Introduction

Good day to you all. Before we know it, we have arrived at 3 John. We have already examined 1 John and 2 John. 3 John has only one chapter, which speaks of receiving those who work together for the truth. This is not an encouragement for you to receive me, as I do not particularly need it. The phrase receiving those who work together for the truth contains a very interesting logic, which is the focus of our discussion. As mentioned earlier, it is not that I particularly hope you receive me, but rather that I want to receive you. For I desire that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers, so that I may be a man after God's own heart.

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2)

In this world, there are indeed people who have given everything to work for God, so shouldn't they be wealthy in principle? Not necessarily. There may also be a stage where they need people to support them to continue moving forward. The reason is simple: this chapter is to test Gaius, whether the person he receives is rich or not. Whether Gaius receives him or not, God can still enable him to move forward.

Purpose of Writing

2 John wrote about being careful not to receive the wrong people, such as the Antichrist or false prophets. However, this caution led to people not receiving those who should be received. So how can we distinguish when to receive and when not to receive? That's why there is the letter of 3 John. In our time, there was something called a letter of introduction, which no longer exists. It was a letter letting people know who sent this person.

Undoubtedly, Elder John dispatched some co-workers to serve in a certain place, and they happened to pass through Gaius's place. Elder John simply wrote a letter to Gaius. He wrote to Gaius because he was wealthy. Don't think that wealthy people are superior; never make that mistake. In fact, it was a test that God had prepared for this person to see if he would still feel that he did not have enough money even after becoming wealthy.

Some people always feel that they don't have enough money after becoming wealthy. When they were poor, they lived in a small apartment of fifty square meters. When they got rich, they hoped to live in one hundred square meters, but that is certainly not enough. When they live in a one-hundred-square-meter three-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms and two living rooms, they feel that it is still a bit small. They want to buy a large flat, villa, or even a mansion. People like this will be poor all their lives. After buying this, they want to buy that. People's needs are endless, and they always feel that they don't have enough. If they also want to buy a plane, where to get the money becomes a problem. You need to know that whether a person is poor or not is relative. This Gaius has some money, but if he wants to buy a plane, it is not enough.

Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified 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, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may become fellow workers with the truth. (3 John 1:5-8)

Elder John wrote to Gaius, asking him to receive those who work together for the truth. In fact, we often get it backwards, not receiving when we should receive, and receiving when we shouldn't. This is quite common, but later we find that even if we receive wrongly and spend some money on them, it doesn't make us poor. In fact, whether a person is poor or not is about the poverty or wealth in their heart. Elder John wrote this letter to mean that Gaius should contribute money to support them. Someone asked, what if you support the wrong person? You can't go wrong, because this person has already been examined and is working together for the truth.

Receiving Those Who Work Together for the Truth

How can we know that we are receiving those who work together for the truth? They don't have I am working for the truth written on their foreheads, nor do they wear hats with the logo I am working for the truth. You can proclaim yourself and say that the hat was given by an angel, and the angel testifies for you, acknowledging that you are working for the truth, but who knows where your hat actually came from? So what exactly does it mean to work for the truth? Everyone needs to ponder slowly. Those who work together for the truth and serve God will not lack, so why do they need your support? Because God wants to test you. If you don't support them, others will naturally support them, and they will never lack.

Serving and receiving people are one thing, while being received is another thing. If the person being received thinks, Why don't you receive me? Isn't it said that it is more blessed to give than to receive? Then there is trouble. In fact, the person receiving should feel that it is more blessed to give than to receive and should receive you. The person being received should think about why people receive them, and this person being received must have an attitude of taking nothing.

For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. (3 John 1:7)

If you want people to receive the benefits of the gospel, don't have the mentality of taking money out of their pockets and putting it in your own. If you want to take all the money out of their pockets, even the dogs on the roadside will know, and the sparrows in the air will transmit this sound. Therefore, you must have an attitude of taking nothing. Brothers and sisters must know that if you have the opportunity to receive our co-workers, you must carefully observe whether this co-worker desires to get something from you or desires to give you something.

Our church has a relatively strict requirement, which is that you cannot take advantage of brothers and sisters. If the person you receive takes out a pyramid scheme product from their bag as soon as they arrive, turns out to be a pyramid scheme salesperson, and their aim is to give you this thing so that you give them the money from your pocket, this is not called working for the truth, it is called pyramid selling. Pyramid scheme salesperson also walk around everywhere.

How do you measure whether this person actually wants to get something from you? I tell you, our group of people dare not say that everyone does not want something from you. There may be a few Diotrephes. But one thing is certain, many people do not want to get anything from others, but just hope to receive the benefits of the gospel together with you in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am not boasting here. Some time ago, I went to visit a brother, and he received me very warmly. I took him out to eat, but he insisted on paying. I couldn't understand the local language, and the locals didn't speak English or Mandarin. Before I could figure out what people were saying, he had already paid. Later, I sent all the money back to him, and he even blocked his account so that I couldn't send the money. I even scolded him for this.

