3 John - 6.20.24
3 John 5-6
S - 5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God.
O – At the writing of this, Jesus’ final epistle, John, was nearing the end of his life. He was writing this personal letter to Gaius who lived a life of hospitality, to affirm and thank him for his Christian lifestyle, and to encourage him in his faith. There are 3 men talked about in this chapter, Gaius, the example of one who follows Christ and loves others, Diotrephes, the self-proclaimed church leader who does not reflect God’s values, and Demetrius who also follows the truth.
A – We could, and should, take a lesson from Gaius’ life and generously give to others and by opening up our homes to them. This is one way in which we actively can show the love of God. At DSC people are our priority. Showing hospitality to others—particularly strangers—requires a level of trust and acceptance that is not necessarily required of us in our everyday lives. It forces us to rely on a common bond in Jesus Christ, rather than a particular blood relationship or shared experience. It forces us out of our comfort zones and into a territory where we must place our trust in God. Although in the church’s early days it was common for traveling prophets and teachers to be helped along the way by people like Gaius who housed and fed them, it is even more important today to open our homes and show people we care. There are a lot of hurting people. As a church we still come across missionaries, speakers, or other Christian families visiting our city that may need a meal or a place to stay and we have an opportunity to partner with God in providing that. We also can do this on any ordinary day. We live in a very self-centered world with many lonely people who go through life wondering if anyone would even notice if they lived or died. We have many lonely people in our churches. Why not invite one of them into your home for a meal? I know this doesn’t come easy for everyone, but it is God’s will for us to use the blessings He gave us to bless and refresh others. That may mean getting out of our comfort zones and opening our homes to someone(s) we may not normally invite in.
P – Lord, help us as a church to really SEE the needs of others and DO something about it. Help us to live out making people our priority and put aside any self-centeredness that may dwell in our hearts. Help us want to open the doors of our comfortable homes to others who might not have what we have. Help us not take for granted that what we have is ALL because of You! Help us to see the lonely and bring joy and love to them by letting them into our lives. Even though hospitality always costs us something - whether it be time, energy (cleaning and cooking), or finances, help us remember the cost it cost YOU to give us Your son, and to see people as the unique creations of a loving God and not as objects or inconveniences. Help us to welcome people into our lives as you have welcomed us into your family! AMEN
- Crystal Flory
