EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/27/2025 8:16 PM
My Worship Tim Focus: “John’s Commendation of Gaius”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 3 John 3-6a
Message of the verses: “3 For I was very
glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you
are walking in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children
walking in the truth. 5 Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you
accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; 6 and
they have testified to your love before the church.”
I have to say that in John MacArthur’s commentaries,
which I have seen many of them, that he usually has verse references in them,
but this one has a lot of verse references in it, and so I will not use all of
them in this evenings SD. “John was very
glad when some brethren, probably traveling preachers to whom Gaius had shown
hospitality, came and testified to him of the truth that was operative and
evident in Gaius’s life. The repeatedly
used image of walking refers metaphorically in the New Testament to daily
conduct.” This is where there are many,
many Biblical references in his commentary as there are many references to
walking in that metaphorically state that is mentioned above. I did a word search of the word walking from
Mark 7:5-2 John 6, and found 16 times the word walking is used in the New American
Standard Bible. Now remember this word
speaks of daily conduct.
“Showing
hospitality was a manifestation of love—all the more remarkable when contrasted
with Diotrophes’ ugly rejection (v. 10).
John, however, did not commend Gaius for his love but, more
fundamentally, for his commitment to the truth.
As is always the case with believers, Gaius’s genuine love flowed from his
obedience to the truth. John commended
him because he not only knew the truth, but lived in it.” Now the question comes up on how did he walk
consistently in the truth? My thoughts
are that he was constantly filled with the Holy Spirit, and he had a deep
knowledge of the Word of God, and by 90-95 AD there was almost all of the New
Testament written, but I am not sure how much he would have had by then.
MacArthur
then gives commendations, which are unusual in the NT as he lists some of them
beginning with Phoebe who was commended for being a faithful servant and helper
in her church (Rom. 16:1). Then he moves
onto Priscilla and Aquila, the husband and wife team who were so dear to Paul,
where commended for the great sacrifices they made on his behalf (Rom.
16:3). Moving on to Stephanas and his household,
along with Fortunatus and Achaicus, as they were commended for their service to
the saints (1 Cor. 16:15-18). Then
Stephanas and his household, along with Fortunatus and Achicus, were commended
for their service to the saints (1 Cor. 16:15-18). Epaphoroditus was commended for ministering
to Paul—even at the risk of his own life (Phil.2:25-30). Epaphras was twice commended for his fruitful
service to Christ, especially his laboring in prayer for the saints (Col. 1:7;
4:12). Despite his earlier lapse, and we
have to be talking about John Mark, Paul commended him for his useful service
to him (2 Tim. 4:11). Remember that 2 Timothy was written right before Paul was
killed for the cause of Christ. Peter
commended Silvanus as a “faithful brother” (1 Peter 5:12). MacArthur then writes “But there is no higher
commendation for a Christian than the one given to Gaius by John—that he not
only knew the truth, revealed by God, but also lived in conformity to it (cf.
Luke 6:46-49; 11:28; John 13:17; James 1:22-23).”
The
following is John’s general comment, 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear
of my children walking in the truth (cf. 2 John 4), expresses the ultimate goal
of every true minister. That goal is not
just to teach the truth, or even to know that his people understand it, but to
know that his people believe, love, and obey the truth. Now the writer to Hebrews exhorted his
readers in the following way “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for the keep
watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief,
for this would be unprofitable for you” (Heb. 13:17). The great grief of ministry is people who are
indifferent or rebellious toward the Word of God, and that is very sad indeed.
MacArthur
writes “Gaius there was no dichotomy between creed and conduct, between
profession and practice. The emphatic
position of my in the Greek text may mean that Gaius had been converted under
John’s ministry.” If that were the case
then when John wrote that he had no greater joy than when his children were
walking in the truth.
“The
apostle spells out Gaius’s obedience to the truth as acting faithfully in
whatever he labored to accomplish for the brethren. Gaius no doubt gave the
gospel preachers shelter, food, and perhaps money, meeting their needs even
though they were strangers to him.
Genuine saving faith, such as Gaius possessed, always produces good
works. The missionaries were so
impressed with Gaius’s humble service to them that after returning to Ephesus they…testified
to his love before the church. Consistent
with Gaius’s devotion to the truth, he was a model of one who ‘contributed to
the needs to the saints [by] practicing hospitality’ (Rom. 12:13).
5/27/2025 9:16 PM
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