Are You Prepared To Receive?

3 John 2 Are You Prepared to Receive?

A pastor was visiting a family one day. He knocked on the door but no one answered it. He knocked again and again, but still no answer. He thought he heard someone inside but they just wouldn’t answer the door. Finally he wrote a note and slipped it under the door. It was Rev.3:20 “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in.”

Four days later he received a note in the mail and it was Genesis 3:10 “I heard the sound of thee in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.”

3 John 2NKJ Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

3 John 2NIV 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.

Not much is known of Gaius, he was a faithful member in one of the churches of Asia Minor. The Apostle John conveys his own appreciation for Gaius by calling him “beloved,” 4 times in this one chapter. Some theologians speculate that maybe Gaius might have been weak and sick in his body, and John knew God could strengthen and heal him.

For the Apostle John to ask about Gaius’ health wasn’t uncommon in those days. However, for ‘one’ to compare a spiritual life with a physical was uncommon.

In this verse, John alludes to two kinds of prosperity:

1. There is spiritual prosperity- “just as your soul prospers"

2. And there is material prosperity- “that you may prosper in all things and be in health"

Gaius’ Spiritual condition was so excellent that John prayed for his physical health to match his spiritual vigor.

Q&A: What if someone were to pray for your physical body to be as well as your Spiritual? Would it be a good thing?

Gaius was favored and prospered. How? Two Key verses: 3 John 3-4NLT Some of the traveling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth. 4 I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.

There’s at least 3 things you can receive out of this one verse.

First, “It’s God’s will that all may go well with you.” It’s God’s will for you to be found faithful!

The early church continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42). They were found faithful in…

• Christ (1 John 2:24);

• The Word (John 8:31–32; James 1:25);

• Faith (Acts 14:22);

• Grace of God (Acts 13:43);

• Love (John 15:9; Hebrews 13:1; Jude 1:21);

• Worship (Acts 2:42).

We must continue in fellowship (Acts 2:42)! Dr. Flavil Yeakley, Jr., studied fifty faithful and fifty unfaithful church members. He found that after six months, the faithful had made seven or more new friends in the church. Of those who had made fewer than three new friends, none were faithful after six months. 1

It’s God’s will for you to prosper; it’s God’s will for you to live in a continue state of blessings.

What does it mean to be found faithful?

1 Corinthians 4:2NLT Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.

Lawrence J. Peter said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” Spiritually, it is certainly true that if we don’t make preparations, we will end up somewhere other than heaven. 2

For the faithful believer living within God’s Kingdom, somehow every heartache will bring promotion.

Listen to Paul’s daily struggles: Romans 8:35NLT Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?

However hear Paul in two verses down Romans 8:38NLT No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

The fact is: “Most of us are more in tune with our physical bodies than our Spiritual.” What are you in tune with?

THE 40 MARTYRS

"History knows them as the forty martyrs of Sebaste. They were soldiers in the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome’s imperial army, around A.D. 320. One day the captain informed his troops that Emperor Licinius had sent down an edict commanding all soldiers to offer a sacrifice to his pagan god. Forty of the soldiers were followers of Christ, and they refused. 'You can have our armor and even our bodies, but our hearts' allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ,' they said.