Good morning. My name is Emma Badoo. I'm in eighth grade and I go to Venetia Middle School. And today I'm going to be reading 3rd John the Elder to my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you. Just as you are progressing spiritually, it gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters. Even though they are strangers to you, they have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. I wrote to the church, but die off at Tris, who loves to be first will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends by their name. This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God. All right, that's good. She read an entire uh book of the Bible uh just right now. Uh, we're gonna do that together. We're Bible teaching, Bible believing church, we do verse by verse. You guys are wrapping up one, two, three, John. This is the third book of John. It's in the back of the uh the New Testament in your Bible. Um, there's these three little letters, and it's different than John's big book. Told you last week, a lot of you are familiar with John 3, 16. That's where that one comes from. And then you get these when he's old, uh, he's wise, the thing he's learning, he's writing to these churches and two people, not specifically to us, as we'll see, but for us. Um, I always find it so interesting um how and why the Saints chose what they chose that would be canonized in the in in scripture for us. And there was something about this letter that they said print it. We got to have it. And so we're gonna try to unpack that. But before um I hop into that, I just want to pause real quick. We got some important stuff coming up. One thing in particular that I'm so thankful that we have here as a resource. And it's next week. Um, we got some celebrating next week with baptism. But the other thing that we're doing next week, when we have another one in December, it's called Grief Share Surviving the Holidays. Um, the holidays that we're coming into are just like one of these odd times for people. It's really great. We get to hold two things in our hands. We get to hold celebration and fun and some happy stuff. And then for a lot of us, we hold grief in an empty chair or a moment or an anniversary or just something that feels different. And so this is just a resource, maybe for some of you who are actually in here um today that could use this as a resource. Um, but this is also a tool that some of you guys can use just to reach out to and to care for someone else that could really use just some hope and some help in this holiday season. So that stuff's out there on our resources wall. There's all kinds of stuff that's coming up. You can, of course, check that out. But there's some little um pamphlets you can take too if that would be helpful to you. So let me go ahead and hop in for today. I want to take you into today, as you just heard, one of the shortest texts in the New Testament and show you why it literally hits like a concentrated espresso shot. It's tiny and it hits. See, the Apostle John, he's this seasoned elder at this uh moment, and he writes um to this tiny little postcard called Third John. And in these first five verses that we read today, it's basically a spiritual wellness check, a Yelp review about one guy's character, and literally a masterclass and hospitality. And if you've ever wondered what uh exactly delights a pastor's heart, this is kind of a spoiler alert today. It's not a big platform, it's people walking in the truth. This today is a kind of passage that you tape inside your journal because it's both tender and it's tough. It's like that friend who shows up and brings you coffee and then tells you to drink water. Today, today, we're gonna let John show us how truth actually travels, how it shapes love, soul health, daily habits, and open door hospitality. The apostle John writes to a friend named Gaius about three things that you and I deal with all of the time. Specifically, soul health, everyday obedience, and whether our front door is opened or closed for the sake of Jesus. And then there's this subplot that feels very 2025 right now. A guy named uh Diatrophes, who has this main character energy so loud that you can literally hear it through the parchment today. He's calling him out. I mean, if you've ever worked for a boss who likes to be first, you already know this guy. So here's this whole sermon in one sentence, so your brain can literally just attach a carabiner to it today. It's this truth-shaped love becomes mission-shaped hospitality, and it stands up to ego-shaped leadership. Let me say that one more time. This is where we're gonna go in today. Truth-shaped love becomes mission-shaped hospitality, and it stands up to ego-shaped leadership. So John opens, verse one. He says to my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Now, what's important to understand right here is John's not like DMing a stranger. He's writing to someone he deeply loves, and the glue between them is actually truth. This little phrase is doing heavyweight theology right now. He doesn't say, Whom I love because we both like the same worship playlist, or whom I love because our Enneagrams