(gentle music) (people chattering) (gentle music) (people chattering) (gentle music) (people chattering) (gentle music) (people chattering) (gentle music) (people chattering) (gentle music) (people chattering) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (people chattering) (gentle music) (gentle music) - Hello, everybody. Let's go ahead and get seated and we'll start in just 30 seconds, thanks.

(people chattering) (gentle music) (people chattering) It comes from the soul. (people chattering) (gentle music) All right, everybody, let's go ahead and gather our thoughts and would you bow with me for a word of prayer as we begin our time of worship? Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank you, God, for your grace and mercies.

Lord, we do recognize, God, that each time we're able to come to open up your word, your precious truth, and then see your instruction for us, see also your love for us. From the many saints from before, you have through your apostles, to the privilege of laboring in the church together, we recognize, God, that you have exhibited so much care, love, provision for us.

And so as we fellowship in Bible study, in worship, in prayer, we're always thankful, Lord. We do ask, God, that you would help us truly grow from every experience, each time invested to come together to the hearing, to the applying of your word. Would you provide the growth, Lord?

We wanna thank you again for this evening. It's in Christ's name, amen. (gentle music) (gentle music) ♪ When peace ♪ ♪ When peace like a river ♪ ♪ Attended my way ♪ ♪ When sorrows like sea billows roll ♪ ♪ Whatever my lot ♪ ♪ Thou has taught me to say ♪ ♪ It is well ♪ ♪ It is well with my soul ♪ ♪ Though satan should buffet ♪ ♪ Though trials should come ♪ ♪ Let this blessed assurance control ♪ ♪ That Christ has regarded my helpless existence ♪ ♪ That Christ has regarded my helpless existence ♪ ♪ And hath shed his own blood for my soul ♪ "It is well, it is well with my soul, with my soul" "It is well, it is well with my soul" "My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought" "My sin, not in part but the whole" "It fell to the cross and I bear it no more" "Praise the Lord, praise the Lord O my soul" "It is well, it is well, it is well with my soul" "It is well, it is well with my soul" "And Lord haste the day and the faith shall be sight" "The clouds be rolled back as a scroll" "The trump shall resound and the Lord shall resound" "Even so it is well with my soul" "And it is well, it is well with my soul, with my soul" "It is well, it is well with my soul" "It is well, it is well with my soul" I worship you, Almighty God I worship you, Almighty God There is none like you I worship you, O Prince of Peace That is what I want to do I give you praise For you are my righteousness I worship you, Almighty God There is none like you I worship you, Almighty God There is none like you I worship you, O Prince of Peace That is what I want to do I give you praise For you are my righteousness I worship you, Almighty God There is none like you Okay, good evening everybody.

I do want to highlight some important announcements. Because Passion Week is just around the corner, please do make sure that you're mindful of the calendar events. But one of the things I want to highlight is, those of you who are looking to volunteer, this is a great opportunity where we do have need for setup, for cleaning, for even food prep.

We are going to be serving lunch during Easter. So the link to volunteer is on the app and on the website. So please make sure that you sign up for those volunteer opportunities. The other volunteer opportunity I want to highlight is that we do have the VBS volunteers enrollment right now.

So if you are a member, please do make sure that you block off these days, July 10th through July 14th. And you can again sign up. Jim is there in the back. He's been walking around. He's waving. But he's been walking around with the sign up sheet. And also the sign up link is online.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that there is a softball tournament that's going to be scheduled for May 20th. There is both a ladies softball program and also the men's. So you can look at the information online and all the proceeds from that tournament will go towards the summer missions efforts.

And the last thing I just want to mention is for tonight, as usual in our discussion groups, we will be doing the observation and applications and discussion. But we also have a few questions that Pastor Peter Chong gave to us that you can include into your discussion. The three are here.

So for those of you guys who are going into the rooms, you can take a quick snapshot. But it says, "What does walking in truth entail? What exactly is hospitality? How is hospitality related to sending out of gospel workers? And what does it mean to do something for the sake of the name?" So please make sure you include some of those observation questions.

