“Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well” (3 John 1:6).
TEXT — 3 John 1:5-8
Message
Scottish sports legend, Nelson Henderson, once proposed a very radical but somewhat realistic principle. “The true meaning of life,” says Henderson, is to “plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” For a worldly philosophy, that is noble. Doing selfless deeds for others makes the world worth living in.
There is a divine perspective on this principle for Christians. We must serve as a matter of privilege and responsibility, without expecting rewards here on earth. Selfless service and deeds of charity are core principles of the Christian faith, and our Lord Jesus Christ emphasised a practical approach to living our faith in this corrupt, greedy, and very materialistic world. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). This is the centrality of the New Testament: loving God and our neighbours in such a way that our light attracts them to the Lord like flies to a luminous bulb. As lights in this dark world, believers are to shine the light of God’s grace on the dark corners of their neighborhoods till no single speck of darkness remains.
Apostle John, popularly called the apostle of love, harps on the need to publish the undying and radiant passion of Christ for lost sinners. He encourages believers to not limit deeds of kindness to saints only but also extend the same to strangers to the commonwealth of God. While there must be love without pretense among brethren, we have to endeavour to shine the light beyond the confines of our faith communities. Without godly witness, the world may not gravitate towards God. When we intentionally display God’s love and live out our faith everywhere we go, it makes it possible for others to understand the message of the kingdom of God, thus attracting them to the faith.
Believers will do well to put godliness on display for this doubting and deceptive world to see. What people see impacts them more than what they are taught. Deeds of charity are the best way to witness the grace of God.
Thought for the day
Charity needs no reference; it is its own best witness.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
