06/26/2026
In Friday’s reading (3 John 1:7 Part 2) John provides the 2nd part of his reason for commending the actions of Gaius towards these itinerant Christian missionaries. John heard how Gaius treated these brothers in Christ, whom he did not know. How? These brothers in Christ reported back to John. So, John knew all the parties involved, and these Christians returned to John with a wonderful report regarding the manner in which Gaius was living out his faith – he was walking in the truth; he was displaying Christian love to those whom he did not even know. So, John commends the hospitality that Gaius showed them. John then encourages Gaius to help them on their way to their next stop as well. His 1st reason was because of their mission – they are doing all that they do for the sake of the Name of Jesus. So, they’re committed to traveling all over and declaring who Jesus is & what He’s done. That’s the first reason…
The second reason is that they have done this and have received nothing from the Gentiles. Now, to clarify – this does not mean the Gentile believers but rather pagans. Thus, to carry out their mission, they need to be supported by Christians – they accept nothing from non-believers. John does not explain why they don’t, only that they don’t. It may be to contrast them with what the false teachers out there were doing. We do know that other non-Christian travelers appealed to any & all to receive financial help. These missionaries from John did not want to send any conflicting signals or to have anyone question their motives. In this approach, they are trusting God for His provision, similar to the manner in which Jesus sent out the Twelve (Matthew 10:5-15) as well as the Seventy (Luke 10:4-7).
This would also have some affinity with the way that the Apostle Paul often did his mission work – depending on the situation & location. Overall, the idea is that God’s people ought to adequately support God’s workers. This is another reason that God’s people ought to be discerning – you do not want to support a false teacher or false missionary. Of course, the other side of this equation is that you should accept support from other believers only. One reason is that accepting help from unbelievers may give them the sense that they are now saved (via a works righteousness); it also shows that God’s people do not support the work of God. It’s worth adding that this does not appear to be a hard fast rule but a guiding principle. For example, Solomon accepted gifts from foreigners to help with the building of the Temple – he did not seek it, but he also did not turn it down once offered. Overall, though, we should not expect unbelievers to support the work of God. How well do you think Christians support the work of Christian ministries, beginning with their local church? Why? Ponder that one as we head into the weekend & hopefully, you gather to worship on Sunday. Have a blessed weekend.