We'll see you guys back at 8. Kevin Yoon, can you hear me? Oh, whoa. Ah, ah. All right, if you guys can just pray with me real quick for our wrap-up time. Father, a lot of times it's easy to just get lost in the details and forget the main point.

And Lord, a lot of times it can just become an academic exercise and not something that we really seek to earnestly apply in our lives. So we pray that as we talk about your truth, your word, that it would not become so familiar that it just becomes religious information.

That this really would be commands that are taken as commands and not suggestions. Truths that we hold on to and that we mull over and that we apply into our lives. So I pray that tonight, as we start 3rd John, that you would cause us to chew, digest, and process appropriately for your glory.

And would you bear fruit in our time together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So, I have three main people in 3rd John. The whole letter revolves around three individuals. You have the Apostle John, he's the author. And then you have Diatrephes, he's the church's headache. I call him the headache because he's just giving everybody a headache, he's kicking people out.

Are there instances where you are supposed to kick somebody out of a church? It's a biblical precedent, yes. But Diatrephes, he's just taking it upon himself and unilaterally discarding whoever is basically insubordinate. So he's a headache and Demetrius is likely the one who's brought the letter to Gaius. And that's why there's almost like a commendation for Demetrius as well.

And who knows, maybe Demetrius is someone who's gone out for the sake of the name. So there are three individuals that the letter revolves around. And so now that 2nd John is kind of in your heads and we've now gone to 3rd John, I want to do a quick review.

And these are called the twin epistles. A lot of people like to call them the twin epistles because you're actually supposed to read them together. Except they're fraternal twins. They're not identical twins. Fraternal twins have enough in common, but there are slight differences in the DNA. So most likely 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John were all written at the same time in the same context.

1st John just is a little lengthier. 2nd and 3rd John, there's a lot of parallels. And coincidentally, if you guys want some Bible trivia, 3rd John is the shortest book in the whole Bible. It's the shortest book. I almost fell back. I got too excited. So there's a lot of parallels here.

You've got the elder writing to someone or people that he loves. And he loves them in the truth. And he's so delighted that they're walking in the truth. And 1st John has a lot of this too. And he calls them all children. Part of it is because he's probably almost 90.

He's an elderly man. So everyone's a child. Everybody calls him Papa John. So everybody is a child. And when his children walk in the truth, it gives him unspeakable joy. But we have to understand what "walk in the truth" is. Because that's almost like a hinge word in every single one of his epistles.

1st John has truth. 2nd John has "walk in the truth." 3rd John has "walk in the truth." So John is made glad by this. 2nd John, there's an exhortation to watch out for the deceivers. 3rd John is a commendation that Gaius is helping strangers. So the 1st one is, don't participate in their mission work.

3rd John is, support this mission work. So then you've got a little bit of a tension in your heart. How do I discern which is which? So unlike 2nd John where there are three imperatives, 3rd John, there's only one real application. And that's going to come next week. So this is a review slide, so you already have this in your possession.

And then 2nd and 3rd John, he's like, "I don't want to waste papyrus. Peace out." He just writes really quickly. So like I mentioned before, 2nd John is telling you not to be hospitable and don't support an endeavor. 3rd John is saying, do show hospitality even if they're strangers and do support their work, especially since they went out not receiving any help from the Gentiles, from the pagans.

So help them because no one else is going to help them. So the 2nd John talks about not joining with false teachers, deceivers, antichrists, and self-centered folks. 3rd John is talking about joining hands and partnering with real brothers and missionaries. Here's the challenge though. If someone comes into town asking for mission support, we are supposed to either help them or shun them based on what?

Their allegiance to the truth. So then the question is, what is the truth? And how much truth do they need to proclaim for it to be a good truth? Because remember, most false doctrine is loaded with good truth. It's just a distortion. It's just a perversion. So how do we discern this?

