Alba 11-10-2024
FELLOW WORKERS FOR THE TRUTH
III John 5-8
A stranger was walking down a residential street and noticed a man struggling with a washing machine at the doorway of his house. When the newcomer volunteered to help, the homeowner was overjoyed, and the two men together began to work and struggle with the bulky appliance.
After several minutes of fruitless effort the two stopped and just stared at each other in frustration. They looked as if they were on the verge of total exhaustion. Finally, when they had caught their breath, the first man said to the homeowner, “We’ll never get this washing machine in there!” To which the homeowner replied, “In? I’m trying to move it out of here!”
Doesn't life go so much better when people work together instead of against each other? But you need to know what the task is in order to do that. Jesus gave a task to the church when He said in Matthew 28:18-20 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
That is His command. And that is our task. In the first century until now, people have been working to accomplish that goal. And it is best done when done together.
That is why the apostle John commends Gaius in John's third epistle. Gaius was a Christian man who gave the assistance needed to those who were traveling from church to church teaching the truth of the gospel. John says that the things Gaius was doing made him a fellow worker for the truth. For us to be like Gaius we need to follow his example and...
1. Work Faithfully
In III John 5-6 John says to Gaius, “Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, who have borne witness of your love before the church.” John calls his dear friend “Beloved”. He has heard of the good work that Gaius has done, especially in caring for the needs of the traveling teachers. These teachers were like the circuit riding preachers of a more recent era. John was faithful in providing for them as they spent time in his area.
Gaius had opened his house so that these who proclaimed the gospel could have a place to stay. He made up the guest bedroom and let them stay there. These were not relatives, they were not long lost friends. They were people that Gaius did not know. But they were fellow Christians taking the news of Jesus to people in his area. It could be that these were people that John had sent to this area. But whether that is true or not, Gaius opened his home and let them stay. He did so because he was a man who was faithful in the things of the Lord.
Those who had been staying at Gaius' house must have filled out a report to John, because he has heard that Gaius has been super supportive, and that Gaius has been acting out of love. The report of his actions was made known to John and people in the church. It was a report that John was glad to hear.
It takes people who are faithful to the Lord and faithful in their work to produce the positive outcome that the Lord desires. The work of the Lord advances when the work load is shared. It takes all working together or else it all falls apart.
Did you know that during World War II they figured that for every one man on the front lines, they needed approximately 20 personnel behind him to provide all kinds of logistical support? Without that support things would not have gone well. Everyone is needed, and each one must do their part.
Think of going to an orchestra concert. The selections chosen are from the great composers. All of the instruments needed are in place. A conductor who is among the best is in charge. Then the orchestra begins to play. At first, all seems to be going well.
But it soon becomes obvious that one of the horn players is off key. It may be a trumpet player or someone with a french horn, but they are not together with the rest of the orchestra. The result? In spite of everyone else doing their part and playing well, the overall sound of the orchestra is ruined. It takes everyone working together, being faithful to do their part, to have get a good result. The music sounds better when all are in tune with each other.
When people faithfully work together for one goal, the goal is accomplished. We become workers together for the truth when we are faithful to the task given us. Not everyone is a minister or preacher. Not everyone teaches a Bible class. Not everyone is a missionary. But everyone of us have a place to fill in the work of the Lord. We need prayer warriors. We need volunteers during VBS. We need encouragers.
Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much.” Many people fail to realize that the more we obey, the more God reveals to us about His will for our life. So if we take the first step, God will start to open up new vistas of opportunities where we can find meaningful ways to make a difference for eternity.
Again, for us to be like Gaius we need to follow his example, and not only be faithful, but also...
2. Work in a Manner Worthy of God
While John gives praise to Gaius for his faithful care for the traveling teachers, he gives further instruction as to how Gaius can be a fellow worker for the truth. The rest of verse six says, “If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well.” John calls upon Gaius: Send them on their way in a manner that would please God. While Gaius had shown love and concern to the visitors while in his care, these were traveling teachers who eventually would move on to other places.
To send them on their way in a manner worthy of God would be to make sure that their future needs would be met. That would include having enough food and clothing and anything else that might arise. John tells Gaius to use the standard God would use when sending these people off on their further travels. In other words, don't skimp!
Do you know people that you have visited, when you are leaving will make sure that you have what you need? My mother used to send along some food when I was leaving. Janine says that when leaving her home to travel somewhere her father would always ask, “Do you have a little money?”
If you have the opportunity to take part in the mission or ministry of others, God will bless you for it. Often it doesn't take much. Jesus said in Matthew 10:41-42, “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
Showing hospitality and generosity towards others leads to rewards. How much we love God can be measured by how well we treat others. Jesus’ example of giving a cup of cold water to a thirsty person is a good model of unselfish service. And often we can do more.
Today, we call those who travel to spread the gospel missionaries. Even if missionaries have not come to our homes, we are not limited in helping them on their way. Providing support for them may be in the form of a letter of encouragement, a gift, financial support, or prayer.
People on the front lines of ministry need to know that the body of Christ is standing with them emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Missionaries and Christian workers need to know that people are faithful, available, reliable and co-laboring with them in all of their human struggles.
