Suggested reading: 3 John verses 1-14

Continued.

It is gratifying to know that since ‘the birth’ of the Christian church in the first century AD until the present day, God has raised up men and women, who have had a genuine concern to watch over, lead and care for the spiritual welfare of Christians meeting together in the many local churches throughout the world. The work of these leaders has often been in the most testing and trying of circumstances and has been undertaken at the cost of their own lives.

John was one of the closest disciples to the Lord Jesus and is described in the Bible as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’, John chapter 21 verse 20. It is not surprising that he was often found in the company of Peter, another of Jesus’s closest disciples. They were not perfect; nevertheless, they were men that you could trust to keep you close to the Lord. It is so important throughout our spiritual lives, to seek out those of a similar calibre, who we can trust to keep us close to the Lord.

In one of his last letters, John wrote of a beloved friend, ‘To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth . . . Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, who have borne witness of your love before the church’, 3 John verse 5-6.

Sadly, there are often those within local churches that we cannot trust and we need to be on our guard against them. John went on to speak of ‘Diotrephes, who loves to have the pre-eminence . . . prating against us with malicious words’ verses 9-10. Outwardly, he appeared to be trustworthy, but inwardly, he was the exact opposite! Such men and women are still among us today. Beware!

Concluded.