Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 165 - Fellow-Helpers With The Truth Eternity Daily Bible Study - http://www.aibi.ph/eternity/ Asian Internet Bible Institute: http://www.aibi.ph (3 John 1:5-8 NASB) Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; {6} and they bear witness to your love before the church; and you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. {7} For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. {8} Therefore we ought to support such men, that we may be fellow workers with the truth. These verses refer to giving hospitality to what we would call "missionaries" - those who go to other cultures for the sake of the name of Jesus..."they went forth for His name's sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles." Thus these were Christian workers operating in a foreign environment where they could not expect any financial support. The apostle John clearly expects the church to help these missionaries on their way. This is consistent with other passages in Scripture such as: (1 Corinthians 9:14 NKJV) Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. (Galatians 6:6 NKJV) Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. The injunction is: "If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well,". This contrasts with the parsimonious way some missionaries are treated. The "used tea bags" is not an untrue story. I have received "donations" such as a laptop computer "Sorry the screen doesn't work" and shoes with no heels "I am sure you can fix them at Mr. Minit" and so on. I laugh at these things now but at the time it can feel very demeaning. We need to treat missionaries with a bit of old-fashioned respect for the servants of God. Whatever sending people "on their journey in a manner worthy of God" means it does not mean humiliation. Speaking personally I certainly don't want a BMW or 5-star hotel accommodation. That is just vanity. I don't want to strut about in a superior fashion. Ordinary daily stuff is fine with me. I think "a manner worthy of God" involves desiring to give one's best, and not the second-hand leftovers, to servants of God. Now I don't want to invent a new legalism here. There is the counter-balance that giving is to be Spirit-led, from what we have, not what we do not have, and not under compulsion. (Philemon 1:14, 2 Corinthians 8;12, 9:7). Do we have to give to every missionary we know? Not at all. Just as the Lord leads, but when we give we should do so honorably and faithfully and consistently. In some cases inconsistent giving can be more disruptive than not giving because the missionary expects and budgets for X but receives Y to his or her acute embarrassment. This is less of a problem in missions with a set monthly allowance. Let me steer this away from missionary problems lest it look like I am writing from too personal a perspective. What is the Christ-attitude that the apostle John is trying to bring to the fore here? Its a Kingdom-generosity, a kind of financial thinking that is Kingdom focused and infused with the perspectives of the gospel and of the work of God. The giving is not just because the missionaries are poor - but because they are going forth "for His name's sake". This attitude says "Because you are on God's side, then my good things will be on your side, because they came from God to start with, and are to be used for His purposes." There is also a realization that the missionaries have gone nobly into the work without obvious financial interest. The were "taking nothing from the Gentiles." Pastors can get a regular salary from the congregation that they minister to wheras a missionary generally receives nothing from the people they work among - and this is correct and in accordance with Scripture. The initial reception of the gospel must not be hindered by financial concerns. There is a third reason in that "you will do well" - in context it means "you will do a good and beautiful thing". The Christian will have done a commendable action, a worthy deed. Finally, and most importantly giving makes us "fellow workers with the truth" or as the KJV says "fellowhelpers to the truth.". It links us to the spread of the gospel, and puts us in the chain of those who are concerned with the coming of the Kingdom. This requires some discernment and Christian wisdom to sort out those ministries that are genuinely involved with Kingdom work so that you may truly be associated with productive ministry. You need to look past the brochures and the PowerPoint presentations to the substance of the ministry, its goals and methods and above all - listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit not just human emotion. Missionary giving has declined precipitously since 9/11 and since the stock-market crash. Many good and worthy ministries are hurting. Much good work is simply not being done and vital projects are on hold. Sure many inferior ministries have folded - and that in some ways has been good. It has been "a time of shaking". But there are still some churches building million-dollar water-slides and theme parks! This while billions of people have yet to hear the name of the Lord. (I find that absolutely appalling!) If we are to be co-workers with God we need to stop spending on Christian trivia and entertainment and water-slides. God is not in the entertainment business! He is in the gospel-salvation, redemption and transformation business! Lets focus our funds where they are most needed and do the most good to the glory of God and make our giving to be "with the truth" . Now our money is our money and we can do with it what we like. Acts 5:4 clearly implies that our funds are "under our control". The church, or missionaries cannot tax you. No-one can force you to give. Giving is "not under compulsion". There is no legalism about it. We must act as free, responsible adults directed by Scripture, by conscience, by wisdom and by our own choices. Let me finish with this question: "If you were absolutely in control of your money, and not driven by emotional impulses such as guilt or envy, how would you use your funds?" Blessings in Him, John Edmiston Asian Internet Bible Institute http://www.aibi.ph/ Free Online Bible And Ministry Training Dozens of free Christian ebooks: http://www.aibi.ph/ebooks/ Donate: http://www.aibi.ph/articles/donate.htm This devotional may be freely forwarded to others and used for non-profit ministry purposes as long as the following copyright notice is included. © Copyright John Edmiston 2003