Now again, for us to be like Gaius we need to follow his example and be faithful, work in a manner worthy of God and
3. Work For His Name's Sake
In verses seven and eight in this third letter of John he says we should be hospitable and caring for traveling ministers and missionaries, “because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.” These are people who were doing the work of making known the love of God in Jesus Christ. They proclaimed the message that Jesus came and died on the cross to take the penalty for our sins, not His. That is the message that the world still needs to hear. We have just gone through a very political time. Politics is important. I believe that. We need to be involved as Christians. And our involvement should reflect Christian principles. But our ultimate Savior cannot be found in government. It will be found only in Jesus Christ, God's Son.
Now notice. In order for these traveling ministers to proclaim that good news, hospitality to them was vitally important. They made their livelihood only through the generosity of those they visited. These missionaries and ministers were fully engaged in the work of the Lord, proclaiming salvation in Jesus. They needed support. And they did not ask pagans, the Gentiles, to provide it. With that in mind how are they going to survive? They do not accept money from non-Christians.
You wonder why they do not? Obviously they do not want to have the world think that they are just doing it for the money. They do not want to leave themselves open to the charge that they are preaching for financial gain. And so they need support from groups that share a common focus for the expression of their faith. What it comes down to is, it is the job of the church to support them.
That is why we here at Alba Christian Church regularly support several missions and missionaries. You find the list of the ones we support on page three of our prayer list that is included in the bulletin. And on the monthly treasurer's report it shows that each month $550.00 is transferred from the General Fund to the Mission Fund which is held in a different account in the bank. Then each month the missions treasurer sends a check to each of the missions we support. And why do we do this? Giving to undergird mission ministries is both an opportunity and a responsibility.
It is vital to the fulfillment of what God expects the church to be and do in the world. So we are taking part in spreading the gospel with others by sharing in their needs. We become workers together for truth by our mission giving.
We support A.R.M. (American Rehabilitation Ministry). Since 1973, ARM Prison Outreach exists to take the gospel of Jesus behind prison bars, so prisoners find transformation out of their sins. They point out that by partnering with them, “You don’t have to walk past armed guards, razor wire, or prison bars to take Jesus to prisoners.” Because they provide Bibles and Bible studies to the prisoners. They also make and give communion table/baptistries to prisons. Nearly 45,000 prisoners have been baptized into Christ in one of A.R.M.'s 1800 baptistries in prisons around the United States.
We also support C.M.F. (Christian Missionary Fellowship). Our money goes to assist the need in the Ivory Coast in Africa. The C.M.F. website says, “The team works to grow transformational churches among the people of West Africa. Working with Ivorian led churches, team members serve as catalysts in disciple-making endeavors and train indigenous leaders in pastoral ministry to evangelize with the love of Jesus Christ to both Animistic and Muslim people groups. The team currently works in 20 different communities with established churches. The team also serves with a local clinic that offers routine patient care, laboratory services, maternity care, nutritional support, immunizations, HIV services, and physical therapy services.”
We also support a ministry of Ron and Cheryl Hoyer called Mission Fields Unlimited under the umbrella of Outreach International, which is a ministry designed to recruit and serve missionary volunteers for work overseas including, but not limited to, areas that are unreached with the Gospel of Christ, or areas that are particularly difficult to enter. Since 2009 Ron and Cheryl have worked and supported workers exclusively in India. They currently support 16 national workers and/or ministries. And the work includes taking care of over 60 orphans and a widows home in Munnar.
We also give some support to Cyokomo, the Bible camp for youth that is just a few miles from our doors. While we currently do not have a going youth program, there are youth that have participated in the camp that are connected with us through our Vacation Bible School. The purpose of the camp is to provide: “Bible knowledge through teaching and preaching, an atmosphere for worship and celebration, interaction with Christian leaders and youth, motivation to consider ministry as a life-time vocation, and a well-rounded environment of recreation and fellowship.”
The point of all of this is to say, that at least in these areas, we are workers together for the truth with those who minister outside of these walls. That does not relieve us of our responsibility in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and the salvation available to all who come to Him in obedient faith. But it is part of fulfilling the Great Commission.
Our Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ, who saves us from our sins, saves us from ourselves, and saves us from eternal death. And He is the Savior of the whole world, the only one there is. And He has commissioned the church to bring this message of salvation to the world in His name.
We do our part, and others do their part; and one is not considered "over" the other, but are considered together to be "fellow workers". No one person is called to do all the work of the Great Commission; but we are called to join hands as "fellow workers for the truth".
CLOSE:
You may have heard that the huge redwood trees in California are considered the largest living things on earth and the tallest trees in the world. Some of them are over 300 feet high and over 2,500 years old.
One would think that trees so large would have a tremendous root system, reaching down hundreds of feet into the earth. However, the redwoods actually have a very shallow system of roots. So how do they get so big and stand so long?
Although it’s a shallow root system; they all intertwine; they are locked to each other. So, when the storms come and the winds blow, the redwoods stand. And it’s because they don’t stand alone, for all the trees support and protect each other.
The same is true for the church. How will we stay strong and be able to withstand the storms? How will we accomplish the goal of spreading the gospel to the whole world? By working together. If we work together with those to stand for the truth, then we will honor the Lord and we will be blest.
