Posts Tagged ‘walking in truth’

Scripture reading for December 7th: 3rd John 1-15

John’s third letter is the shortest book of the New Testament.  John writes this letter to a friend, Gaius, whom he loves.  John wants to encourage him in his walk with the Lord and warn him concerning an individual who is disrupting the church.

“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.  It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth.  I have no greater joy that to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3rd John 2-4)  John’s personal greeting and short prayer for him showed John’s faith in God’s will for each believer.  God wants us well and living in a state of wholeness.  This is most often a fruit of walking in faith in God’s truth.  John was filled with joy at a good report from a church where he had pastored.  We know that faith and walking in truth always pleases God as well!  (Hebrews 11:6)

“Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you.  They have told the church about your love.  You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.  It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.  We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.” John writes to encourage Gaius about his hospitality.  He evidently had hosted brothers and provided for their needs.  John says that this is the right thing to do.

“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us.  So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us.  Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” (3rd John 9-10)   John encouraged Gaius to imitate the good, not those who were evil.  Selfishness works division and strife in a church that must be dealt with by leadership.  Consider how to apply these scriptures today!

Scripture reading for December 6th: 2nd John 1-13

John is concerned about love and truth in his letters.  He was the disciple ‘whom Jesus loved’!  He knew the love of Jesus from a perspective that others may not have.  He was one of the closest to the Master and wrote this short letter to a group of believers to encourage them to walk in love and truth.

“The elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth–and not I only, but also all who know the truth–because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever.  Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.” (2nd John 1-3)  John was ‘the elder’, because of his age and position as an apostle.  The truth John was speaking of was Jesus Christ as God’s Son and our Savior.    All who have this truth, will love others who hold to the truth and walk in it.

“And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning.  I ask that we love one another.  And this is love:  that we walk in obedience to His commands.” (2nd John 5-6a)   John affirms the simple commands of Jesus Christ.  These are old commands.  Loving God is obedience to His commands to love Him and love others.  It is so simple that a child can understand!

However, love must exercise discernment in the last days.  “Many deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world.  Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.  Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but the you may be rewarded fully.” (2nd John 7-8)  John warned this church group and their female leader to be watchful.  They were not to welcome or take in any of the false teachers into their home or church. “Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.” (2nd John 11)

God has great joy when His children walk in love and truth.  Love must be discerning, however.  The last days are filled with deception.  Ask God to give you discernment and help you to apply the scriptures from this short letter.  He wants you fully rewarded!

Scripture reading for December 21st:  2nd John

John wrote two shorter letters to those in the church that he loved.  In this second letter, John writes to the elder, a chosen lady and her children.  He writes to encourage them to walk in love and in the truth.   John had written in his Gospel that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.  (John 14:6)  As the truth, Jesus embodied all truth and everything that was righteous.  Satan was a liar, with no truth in him!  (John 8:44)   John also wrote that God is love and that He so loved the world that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to bring salvation to whoever would believe on Him.  (John 3:16)

There is a balance between love and truth that believers must be aware of.  God wants all His children to walk in love and to love each other.  This does not mean that our love just naively accepts anyone who believes or teaches what is contrary to the truth.  Our love must be tempered by truth.  False teachers were trying to seduce some of the members of the early church that John had labored to build.

“Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world.  Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.  Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.  . . .If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.  Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.” (2nd John 7-8,10-11)

The false teachers were gnostics, people who did not believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh.  The were secretly introducing heresy into the church.  Although God’s people are loving, we love in truth and cannot welcome those who are false teachers into our fellowship.  This is a loving thing to do to protect the church and our own souls!  John taught that when we welcome the false teacher or false apostle into our homes, we share in his or her wicked work and lose our own reward!  That is serious teaching that should make us all cry out for discernment!  The last days are marked by deception and false teaching!   Check your own love and truth balance today as you re-read this short epistle!

Scripture reading for December 21st: 3rd John

“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.” 3rd John 2

John opens his letter with a greeting to his personal friend, Gaius, and a short prayer for him.  Prayer should shape everything we do.  It is an act of love coming from a soul that is healthy and focused on God’s will and His desire to love and bless others.  This short prayer reveals John’s heart for his friend and blesses him and us today, as well!

“It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth.  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3rd John 3-4

Our reputation gets around in the church.  If we are faithful and walk in the truth, everyone knows about it.  Faithfulness brings great joy to God and to those in authority in the church.  Those in authority have to give an account to the Lord for those they oversee.  (Hebrews 13:17)  When pastors talk to the Lord about those who are disobedient and unfaithful, it brings sorrow and painful intercession!  Gaius had been walking in the truth and blessing visiting missionaries by providing for their needs.  He demonstrated Christ’s love to those preaching the gospel and was commended!

“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us.  So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us.  Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers.  He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” (3rd John 9-10)

Diotrephes was one of those brothers that was causing pain to the Apostle and others in the body of Christ.  A bad reputation also spreads around and must be dealt with.  If the person will not change and repent after confrontation, others in the church must be warned so that they are not caught up in the sins.  This letter shows how John was doing this.  He wanted to come personally and deal with the situation, and would soon if he could.

This short letter shows us how our personal attitudes and actions affect others and are known in the body of Christ.  Leaders must have a good reputation.  When you love to be first like Diotrephes, this selfishness causes troubles and indicates that you are not from God.  (3rd John 11)  If you are a loving servant, like Gaius and Demetrius (3rd John 12), you show by your love that Christ’s love and truth is in you!  It’s pretty simple really!  There’s no greater joy for a pastor than to have God’s people walking in truth and love!