Christian fellowship is an amazing thing to behold. There is nothing quite like the experience of meeting a total stranger and finding out they are a believer in Christ. There is a bond between Christians that the Bible describes using familial language. When you meet someone who knows the Lord, you are meeting a brother or sister. Salvation unites us as a family.

In a world where Christians left their homes to preach the gospel, it was necessary for them to depend on the hospitality and welcome of other Christians. But hospitality came at a cost, and from time to time, Christians needed encouragement to be hospitable (Rom. 12:13). John wrote this letter to his friend, Gaius, encouraging him to keep up the good work. Gaius had a habit of serving brothers and sisters in Christ, even if they were strangers to him (v. 5). These men and women went on to tell others about his kindness, described by John as love (v. 6).

Recognizing that guests sometimes overstay their welcome, John encourages his friend to bid them farewell, when the time comes, in a God-honoring way (v. 6). Did John sense that showing hospitality was becoming wearisome? That’s why he reminds Gaius that these visitors went on the road for God’s Name (v. 7). They left at risk to themselves, taking no money from unbelievers, whom John describes as “pagans” (v. 7). As a result, they needed help from the family of God. Rather than call these travelers irresponsible, John reminds Gaius that it was right to help them. They are on a mission for the gospel.

As a final encouragement he reveals that when Gaius helped them, he was joining in their efforts for the gospel; he was working with them! Christians can partner with the gospel efforts of other believers by showing hospitality when necessary.

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Brands protect their reputations vigorously. They work hard to hire the best spokesperson and generally pay that person well. But if that representative does something to tarnish their image, brands will release them from their contracts just as purposefully as they hired them. Associations matter and brands understand that association with the wrong people can hurt.

In this brief second letter, John warns his readers to be on guard against people who associate with Christians but reject a core doctrine of the faith. They do not believe that Jesus Christ appeared in the flesh (v. 7). By this time, the gospel had spread widely enough, and different communities developed in different parts of the Roman world. As a result, strange teachings about Christ began to appear. One argued that Jesus Christ was not actually a flesh-and-blood human being but only appeared to be such. False teachers were spreading this doctrine as they travelled.

John feared that his readers would give in to this false teaching, and he would lose what he worked for and the reward that comes with faithfulness in Christ (v. 8). These people are deceivers (v. 7)! His advice is simple: Stick with what you have been taught. Stay with Christ who leads through His teaching. Reject Christ’s teaching, and you reject God. There are many details about the Christian life that God has not fully explained. Avoid speculation!

But what should we do with the false teachers who want to associate with us? Do not welcome them or even bring them into your home (v. 10). This may seem harsh, but the consequence of such friendship is clear. If you associate with them, you associate with their wickedness.

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As a young man I went on a caving expedition in the Adirondack mountains of New York. Along with my co-campers, I squeezed myself through narrow passages and down cracks in the rock until we came to a large room underground. At that point we all agreed to turn our lights off. I was not prepared for the depth of darkness that enveloped us. Without light, we were completely lost. If we tried to leave the cave without light, we would never have made it out.

In his first letter, John uses light and darkness to motivate Christians to love one another (v. 10). He argues that anyone who hates a fellow Christian is like someone who walks around in the dark, they are lost because they have been blinded by darkness (v. 12).

Why use such a powerful illustration? Because hating a fellow Christian is unbecoming of a person who claims to believe in Jesus Christ. Consider the incongruity of a person who claims to love Christ and yet hates those for whom Christ died. We would look askance at someone who says, “I love Jesus, but I hate others who love Jesus.” That person would be blind to the truth of the gospel. In Christ, those who have believed are family. Family members ought not hate one another. We may disagree, we may argue, we may struggle with one another, but we never hate each other.

On the other hand, anyone who loves a fellow Christian is like a person who walks around in a well-lit environment! That individual will not stumble because they can see any obstacle in their way (v. 10). Loving fellow believers should be the normal setting for Christians because we believe in the Light of the World!

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For ten years I led trips to Israel for students. Since I was serving young people, it was important for them to understand the cost of the program. I wanted no confusion about how much they had to pay and how much cash was needed for expenses. Everything was included up front. Once they paid that price, they didn’t need to bring any money with them.

Knowing his readers were facing the pain of persecution, Peter reminded them that God “has given us everything we need for a godly life” (v. 3). In the face of difficulty, it is easy for Christians to assume we are missing something…that we need more. We may even come to doubt God’s goodness and believe He is withholding something from us.

Peter reminds us that we know God’s character! This knowledge should enable us to understand how to live (v. 3). God is gloriously good and His call on our lives, even if it means difficulty, is a good thing. When we cling to His promises, our desire is for Him rather than the world (v. 4). He has forgiven our sins and cleansed them (v. 9). We will be with Him one day! Clinging to these promises takes faith. We don’t have all the benefits now, but we will, for they have already been paid for.

With faith in God and His promises established, Peter calls us to press on by growing in a series of behaviors which will make our knowledge of God productive. It’s not enough to have knowledge if it doesn’t work itself out in life. Like a person who pays for an all-inclusive trip but forgets that all their meals have been paid for, we might forget that God cleansed us from sin. We need to remember what He has promised, paid for and provided!

