How to Properly Hold the Rope - 3 John 5-7

His name is above every other name. The apostles preached, there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. The gospel and the name of Jesus are exclusively absolutely entirely inseparable.

He lanes you can have one without the other believers were called to be ambassadors for Jesus wherever we find ourselves some of us are called to go to the far reaches of the globe. But, as Stephen explains today. Even if you're not called to go to a foreign country and preach the gospel.

All of us are called to support God's work around the world the way we do that is with our prayers, finances, and our encouragement of those who do go this is wisdom for the heart.

Today Stephen Davey continues through his series from third John with this message called how to properly hold the rope will be challenged today and encourage regarding the role we play in God's global work as we listen to this lesson. I'm glad you joined us now here Stephen with today's Bible lesson many of you may be familiar with William Carey, a man we refer to as the father of modern missions, serving Christ for more than 40 years in India. He preached planted churches in the late 1700s and early 1800s built schools. In fact the start of the school for poor children, where he taught them among other subjects. Accounting so that they could make a living. When they grew older, he founded the 1st� awarding the University in the entire country of India that is most lasting legacy was his tireless effort to translate the Scriptures into a number of dialects and languages for the people throughout this country. I have read and underlined, and often mused on his classic biography written by his great-grandson, where he retold the narrative of William who is a simple ordinary shoemaker developed by the grace of God and his heart a passion for the world. In fact, he had over his workbench where he repair choose a map made of leather of the world and he would pray for the untold millions who knew not Christ, he providentially became close friends with four businessmen and they promised to support him. Carey would often refer to descending into the gold mine of India and that idea kinda caught on with the other four men and they even came up with an expression called the rope, holding pledge or promise, Carey said and I quote I will go down into the mind. If you will hold the rope before he departed from England and descended into India where he would give his life. One of his four supporters remembered and again I quote William took an oath from each of us, as it were, at the mouth of the pit that while we live, we should never let go of the rope, glad to report to you beloved that all four men kept their promise. And as long as they lived, never let go above and other biographies have never been written, but is not on earth, but there biographies. These four men have been recorded in heaven, the lives of Fuller Pierce Ryland and Sutcliffe are for the most part, unknown to us, they are not unknown to Christ. They're not unknown to William Carey. They're not unknown do a multitude of even now inhabit heaven. They held the rope as he climbed down.

The apostle John happens to be writing a letter to all rope holder named Gaius in case you miss it is going to inform us that everyone of us have a part to play. We also been sent. We give we pray we may send others elsewhere, but all of us play a critical role in hanging onto the rope I went to the term of the New Testament to an inspired lesson on how to properly hold the rope we call 1/3 John to turn their the rope holder.

In this case is a man named Gaius.

Gaius has quite a reputation for caring for traveling preachers and evangelists and church planters ambassadors of the gospel, but William Terry's of the first century, in his part of the world. Today we find a description of what exactly dead and how to do it best. We arrive in verse five.

Note there beloved, you can rendering again.

My dearest friend is referring to Gaius you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brothers, the brethren, and especially when they are strangers, that is there unknown to you. They have testified dear. Love before the church you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God stop there for a moment he is commending Ghassan he commenced for a couple of things first offer being and having a faithful reputation. John writes Gaius you are acting faithfully. You can read written loyal way you are.

You are acting loyally to the workers of the gospel in simple terms, Gaius is more loyal to them than to himself. He is self-sacrificing he if he essentially opens his home and is stable in his barn in his refrigerator in his checkbook to these traveling ambassadors of Christ.

These are brothers. What we know of them. Well there unnamed John calls them. If you look at a verse eight he tells the church to support such men. And he uses language here in the original construction that that creates this class this category of men there known for the fact that they have gone to spread the gospel and of course every church member. By the way, is an ambassador for Christ. We are all called to represent them in the arena worries places but these this league of men. This band of brothers so to speak, are unique in that they have taken it on the road is the idea they take it out on the road as we've already discussed. That is an easy, there's the point Gaius is more faithful. He is more loyal to the taking care of others than in his own loyalty for his own household and the taking care of the conveniences and the comfortable patterns of his own life that's convicting me because I got some patter. Don't you replant one more thing I guess. He not only has a reputation for being faithful is a reputation for being a loving notice verse six again were John points out, they have testified to your love is interesting that John didn't call it hospitality. It was done doesn't specifically refer to cooking and cleaning and giving which it was. He called to love and that's because all the cooking and cleaning and inconvenience conversing in and giving were demonstrations and rooted in and out of agape.

That word for a lot, John uses here, which is a demonstration of the love of God for us, and evidently in the testimony meeting. Notice these guest testified in the church literally in church that is in a church meeting.

They testified Gaius you are reputation and care. Evidently word is already travel back that this is where John is living about the treatment.

