Teaching Resources International

Truth Matters… (September 2024 Update) 

Truth matters – in every area of life. Someone once said, “Truth is always free – a lie is always costly.” History if full of examples where a failure to tell the truth has resulted in ruining lives, families, careers and even empires. One example comes to mind from the baseball world. In 1998, the Toronto Blue Jays hired a former major league player named Tim Johnson to be their head coach. But that year, he became famous for motivating his players by telling them stories of his military action while serving in Vietnam. After the 1998 season, the truth came out. Although he did serve in the military, Tim Johnson never served in Vietnam and never saw combat. He was based only in California. Once that lie was uncovered, many others followed, including many on his resume. He even claimed that he turned down a basketball scholarship to UCLA when none was ever offered. As a result, Johnson was discredited and dismissed as manager of the Blue Jays just before the start of the 1999 season. The truth is always free – a lie is always costly! 

 In 1988, a similar, more damaging lie ruined Democratic front-runner, Gary Hart. There were rumors that he was not faithful to his wife which he vigorously denied. At one point, he even challenged reporters to follow him saying, “”Follow me around. I don’t care. I’m serious. If anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They’ll be very bored.” They did and they caught him with another woman in Miami and his campaign was ruined. The truth is always free – a lie is always costly! Truth always matters! 

In 3 John, the apostle John speaks about truth 6 times in this short letter of 14 verses. John has been passionate about the truth in all his epistles. In 1 John 2:4, he says, “Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” In 1 John 3:18, John says, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” He ends his letter with multiple references to truth: “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”  

Truth matters because it affects every part of our being and our character. Once we begin to lie and deceive, it becomes a pattern that is hard to change. In 3 John, we see how truth affected 3 men that John writes about. First, we see Gaius who was an example of Love (vv. 1-8). Then we see Diotrephes who was an example of Pride (vv. 9-10) and finally, we see Demetrius who was an example of Consistency (vv. 11-14). 

First, John speaks about Gaius who was an example of Love (vv 1-8). He demonstrated the truth by his life. Gaius was one who didn’t just believe the truth – he lived the truth. Now, who was Gaius? Actually, we don’t know exactly. The name Gaius is used 5 times in the New Testament but there is no indication that any of those might be the Gaius John writes to. What we do see in verse 1 is that Gaius was a faithful believer and a dear friend of the apostle John. In fact, John says about Gaius that he loves him “in truth.” John might simply mean that his love for Gaius was a true or sincere love. But most likely John is emphasizing that his love for Gaius was rooted and rooted in their common love for the truth of God’s Word. In the following verses, he tells us 3 things about Gaius. 

1. Gaius was walking in the truth (3-4). It is a great joy for John to know that his people knew the truth, but his greatest joy was that they walked in the truth. Gaius knew the truth but most of all, he lived it out. That’s the most important thing. The truth matters! If we do not live out the truth, we degrade the truth by not living by it. And we make non-believers question the truth of the gospel when they hear us saying one thing and doing another. Truth matters – and it must be lived out. 

2. Gaius was also blessing others (5-7). He didn’t just love in words – he loved in action. Or as John said, “Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). Gaius demonstrated his love by his hospitality toward traveling missionaries and pastors (vs 5). And he was also generous toward them, sending them on “in a manner worthy of God” (vs. 6). In other words, he helped them in person, but he also sent them on with gifts and support. And he did this because he realized all that they had given up to follow Jesus (vs. 7). 

3. Finally, Gaius was a partner in the truth (vs. 8). In other words, John was reminding him that, even though he might not be able to travel and share the gospel as they were doing, by his service to these missionaries, Gaius had become a partner with them in working for spreading the truth of the gospel. Truth matters – it needs to be shared. But this requires both those who will go and those who will support them as they go. And when we support those who go, we become partners with them in the truth of the gospel. 

Second, John tells us about Diotrephes who was an example of Pride (vv. 9-10). Diotrephes was the opposite of Gaius. Instead of demonstrating the truth in his life, he disobeyed it. Likewise, John tells us three things about Diotrephes. 

1. He was proud and rebellious (vs. 9). Notice, he “loves to be first.” His problem was not heresy. His problem was that he loved himself more than he loved his people, the gospel and the Lord. As a result, he criticized and alienated anyone who did not honor him first and foremost. For Diotrephes, it was “his way or the highway.” Sadly, many pastors and church leaders are just like him. They “serve” the Lord, but they are most concerned about their own little kingdom and their own opinions. They are the opposite of the shepherds that Peter talks about in 1 Peter 5:2-3. In fact, he was even unwilling to listen to the apostle John! His “truth” was all that mattered to him! 

2. He was divisive and slanderous (vs. 10). John notes that, if he comes to the church, John will expose the lies and false accusations that Diotrephes was spreading about the apostles and John in particular. In other words, John would use the truth to expose the lies of Diotrephes. His lies were actually creating division in the Body of Christ. And such divisions would hinder the spread of the gospel too. 

