Dear Romelia and All my brothers and sisters in the Lord,

 

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for sending the ecard.  Thank you for sharing God's Word.  Thank you for sharing your concern of me.  Thank you for your encouraging words.

 

As I study 3 John 1:2, I am being led to share what God is showing me right now.  I am also reviewing my own behavior to these standards and what has happened to me this past year being on the mainland.  I expect to be going back to Hawaii to being a new life again in the next few weeks.

 

You may also find this letter as item 45 on http://liferecoveryministry.org/wst_page3.php  

 

3 John 1 (New Living Translation)

 

Caring for the Lord's Workers

 

   

    (15) May God's peace be with you.

 

We know little about Gaius except that he was generous and hospitable and highly regarded by the apostle John.  Apparently, Gaius took it upon himself to provide free room and board for traveling pastors and missionaries.  In a day when most preachers had to travel from town to town with no regular means of support, the service Gaius provided was greatly needed.  John wrote this letter to commend him and to warn him to watch out for a self-important spiritual teacher named Diotrephes.  John challenged Gaius not to be influenced by Diotrephes' bad example and to warn others about him, too.  As I have been moving from place to place, I, too, need to appreciate the hospitality others have provide for me.

 

Aside from his warning about Diotrephes, John was primarily concerned with encouraging his friend Gaius.  This reminds us that the simple act of including others in our life and sharing our self with them is especially pleasing to God.  One of the reasons God places people in our life is so we can support and encourage them.  As we reach out to help others, we discover that we, too, are blessed and strengthened in a special way.  As I have been staying at my friends' and relatives' homes, I, too, have desired to reach out and help them in some way.  Because I desire to do God's will which is not to benefit Bob Erb, but those He puts in front of me.  As I do this, I do get my rewards in a special way.

 

Hospitality doesn't have to be complicated.  It can mean setting an extra place at the table, offering a ride, giving a hug or a handshake, or speaking a word of greeting.  We all need a little support sometimes; it is part of the process of recovery and dealing with significant life changing experiences to open up and support one another as we face our struggles.  How affirming it is to be shown some hospitality or to be invited into someone else's life.  Hospitality can be such a simple act; yet it is a important way to show love, appreciation, and support, and each of us has some of it to share.  I have really recognized this as I have been on the mainland this year.

 

Pride leads to relapse and not dealing with significant life changing experiences.  Diotrephes refused to humble himself before others and decided that he alone would  be the boss.  His arrogant attitude disqualified him from the leadership role he coveted.  One of the vices we face in recovery is pride.  As we experience success, it is all too easy to feel as if we have arrived.  We begin to think we are self-sufficient and superior to others.  A word to the wise: Pride and self-sufficiency often lead to relapse and no success in curing our mental illness.  I need to be careful of expressing an arrogant attitude, because I have recognized my own failures.  I can also see arrogance in those whom I have stayed, and each time I believe God showed me it was time for me to move to the next place He had in store for me.  I can't cure any-body's problems, but I can allow God to use me as long as He needs me to fix the problems and then I leave it up to Him.

 

It is important to help others.  In contrast to Diotrephes, Gaius and Demetrius were commended for their faithful service to others.  They had generously shared with other, both in hospitality and in their teaching of the truth, without complaint.  In their own ways they were carrying the image of God's transforming power to people who were still in bondage.  John did not take them for granted; he commended them for their service.  Today they live on as godly examples for each of us to follow. Today, I hope I have been a good example in front of God doing what He wants me to do.  I hope my friends and relatives have seen a transforming power with in me that they might desire to have by turning their will and life over to God as they understand Him.

 

Recovery is a process that involves our total being.  Spiritual difficulties are often intimately tied to personal problems or physical disorders, and resolving these problems may be key to restoring both spiritual and physical health.  Conversely, neglecting our spiritual needs may contribute to our physical and emotional problems.  As we make honest and fearless inventory of our life, we need to examine how our unhealthy spiritual condition contributes to our physical problems.  Though I see sickness in all of the households I have been invited in, I have never been sick, and I am the oldest of all those God has placed in front of me.  Maybe others will see the miraculous healing protection He gives those who try to do His will and do what He wants us to do, instead of doing what society or our own ego tells us to do.

 

John commended Gaius for his hospitality toward the Christian teachers who periodically passed through town.  Hospitality is a special gift and often overlooked.  Some of us may feel that we're not good at sharing our faith with others and wonder if there is any way we can encourage others in recovery.  Hospitality is one way to show others what God has done for us.  By quietly serving others in our home, we show them that we have become new people.  They may wonder how it happened, which would open a natural opportunity for us to share our faith in God.  Opening our home to others may also give needy people a place to relax and explore the truth about themselves.  Since I have been homeless since I have been on the mainland, I really recognize the gift of hospitality like I have never recognized before.  Today, I see how this has allowed me to share my own faith in God.  Today, I can see that when I allowed the homeless volunteers to stay in my home, even though it initiated my removal from my home, it was the right thing to do.  Jesus said it so clearly at the end of Matthew 25.

 

Confrontation is a necessary part of the recovery process, but it scares many of us.  Here John dealt with an individual who was hurting people in the Christian community.  He warned Gaius and his fellow believers about Diotrephes and told them not to let this bad example influence them.  We may know people who are trying to stop our recovery.  We may need to confront them, which may be difficult and painful.  We need to be honest with other people and break free of them if they are trying to make us reject God's will for our life.  God wants us to make progress in recovery; He will help us deal wisely with the people who stand in our way.  As I read this I am praying that I did not come off too pridefully and become like a Diotrephes.

 

Having a good role model is an important part of effective recovery.  John urged Gaius to follow good examples and to avoid imitating anyone who was doing evil.  This means that we should put relationships that lead us back into our dependency on hold for a while and build relationships with people who model a daily lifestyle and will encourage us in recovery.  Since God desires our success in recovery, He will help us build health relationships in our life.  Now, I have to go back to Hawaii and will probably never see any of these friends or relatives again.  I do pray that my presence was positive.

 

A good report is due from those who receive good; they could not but testify to the church, what they found and felt.  Good men will rejoice in the soul prosperity of others; and they are glad to hear of the grace and goodness of others.  And as it is a joy to good parents, it will be a joy to good ministers, to see their people adorn their profession.  Gaius overlooked petty differences among serious Christians, and freely helped all who bore the image, and did the work of Christ.  He was upright in what he did, as a faithful servant.  Faithful souls can hear their own praises without being puffed up; the commendation of what is good in them, lays them at the foot of the cross of Christ.  Christians should consider not only what they must do, but what they may do; and should do even the common actions of life, and of good-will, after a godly sort, serving God therein, and designing his glory.  Those who freely make known Christ's gospel, should be helped by others to whom God gives the means.  Those who cannot themselves proclaim it, may yet receive, help, and countenance those who do so.  I have learned these things in the past year allowing me to be a recipient of the hospitality of others.

 

Thank you for inspiring me to study His Word.  Thank you for helping me to review my past year by showing me this book.  God bless you and your family. 

 

Dear Pastor Bob,

May your Christmas be filled with joy and peace. May God continue to use you more in the ministry and may his presence back you up to bless and to minister to people save and unsave.

 

   Your friends here send you their greetings. Please give my personal greetings to each of our friends there.

3 John 2!

Agape,
Romelia