Gaius is offering to these strangers.

These ambassadors, these church workers, and the entire church.

Now here is that the hospitality of gas. Evidently, God wanted Gaius to rub off on them and on now John urges Gaius to keep on doing the same thing that is the latter part of her sick.

You will do well to send them on their way, you're doing well. Gaius keep it up word used for well you do well can be translated in the New Testament with the word good you're doing good. Notice the standard against which he's measured and how exacting look again at verse six, you do well you're doing beautifully to send them on their way. Notice in a manner worthy. Wow, that that ratchets the whole thing you're doing something that is worthy of God you can understand that genitive to be rendered in the sense that Gaius what your doing in the view of God is worthy. I would agree with those that would understand it and I could certainly be true, and maybe both of these buddies using it in the sense of Gaius. You are treating them in a worthy manner in which you would treat God you imagine Gaius take care of them. Keep doing this like you would take care of got it. Jesus showed up at your home. I'm diverting anything of that in the Univac and the Rodney get past that negative freedom begin to get in the back room for the best begin to feed him left over Deanna prepare something fresh, something that is probably topped off with chocolate cake just in case you're wondering, that's that's beautiful. Johnson's treat them like you would treat God and how does God treat us. How does God love us.

How does God demonstrate his grace upon us. Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 1 verse eight he lavishes his grace on us. He's over-the-top. Can you imagine a church ever being criticized in its treatment, church workers, for being you guys.

I'm in your way over the top lab. Imagine this is the reputation of Gaius who is treating them as if it would treat God, should God show up and it's a reminder to us that as we treat those that represent him. We are indeed treating him. The spent time in this text.

Of course, my mind was flooded with many memories growing up as a missionary kid traveling with my parents and my three brothers. We always took that annual summer vacation trip to Minnesota, the birthplace of my father and grandfather where I was born in Worthington, Minnesota and all along the way. It took a while to get there because my parents sorta built into that trip. Two or three stops at the homes of supporters that supported them in my parents just retired after 63 years and you know, for the four of us boys doing really get it. We really care what is going what they had no reply. Whitley had a ball or something. Member one house always at a crabapple tree that was always in me.

They were perfect and never mind what we did with the script. I considered entering member for many years later when I did finally get it. I was a college freshman, and came home it was on break in my data to preach in a supporting church about an hour halfway today can I go in the and he said absolutely so he and I traveled about an hour nap. We got up early Sunday morning got there by the service time. My dad preached and afterword, we greeted folks and it was pretty clear we were going anywhere for lunch and I was fine with me. And as we hit the road and and probably get to pick our place theater number I could still see effect. I can still picture my dad on the other side of the car as we walked out to the parking lot where the car was parked and I asked him. So you where we can legally had to think about that for an hour or so you I was a college student member.

Six meals a day is a good day Gonzales where we need and I remember he hesitated and then he said I think we can make it home, and I said what Whitman don't give any money. I didn't even need insight and respond as it did and they give you money me preach from didn't give me gas money than they give you lunch money they give you anything and he just pause and then he smiled at me again and he simply said, I think we make it home. You know I often think of them when I think of what we do. I been in the homes of missionaries overseas member being in one home where he told me just received a box from the supporting church filled with used teabag at exactly lavish handle that kind of indignity how you handle that kind of perverse frugality and we had it read any of the tea and maybe get some out of imagine Jesus showing up and inviting them into the living room thing was a vodka pate only use the teabag. There's probably some left in there for you. We forgotten who these people are want to know why we want to treat servants of Christ given their lives to the gospel as beautifully and as generously as we possibly can with junkets as to reasons why. First, because of the name they serve notice the beginning of verse seven. They went out for the sake of the name. Now that's an absolute use of the word name, which is why probably capitalized in your translation it's found like that again.

No, not capitalizes a lot of the what is found in the book of acts in chapter 5 will be told told that the apostles were ordered never to speak again in the name in that name. John 520 think later on again in the same chapter in verse 40 there told never to speak again in the name of Jesus that there's any doubt about what they were talking about in that same chapter. Luke records that after the apostles were flawed by the religious leaders for their preaching that day when out rejoicing because they had been counted worthy to suffer for our here it is again the name of do you see a reference to the name. It's an expression that represents everything that Jesus Christ represented everything about his nature and his attributes and his deity in his gospel. This is you he is. His name is who he is.

This is why his name is above every other name because he is superior to all others.

Philippians chapter 2 verse nine because of the fact that his name represents him in all his glory affect the apostles preach there is salvation in no one ounce for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

The gospel and the name of Jesus are exclusively absolutely entirely inseparably linked. You can't have one without the other. John will write in his gospel. Those who believe will have life in his name, John 2031.