Even if you are willing to receive, you still have to examine whether people want to get something from you. Thank God, we people never need to get anything from others. And I will never write another 3 John in this life, nor will I have the opportunity to say: Dear brother Gaius, I am sending so-and-so co-worker to you, please receive him. At the same time, I am sure that the chance of this kind of thing happening to you to receive our co-workers is very slim.

In John's time, it was very hard to travel. Not to mention in his time, let's just go back fifty years from now, and it was very hard to travel far. Have you ever tried squeezing into a green train, or seen the crowds抢火车票 to grab train tickets? In those days, a train ride would cost half a month's or even a month's salary, which was very hard. Writing to Gaius was because it happened in Elder John's time, but now it is very cheap to take a plane.

Everyone needs to know that the attitude of taking nothing is what we workers should say. We are working for the truth, just so that brothers and sisters can share in the benefits of this gospel, not to take money from your pockets. We also have a rule that you need to be qualified to give offerings. I understand the church's system quite deeply. I haven't explained it for a long time. New friends can listen. You may discover a strange phenomenon. Many years ago, I observed one thing. At that time, we were still building a new church. When other churches invited me to preach, I didn't understand at first. After preaching, I thought I could just leave, but someone gave me a red envelope called love offering, or love gift for short. I asked other pastors, and they said it was good. With this love gift, you can have a big meal on the weekend.

Later, I realized that something was wrong. When we invited other pastors to preach here, we also had to give them a love gift. After further understanding, I found that other churches also gave me love gifts, and I turned around and donated them. They put the love gift I gave them into their own pockets, and the sermons they preached here were also incoherent.

Everyone knows that we have a bit high requirements for preaching here. Now I am gradually understanding that, whether I live or die, I stand in my position, because this is my job: to serve my brothers and sisters, to build God's church well, and to shepherd God's flock. However, I donated the love gift that others gave me, and he put the love gift I gave him into his pocket. The money went around in a circle and went into his pocket. You understand why I don't like this kind of operation so much. I really can't stand it.

If you are tired of listening to my sermons, it doesn't matter. There are plenty of them online. You can listen to others. In fact, I put a lot of effort into preparing the sermon every time, because it is difficult to preach well. After so many years, it is difficult not to repeat myself. It is very hard to preach well. It is very simple to preach outside. Now I have thousands of sermons, and the stories are very fresh. I can prepare them in ten minutes. But it is very hard to preach to our brothers and sisters. Every time I remember to prepare something fresh, even if I work hard, I still feel sorry for everyone.

My point is that people who work to serve God must have an attitude of taking nothing. Of course, I am saying this easily, because I am not a poor pastor. On second thought, if I had come out to serve God when I was young, I might not have the confidence to say these words to everyone today. But I have to tell everyone that people who work for the truth should not be poor.

But I often hear a strange doctrine in the church. Many preachers take poverty as a sign of spirituality. Some pastors pray that they want to eat sausages today. I am very strange why he prays for this. Then his testimony is that the next day after praying, he opened the door and saw a string of sausages hanging on the door. That is because he wanted to eat sausages. What if he wants to eat swans one day? I want to work for the truth, not for sausages. We really don't need sausages, we need the truth.

Later, I also found that many people claim to be free preachers and do not build churches. In fact, if you don't build a church, you don't have to shepherd, so there is no pressure. You just leave after preaching. There may be ten thousand teachers, but not many fathers. Therefore, people must walk in God's will. The theme of the entire New Testament is to build a victorious church and shepherd God's flock. It is not to be a free preacher, nor to open an institution, finish it, and then leave.

I still have a slightly biased view on this: there is no problem with serving God with an attitude of taking nothing if you are walking in God's will. Even if you occasionally need some people to support you, it is just to test the person who supports you. May God have mercy on me, that I may not come to this point in my days on this earth, and become a reason to test people's support or non-support. It sounds a bit tragic. May God have mercy.

God often tests us. A disciple of Jesus Christ who is sent out to serve will not lack. Because Jesus once sent His disciples out, saying not to take anything, not even money. Some disciples asked: Lord Jesus, is it okay to carry a stick? Of course, you can carry two, this is a joke. What I mean by this is not to get anything from people, this is our attitude. We Christians, even if you are an ordinary Christian and not a preacher, should also resolve to never take advantage of others in your life.

I thank God! I have been well received wherever I go. For no reason, God sends people to receive me. This is what a person who has given himself for the truth encounters. If you want to receive for yourself, I don't need to thank you. Why do I say this? There is a logic in us that the person serving is not for the sake of the person being served, but for the sake of the person serving himself.