are compliant, not vibes, not mashing aesthetic, says truth. He he loves Gaius in the truth, and that is the reality that God has revealed in Jesus. Uh, have you ever felt the pressure to create your people around your favorite playlists, sports teams, oat milk preferences? John goes deeper here. He says, real Christian affection is tethered to the reality as God defines it, which means it won't evaporate when circumstances shift in our lives. That love in the truth is literally thicker than convenience and trend. It's the kind of bond that doesn't change when your schedule, your city, uh, your job title does. That Christian affection isn't built on aesthetic. It's built on alliance and allegiance. Uh, John then prays a verse that belongs in your lock screen. He says, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you. Here it is, even as your soul is getting along well. I think this is so interesting right now. He assumes Gaius' soul is already thriving and asks then God to let the rest of his life literally catch up. It's not prosperity gospel. This is priority gospel, that the inner life literally sets the pace, that all the other dashboards, work, health, money, achievements are literally invited to sink in. Let me put it this way: uh, your schedule is a theology. If your calendar prospers, but your soul is dehydrated, you are living upside down. You you you can be booked and busy with a starved inner life. And John says, let me flip it. Your soul, let your soul literally be the baseline of your wellness plan. So here's my question. How's your soul? I don't think we asked that question enough. And I mean, it's just an odd question asked, be like, how's your soul? Um, but everyone asks us questions, right? Usually it's like, how's work? How's your kids? How's your house remodel going or your project? But when was the last time somebody asked you, how's your soul? That one hits different, doesn't it? And for some of us, honestly, you might even not know how to answer it. And maybe that's a sign right there that there's something off. That maybe it's time to add a weekly rhythm, uh, worship with your church, or one unhurried hour where your phone is in airplane mode and your Bible is not. John then says, it gives me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. Then he drops this line that I think every mentor keeps in their wallet. He says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. John says, There's no greater joy than hearing his spiritual kids are walking in this truth. If you've ever coached or mentored or parented, you know that joy. It's the holy version of watching a little sibling finally ride the bike without training wheels. And it's something, honestly, we should chase. We should chase this joy. And we celebrate things like baptisms, yes, even next week, but also then we celebrate budget lines that find uh that fund missions and small apartments with big tables and roommates who settle conflict like followers and volunteers who welcome strangers like family. I love this word, um, walking, walking in the truth, not thinking about, not tweeting, not mood boarding it, walking it. See, I think it's important that we remember Christianity is not a couch, it's a road. And we sit in these seats and nod and sometimes not walk. And there's a difference between walking and nodding, as an example. Nodding is that was a fire sermon. That was so good. Walking is I canceled the secret subscription to that sin. Nodding is a great devo thought. Walking is I made restitution and paid back what I took. Uh, nodding is like we should hang out soon. Walking is dinner's at six. Bring your roommate. That's what John means. Walking is the slow, steady yes. Then John commends Gaius. He says, Dear friend, you're faithful in what you're doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they're strangers. Then verse 6, they have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. So he praises how Gaius sends them on their way in a manner worthy of God. Why? Well, because they went out. It says in verse 7, they went out for the sake of the name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. Now, pagans here doesn't mean like Satan worshippers or idol worshippers in a derogatory sense. At this point, it's just this neutral description of non-believers, people who didn't follow Christ. You could literally paraphrase this verse this way: They went out to serve Christ's name and did not depend on financial help from unbelievers. Then the key line in verse 8. See, in the first century, there were no Marriott points. Mission literally moved on the hospitality of Christians. Uh, open homes was how the gospel got on the map. Hospitality wasn't on Instagram, it wasn't an aesthetic, it was literally a supply chain for the kingdom. These homes were. Think of it this way: your apartment, your home, your table, your rides, your Vimmo, all of it can become missional infrastructure. That when you host or fund the faithful worker, John says you become literally a co-laborer. And that's spiritual equity that you share in the joy and the reward. In fact, in two weeks, we're gonna get an update from one