How did Gaius discern this and get a commendation? What if Gaius held hands with a false teacher, with a deceiver, he would have received a rebuke. For the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil work. That's what Gaius would have received. But he receives a commendation.

And I think for me, I look at the greeting, and a lot of times we gloss over the greeting, but for me that greeting was very significant. Gaius is a man whose soul prospers. Did you guys notice that? I mean, John is like, he's not telling him health and wealth.

He's like, "Your soul is prospering, and so my blessing is that everything in your life prospers, just as your soul prospers." And for a man whose soul is prosperous, he probably has very special insight and sensitivity to the Word of God, to the will of God, to discern if these people are worth supporting, and if these people are worth rejecting.

It's almost like a spiritual sixth sense laden with concrete, tangible truth. Okay? So Gaius is a man whose soul prospers in such a way that he has spiritual discernment. He is beyond reproach. He is spirit-filled. He watches his life and his doctrine closely, and thus God is pleased. He abides.

He bears fruit. His eyes are open to discern and sniff out things that are untrue. Are you guys tracking? So he is not tossed back and forth by every kind wind of doctrine. He has the mind of the Spirit. He has the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, and he's got the full armor of God on, and he can distinguish even the flaming arrows of the devil, and he is a discerning man.

That's what it means for the soul to prosper. So I feel like that is a very significant description of the man Gaius that allows him to have insight into who to partner with and who to shun. Okay? So this is the passage. The bottom part, I'm sure for the back of you guys it might be hard to see.

I will provide the slides for you. Okay? So I just do some highlighting work here. I notice that Gaius is called "beloved" multiple times here. Okay? Is that common? It's actually not. John doesn't just call everybody "beloved." But for some reason, Gaius has a special place in this man's heart.

There's also, I think, seven mentions of "the truth." And 1 John, 2 John all have a lot of "the truth," but 3 John, in this shortest book of the entire Bible, the word "the truth" is mentioned seven times. And for Gaius, whose soul prospers, I highlighted in yellow, what does it mean?

What are the outward ramifications of a prosperous soul? He acts faithfully. He accomplishes whatever it is for the brothers. He has love, and he is eager to send them on their way. And just as a background, hospitality at this time was very important. Okay? And I want to just walk you through why it was important for Christians to support Christian missionaries in this period of time.

So this is the Apostle Paul kind of just explaining what he had to undergo. 2 Corinthians 11, 23-33, "Are they servants of Christ?" I speak as if in saying he's engaging in a little bit of foolishness. He's writing all of his accomplishments, but this is what he's saying. "I more so, in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.

Five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I've spent in the deep. I've been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers amongst false brethren.

I have been in labor and hardship through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is a daily pressure on me of all the concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?

If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus, the Ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me.

And I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands. Was Paul's life easy? No. Would the local police help him? No. Paul at least had some things that he could lean on, his citizenship. All other people who went out for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ had the exact same situation.

So for Gaius to get these brothers who were traveling through, the love of Christ compelled him to do whatever was in his power, not to remove their discomfort, not to take away all of their sacrifices, but to partner with them at his expense, so that their mission's work would not be obstructed to the best of their ability.

And the reason I wanted to share this is to share what kind of work Gaius was doing. Every missionary, everyone who went out for the sake of the name, they didn't just go empty-handed. They went empty-handed into warfare. So it was imperative for someone who claims to know the truth, when he sees a brother and sister in need, 1 John 3, 18, that his love is not in word or tongue only, but in actions and in truth.

That's what it says in 1 John 3. So the truth of God and the love of Christ compels me to partner with these people who are giving their all to sacrifice whatever it is for the sake of Christ. That's what's happening there. And this was the culture, this was very common in the culture.

The people who went out to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ underwent all of these things. That's why when you see the New Testament, it is rife with hospitality exhortations. This isn't like, our understanding of hospitality is, "Hey, let me invite you over to my house. Let me give you a charcuterie cart." What is that called?

