Praise the Lord! I believe that the Lord God has been good to each one of us during the past week as He had been good to us all the days of our life. We need God’s constant help during each moment of our time on earth. God alone can help us to live a spiritually fruitful life because the enemies of the gospel are tirelessly trying to destroy the spiritual ministry we are engaged in by distracting us from being faithful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Many a time, many of us face life-threatening perils in our life and in most of these occasions we are incapable of delivering ourselves or helping others overcome such situations. This is because the enemy who causes the life-threatening situations in our life is stronger than all of us and no one can either defeat the enemy or defend themselves from being spiritually or physically harmed. In such situations, if the Lord God Almighty is with us, He will be able to help us and deliver us from the power of the enemies no matter how strong he is. King David who personally experienced God’s love and care in his life testified that The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid (Psalm 27:1). When we read Psalm 13:2, we can understand that king David went through some severe life-threatening-situations in his life, as he poured out his heart before the God of Israel: How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me (Psalm 13:2). Yet, despite his unfavorable and grievous life-situations, he trusted in the God of his fathers and completely depended upon God’s power and waited for Him to help him, as he stated: I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me (Psalm 13:5-6). David’s attitude shows that even in the midst of very unfavorable life-situations, he was able to say that the Lord has been good to him (Psalm 13:6b). Similarly, when we face some unexpected or unfavorable situations in our life (whether it is due to our own mistakes or caused by someone else), instead of trying to solve it by ourselves, if we trust in the Lord and fully depend upon Him for His deliverance, He will deliver us from the situations we are entangled in and we can boldly say that the Lord has been good to us as king David acknowledged that the Lord has been good to him (Psalm 13:6b). When we say that the Lord has been good to us, it doesn’t mean that we do not face any more problems in our life. Of course, we face various kinds of problems in our lives, such as spiritual, physical, emotional, and so on, since this world is filled with all these kinds of problems. Nevertheless, we can overcome any problems that dishearten us, big or small, with the help of God, as the Lord assures us His help in times of trouble: Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me (Psalm 50:15; also refer to: Psalm 34:17; 91:15; 145:18-19; Isaiah 41:10; Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 7:7-8; Philippians 4:6).

The Lord has blessed us with yet another Scripture passage from the third Epistle of John (mentioned above) to read, study, and meditate upon for our spiritual nourishment and strength. The third Epistle of John is written by Apostle John to his fellow Christian brother and friend named Gaius. While the dominant theme of the Epistle focuses on the importance of walking in truth (3 John 1:3-4), the underlying theme circles around the importance of practicing hospitality, especially Christian brothers and sisters supporting one another while participating in God’s mission (3 John 1:5-8). Thus, the overall theme that we can churn out from the third Epistle of John is practicing hospitality while walking in the truth, which means, the Epistle urges Christian believers to extend hospitality to anyone who walks in the truth and lives a life that is worthy of God’s calling in them, even if that person is a stranger to us. Apostle John appreciates his dear friend Gaius for the efforts he makes to extend the kind of hospitality for both his fellow believers (who are mostly familiar people) as well as the people who visit him from different places (who are mostly unfamiliar people). Gaius, being a godly man and a devoted host, took care of everyone who came to him for help. From John’s writings we can understand that Gaius welcomed and took care of all the guests (mostly visitors) who came to him, including strangers, as if they were his family members. Apostle Paul also very specifically commented on Gaius’ nature of hospitality, as Paul said: Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy (Romans 16:23a).