of our mission partners in person on the 23rd. So you guys can make sure that you're here for that. But then it takes this turn. John then says, I wrote to the church, but Diatrophes, who likes to be first, will not welcome us. And John is like, When I come, I will call attention to what he is doing. He is spreading malicious nonsense, refusing hospitality, and kicking out anyone who does not welcome faithful workers. And some of you guys are like, I like John a lot. That's the use you tell him. And what's going on right here is this isn't just bad manners, it's anti-gospel leadership that he's talking about, literally pride that shuts doors, gossip that slanders truth, and control that isolates saints. So I thought um, for those of you who might not think you're a diotrophies, I would do a little red flag list. Am I accidentally diotrophes? So here's some things to look at. Is platform more important than people? Prioritizing being seen over serving. Uh, is control greater than collaboration? Blocking good work because it didn't start from you. And these are just internal questions to ask yourself. Slander, more important than scripture, weakonizing rumors instead of opening the Bible or gatekeeping over guidance, uh, punishing those who practice hospitality that you didn't authorize. John doesn't shrug. He says, No, no, no. When I come, I'm gonna call attention to what he's doing. And what that simply means, friends, is accountability. See, healthy churches, I believe, confront pride, not coddle it or even celebrate it. And here's where this message gets real for Northgate. We live in a culture that celebrates theotrophy's entry energy. Be first, be loud, be right. It's all main character energy. Or um, some people put it this way it's Christians behaving badly. And Jesus calls us to the opposite, to serve, to listen, to yield. And at Northgate, that has got to be our rhythm. Open tables, soft hearts, thick skin, and deep truth. And then John turns to Gaius again and he says, Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. Whoever does good is from God. Whoever does evil has not seen God. So here's the deal, friends. We're always imitating someone or something. You know this TikTok trends, you know, you're doing the new dance, office culture, uh, gym habits, uh, friend group sarcasm. So here's the thing choose models that look like Jesus, like when they're tired and when no one's clapping. And then this week, maybe pick two people and two different virtues that you admire in someone, and I know you have this in your life, and just tell yourself this week, you know what? I'm gonna intimidate uh imitate that person's patience at work this week. Or I'm gonna um imitate his mercy that he has with roommates this week, which is a really simple practice. Just says, you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna try to do that, I'm gonna go towards that. Then John says, Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone and by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. So Demetrius here is probably the guy who's carrying the letter for John. And John then gives him references right here with community. He gives them references with uh scripture, the truth itself. And then he gives them this um apostolic endorsement. Um, my uh youngest son is actually named Demetrius. Uh, this is actually where we got his name from. Uh, he's in here now, maybe he's gonna learn this. Um, Demetrius, um, we had the honor and privilege of uh taking him as a foster kid in Solano County, and we fostered him for two and a half years, and it really became exactly what this letter was to us that Demetrius was a bringer of good news. And our job was to take care of him and be a good host to him as we had him. And then uh by God's grace and um uh a whole lot of effort, we actually got to adopt him, and so he's uh Demetrius Davis, and um we get to continue to be reminded that he is a bringer of the truth. Um, but here's what's important and this is what we can learn from Demetrius Message plus manner equals credibility. The message that you bring and the manner in which you do it gives you credibility. It's not enough to have right words. The way must rhyme with Jesus. And the truth itself testifies when your life harmonizes with scripture. Uh here's uh maybe a little gut check for you. If truth itself reviewed your life like a restaurant critic, would it say like cozy, generous, worth a repeat visit? Or would it say like loud, overpriced, the bread was stale, right? John then wraps up like a pastor who misses his people. He says, I had much to write, but I'd rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings, greet the friends here by name. So here's the deal presence beat the paragraphs and names matter. That's the sound of third John playing through the speakers. Third John is not a self-help hack, it's literally a snapshot of gospel fruit. That Jesus is the one who loves us in truth when we're a mess. That Jesus is the one who walks the truth perfectly, even to the cross. That Jesus is the host who sets a table for enemies and served his own life as the meal. And Jesus is the king who opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. We don't host to earn his love. We host because we've been hosted. We don't walk to get adopted, we walk because we're already a part of the family. And grace is this engine, and obedience is literally our road trip. So if you're here today and you're on the edge of faith, hear this. Your seat at God's table is not on layaway. It's been paid for. Turn to Christ. Trust him. Enjoy this weird, wonderful family where truth makes us honest, grace makes us kind, and the door keeps opening for the sake of his name. So now, as we close this series, John's little postcard becomes literally, I think, a mirror for Northgate. So, what does it look like for us to live this out? Uh, if you didn't remember this, for 152 weeks, we walked through the life and the writings of Jesus and the gospel according to Matthew. And then we spent six weeks on the Holy Spirit saying, okay, that happened, he left, then what's going on? And now we've just spent 14 weeks on how to live this gospel life out in one, two, three, John, where we've literally watched the fisherman become the elder, the friend of Jesus, become the shepherd of churches. And now here we are standing on the last square of the board. This whole story ends with two people who made opposite moves: Gaius and Diatrophes. One opened his home, the other closed it. One walked in the spirit, and the other guarded his position. One's name meant hospitality, the others meant hostility. So I'd ask Northgate, what's our move? Because free will means that we still have one. We get a choice. Jesus has already said, checkmate, he's the king. He's already conquered death, but he won't move the peace for you. You and I have to decide what we'll do with the truth and what we know. And when John writes to Gaius, he's writing to a man whose faithfulness literally shows up in habits. I'd call it for us good moves. What do good moves look like? Well, Gaius, we learn is faithful. He's walking in truth. This is a good move. Faithfulness isn't just believing the right things, it's literally walking in love. Gaius is generous, giving to God's kingdom, not just his own. Generosity isn't about having extra, it's about trusting God with what you already have. And he's hospitable, managing God's stuff, not owning it. See, hospitality is literally seeing your stuff in your life as borrowed from God, your house, your car, your job, your influence, all on loan to be leveraged for his glory. There's this um pronoun change that happens when I think maturity kicks in. Immature faith says, it's my life, it's my stuff, it's my job, it's my family. Immature faith says, God, what do you want me to do with your stuff? You let me marry one of your daughters. You gave me your children for a season. You put your resources in my hands. Now, what do you want me to do with them? And at some point, every follower of Jesus has to shift from mine to yours. And that's what made Gaius stand out. When traveling teachers came through, he opened his door, he gave them food, he sent them out with provisions. 2,000 years later, his name is still being read in churches like Northgate. That's a legacy of faithfulness. And here's what I know about our church. We've got a lot of Gaiuses here. We've got a lot of Gaius hearts in here. You're faithful. You give, you host, you serve, you pray, you lean in even when it's messy. And I just want to say thank you for being that kind of church. But we also have to watch for the Diotrophes impulse, the part of us that wants to be first. Pride seed always whispers, protect your spots, build your brand, don't lose control. But the gospel whispers, lay it down, serve, trust, open the door. And maybe Diotrophes wasn't a cartoon villain with a pointy nose and tail. Maybe he thought he was protecting the church. Maybe he thought what he really believed was he was guarding the truth. And that's the scary part for us. That self-righteousness always feels like faithfulness in the moment. But I'm telling you, pride dressed as conviction still poisons the well. So here's the bad moves that we learn from theatrophies. He was prideful, looking out for number one and putting my needs first. He was selfish. He was showing up, showing no generosity or hospitality towards the kingdom. And he gossiped, bringing others down behind their backs. And then that's where John steps in like a wise old pastor and says, don't imitate what is evil, but what is good. So again, what's good? Faithfulness, generosity, hospitality. That's the move. So let me just speak to our faith community directly. I know that this stuff is out on the web right now, but here, this is just for our people in this room. We are living in a moment where culture and Christianity are in great conflict. The noise is constant. And I'm telling you right now, fear is cheap. And if you lean in to the problems, if you constantly digest the outrage of the world, it will rob you of your peace. But if you lean into the spirit, you will find that the fruits that mark a healthy soul, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So how's your soul? Not your calendar, not your relationships, not your home, your