3 John 1:3 (KJV) The Stewardship of Information

3 John 1:3 (KJV)

For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

A few observations from the passage.

John received a testimony concerning this church.
There were brethren from the church who came to him and reported. Travelers are simply a reality. We’re not going to prevent them. And “testimonies” are going to be given from those travelers. In churches, we have evangelists and missionaries who especially travel from church to church and who are prone to bring word from one church to the next. Sometimes it borders on (okay, sometimes it indeed crosses into) gossip.

John rejoiced to hear of the spiritual walk of these brethren.
We ought to rejoice to hear of the blessing of the Lord upon others. We ought to pray for those who are struggling, lift up those who are laboring, and rejoice with those who are rejoicing. News travels. Sometimes it is good for it to travel. Sometimes the intent is not as good. In either case, whether our response is good is up to us.

John had a legitimate interest in this church.
In the following verse, he calls them children. I would suggest that whether the “testimony” we hear is appropriate or not has to do with two things: our relationship to those about whom the testimony is given, and the intent of the one from whom the testimony comes.

One preacher years ago spoke of what he called the "stewardship of information". It is an area in which I think many of us fail in our stewardship.

There is the handling of information we have—whether to save it or share it.

Whether the information should be kept under our hat for the sake of others, or whether we are compelled to speak up because love compels something to be done, and then speaking to the appropriate persons and not just everyone who will listen.

And then there is the stewardship of information we receive.

Rejoicing for those who are doing well rather than becoming envious. Grieving for and praying for those who have fallen down rather than growing bitter or spiteful. Reaching out to those we might be able to help rather than withdrawing into ourselves.

#WalkingInTruth #StewardshipOfInformation #RejoiceWithOthers #TruthAndTestimony #3John13

The Stewardship of Information: When Should a Christian Speak—and When Should He Stay Silent?

Has God ever taught you a lesson about when to speak, when to stay silent, or how to handle difficult information wisely? I’d love to hear your thoughts—leave a comment below and join the conversation. And if you enjoy practical Bible teaching, encouraging articles, and Christ-centered resources, visit marvinmckenzie.org and stay connected. 

Let’s keep walking in truth, wisdom, and charity.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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3 John 1:3 (KJV) The Stewardship of Information

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxiI84jPRD8INusei_3GxUTYSGI72R5ah9?si=pLY9lVzioe5oRnSg

3 John 1:13 (KJV) Preaching Christ in Every Age

3 John 1:13 (KJV) 

I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:

I have a good friend with whom I recently spoke about texting on smartphones—his use, his limits, and the problems he has with it. He never said he won’t use texting; in fact, he uses it a great deal. He just has defined purposes for it. One of them is that he will not carry on a conversation over text.

Communication methods have changed so much. I once read that Napoleon only opened his mail once a month. He discovered that by doing so, the emergencies mentioned in them had already resolved themselves. He hadn’t needed to stress over them at all. Old battlefield strategies required communication by carrier—a runner, a man on horseback, and later, motorcycle. At one time it was the signalman with a phone on his back, connected by a wire all the way back to operations. Heroes were made of these men, however they carried the message.

In my lifetime, we went from preachers warning about teens having telephones in their bedrooms to now, where they have the internet in their back pockets. It wasn’t long ago that a parent might complain their children only call and never come to visit. Now, I can visit with my mom face-to-face over a device called a Portal—but it’s already being phased out. Technology has surpassed it.

John said there were some things he couldn’t or wouldn’t write with pen and ink—some communication can only be conveyed face-to-face. That’s part of God’s plan, and I am good with that. But from the human perspective, I wish he had written it so I could know what it was. (Sometimes that’s the reason not to write it down—it shouldn’t go any farther.)

In the circles I move in, we make a big deal out of preaching—and we should. But I try to remember that we would have nothing to preach if it hadn’t been for those men who followed the Holy Spirit’s leading and wrote the Book down.

• Write.
• Phone.
• Create video content.
• Pass out gospel tracts.

Whatever is your go-to method—

But somehow, consistently, constantly, relentlessly, communicate the glorious truth that only Christ can save!

#OnlyChristCanSave #ShareTheGospel #CommunicateTruth #FaithfulWitness #FaceToFaceFaith

From Scrolls to Smartphones: Preaching Christ in Every Age

The means of communication have changed, but the mission remains the same—share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. Whether it’s a handwritten letter, a phone call, a gospel tract, or a face-to-face conversation, the message that only Christ can save must be proclaimed.

Question for you: What’s your favorite way to share the gospel with others, and why? Share your answer in the comments below—I’d love to hear your story.

📲 Hungry for more solid, biblical teaching? Visit marvinmckenzie.org for Bible studies, videos, and resources rooted in the King James Bible.

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To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6800 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
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Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
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Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

3 John 1:13 (KJV) Preaching Christ in Every Age

3 John 1:2 (KJV) The Prosperous Soul

3 John 1:2 (KJV)

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 

 

Albert Barnes writes, “It is not very common that a man is more prospered in his spiritual interests than he is in his other interests, or that we can, in our wishes for the welfare of our friends, make the prosperity of the soul, and the practice and enjoyment of religion, the standard of our wishes in regard to other things.”

 

Though there are several Gaiuses in the New Testament, it does not seem likely this is any of them. I always take it that whenever God chooses not to give us details, it’s so we apply the truth more broadly than we might otherwise.

