We therefore ought
to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.
3 John 1:8
Dear Heavenly
Father, You amaze me everyday. Truly,
You are our king and worthy of not just mine but everything's praise. The mountains, the sky, animals, the weather, everthing proclaim Your majesty! I'm humbled by
how blessed that I am. Tonight, I pray
for any believer suffering from persecution.
May God protect you, but more important use you to further His
kingdom. We are so different than the
world and that's why they fear us and don't understand us. Dear Father comfort them and raise them up. In Jesus's name I pray, Amen.
In verse 8, John
concludes his initial exhortation with a command. Through our study, we have seen the brethren
bring testimony of the hospitality given to them during their journeys. They have been sent worthy of God's mission
taking nothing from the world. The verse
starts with the word, "We," which refers to John and Gaius. To bring deeper understanding to today's
text, let's examine some key words and their companion or similar verses.
"Therefore"
in the Greek is oun which means then,
accordingly, by extension here's how the dots connect, hence, it has come to
past. "Therefore" is used to
connect the previous passages to the conclusion stated in this verse. "Ought" in the Greek is ophelio which means owe, be indebted, obliged
to rectify a debt, expresses human and ethical responsibility, obligated (or
legally required) to meet an obligation.
Since these believers went on mission to spread the Gospel taking or
desiring nothing of the world, Gaius and John have an ethical responsibility.
"Receive"
in the Greek is hupolambano which means
take up, answer, suppose, welcome, entertain, imagine, to bear up, to assume,
to receive hospitality (welcoming them as guests and providing for them),
support. "Such" in the Greek
is toiontos which means such a kind, one
who is of such character. Gaius and John
have an ethical responsibility to welcome these believers of great character as
honored guests and provide for their needs.
"Become"
in the Greek is ginomai which means come
into being, born, come about, happen, emerge, change of condition-state-place,
come into existence, prove oneself.
"Fellow Workers" in the Greek is sunergos
which means partner, associate, helper, companion in work, one who labors with
another in furthering the cause of Christ, joint promoter. "Truth" in the Greek is aletheia which means merely truth as spoken,
truth of idea, reality, sincerity, truth in the moral sphere, divine truth
revealed to man, straightforwardness, true to fact, synonymous with reality, opposite to illusion, the truth as taught by Christianity, respecting God and
the execution of His purposes through Christ and respecting the duties of man
opposed to Gentile superstitions - Jewish inventions - and corrupt opinions of
false teachers, Gospel, the message of salvation. With this hospitality, Gaius and John prove
themselves as co-laborers, promoters of the cause of Christ to reveal the
message of salvation.
Since these
believers went on mission to spread the Gospel taking or desiring nothing of
the world, Gaius and John have an ethical responsibility to welcome these
believers of great character as honored guests and provide for their needs. With this hospitality, Gaius and John prove
themselves as co-laborers, promoters of the cause of Christ to reveal the
message of salvation.
We are commanded to
show hospitality to missionaries. A
missionary is a Christian who travels the world to share the Gospel to people
who have never had the opportunity to hear it.
They start churches which is people called out of the world to God. A church is not a building, it is the
people. Once a church (sometimes hidden
from there repressive governments) is established, the missionary goes to the
next town to start another church.
Although the word
"missionary" doesn't appear in the Bible, the Bible is rife with
examples. As proof, Acts 14:1-7 states "At
Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they
spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. But the
Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their
minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time
there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by
enabling them to perform signs and wonders. The people of the city were
divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot
afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat
them and stone them. But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian
cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they
continued to preach the gospel."
The closest word to
missionary in the Bible in the Greek is euaggelistes
which means an evangelist, a missionary, bearer of good tidings, someone with a
vocational calling from God to announce the good news of the Gospel (Christ's
salvation). While all believers are
called to spread the Gospel, some make it their life's work. By supporting their work, we become part of
their work.
So we ought to
support such people [welcoming them as guests and providing for them], so that
we may be fellow workers for the truth [that is, for the gospel message of
salvation].
Amplified Bible
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