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When someone leaves the country of their birth and moves to a new country, they leave all that is familiar behind. They have to learn how to survive in an unfamiliar world. Often, they struggle to fit in. Their behavior signals to everyone that they “aren’t from around here.”

When the apostle Peter wrote this letter, he urged his readers to take on the perspective of spiritual “foreigners and exiles” in their daily lives (v. 11). As the young Christian community began to grow, they were out of place because their values as Christians conflicted with the values of this world. They were trying to fight sin in their lives, but the world encouraged sinful behavior. What is more, the good things they valued were hated by the world so much that they were accused of wrongdoing (v. 12)!

Peter’s exhortation is that they lean into living like people who have left the place of their birth and are living in a new home. This advice is true for us as well, living as Christ followers in a secular culture. We are to live in such a way that we do not conceal our true citizenship. People of God are to honor God by doing good, submitting to authorities, showing respect, loving other Christians, and honoring authority (vv. 12, 17). “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people” (v. 15).

Peter warns: “[D]o not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves” (v. 16). Like an accent that lingers, our behavior identifies Christians as different. This may cause suffering in our current life, but it is the kind of behavior that God promises to reward when Christ appears (v. 12).

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Have you ever wanted advice on how to do something, whether it was to fix an electrical outlet or lose a few pounds? It is easy to find instructional videos on the internet. But if we spend hours watching someone tell us what to do, and then fail to follow their instructions, we won’t accomplish anything.

James’s readers were people who loved the revelation of God as it was preserved in the Old Testament. These believers were inheritors of the Law of Moses and children of Israel. They understood that God revealed Himself in His Word, and they valued that revelation. But God’s revelation also included instruction for people to obey. God wants those who love Him to behave like Him. In his letter, James addresses those who read God’s Word but fail to do what it says.

If you listened to the Word (which at that time was often read publicly), but didn’t do what it says, James explained that you are deceived (v. 22)! The Word of God was not meant to be merely listened to but obeyed. To illustrate the point, James considers a person who looks in a mirror, but after noticing that they need to change their appearance, just walks away and ignores the sight. Of note are those who “do not keep a tight rein on their tongues” (v. 26). Again, James uses the same word “deceived.”

A mirror reveals what needs to be changed. But what it shows is only valuable if a change is made. So it is, explains James, with the Word of God. He describes God’s Word as the “perfect law” (v. 25). Blessing comes when we do not just listen and then forget what it says but actually do it!

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I recently watched a documentary about the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable. It was a heroic enterprise. At the time, communication between Europe and North America was limited by the speed at which a ship could cross the ocean. The first cable allowed for near instant communication. It was described as the conquering of space and time. Today such means of communication seem quaint at best. Anyone with a cell phone knows what they have is just better.

The writer of Hebrews wrote to Christians who were tempted to return to keeping the Law of Moses. They were facing persecution and believed it would be better to abandon faith in Christ and return to faith in their own ability to keep the Law. The writer of Hebrews warns them against this decision. Central to his argument is the idea that Jesus and the new covenant are better than what they had before (vv. 3, 6).

It’s not that the old covenant was bad, it is just that the work Jesus does for those who trust in Him surpasses anything that came before. Jesus inaugurated a new covenant, which freed people from the obligation to keep the Mosaic Law as a means of relationship with God (Luke 22:20).

This was a hard thing for some early Christians to accept. They came from a Jewish background, committed to keeping the Law of Moses as a way of earning favor with God. But the writer notes that Jesus is a better high priest. While the Israelite high priests served in a physical Temple, offering physical gifts according to the Mosaic covenant, Jesus serves in heaven, the true sanctuary of God, according to a better covenant (vv. 1, 6). This new covenant is built on better promises (v. 6). Why would anyone return to the old covenant?

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A marriage changes relationships. When a man and woman join in marriage, they form a new family. Relationships may change, as their loyalty shifts from their birth family to their new family. But an even deeper family change happens when we are born again. Salvation puts us into a new family, the family of God, and that means relationships change deeply.

Onesimus was a young man who ran away from slavery. As a fugitive, his prospects were limited. But he encountered Paul who led him to Christ. As a result, Onesimus was placed into a new family by the Holy Spirit. What did this change of family mean? It meant new relationships with everyone, including his legal owner.

Notice that Paul does not ignore the reality that there were customary obligations to be acknowledged. He could not just take Onesimus for his own purposes; he needed Philemon’s consent (v. 14). However, notice also that Philemon must be reminded that a fundamental change in relationship has taken place (v. 16). Onesimus simply could not be considered a slave anymore, he was a brother!

United in Christ, Philemon and Onesimus were brothers. They would spend eternity together. They would share the joys of heaven together. While he was being diplomatic, Paul also acknowledged that this new reality had consequences. Philemon would suffer a loss in some way; he would lose a slave. On the other hand, he would gain a dear brother because of Christ.

Surely some must have heard about this and reminded Philemon of his rights or of the law. They might have been quick to emphasize the cost he would suffer and ask about his plan to recoup this loss. Paul focused on none of that. He reminded his readers about this change in family status that changed everything. Onesimus is your brother!

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