Partners in Reality: The Logistics of the Gospel Text: 3 John 5-8
Introduction: The War for the Truth
In our day, as in every day, the church is at war. This is not a war of carnal weapons, of tanks and bombs, but a war of truth and lies, of love and hate, of hospitality and hostility. It is a spiritual war, but it is fought in the material world, with material consequences. And like any war, it has a supply line. The gospel does not advance on ethereal wishes and pious sentiments alone. It advances on the shoe leather of faithful men, funded by the open-handed generosity of other faithful men and women.
The Apostle John, in this brief postcard of a letter to his friend Gaius, pulls back the curtain on the church's internal life. We see that the conflict is not just "out there" against the pagans. The more insidious conflict is often "in here," within the visible church. We have Gaius, a man who loves the truth and therefore loves the brethren. And we have Diotrephes, lurking in the next few verses, a man who loves himself and therefore despises apostolic authority and refuses the brethren. These are not just two personality types. They represent two antithetical ways of living in God's world. One builds, the other demolishes. One is a fellow worker with the truth, the other is a fellow worker with his own ego.
John is writing to commend Gaius for his faithfulness. He is watering the flowers in Gaius's garden so that they will continue to grow. And in doing so, he gives us a profound theology of Christian hospitality. It is not about putting out nice guest towels and having a pot of coffee on. It is about becoming a logistical partner in the advancement of the Kingdom of God. It is about recognizing that when we support those who carry the truth, we become fellow workers with the Truth Himself. This passage is intensely practical, but its practicality is rooted in the deepest realities of our faith.
The Text
Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever work you do for the brothers, and are doing this though they are strangers; and they bore witness to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, receiving nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.
(3 John 5-8 LSB)
Faithfulness in the Ordinary (v. 5)
John begins his commendation by grounding Gaius's actions in the bedrock of faithfulness.
"Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever work you do for the brothers, and are doing this though they are strangers;" (3 John 5 LSB)
Notice the standard. It is not success, or notoriety, or giftedness. It is faithfulness. God has called his people to be faithful, and Gaius is hitting the mark. And what is this great work he is doing? He is providing for the needs of traveling Christian workers. This is not a glamorous, up-front ministry. This is the behind-the-scenes work that makes the up-front ministry possible. Gaius is not the one preaching in the marketplace, but he is making it possible for the preacher to get to the marketplace. And in God's economy, that is counted as faithfulness.
John highlights that he does this for "the brothers," and even more remarkably, for brothers who are "strangers." This demolishes any idea that Christian love is just a glorified country club, a closed circle of friends we already like. This is supernatural love. It is love for the brethren, simply because they are the brethren. They belong to Christ, and so they belong to us. Their identity in Christ trumps their status as strangers. This is the practical outworking of the royal law. Gaius sees a brother in Christ, sent on the Lord's errand, and his immediate response is not suspicion, but support. This is a mark of a healthy Christian, and a healthy church.
A Public Testimony and a Worthy God (v. 6)
Gaius's private faithfulness had public consequences. It became a testimony that echoed back to the Apostle John himself.
"and they bore witness to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God." (3 John 6 LSB)
These traveling ministers, upon returning to their sending church, likely Ephesus where John was, didn't just give a mission report about conversions. They gave a mission report about the love of Gaius. His hospitality was so remarkable that it became part of the story. It was a tangible demonstration of the love of God that encouraged the entire church. This is how the body of Christ is supposed to work. Your faithfulness in your corner of the world becomes an encouragement to believers you have never met.
John then encourages him to continue this good work: "You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God." This is a high and glorious standard. The goal is not to give them the bare minimum, just enough to get by. The goal is to provision them, to equip them, to send them off in a way that reflects the honor and generosity of the God who sent them. When we support a missionary, we are not just helping a person; we are representing our God. Does our support reflect a stingy, begrudging god, or the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and who did not spare His own Son? Our generosity is a theological statement. It declares what we believe our God is like.
For the Sake of the Name (v. 7)
Here we find the central motivation for this entire enterprise. Why did these men go out? Why should Gaius support them?
"For they went out for the sake of the Name, receiving nothing from the Gentiles." (3 John 7 LSB)
They went out "for the sake of the Name." This is shorthand for the whole person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. His is the Name above every name. They were not traveling salesmen, or peddlers of a new philosophy. They were ambassadors of the King. Their entire mission was bound up in the honor and proclamation of Jesus Christ. This is the engine of all true Christian mission. It is not about us, our brand, or our ministry's success. It is for His Name.
Because they were zealous for the honor of that Name, they adopted a particular financial policy: "receiving nothing from the Gentiles." The word Gentile here means pagans, unbelievers. They did not pass the offering plate in the pagan temples. They did not want to give any impression that the gospel was for sale, or that their God was in need of funds from those who did not worship Him. This protected the integrity of the gospel. It was a powerful statement that the church of God takes care of its own. The ministry of the gospel is to be funded by the people of the gospel. This is a matter of principle. They were giving freely what they had freely received, and they trusted God to provide for them through His people.
Fellow Workers with Reality (v. 8)
John now draws the necessary and glorious conclusion. Because these men have gone out for the Name, and because they will not take support from the world, the responsibility falls squarely on the church.
"Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth." (3 John 8 LSB)
The "therefore" connects our duty directly to their mission. The "we" shows that this is a corporate responsibility, binding on John the Apostle just as it is on Gaius the layman. This is not an optional ministry for a few who have the "gift of hospitality." It is a fundamental obligation of Christian fellowship. We "ought" to do it. It is a moral imperative.
And the result is staggering. When we support such men, we become "fellow workers with the truth." The truth here is not an abstract concept; it is the living, breathing reality of the gospel, embodied in the person of Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. By opening your home, by writing a check, by sending these men off in a manner worthy of God, you are not just helping a missionary. You are partnering with the truth itself. You are enlisting in the cosmic project of the Triune God. The one who preaches the truth and the one who provides the meal for the preacher are both fellow workers. They are on the same team, engaged in the same great work, and they will share in the same reward.
This is a profound encouragement. Not everyone is called to be a front-line, traveling evangelist. But everyone who knows the truth is called to be a fellow worker with the truth. Your home can be a missionary outpost. Your bank account can be an instrument for the advancement of the kingdom. Your prayers, your encouragement, your practical support, all of it makes you a partner in the great work of God in the world. You are holding the ropes for those who go down into the mine.
Conclusion: The Logistics of Love
This little snapshot from the early church gives us our marching orders. We live in a world that is hostile to the Name. We are surrounded by Diotrephes-types, both inside and outside the church, who love themselves, who crave preeminence, and who see the work of the gospel as a threat to their little empires.
But we are called to be like Gaius. We are called to a practical, open-handed, faithful love for the brethren. We are called to see that the work of the gospel has a supply line, and God has ordained that we are that supply line. When we see a faithful minister of the gospel, a church planter, a missionary, we should not see a stranger looking for a handout. We should see a fellow soldier who needs resupplying.
Our support for them must be "worthy of God." This means it should be cheerful, generous, and without grumbling. It should be a reflection of the grace that has been shown to us. And as we do this, we must remember the high privilege that is ours. We are not merely doing a good deed. We are becoming partners with the living God in His work of redemption. We are becoming fellow workers with the Truth. And there is no greater or more lasting work in all the world.