Working is not for the sake of work itself, but for the person doing the work. Both working and serving are acts of grace. Do not think highly of yourself for doing a lot of service, as it is what you should be doing. Never use excessive service as an excuse; it is your duty. Hospitality, giving, and working are all things you should do, and serving is even more so. How can you grow if you do not serve?

The Secret to Prospering in All Things and Being in Good Health

This Gaius was not someone who started giving just recently. If you ask me, he must have been a very generous person. Actually, I also give. Since I became a believer, I have been particularly fond of tithing. At that time, my tithes were about 15 to 17 percent of my income because I had a lot of extra offerings. I just love to give because giving is not a loss, but a gain.

Everyone, please do not be foolish. If you do not understand this underlying logic, you will not be able to complete a top-level design. Your life must have some underlying logic, and we have discussed several. Serving and working are both acts of grace. I have done the ideological work that human resources should do, and I have also talked about tithing being an act of grace, and that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

John's blessing to Gaius was not a congratulatory wish for wealth or a Happy New Year, but I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. Everyone wants this, but sometimes you cannot get it even if you want it. Perhaps you think this underlying logic I am talking about is brainwashing or manipulation, but it is my secret. God likes such people, those who find it more blessed to give than to receive. Is it really more blessed to give than to receive?

I will never forget making a great decision in my days of poverty. Because being baptised into Jesus Christ meant tithing. An old brother in the church gave me a one-on-one lesson on how to tithe. What he said then was the same as what I am saying today, he was so excited. One testimony after another, and after listening, I felt more than just a mix of emotions; there were seven flavours. The feeling inside was terrible, talking about money hurts feelings. After the lesson, my heart was not filled with enthusiasm, but a mixture of feelings, with olives, sesame paste, and sour oranges all mixed together. The journey home was very uncomfortable, and everyone can understand me because I was poor.

But I made a smart decision. I said to God, I want to try it out. My salary was just that little. Taking out two thousand yuan a year for tithing, which was just over a hundred yuan a month. This trial turned out to be extraordinary. By the end of the year, I was named an advanced worker, and the bonus was a lot more. I said, God, you are so good! To this day, I am a person who loves to tithe, so I prosper in all things and am in good health, just as my soul prospers.

A person who pursues spiritual things will definitely look down on worldly things. Gaius is such a person. Not long after the last donation, John wrote again to ask him to donate and give, always creating opportunities for Gaius to prosper in all things. You slowly examine it yourself. If you tithe with the intention of getting some benefit, that is not right. You have to slowly figure it out, and it will be extraordinary if you get this underlying logic right.

Walking in Truth

I rejoiced greatly when some brothers and sisters came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 1:3-4)

Of course you are joyful when everything prospers, just like I am joyful when the people I lead prosper even during the epidemic. The testimony I love to hear most is when someone says they found a job with a salary of more than twenty thousand, which has changed from ten thousand to twenty thousand, that is so good. But if you always have the mentality of wanting to take advantage of others, I will definitely stop you. It is not that I am blocking your path to wealth, but that I am blocking your path to poverty.

Are there still any of us who have this poor mentality, always wanting to take advantage of others and freeloading? Then I cannot let you suffer losses, but some people do not know this and think that I am blocking their path to wealth. But I have to stop you, otherwise I will feel uncomfortable. When I stop you, I feel joyful. This time, everyone has to understand me, because I want to lead everyone on a path of prospering in all things and being in good health.

I also know that it is not easy to cross this hurdle when we are dealing with mental garbage, but I have to let everyone walk in the truth, and people will definitely prosper in all things. I recently discovered that some people on welfare suddenly started tithing, and in quite large amounts. I have never asked what happened. People must never think that tithing and giving are losses. Maybe you have tithed to God what you should have tithed, and you have also given some to others. Having this giving mentality is called walking in truth.

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. (3 John 1:5)

A stranger is someone who walks past without looking back. Ordinary people might be repeat customers, but this stranger may be gone and never return. You do not know when they will come back next time, and even if they do, they will not repay you. But this is what should be done which is called faithfulness, that means having an attitude of not expecting anything in return. I want to tell everyone that no matter how rich you are, my service to you is definitely not because of the money in your pocket, but because I serve you according to the truth. I would never do such shameful things, nor do I need to. Many people like to serve rich people because they send their children to the United States and need the help of rich people. However, as a pastor, to have his mind occupied all day with the money in the pockets of rich people is not walking in truth.

All those who walk in truth give as if the other person is a stranger, and you cannot expect anything from them. That is called faithfulness. Or you serve them because they are rich, but you are not serving them for their money. That is also called faithfulness. If a person wants to serve God, he cannot serve Mammon. Our brothers and sisters must be careful. The money hurdle is not easy to overcome. Going to receive people is for the sake of the person receiving, to receive for oneself. I say again, we brothers and sisters must know that from now on we must walk in accordance with the truth, establish a set of underlying logic, and know that our God is still in control. We do not seek money, because seeking money will ruin us. Of course, I cannot guarantee that all colleagues have this attitude, but you must know that those who serve God cannot lack.

