Fellow Helper to the Truth

 3 John 1:8
We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellow helpers to the truth.

God’s work is accomplished through the help of many in the body of Christ. It is easy to recognize the work done by those who are gifted at speaking and preaching and spreading the gospel from the pulpit or other media platforms. They are oracles of God that proclaim God’s word and deliver truth, regardless of what the world thinks or says.  But the gifts of God are not restricted to just the ability to speak or having the faith to heal the afflicted. Paul makes that clear in scripture. The body of Christ is made up of different members that play key roles in spreading the truth of God’s word. Gaius was commended by John for his contributions to the work of the kingdom. Gaius was a man who shared his home and food with those who were preaching the word. His hospitality was recognized as an important part of those who were going out letting others know about Jesus. Many of these were complete strangers, but he knew that they were being used by God to spread the good news. Gaius, a man who sacrifices his home and resources to give shelter and food so that he might be a fellow helper to the truth. You might not be able to open your home, but such as you have given to the Lord. The widow women gave two mites, and Jesus said, this woman gave more than everyone else, for she gave not of her abundance, but gave of herself and all she had.(Mark 12:44). It is not the quantity or quality of our gifts that are important, it is our willingness to use what we have for Jesus. Give it all, give it all to Jesus. We can all be a Guais, a fellow helper to the truth.

Called To Be Helpers

 Roman 16:3,4

Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

 

Called to be a Helper. God uses people to be His helpers. The Lord is our ultimate helper in times of trouble and hard times. A helper when the load gets heavy, but He will often send others to help lift the load. For Paul, it was Priscilla and Aquila, and a host of other believers. This journey on earth is not meant to be traveled alone. We live in a busy world, everyone is caught up with things that need to be done. But there are times that we need to drop what seems to be important to us and look to the needs of others and give a helping hand. Take a look at the people who surround your life, step out of your little world and reach out to be a helper to someone who is carrying a heavy load.

Help During Trouble Times

Psalm 46:10, 1 Be still, and know that I am God… God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

The rain falls on the just and unjust. Bad things happening is no respecter of persons. When a plane crashes, when a terrorist bomb explores, or an earthquake destroys cities. People of all color, nationalities and religions are taken from us. Many hold God responsible and become bitter in their heart and refuse to acknowledge Him as a good God. To the believer in Christ, our lives are in God’s hands and He knows the number of our days and those of our loved ones. He is God and He knows what He is doing. He sees the beginning to the end and understands what we are going through. Instead of becoming resentful toward Him, He invites us to call on Him for refuge and strength. During our most trying times, He is our helper in time of trouble. We need to get alone with God and be still before Him. For in Him, we know He does and allows all things for His purpose. 

A Servant's Heart

Luke:22:27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

The culture of this world has define greatness by a person’s power, position, and possessions. Jesus set the record straight. It is not the person who has risen to the top of their class that defines greatness. If given a choice, most people would choose to be rich, famous and be served at a voice command.  The attitude of servanthood goes contrary to human nature. No one like being told what to do and how to do it. It goes against our nature. We want to have control over our own life.  Jesus asked the question, is it better to serve or be served? He concludes that His purpose in coming to this world was to serve. The Son of God, the most powerful being known to man washing the feet of sinful man. Being a true servant is a choice. Serving out of duty or obligation is not the attitude of someone who has a servant’s heart. Living takes on different priorities when we seek to serve others. Looking for opportunities, and being willing to sacrifice time and comfort to help others in need. 

Profitable Servant

Philemon 1:11 “ In time past he was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me..”-

A profitable servant of God is one who is a positive influence for the cause of Christ. He has purpose and will invest his life to see the kingdom of God on earth. A profitable person has an attitude that is positive and optimistic. They are not a burden, but rather willing and wanting to give an extra hand to help carry the load. They are not dead weight in the church having to be catered to and served. They find ways to help others who are in need without always being ask. One cannot be profitable if they are always taking and not giving. They don’t drain the resources of God’s people with petty problems. Being profitable to the work of God happens when we are willing to put our wants aside and reach out to others in need.

Helpers in Christ Jesus

Roman 16:3 “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus”

The popular phrase, “It takes a village” was crucial in the New Testament church as it spread the gospel to different parts of the world. Paul, a man of God and the writer of many of the NT books indicates that he could not do it alone. He had a lot of help from many people who stood by him during the hard times. We like to think that we are self- efficient, and that we can handle what comes our way without any help, but everyone has a breaking point and their are times in our lives that we need a helping hand. Asking for help is not necessarily a sign of weakness, we must be willing to put our pride aside, humble ourselves before God and others and reach out our hands to those who are willing to reach out to us. It is true, that we cannot totally rely on others to carry our load, we have to be responsible to the burden that God give us and give it our best. But as we travel this earthly road, it is good to know that their are those who are willing and wanting to be helpers in Christ.