3 John: Pt. 4 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning.

God wants to be a part of your day today, and I hope that you want Him to be a part of your day. When you put God first in your life, God pays attention to that, and he gets very involved in the issues of your life and your day. And when you bring those issues to Him and don’t just say, God, I want you to do what I want you to do, but you say to him, God – I want to be in your hands today. I want you to do in my life what you want to do. I want you to use me in people’s lives in circumstances that you allow in my life today.

Well, God just loves that, and as you learn to walk that way, you will grow to love it too, because you’ll see God getting so involved in your life.

We’re looking all this week at the little book of the Bible called Third John, only 15 verses, a letter from John to his dear friend Gaius, so many great lessons in his brief message to Gaius. He continues on from where we were yesterday by saying this.

I have written something to the church. Gaius is one of the leaders in this church, and John says, I’ve written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us.

And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. This is the people John has referred to earlier in his letter, those who are stepping out in faith to take the gospel to new areas and have stopped at this church.

Diotrephes, who loves to put himself first, doesn’t acknowledge our authority and refuses to welcome these brothers and also stops those who want to help them and puts them out of the church.

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Well, you know, the world loves to point at bad things that happen in the church and point at leaders in the church like this who don’t look like Jesus at all. They love to point out how much moral failure you find in the church, that in the church you also find marriages breaking up in divorce. You also find abusive situations in the church or church people being abusive.

And here it is, even in the New Testament, right? Here’s this guy, this church leader who likes to put himself first, won’t acknowledge these people who are truly from God and even puts people out of the church who won’t acknowledge him. He just wants to be the center of everything, and here’s an important principle you need to understand about church.

Going to church does not change anyone.

It’s just like going to any club.

Yes, going to church is a positive thing, but that in itself is not what transforms a person’s life.

It is a true living relationship with God through Jesus Christ that changes your life.

I have experienced that change. When I encountered Jesus, my whole life was turned upside down.

I know lots of people though who go to church who have no profound experience of Jesus. All they do is go to church and do the Christian thing. Don’t be disillusioned by the fact that there are people who go to church and don’t look like Jesus. Rather say, I need to find out what it is that does make a difference in the lives of people who have truly encountered Jesus.

How can I know God like that – in a way that changes my life completely.

And if you are involved in church and you say, well, that’s me. I go to church. I like going to church. I have so many friends at church. I like being involved. It’s a positive message, a positive part of my life, but I really don’t see God changing my life. I want to challenge you to ask yourself this question.

Have I ever truly come to God and acknowledged that my sins stand between me and Him, and I need His forgiveness? Have I ever truly invited Jesus Christ to come into my life and change my life and make it what he wants it to be? Do you know you can do that right now while you’re listening?

(You can pray this right now) – “God, I need your forgiveness. And I want you to come into my life and make it what you want it to be.”

His answer to that prayer is always, yes.

I’m John North.

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