A Good Testimony

The elder, to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth. ... You do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you do well, because they went forth for His name's sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.

Three men, three testimonies—and a clear call to let God's transforming work become evident in your life.

God Desires Our Transformation

One of the things that has become increasingly clear to me over the years of studying through the New Testament is that God, through His Word, desires our transformation. This is the reason we gather to study the Scriptures together, and the reason I and the other leaders here encourage you to study, read, memorize, and meditate on the Scriptures on your own. This is what Paul and the other New Testament writers called our sanctification—our being transformed more and more into the likeness of God's children.

This is exactly what Jesus prayed for the night before His crucifixion. In John 17, recorded as His high priestly prayer, He prays:

Father, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth.

God's desire is that I would be sanctified, transformed, and cleansed by the work of His Word and the power of His Holy Spirit in my life.

The Last Little Letter of John

This comes to center stage one final time as we reach what most consider the last book of New Testament literature. Third John was likely written at the very end of the first century, about seven decades after Jesus ascended. It is less than 300 words in the original Greek—not really a book so much as a brief correspondence, a letter from one man to his friend. From its content and structure, it was probably written at the same time and place, by the same author, as 2 John, which we studied the last couple of weeks.

By this point John had been a follower of Jesus for perhaps 60 to 65 years, well into old age, so he calls himself "the elder." Anyone reading the letter would have known exactly who that was. He writes to a beloved friend named Gaius. The name appears about five times in the New Testament, but those earlier references predate this letter by 25 or 30 years, so this is likely a different man.

What we can tell is that Gaius knew John well and was probably a disciple of his—perhaps even one who came to faith through John's ministry. From what John commends him for, Gaius seems to have been a wealthy, hospitable believer. Because the early church lacked political power and resources, it largely met in the homes of wealthy members. So Gaius may well have been an overseer of a gathering that met in his home—possibly even the church John addressed in 2 John.

In these short verses we meet three men—Gaius, Diotrephes, and Demetrius—and though we know very little about them, in each we see the work of transformation that God desires, with important applications for us.

All Scripture Is Profitable

Paul wrote to the Corinthians that all these things were written for our instruction, "upon whom the ends of the age have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). When Paul wrote that, he was referring to the Old Testament, since that was all the early church had. But as the apostles penned inspired Scripture, their letters came to be recognized as Scripture too. The point stands: these things were written for our learning, which is why it is so vital to study them—both corporately like this and individually at home.

A passage core to my understanding of revelation is 2 Timothy 3:16–17. Paul says all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable in four specific ways. First, for doctrine—it shows us what is right and true. I think of a plumb line, that simple tool of string and weight used for more than 2,700 years to show what is straight and true. When you see the true line that Scripture establishes, it immediately exposes everywhere your life is out of alignment.

Second, for reproof—it convicts where we are out of line. Third, for correction—and unlike a plumb line, the Bible has the ability to bring my life back into alignment when I follow its precepts. Fourth, for training in righteousness—how to walk in a right way. This is why we value the Scriptures and always study through them, so that we would be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Point one: God's purpose through His Word is my total transformation. Keep this before your mind when you open the Bible. One of the great pitfalls—especially for pastors and preachers—is to read a passage and immediately think, "So-and-so needs to hear this," rather than letting the Bible shine its bright light to expose our own hearts. The author of Hebrews says the Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, able to reveal the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

The Evidence of a Working Word

God is doing a work theologians have long called progressive sanctification—continually, in my life, by His Word and Spirit, bringing about a cleansing and transforming work. And this work will be evident. The study itself may happen quietly behind closed doors, early in the morning when no one else sees, but the result will be visible—to me, and often even more so to others.

It is like setting out on a workout routine. Because you see yourself every day, you may not notice the transformation. But someone who hasn't seen you in three weeks looks and says, "You've lost weight," or "You've put on muscle." So the work of progressive sanctification becomes evident to others as we walk in obedience, in truth, and in love—the three core focuses of John's letters.

That is exactly what we see with Gaius. John writes that he loves him "in truth" and prays that he would prosper in all things and be in health, "just as your soul prospers." This indicates Gaius had a transformed heart—a healthy soul. John's prayer is that the outside life would prosper at the same level the inner life already does. If you are ever looking for how to pray for someone—even for me—you can pray this prayer.

The Prosperity of the Soul

Two thousand years ago there was a recognition that human beings are more than material. So when the materialists of our day claim everything about you can be summed up in biochemistry, that is moving in the wrong direction from ancient thinking—both secular and sacred. The Greek philosophers 2,500 years ago saw a difference between soul and material, and John says Gaius's immaterial soul was thriving. That comes from the working of God by His Spirit through His Word.

But in our culture we spend enormous amounts of time, energy, and money making the external world thrive—health, life-extension projects, business, academia, conferences, books—while spending far too little on the soul. The ancients knew better. Apparently even Oprah Winfrey knows this with her "Super Soul Sundays," though she focuses on some of the wrong things. I have met many people who seem prosperous in everything material yet are dying inside, and the indications in our own culture suggest this could be said of America as a whole. We have a soul problem.

C. S. Lewis wrote about this in The Abolition of Man in 1940. Jesus spoke of it when He said, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?" The temptation to miss the soul level was the same then as now.

Point two: God desires the prosperity of my soul far more than the prosperity of my flesh. The problem is that my flesh cares too little about my soul and only really cares about itself. We even try to justify this with teaching from the Bible—the prosperity gospel—which switches it all around and claims God is chiefly concerned with our personal prosperity, health, and wealth. He is not. He is far more concerned with the prosperity of your soul.

