True Love

3 John 1:1-4 

1 The Elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth:
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

John as pleader and an elder in the church addresses a dear friend.  He opens by expressing true brotherly love in Christ to Gaius, letting him know that he loves him not in word only, but in heart and in deed (1 John 3:18).  John prays for growth and fruitfulness, as well as good health.  These are to be reflections of his spiritual health, and not a call to health and wealth, growing in Christ.  Joy comes from hearing the testimony from others of the heart of the disciples, hearing that they walk in sound doctrine by seeing what is within come out in the daily walk of sincerity and verity.  This is why John let’s him know that this is the greatest joy he can have in knowing that Gaius and other converts are disciples walking out their sanctification as true followers of Jesus Christ.  We can learn from this to do likewise, finding immense joy as others are rooted in Christ by sound teaching and sincere living of what we are taught.  Making disciples includes baptizing them into the body, but also teaching them all Jesus teaches us in the scriptures.  This is the true love of disciples and disciple makers.