because they went
forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles.
3 John 1:7
Dear Heavenly
Father, the world sows so much confusion that so easily can entangle us. Please straighten my mind and help me to focus
on my study. I praise You for all that
You've done in my life. I couldn't do
any of this without You. Please keep the
evil one away from me and my family.
Help us to grow in the love and knowledge of You. In Jesus's name I pray, Amen.
In verse 7, John
continues the initial exhortation. He
continues to describe the actions of "they," the brethren and
strangers. This verse starts with the word "because." With that, we need to remember our study on
the previous verse. John told Gaius that
he would do well, the right and honorable thing, if he prepares them in a
manner worthy of God. In verse 7, John
tells Gaius "why" he will do well.
To bring deeper understanding to today's text, let's examine some key
words and their companion or similar verses.
"Went
forth" in the Greek is exerchomai which
means go out, went out, gone out, come out, to come forth, from,
departing. "For" in the Greek
is gar which means sense is shaped by
the previous statement, indeed, used to express cause, explanation, influence,
continuation. "Name" in the
Greek is onoma which means character,
reputation, manifestation of revelation of someone's character, as
distinguishing them from others, the authority of Christ, praying in Jesus
name, pray directed by Him, bringing revelation that flows out of being in His
presence. Acts 5:41 states "So they
departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for His name."
"Sake" in the Greek is huper which
means in behalf of, above for the betterment (advantage) of, in the interests
of truth, to extend benefit beyond the present situation, on account of, for
the sake of, to do or suffer anything.
The fellow believers departed to influence the world for the betterment
and in the interest of truth of Jesus' authority, character, and reputation.
"Taking"
in the Greek is lambano which means
receive, get, take, lay hold of aggressively (actively), what is available
(offered), seize, to get possession of a thing, strive to obtain,
accepting. "Nothing" in the
Greek is medeis which means no one,
nothing, none, not even one, no man, have nothing to do with, in no
respect. 1 Corinthians 9:12 states
"If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?
Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder
the gospel of Christ." 1 Corinthians 9:15 states "But I have used
none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so
to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my
boasting void."
"Gentiles" in the Greek is ethnikos
which means pagan, heathen, non-Jew, standing outside of God's covenant,
alien to the worship of the one true God, savoring the nature of pagans. Ethnikos
is from the root word, ethnos, which
means the nation. The fellow believers
didn't strive to obtain anything of this world so that they would not hinder
the Gospel of Christ. They didn't even
want the recognition of doing the work of spreading the Gospel.
We will do well in
this world if we model the behaviors of the fellow believers in this
verse. They wanted nothing to do with
the world. They did everything to uphold
the reputation of Jesus. They wanted the
world to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Do my actions benefit Christ? Am
I good example of Christ in me? Do I
rely on the acceptance and praise of the world? Please understand that my life not only reflects my reputation but more importantly Jesus'
reputation.
Knowing this,
I'm humbled of how unworthy I am.
However, since I believe in Jesus and what He did for me and all of us,
I am made worthy. You can be made worthy
and be different than this world. You
can be freed of the shackles of the perceptions and demands of this world. Simply admit you are unworthy, believe that
Christ died to take the punishment for your unworthiness, and confess to the
world that Jesus has made you worthy.
Ecclesiastes 7:20
states "For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not
sin." Ezekiel 18:20 states
"The soul who sins shall die."
But there is tremendous, life changing news! John 3:15-16 states "that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life." God is calling
you. The world is calling You. Whom will you serve? Whom will you chose?
For these [traveling
missionaries] went out for the sake of the Name [of Christ], accepting nothing
[in the way of assistance] from the Gentiles
Amplified Bible
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