3. Finally, he was protective and vindictive (vs. 10). One of the jobs of a pastor is to protect the flock (Acts 20:28). But instead of protecting the people of God from error, he spent his time protecting his own kingdom. Many commentators believe that he would not receive other pastors or missionaries because he was afraid others might listen to them instead of him. So, he used his position to protect his power rather than caring that the church could be instructed by other men of God besides himself. Worse than that, he was even removing people from the church who would care for these other servants of God.  To him, “truth” was often a weapon used to remove others who did not follow his leadership completely.  

Diotrephes is an example of pride that John condemns. He might know the truth, but he certainly did not live the truth! 

Finally, John points to Demetrius who was an example of consistency (vv. 11-14). In verse 11, John tells Gaius to tell his people not to imitate evil (Diotrephes) but to imitate good examples. And he points him to one of the leaders of the church that would be a good example for all to follow – Demetrius. He also says three things about Demetrius. 

1. The testimony about Demetrius was Universal. In verse 12, he notes that everyone gave a good testimony about Demetrius. It was not just a small group of people. It was not just one local church. But everyone who knew him gave the same testimony. The truth about Demetrius was consistent because the life that Demetrius lived was consistent. And everyone who knew him bore the same testimony about him. 

2. The testimony about Demetrius was Biblical. In verse 12, John also notes that his testimony was also “from the truth itself.” In other words, Demetrius’s life was consistent with the truth from the Word of God. It is possible that someone can gain a positive reputation among people (a universal testimony) because they compromised and avoided dealing honestly with the truth. They could be loved by all people simply because of their winsome spirit. But Demetrius was respected by all AND he lived a life consistent with the Word of God. The truth mattered to him – not just truth, but truth lived out! 

3. The testimony about Demetrius was Personal. In verse 12, John also tells Gaius that this testimony is not just one held by everyone, it was John’s own personal testimony about him. John knew him, and watched his life, and gave this testimony. It was his own personal testimony. And John finishes his letter by saying that he could write more, but he preferred to come and share this with Gaius personally.  

In his letter to Gaius, John highlights three men: Gaius who demonstrated the truth by his love; Diotrephes who denied the truth by his pride; and Demetrius who provided a model by living the truth out consistently. And in doing so, he reminds us too that truth matters. But not just naked truth, but truth that is lived out in love, in humility and with consistency. If you want the truth of the gospel to be heard, be loving, be humble and be consistent! 

Teaching Ministry … 

I am getting ready to teach the Evangelism class at KTS at the end of September. Almost all the preparations are finished. Be praying for me as I meet with these students from our church planting and pastoral ministries. Pray for me to be clear and helpful. But also pray for them – that the electricity would be on consistently and that the missiles and drones would not hinder their ability to study for this class. 

I am also preaching almost every Sunday this month (Katya took some pictures from one church) and will be doing so in October also. I will be teaching at a Missions Cohort at the end of the month after teaching my last Evangelism class. Finally, we will be getting ready to travel to Connecticut to visit friends and supporters there and to preach for them also. I have a lot to do in the coming weeks. Thanks for your prayers! 

Family and House … 

This month continues to be quite busy, so I’ve had little time to work on the house. I have done some baseboard, but I need to find more time to work on the house. Most of what I was able to do was get most of the wood cut and stacked for winter. My plan is to get my office set up, hopefully before my class at the end of the month. If not, I’ll need to travel to Fayetteville daily to teach the class.  

We continue to try to spend time with Ukrainians in NW Arkansas. We got together for a picnic with some to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day at the end of August. We are planning to meet with some more including some at the University of Arkansas this fall. 

The girls have started another year of Home School, and we continue to love learning. This year we are focusing on the first part of American History (to the Civil War). We began with learning about Native Americans and took a trip to a Native American museum. The girls have also become very interested in baseball. They are playing with friends anytime they can! 

Pray for Ukraine … 

Please remember to pray for Ukraine. Life is very difficult for those living there with almost nightly air raids. Also, pray for our students who continue to minister the truth of the gospel during very difficult times.  We also have a number of friends who are doing ministries with the military. Pray that the Lord will enable them to share the gospel with many who never know if they will live another day. And many of these are also ministering to military family – wives and children – who are separated because of the war. Finally, be praying for our friends who are ministering to university students. Many of them are having English Clubs this month as a means of making connections with students for the sake of the gospel. 

Thank you so much for your continued support. We are still in transition even though we are now settled here in Arkansas. But we continue to minister to friends in Ukraine as well as teach classes there (online). It looks like I will be teaching until May 2025 at least. Pray for those who I am training to take over my classes in the coming year. Thank you for standing for the truth and for living it out by being partners with us for the sake of the name of Jesus! 

By His Grace, 

Jim and Katya, Kristina and Nadia 

If you missed previous updates or just want to read some short theological reflections, you can find these at our website at https://teachingresources.org/ .  

Also, some have asked about how to support us. You can send checks to Teaching Resources International, PO Box 100, Goshen, AR 72735 (note: new address) or pay through PayPal on our website. Just put “#1000 Ehrhard” in the memo so our treasurer knows where to allocate the funds.  

Some have also asked about our personal address now that we are in the states. Our new address is 14680 Magnolia Ridge, Fayetteville, AR 72701.