 

We know specifically that he is Gaius.

God treats us as individuals. He knows what perhaps no one else does about us.

 

We know that he is loved of John.

This seems to have been true of him even before the report of the brethren concerning him.

 

We know the report concerning him was encouraging.

Preachers love people who are not, maybe, the most spiritual they could be. But we who love God love to hear that people we love also love God.

 

We live in a time so unlike theirs I am not sure we can comprehend the sentiment expressed. Prosperity and health are almost givens in our day. Even those of us who struggle most would be prosperous in comparison to the average citizens of that time and place. But here God’s Word turns things upside down from our world. In the case of Gaius, he prospered so much spiritually that John wished he might do as well in every other circumstance of life. His priority was the spiritual. Perhaps Gaius had no material benefits. Perhaps he had poor health. Perhaps he was alone, or unpopular, or a widower and childless. It would have been nice to see those circumstances reversed, but no matter—he walked in truth, and his soul had prospered.

 

Take the whole world. Just give me Jesus.

 

#WalkingInTruth #SpiritualProsperity #BiblicalWisdom #SoulCare #FaithFirst

The Prosperous Soul: Take the Whole World, Just Give Me Jesus

 

• Who are you walking in truth with today? 
• Take a moment to reach out to a friend or fellow believer, and encourage them in their spiritual journey.

👉 Join our community in studying God’s Word and strengthening your faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

3 John 1:2 (KJV) The Prosperous Soul

3 John 1:7 (KJV) Christ Above All

3 John 1:7 (KJV)

Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.

“For His Name’s sake”

They went forth
These brethren and “strangers.”  By strangers is meant brethren who were strangers to them. It is one thing to be generous with Christians with whom we are well acquainted and entirely another to be generous with those we have no acquaintance. These brethren and strangers had left home and family for the sake of Jesus’ name.

They took nothing of the Gentiles
For His name’s sake. They would give no cause for the Gentiles to speak evil of Jesus Christ. It was not their reputation, their needs, or their comfort that was primary. It was the name of Jesus Christ

• That His name would spread
• That His message would be heard
• That His reputation be undefiled

I am afraid of our day. There will always be charlatans and cheats, those who seize an opportunity for profit, even with Christ’s name. My concern however is that those I believe are sincere put too little heart into uplifting the name of Jesus, upholding His reputation making the service of Christ more about His name than our own.

#ForHisNamesSake #GenerousForJesus #SacrificialService #UpholdingChristsName #ChristAboveAll #missiology #evangelism #christology
Christ Above All: A Call to Christ-Centered Service

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

3 John 1:7 (KJV) Christ Above All

3 John 1:5-8 (KJV) How To Help

3 John 1:5-8 (KJV)

Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:
Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

The doctrine described here is not strange to the Word of God. It is the principle upon which our missionary endeavors rest. 

There are those anointed of God and so burdened to reach out to lost souls with the Gospel. As they pioneer work in territories inhospitable to the Gospel, the rest of us do well to help them in: encouragement, prayer, and financial support. 

And in so doing we become partners in their work and contributors to the advancement of the truth. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and more than 5100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

3 John 1:5-8 (KJV) How To Help

3 John 1:4 (KJV) No Greater Joy

3 John 1:4 (KJV)
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

An application jumps so abruptly from this verse that a person is likely to miss any other lesson. It is for this reason I want to begin by pointing out that the first lesson is of John himself. He speaks not of his children by birth but of the new birth. Regarding this, Albert Barnes writes, “all the ministers of the gospel, that their highest comfort is found in the fact that those to whom they minister, whether still under their care or removed from them, persevere in a steadfast attachment to the true doctrines of religion, and live accordingly”

I am a parent and serve as a pastor. It is true on both counts that, though I wish them to prosper and be in health, that thing that matters most to me and that brings me the greatest joy, is to know they walk in truth. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4700 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
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3 John 1:4 (KJV) No Greater Joy

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3 John 1:5-8 (KJV)
Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

There is here a principle I was taught in Bible College and, though not often practiced these days, I have not been able to shake. Preachers ought not seek to receive benefit (especially financial) from those who are not saved.

It is pretty much a given among the missionaries to foreign lands. In order to be welcome in most foreign fields the missionary has to prove he can provide enough income from other sources so he will not require them from the country to which he is called for ministry. I was taught the reason we support foreign missionaries and not home missionaries[1] is the home missionary can get a job while the foreign one cannot[2]. It just makes sense to me.

This also applies, I think, to what amounts to Christian panhandling. A Christian, because of his particular convictions, experiences need.

• Maybe he refuses to work so he can devote himself to ministry 
• Maybe he refuses a job because it will require him to compromise his own convictions 
• Maybe he has overextended himself for what he believes is the cause of Christ

For whatever reason, he is in perpetual need and, just like the panhandler, has come to not mind constant begging. He even asks financial favors of the unsaved. Favors, by the way, that they don’t take kindly to granting even if they do give in to pressure to give.

Our God supplies for his own.

• We ought therefore to live within the provisions He gives, asking nothing of the lost and
• We ought to generously give to those preachers of the gospel who practice this sort of responsibility.

To my readers:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

3 John 1:5-8 (KJV) Taking Nothing

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[1] To the same extent as we would the foreign missionary.

[2] The preachers who conceived of this concept, I remind you, were aggressive and successful home missionary church planters.