soul. If your soul is dry, start walking again. Not striving, just walking. That's the slow, steady yes to Jesus every day. That's honestly why our value here out there on that wall, um, when you walk in, it says that we are a people in process. Now remember, uh, John introduces one more person before signing off. It's Demetrius. I'm going to come back to him really quickly, and here's why I think that's important. John says he's well spoken of by everyone and by the truth itself. That's literally credibility that money can't buy. Imagine living in such a way that scripture itself would nod in approval of your life. Demetrius represents the next generation. It's literally the next person stepping into this story. And honestly, I think that's us. After studying the gospel of Matthew and these letters, we are the next link in the chain. We are the next to carry the truth forward, the next to walk it out. So if Fourth John were being written today, what would it say about us? Would it say Northgate was like Gaius? Faithful, generous, hospitable, soul healthy? Would it say our people loved the truth and lived it, that our tables were open and our hearts were soft? Or would it read like diatrophies, protective, defensive, quick to speak, slow to serve, obsessed with being right? And here's the best part, friends. We get to decide that paragraph were the next sentence in God's unfolding story. And so here's the vision I see for Northgate that we would be faithful, hospitable, and respectable. Faithful meaning that we live daily, we live this out, the truth that we've actually studied, that we're actually doing it, not just knowing it, but yielding to it. And the goal isn't just to understand Jesus better, it's actually to look more like him and the things that we say and the things that we do. Hospitable meaning uh we love and welcome everyone into what God has given us, not what we have built, not what we deserve, or what, but what he's actually entrusted us. The most powerful evangelism strategy is still an open table. And then respectable, meaning we guard our hearts and our tongues so that everything we say do edifies and reflects Christ. Because the world is starving for people who can hold truth and love at the same time. And frankly, in my opinion, too many churches pick a side all truth and no love, or all love and no truth. But I believe God is calling Northgate to be the kind of community that chooses, refuses to choose between the two, to be unwavering and Truth and unrelenting in love, to be a people so rooted in Scripture and so overflowing with grace that even those who disagree with us can't deny the beauty of Christ in us. And that's hard work. That's supernatural work. And it will take more of the spirit than we have naturally. But if we walk in the spirit, if we stay close to Jesus, it's possible. I'm telling you, it's possible. Because when the church lives this way, cities change. And I think that that's the Northgate dream. It always has been to be the church that changes the city, not by shouting at it, by loving it so fiercely that people can't help but notice that we literally get to be lights in dark rooms, stars against a black sky. So here's the final move: lay down your crown. You cannot have two kings on the board of life. Jesus has already called checkmate. So the one question that's left is will you surrender to that? Will you trade being the main character for being the servant in his story? Every time you give, every time you open your home, every time you choose peace over pride, you move a piece towards the kingdom. You're saying, I'm done building my little empire. God build yours through me. And that's exactly how this story ends. With peace. Verse 15 peace to you. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings, greet the friends there by name. Peace to you, John says. Not because the world is calm, it wasn't. The church was under pressure and Rome was hostile and the gossip and there was division. Yet John ends with peace. Because peace isn't the absence of conflict, it's the presence of Christ. So Northgate. You are not alone. The friends here send your greetings. The friends there need ours. May we keep greeting one another by name, keep showing up, and keep walking in truth. And when you are squeezed this week by pressure, by fear, by frustration, let what comes out be love. Let it be joy, let it be patience, let it be proof that your soul is getting along well. Because when the world sees a people like that, they will want to know the Jesus who makes it possible. Let me pray. Father, thank you for loving us in the truth through Jesus. Would you teach us to make our soul the pace setter of our lives and help us walk, not just nod in the truth this week? Turning our apartments, our dorms, our homes into mission infrastructure. Would you give us courage to confront ego and humility to receive correction and wisdom to imitate what is good? Would you make us like Gaius in our welcome, unlike Diatrophes and our pride, and like Demetrius in our credibility? Give us peace and help us greet one another by name for the sake of the name above every name, Jesus Christ. Amen.