We see the consequences in rising suicide, the opioid epidemic, and people trying to solve the problems of the soul with prescriptions or a fifth of vodka. Something needs to change. This is why Paul says, "Seek those things which are above; set your mind on things above" (Colossians 3), and why Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness," and all these other things will be added to you. When the prosperity of your soul is in alignment, everything else begins to fall into place—and you will begin to have a great testimony.

Two Kinds of Testimony

It is one thing to have a salvation testimony—the "I once was lost but now am found" story that every Christian has. It is quite another to have the testimony that others have about you. John was filled with joy when brethren passed through Gaius's town, stayed in his home, and testified that he "walks in the truth."

That begs the question: how are we known? What do people say about us after they interact with us? Can they say, "That person walks in the truth, is faithful, full of love, humble, gracious, kind, gentle"? Or would they say, "That person is boastful, proud, overbearing, demanding, harsh, and irritable"? Paul lists among the qualifications for church leaders that they have a good testimony with those outside the church (1 Timothy 3:7). The challenge comes back on us.

Point three: those who truly know God will be known by their fruit. We have looked many times at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23—love, and the joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that love produces. And we have looked at the fruit of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7—that it is patient, kind, not jealous, not boastful or proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not irritable, keeps no record of wrongs, rejoices when truth wins out, and endures all things. This is the fruit God desires to see in my life as His Spirit works in me.

So what would the people you interact with every day say about you if you weren't there—co-workers, classmates, your spouse, your kids, your family? Would they say, "That person is kind, gracious, humble, faithful, gentle, self-controlled," or "That person is a hypocrite, rude, untrustworthy, harsh, hard to work with"? God is working a total transformation in me by His Word and Spirit—and I must work it out, for "God works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure... work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12–13).

A Father's Joy and a Faithful Steward

John says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth." Every parent knows this. When my kids head to someone's house, I'm praying, "God, please let them use manners—because they sure don't use them here!" And what a joy it is when that parent later says, "Your kids have such great manners." You would be surprised how often someone tells me, "I met so-and-so—they go to your church," and you hear that good report. As a pastor, that is deeply joyful. There have, sadly, been a few times someone said the opposite.

John continues that Gaius did well in faithfully serving the brethren and strangers who bore witness of his love before the church. In that day, traveling missionaries went from church to church, teaching as they came, and the churches customarily took care of them. Gaius was known for caring for these strangers well. John urges him to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God, since they went out for the sake of the name, "taking nothing from the Gentiles," so that we may become fellow workers for the truth. It is a simple lesson about how we use what God has granted us—whether we view our possessions as our own or as stewards. Every good and perfect gift comes from God, and Gaius used his for the Lord.

Diotrephes: A Bad Testimony

By contrast, John writes:

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.

This is an apostolic warning. Diotrephes loved preeminence, spread malicious nonsense against John, refused hospitality, and even excommunicated those who showed it. Then John says, "Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God." John equates the work of this man—who in name is a Christian holding some leadership position—with evil itself.

Point four: walking in the truth involves calling out sin and encouraging righteousness. This is what John has been calling believers to do throughout 1, 2, and 3 John. It can be very uncomfortable to call out sin, but it is necessary if we are to walk in obedience, love, and truth. John deals with Diotrephes simply by enshrining his name in Scripture, so that two thousand years later we know almost nothing about him except that he was not doing what he ought.

When we do this, we follow Jesus' instruction in Matthew 7:1–5: first remove the plank from your own eye so you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's. And Paul's instruction in Galatians 6: if you see anyone overtaken in a trespass, restore them in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. So if you reach out to tell someone you've seen them being rude or irritable or not walking rightly, do it gently, prayerfully, considering yourself. But we do not back away from calling others to walk in rightness.

Demetrius: A Good Testimony

Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.

Imagine this letter read aloud in the gathering, with all three men present. Diotrephes—"we've got some issues." Demetrius—everyone has good things to say about him. We know very little about Demetrius, but what we know is good. He was a man with a good testimony.

Point five: live in such a way that earns you a good testimony. You don't earn salvation by your good testimony, but you prove your salvation by it, and you honor the God who saved you by it. May it be that when people meet us in this community, they say, "Though I may not agree with their worldview, I cannot help but say that is a person who walks in rightness—who lives in a way that honors what they say they believe."

James said the Word of God is like a mirror; when we look into it, it shines back on us. He urges us to be not hearers only but doers—not those who look in the mirror and forget what they look like. So maybe today we need to look at ourselves in light of Galatians 5:22–23 and 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 and ask: is this describing my life more and more, or does it not look like me at all? If it doesn't, that is where we come to repentance and confession, and "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us" (1 John 1:9).

A Visit, and a Coming

John finishes, "I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face." For Gaius and Demetrius, that was great news. For Diotrephes, perhaps not. And it raises a question for us. When Jesus says in Revelation 22, "Behold, I come quickly," maybe you say, "Lord Jesus, come quickly"—or maybe you'd say, "Well, maybe not today." Your reaction tells you about where your heart is. It is a challenging thing to consider.

Closing Prayer

God, I thank You for Your Word. It is living, powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword; it exposes areas of our lives that are not in line with what You desire. But You do this because You are full of grace and truth, and You desire through Your truth to transform us and by Your grace to make us completely new. I pray, God, that You would have Your way in us, that our lives would shine so this world would see our good works and glorify You, our Father in heaven. Lord, help us to be like a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden, letting this light so shine that people would honor and glorify You because of the transformation they see in our lives. We ask this today in Jesus' name. Amen.