2013년 12월 8일 주일 영어예배 설교
요한3서 1:1-8

(3 John 1:1~8)

Now, there are countless missionaries from a couple of countries who have worked for the kingdom of God with the gospel all over the world. They have been devoting themselves to spreading the gospel. And there are many missions’ organizations according to each church or denomination in the world. One of those mission organizations is ‘Gyung Hyang Mission Board’ in Korea, and it is commonly acknowledged that this mission board is a very prominent one among the organizations all over the world. Today, through the text, we are going to appreciate the blessings to those who support missionaries and what the mission board has worked on in the world.

In verse 1, “The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.” Here ‘the elder’ indicates the Apostle John who wrote ‘Gospel of John’, the fourth book of the New Testament and ‘the Revelation’, the last book of the New Testament. This is a letter written to an individual named Gaius. A very important expression appears here, ‘I love in truth’. John loves Gaius; this love is not in general but in truth. In another letter he wrote this, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us” (1 John 1:1~2). He means Jesus Christ. In the gospel of John, he recorded this, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1~5). Therefore, when he says ‘I love in truth’, it means ‘I love in Jesus Christ’. Then the Apostle John blesses Gaius in verse 2, “ Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” He prays for the man, Gaius. The content of his prayer or blessing is that as Gaius gains the spiritual blessing through salvation through believing in Jesus Christ, he will get prosperity and health in the world. In other words, the Apostle now declares the multidimensional blessings for Gaius not only spiritually but also physically. Why? Why does the apostle pour the unsparing blessings to Gaius? He explains in the following.

In verse 3~4, “ For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” Here, ‘brothers’ are itinerant evangelists then, namely missionaries of the present. They came to John, and testified to the fact that Gaius was walking in the truth. So John was excited with this news, and blessed him like that. Then, what is the ‘Gaius’s walking in the truth’ in the context? We can find it in verse 5~6, “Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.” At that time, the itinerant evangelists or missionaries used to drop by some Christians’ home on their way to the mission field. Whenever the missionaries visited Gaius home, he did faithful things for the missionaries as the text says, and the missionaries who were served by Gaius testified to Gaius’ faithful efforts for themselves before the church to which John belonged. The faithful thing is in verse 6, ‘do well’ and ‘to send’. Here the expression ‘do’ in English version is ‘poieow’ in Greek which means ‘to make thing for external use’, that is to say, it means ‘to accommodate and provide convenience’. And the term ‘send’ is ‘propempow’ in Greek. This word signifies ‘to help on one’s journey with money, clothes or food and so on’. Here, the tense of the expression indicates the meaning that these behaviors have happened from the past, and surely will continue in the future when we see the phrase in the Greek context. That is to say, Gaius had supported the missionaries not only with prayer and heart but also financially and materially or practically. And the Bible says that doing this is that which is in a manner worthy of God. The Apostle John gives the crucial reason why Christian people must support missionaries like them in the following verses. In verse 7~8, “ For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.” They, the missionaries, devote their whole lives to the mission field for the lost souls. But they never get any wages or rewards from the people there even though the missionaries work for the sake of the name, Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches us like this ‘therefore, we ought to support people like these’. And the Bible allows us to receive the glorious special favor, ‘being fellow workers for the truth’, as we do support them according to the teaching of the Bible. In the latter part of verse 8, “we may be fellow workers for the truth”. And as John blessed through his prayer, the supporters ‘may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” It is a kind of principle of Christianity and the power of Christianity.

Now, I don’t mean that the mission field work, or the missionaries’ work is more valuable than the works of people who are not missionaries. In God’s grand picture, all the factors of Christian people are in fact equally valuable before God. But now I mean, according to the teaching of the Bible, we definitely need to support the missionaries not only with prayer but also with materials. And, according to today’s text, it is true that that kind of supporting brings about the invocation of blessing. Our church has a system that allows the church members to support the missionaries. It is the ‘mission subscription system’ or ‘mission fees.’ Through the system, the church members in regularly pay the supporting fees that each are assigned. The financial support is used for the missionary work and missionaries’ family living expenses. That is the exact way to enable the mission work of God to work well. And the system is the exact way for the Christian supporters to get spiritual and physical blessing, and qualification of being called a fellow worker for the truth. Please don’t take this principle and teaching of the Bible lightly. As I mentioned above shortly, our church has the ‘Gyung Hyang Mission Board’. The board has sent about 90 missionaries to about 40 countries including the extremely dangerous countries for the gospel such as the Middle East region, and has erected 327 churches and produced about 2,400 believers (only considered the baptized people not just church attendees) all over the world so far since its establishment in 1991. This recognized board is famous for evangelizing only through the churches, not through so-called cultural mission that is prevalent today. When considering the characteristic of the board, of evangelizing only through the church, its growth and pace of the growth is remarkable. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1992, the board sent the first missionary ever in Korea to Russia. And a few years ago, the board established the first Presbyterian Church Denomination ever in Vietnam. This is a big event in the world church history. The people have recognized the fact that the board has been working only according to the principle of the Bible. Of course, it doesn’t mean that only this board works rightly, there are many other mission boards working according to the teaching of the Bible. But it is quite certain that the board is prominent and leading among the mission boards in the world especially in the Presbyterian Churches’ field. The board has been working for saving the lost souls from their sins, and if the missionaries are not sent there, the poor people would just be dying even without hearing once the graceful marvelous saving name, Jesus Christ. Do you remember this? About 110 years ago, many missionaries from the United States and Canada came to Choseon, now Korea, including Underwood, Appenzeller with the gospel at the risk of their lives, and as you know, most of the missionaries who came to Choseon were killed due to preaching the gospel then. Because of their missional sacrifices and the support from Christian people from the main land then for such a barren and uncivilized country Choseon, our great grandparents’ generation could hear the great name Jesus Christ or the gospel. As a result of it, our parents were able to face the gospel, and we enjoy now the saving blessings comfortably. Now, it is our turn.

The missionaries who are sent from the board never get any wages or rewards from the people in their missional regions. Most of the regions are very poor countries including the Third World, so the people even expect the missionaries to receive something. Therefore, according to the teaching of the Bible, about 10,000 members of Gyung Hyang Church members in Seoul have been financially supporting the missionaries monthly from 50 cents to 20,000 dollars according to the individual through the system I mentioned above. Although many sincere Christians have supported, there have always been a shortage for managing the churches there and the missionaries’ families. Now, I really urge you to join the supporting system, and pay monthly according to your situation, 50 cents, 1, 5, or 10 dollars a month for the lost souls or the missional work of God. This is our very duty, us Christian people who have already enjoyed the blessings. And I’m sure the people who pay attention to this great work of God, and support practically will enjoy the blessing given in today’s text, “may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”

Do you remember the severe warning from our Lord Jesus Christ? In Matthew 7:21, “ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” I really hope you become the person who does not just say “Lord, Lord”, but do the will of the Father who is in heaven.