Becoming (Like) Gaius
To my dear friend Gaius.
I love you because we follow the truth, dear friend, and I pray that all goes well for you. I hope that you are as strong in body, as I know you are in spirit. It makes me very happy when the Lord’s followers come by and speak openly of how you obey the truth. Nothing brings me greater happiness than to hear that my children are obeying the truth.
Dear friend, you have always been faithful in helping other followers of the Lord, even the ones you didn’t know before. '
3 John 1:1-5
[This is the 19th message of this series]
Gaius of Unknown City
In one of the three letters that John wrote to church leaders in the 1st century, he wrote to a man named Gaius.
Gaius was a name mentioned a few times by Luke and Paul, as well as John in this letter.
It is hard to know if there were multiple people with this name or if all mentions in the bible were referring to just one person.
Let's see, Luke mentions a Gaius of Macedonia (Acts 19) and then a Gaius of Derbe (Acts 20).
Paul mentions a Gaius in his letter to the believers in Rome. He also wrote about a Gaius in his letter to those in the City of Corinth.
Contrasts
In another series of lessons, we discussed about a person named Diotrephes, who John mentioned contrastingly with the Gaius that he mentioned in this same letter (we read above).
Whereas Diotrephes, John was warning people about, John was writing to Gaius, praying for and was speaking highly of him.
Working Together
Two of the reasons John loved Gaius was because he welcomed believers in their church and helped them out, not discriminating anybody. This was the exact opposite of what Diotrephes did -- he was throwing people out of their church -- we can read about him in Do Not Be Like These People 11.
Prayer for Good Health
John prayed for this gentle hearted person named Gaius and was hoping that he was well in body.
This is an eye-opening line of Scripture. Some people do have the misconception of that believers, particularly church leaders were healthy and abled, and not sick or infirmed.
Where did we ever get that from?
One person that comes to mind was Timothy, leader of the first church in the City of Ephesus. We learned from Paul's letter that Timothy was ill, he had a stomach ailment.
God is indeed the Great Physician. If He created us then He would know how to heal us as well.
But living in a fallen world, surrounded by fallen people and their evil devices would open opportunities up for attacks to not just their emotional and mental health but also their physical and spiritual well-being.
Reality
The reality is that when someone becomes part of the Kingdom of God, that person is taken out of the kingdom of this world but is still living in it. That person becomes a moving target of and is vulnerable to attacks of the ruler of this fallen world.
One may have only one problem when they answer the call to turn their life over to God, but when they do, they could expect more problems to arise. Why? Because God's ways are not the ways of this world. And the enemy of God wants to get back what it lost and is trying to win that person back.
Temptations, the cares of this world, deceptions, the deceitfulness of riches or pleasure, the anxieties of this world, the worries of this age (Matthew 13:22) and sicknesses and ailments are the wiles and devices of this old schemer, the ruler of this world.
Gaius
Following the truth and helping others, especially those within the church are the ways of those who have been called by God. Praying for one another, looking after other people's needs above their own and walking in God's Spirit are what the believer's response should be.
Let us be like Gaius (who unlike Diotrephes), is not wanting to be first (not wanting to be known).
Gaius is not someone people would necessarily be familiar with but he is someone who John the Beloved loves and John knows all about real love, for he is the disciple who Jesus loves.
We love others because God loved us first. Let us try to be like Gaius, an unknown and unsung leader of the early church but one who will be celebrated in heaven. He is an example of one who is last but first.
We love others because God loved us first. Let us try to be like Gaius, an unknown and unsung leader of the early church but one who will be celebrated in heaven. He is an example of one who is last but first.
'Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for me.’
-Jesus of Nazareth
Matthew 25:40
-Jesus of Nazareth
Matthew 25:40
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