A char... "Let me make a board for you," right? With all kinds of stuff. "Hey, come over. Let me make for you kimchi fried rice. That's my specialty." "Oh, you need like, you know, you need just a place to stay for the night?" By all means. That's not what it's talking about.

It is at the personal expense joining in the gospel endeavor for the sake of the name. That's hospitality. It doesn't mean just being polite as an Orange County person, inviting people into your home. "Oh, I did a good job. I'm so hospitable," right? Like, "I get kingdom points." No.

Okay? So 1 Peter 4:9, "Be hospitable to one another without complaint." If supporting a mission's endeavor costs you a month's paycheck, don't grumble about that under your breath. Have it be a joy. And perhaps even if you're not... you're familiar enough with their work where you trust it, but even if you've never really met them before, do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for by this I may have entertained angels without knowing it.

Romans 12, 10 to 13, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Give preference to one another in honor, lot lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality." I believe that it is almost sinful to see the needs of gospel workers and just to say, "Be warm and well fed." Even at personal expense and sacrifice, we are called to partner because this is our labor, not just his labor.

And that's what Gaius was doing, right? And there was a... they bore witness to his love. So what's the relationship between a prosperous soul, truth, and partnering in the gospel ministry? I just have a couple of final points for you. 1 Timothy 4, 16, "Pay close attention to yourself," okay, watch your life, "and to your teaching and your doctrine.

Persevere in these things, for as you do this, you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you." Gaius, he was teaching truth, if you look at verse 3, right? They were testifying about his truth, okay? And he was also practicing truth, and that was evident in even the sacrifices that he made.

So he was watching his life and doctrine. Next week, we're going to look at Diatrephes. He turns a deaf ear to the truth. He distorts the truth, and then he obstructs the truth. So the relationship between a prosperous soul and the truth and gospel ministry, I hope you can kind of see, like, the connection that is there.

So how do we discern whether someone is worth partnering with or not? Are they teaching in line with the truth? Are they practicing in line with the truth? Or are they people like in Titus 1, they claim to know God, but by their deeds they deny him, right? That they're unfit for anything good.

So is this missionary's doctrine sound? Is his life sound? I'm going to get behind him, even if he is a stranger. And I will do well to send him on his way in a manner worthy of God. So give generously, but scrutinize those to whom you plan to give generously.

And that's, I think, kind of the thrust of the first seven verses. And verse 8, I wanted to break it up there so that you see next week just the application of what we looked at this week. And then we're wrapping up 3 John. It's a very short letter.

So next week, there is no Bible study as we have Passion Week events. So Monday through Wednesday we have an evening devotional. Thursday we have a Passover dinner, which you have to sign up for. Space is limited. It's going to be in here. Friday we have the Good Friday service that's open to all.

And then that's next week during the week. So for Wednesday, April 12th, which is two weeks from today, we're going to be doing the last... It's actually verse 8 to 15. So the last eight verses. All right? And I'm going to be putting up the template tonight. Okay? So here's some group discussion questions for you for your own discussion.

The pre-discussion questions usually are for, like, textual related. The post-discussion is usually applicational when you're actually reflecting on your own life and your own application. Okay? So the first question, "Is your soul one that is prospering objectively? And how would you gauge this? Is there evidence that you are walking in truth?" Number two, "What are the steps we should take to discern whether or not we practice hospitality to those who go out for the sake of the name?" Okay?

So what's the best way? There's a lot of stuff out there. What do we partner with? How do we join? Third, "In what ways can you get more involved in sending workers on their way in a manner worthy of the Lord?" All right? Let's pray together. Father, in our study of Your Word and in our application of Your truth, help us to walk in step with You.

Help us not to run too far ahead or lag behind or to be entangled in sin that we are apathetic toward the things that we learn today. I pray for Your help to really engage not just our heads but our hearts as well, to not just meditate and think deeply upon Your Word, but also to put it into practice in our day-to-day lives.

So we pray for just Your Spirit to continue to minister to us through Your truth. We pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you