Having a Testimony

The person you receive must have a testimony. It is useless for them to say they have a testimony as deceivers say the nicest things.

Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. (3 John 1:12)

I guess the Demetrius mentioned here is the person that John wants Gaius to help. Although John did not write in the letter to have Gaius receive him, he just guaranteed that this person, Demetrius, is good. They all testified for Demetrius, that he really walks in truth. Never think that someone will suddenly fall from some remote corner and ask you to help them. Everyone should be careful, I often encounter such things.

When we still had a physical church, someone came in and said he was a preacher. I am naturally cautious about preachers, because I do not know who they are. As soon as he came in, I poured tea for him and asked him the purpose of his visit to Singapore. He said that he came to study theology. I do not have a positive opinion of studying theology as I do not know what one can learn. Honestly, I do not have much interest in it. The tuition and living expenses in Singapore cost 200,000 RMB a year, and I asked him where these expenses come from. He said that he lives by faith. As soon as I heard this, I knew that he was here to beg for alms, hoping that I could help him a little.

Do not think I am stupid. Without a testimony, I will not receive them. However, I will teach him what I think is the best Chinese Mingding Destiny theology. If he uses this set of Chinese Mingding Destiny to build a church, he should be able to achieve results because it is in accordance with God's will to do Mingding Destiny. Someone asked me how the things taught in the seminary are. I listened to it, and found that many of the things taught there are useless.

I have also met many pastors, and they also said that what they learned in the seminary was useless, and what they used when building the church was not learned in the seminary at all. It was a pure waste of time. Some of our colleagues felt sorry for the person who said he was a preacher and wanted to sponsor him, and they could tithe for him a little. I said, Let's not do this, because we do not know what he is doing. I do not care about the money, what I care about is that it feels bad to be fooled. So our brothers and sisters begin to walk according to the truth, and there will definitely be a testimony. Not only does God testify for you, but people also testify for you, and the truth will also testify for you.

Church Leaders Who Deviate from the Truth

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not only that, but he refuses to welcome other believers, and even stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. (3 John 1:9-10)

Building a church involves all sorts of things, including those who deviate from the truth and those who walk in the truth. As the saying goes, the world is full of wonders. Those who go to snatch members are not actually snatching service, but snatching offerings. So, many church pastors have an agreement not to snatch each other's members, which is called snatching sheep. However, those who come among us are not snatched by me; the sheep come in on their own because there is grass to eat and food to eat. If a church leader does not want to give well and only cares about the money in people's pockets, then it is not acceptable to ask for money to receive someone. It is more like receiving money.

John wrote about this Diotrephes in the church, and it is not certain whether Gaius has anything to do with the church mentioned in the letter, but it is possible that the church is near Gaius. Diotrephes, who loves to be first in the church, would not receive them, and as soon as he saw the letter written by John asking Diotrephes to help him support people, he threw the letter into the trash. In his heart, John does not count for much, and all he knows is that he wants money which Diotrephes does not have to give to John and his party. Diotrephes is that kind of person who not only does not receive people himself, but also drives out of the church those who are willing to receive them.

The reason why the church becomes like this is because the church does not walk in the truth and is poor in heart. So, as soon as receiving is mentioned, it is not right, and the church begins to be led astray. If you do not walk in the truth, even if there is a testimony, it is not right as long as you think of having to spend money. That is treating the offerings of the church's brothers and sisters as his operating income. How can people not be afraid when they see him like this?

Some people from outside churches once said that their pastor said that not many people can be masters. However, here, I hope that everyone will get up and serve God. I said that the pastors are not afraid of people becoming masters, they are afraid of people wanting to share those offerings. Many churches give the offerings directly to the pastor, which is a very evil habit. Some people also say on the stage that they want to go to Africa to preach, just like the scriptures say to give this little boy a cup of water to drink, and everyone lines up to give the pastor red envelopes. The pastor has become a little boy; he should be a big one. How can he go out to preach when he is so small? In fact, the big ones should bless the small ones, and the small ones should receive grace, and they should give the little boy a cup of water to drink. That cup of water refers to the water of the Holy Spirit, which is the truth. Never deviate from the truth.

What is inside a person? God will definitely let the things in his bones appear. If you are filled with poverty, you will eventually walk the road to poverty. If you are filled with truth, you will definitely walk on the road to prosperity. There are many church leaders who deviate from the truth because of the matter of offerings. So our brothers and sisters begin to receive those who work together for the truth. It is not that he needs to be received, but that you need to receive. We all receive each other, so that we may show the goodness of each of us. Let me make a summary. Everyone must know what the truth is, so that we can receive those who work together for the truth. May God bless everyone!