideas. He didn’t teach basketball. He taught life.”

Walton concluded, “When you’re touched by someone that special, it changes your life.”

I have already mentioned that the Third Letter of John is about extending hospitality to true teachers. In those early days of the expansion of the Gospel, Christian teachers would travel from church to church. Because the inns in those days were not only expensive but also were houses of ill repute, itinerant teachers generally stayed in the homes of Christians.