Extending hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters was inevitable in the early Church, especially to those brothers and sisters who travel from one place to another for the sake of preaching the gospel. Immediately after the church was founded and began to expand, persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and most of the believers except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1). The believers and ministers of the gospel who had been scattered because of the persecution preached the Word wherever they went (Acts 8:4). The people who received the Word and believed in Jesus Christ and accepted Him as the Lord and Savior of their life met together in homes and other suitable places for worship and fellowship (Acts 1:13; 2:2, 42-47; Romans 16:23). Since those believers were first-generation Christians, there were no established church buildings for them to gather together for worship and fellowship, so most of the time they gathered in homes for fellowship, worship, and preaching/hearing the gospel of Christ (Acts 5:42). Likewise, most of the first century ministers of the gospel were also first-generation Christian believers who turned out to be the gospel preachers and teachers who traveled around to preach of Good News about Christ and teach about the Kingdom of God. When such traveling ministers of the gospel go from place to place to preach the gospel and teach the Word, they were welcomed by local ministers and believers of each region who took care of their needs. Although they were welcomed by most of the local ministers and believers, there were still many hesitated welcoming them into their homes or taking care of them by supplying their needs. For instance, in connection with our meditation, a Christian leader named Diotrephes, who loves to be first, neither welcomed such traveling ministers and believers nor allowed others to welcome them into their homes; in addition, he even put those who are interested in welcoming them out of the church (3 John 1:9-10). In such situations, many of the first-century traveling ministers faced unfavorable and life-threatening situations in their lives as they traveled from place to place to preach the gospel and teach/interpret the truth of the gospel to people who are mostly the first generation Christian believers. Regarding these unfavorable situations, Jesus Himself warned His disciples about the impending persecutions they were about to face: If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also (John 15:20); and He also exhorted them, saying: I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him (Luke 12:4-5; also refer to Revelation 2:10-11). Apostle Peter encouraged the believers in the early church who went through severe persecution in their lives due to their faith in Jesus Christ:

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name (1 Peter 4:12-16)

Apostles Barnabas and Paul exhorted the believers in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch that we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22b). Apostle Paul [who traveled a lot for the sake of taking the gospel to the new places – preaching the gospel, teaching those who believe in Jesus Christ in a godly way to obey God’s righteous laws and decrees, and choosing and training ministers of the gospel to preach/teach the gospel{the book of Acts narrates about Paul’s traveling for the sake of preaching the gospel that are generally known as Paul’s missionary journeys}] also faced severe trials and persecutions in the course of time. For instance, he wrote:

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn (2 Corinthians 11:23b-29)

Despite all the life-threatening situations Apostle Paul went through during the course of his ministry traveling to preach the gospel, he did everything possible according to grace the Holy Spirit granted him to win the winnable for Christ at any cost. Apostle Pal was a kind of person who could go any extent fearlessly to preach the gospel in order to save a soul from eternal condemnation. His life and ministry proved that he was successful in everything he was doing for the expansion of the Kingdom of God (Acts 19:8; 20:25; 28:31). When he realized that his time to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is drawing nearer and nearer, he testified saying: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Apostle John also went through a lot life-threatening situations during his life and ministry because of his unwavering trust in Jesus Christ. In addition to all that he suffered for the sake of his faith in Jesus Christ, he was also exiled to the Island of Patmos on one occasion (Revelation 1:9). Being a servant of Christ and a minister of the gospel, John himself must have experienced Christian hospitality on several occasions. He knew the value of receiving hospitality from someone as well as the importance of extending hospitality to others, especially to those who walk in the truth and do the will of God in their life. In the light of this, he acknowledged and commended Gaius (perhaps, some others too) for the hospitality he extended to the brothers and sisters as it was for the sake of the Name that they went out to preach the gospel (3 John 1:5-7). In those days, such traveling ministers of the gospel (prophets, evangelists, preachers, teachers) were playing a major role in taking the gospel of Christ to new places. Unlike today (nowadays there might be Christian ministers and organizations accepting help from anybody, including nonbelievers), these brothers and sisters did not accept help from any non-believers rather they fully depended on God and His people (believers) for their need as they traveled from place to place to preach the gospel (3 John 1:7; also refer to Matthew 10:10b; Luke 22:35; 1 Corinthians 9:7, 14; 1 Timothy 5:18). That was the reason Apostle John kept on encouraging his friend Gaius as well as his readers to help those people who walk in the truth for the sake of preaching the gospel even if they are strangers to us, as he wrote: We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth (3 John 1:8). Some of the spiritual lessons we can learn from the Scripture passage (3 John 1:5-8) we chose for our meditation are as follows:

• • Let us be faithful in what we are doing for the Lord (1:5a)
  • Let us be faithful in dealing with our dear brothers and sisters in the Lord (1:5b)
  • Let us be faithful in taking care of the strangers who are coming to us for help (1:5c)
  • Let us extend our holy hands to build a people for God (1:6a)
  • Let us spread the fragrance of God’s love wherever we travel/stay (1:6b)
  • Let us strive hard to bear a good testimony as the followers of Jesus Christ (1:6c)
  • Let us care for each other and together care for everyone else (1:6d)
  • Let us honor God through our word and deed (1:6e)
  • Let us put our heart and mind and soul and strength to take the gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth (1:7a)
  • Let us bear one another’s burden and not put each other in trouble like the nonbelievers (1:7b)
  • Let us practice hospitality for the glory of God (1:8a)
  • Let us lavish our blessings on others as the Lord has lavished His blessings upon us (1:8b)
  • Let us work together in the truth for the extension of God’s Kingdom on earth (1:8c)

Dear friends in the Lord, from the Scripture we can understand that Jesus chose twelve disciples (out of thousands upon thousands who followed Him) and trained them to be apostles in this world. At the end of His earthly life, after accomplishing the purpose of His incarnation, Jesus left them alone with a group of leaderless people numbering about a hundred and twenty and ascended to heaven without providing any physical provision for their expansion on earth (Acts 1:8-9, 15). While Jesus was with His disciples, (i) He showed them how to live a godly life (John 1:35-39); (ii) He taught them how to pray to the heavenly Father (Luke 11:1-4); (iii) He promised them that His presence will be with them at all times (Matthew 28:20); (iv) He promised them that He will send the Holy Spirit to them who will help them in ministry to which they were called to (Luke 12:12; John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13; Acts 1:8; 2:4); and (v) He promised them that He will return to take them to be with Him that they also may be where He is (John 14:3). Although, Jesus did not provide them any material provisions for their survival, they never lacked anything in life for their survival (Proverbs 10:3a; Matthew 6:33; 10:9-10; Luke 22:35; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Philippians 4:19). Despite all the scarcities and oppositions, the apostles trusted Jesus in everything He said and did.  They followed His footsteps in fulfilling the mission of God on earth. As Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven upon them, filled them with power and they became the instrumental in the hands of God to establish the Church on earth, Christ Himself being the foundation of the Church (Acts 2:1-47; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20; also refer to: Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16). God provided for their need according to His riches and glory and they never lacked anything they needed for their life and ministry (Philippians 4:19). We need to know the fact that during the early days of Christian church (that is after the ascension of Christ to heaven [Acts 1:8-9], and coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and founding of the New Testament Church on earth [Acts 2:1-47]), the presence of the church was felt very much in Jerusalem and its surrounding regions but beyond Jerusalem and its vicinity the presence of the church made very little impact, that was only where the apostles and other disciples of Jesus Christ preached the gospel and founded churches. However, from such a limited situation, today, the church is expanded to all across the world with the most number of people identifying themselves as Christians. Now, it is our turn to impact the people of twenty-first century with the gospel of Christ as it is time for His return. As the first century Christians impacted societies (wherever they were living/traveling) with the gospel of Christ and helped one another carry out the ministry they were called to do, we need to impact the societies where we are living with the gospel of Christ and help one another to reach the unreached with the gospel of Christ. Therefore, let us read, study, and meditate upon the Scripture again and again and try to do what it speaks to us. That is what God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost want us to do and this is the exact things we are called to do. So, dear friends, let’s go for it and let us do what God wants us to do for the ministry He has called us! Let us pray to God to give us strength and ability to fulfill His purpose in and through our life and ministry! May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!