Want to know why we hold the rope we hold the rope. They are worthy of our lavish support because of the name they serve. Secondly, they are worthy of our generous and loyal support because of the life they've sacrificed notice for seven again, but they went out for the sake of the name accepting nothing from the Gentiles.

The term Gentile simply refers to unbelievers that may be the way it's translated in your your text will pagan. These are the unbelievers that will apply this principle broadly to the church today.

The church doesn't ask the world to fund her mission. We don't write letters, you know, to unbelievers asking for money. If he finds out you're going to give you money wonderful.

We don't go after them. We don't raise our missions budget by doing desires and and bake sales and flea markets.

We will sell our stuff to our neighborhoods, hoping the buyer stop so we can send another team to the field and turns everything upside down affected cheapens the gospel. It distorts our mission. We end up selling to people we should be reaching with the gospel, turns it upside to narrow the context to the people. John is referring to these traveling preachers and evangelists and church planters and pastors and translators and where full-time Christian liberty date they didn't raise, or support from the Gentiles as God is designed the church to fund the mission of the church to support those who represent the gospel of the church which is the gospel of Christ. That's the pattern in a healthy church follows that pattern found that the right is it gives us at the church. The responsibility we better step up the average global worker today. It'll take them about three or four years to raise their support as churches love to have you know a lot of missionaries that were giving him $50 a month takes them a long time with a need for people to come along who will hold the rope to see these people of lesser homes taken on the road they made love. They may have left their home culture. They left their sources of of income they better to ministry faith that it's not about money. In fact, they walked away from it, and in many cases, many of them have walked away from making a lot of it is no career path out there there's no promotion out there. I think of a doctor who sold a thriving practice in order to attend Shepard's seminary here and now is living on the meager income of a church planter. I think of building contractor who saw the successful business he owned so that he could come and attend seminary and now he and his family live in another culture and not with a dirt floor and I tell you these choice servants of the Lord are hoping and they are praying that believers and churches will follow the counsel of the apostle John, and the testimony of Gaius. In fact, the Council of the apostle Paul who with John Greenwood. John wrote a little further on the subject to the Corinthians. This is the pattern of the church. He writes for it is written in the law of Moses. You shall not muzzle the ox while he is thrashing God is not simply concerned about opportunity and knows our knowledge is given for that was it. No, Paul answers his own question for our sake. It was written talking us. Here's how it works for it. And since we so spiritual things in you up all right isn't too much. If we reap material things from you. Is that asking too much knows this is supposed to work.

This is the relationship they have given their lives to the spiritual ministry of the word, and now they have invested in office spiritually. Shouldn't they receive from us materially answer courses. Yes, this is this is the pattern of giving.

What is the standard of our material generosity is used eBags or did something that could be rendered generous and lavish.

So the question for us today.

Are you holding any rope in your hands. When's the last time he felt the strain of those ropes, the burden, the need mission strengthened the muscles of your faith with the way that you gripped those ropes are you holding the rope of this church are we together holding is really yours.

Are you led by God and have you obediently enabled someone or some ministry outside the church whose impact did your life spiritually, they so we and use the word, and you give back to them material thing. I pray that when we all reach the end of our days.

We all have, as it were some rope burns in our hands, callous sake of the name which is above everything because that is most glorious.

We could only give ourselves to is the gospel of the one to whom we've often said today to him be glory may be through us greater glory. And because of the fruit that abounds to his name. The room trust the Lord serve serving of together. The lesson you just heard today Iran wisdom for the heart is called how to properly hold the rope are Bible teacher Stephen Devi is working his way through the epistle of third John in a series called postcards from John.

Therefore more lessons to go in this series and will bring you those next week.

In the meantime, I want you to be aware that if you joined us late today or if you've missed any of the lessons in this series so far. We posted them to our website and our app you can find this series along with the complete archive of all Stephen's teaching. If you go to wisdom online.org. We also have an app you can install to your iPhone or android smart phone or tablet. And once you do that you can access Stephen's teaching right there you'll be able to listen to each days lesson read the printed manuscript watch the video of Stephen teaching read our daily devotionals and much more. I encourage you to install the app or visit the website often. Stephen reminded us today of the importance of encouraging those involved in the work of the ministry and one of the things that encourages us most is hearing from our listeners, we recently got this note.

Josh rights Dr. Davey has played a huge part in my growth as a young Christian I been listening for five years now. What a blessing having this good resource for solid teaching will thanks Josh for writing to us. We were really glad to hear from you friends if you'd like to write to us or send a donation to help us continue this work. Our address is wisdom for the heart PO Box 37297 Raleigh, NC 27627. I hope we hear from you. I also hope you have a great weekend and that you will join us Monday for more wisdom for the hearts