Apostle Paul wrote most of his letters when he was in prison. One of the letters to Philemon will be considered in our lesson this month. Paul wrote to Philemon, a fellow disciple of Christ at Colossae, to forgive and restore his repentant servant, Onesimus. We will also learn from the letter John wrote to a chosen lady and her children to be careful of deceivers. He also wrote to Gaius to commend him for supporting the Gospel and being cautious of Diotrephes, who did evil. Jude wrote his letter to believers all over to refute some false teachings that had entered the Church. This month, we shall be taking our lessons from these letters.
The message that the Lord wants to pass to His children this month is essential. He wants you also to receive the message and live by it. You will become a perfect channel to reach the children when this happens. The pertinent themes in the month are forgiveness and restoration, the charge to be careful of false teachings and evildoers, and commendation for support of the gospel. Therefore, examine your life- do you forgive others who still hold grudges? What kind of messages do you propagate-the truth or false teachings? Do you also support the Gospel with your resources or not? If you are found wanting in all of these messages, go to God in prayer now and amend your ways before teaching this month. God bless you as you do so. Here, four Biblical chapters about forgiveness, hospitality, falsehood, and repentance will be discussed.
The Book of Philemon talks about forgiveness.
Read Philemon 1-25.
Stephen was a small boy but very stubborn. His parents usually correct and punish him for committing one offense or the other, almost daily. One day, he mistakenly broke the television screen in their sitting room. Meanwhile, his father had warned him several times not to play rough within the house, especially, around the sitting room. Stephen knew his father would beat and punish him for that offense. So, he ran to his pastor’s house to plead with him to appeal to his parents to forgive him. His pastor prayed for him and followed him home to his parents. Having heard from his parents, he pleaded for Stephen because he was remorseful and had promised to be obedient. His parents accepted the plea and forgave him. Open your Bibles to Philemon 1-25 to learn more
You have seen what happened between master and servant. A sinner yesterday can be a believer today or tomorrow. Do you also steal from your parents, siblings, and friends? If you do, you need Jesus today. Is there someone that had offended you? It would be best if you forgive them today. If you fall into any of these categories, raise your hands and let me pray for you.
The Book of 3 John talks about hospitality.
Read 3 John 1-14.
Apostle John wrote a letter to Gaius, a fellow Christian. Gaius was a devoted and friendly believer. Whenever the evangelists went out from city to city to preach the good news, he usually welcomed them into his home, entertained them, and supported them with many other valuable resources for their journey to other places. There was another disciple called Diotrephes. Diotrephes was a Christian leader. He was a dictatorial leader who always wanted his ideas to be honored. Diotrephes’ followers opposed anyone who had a contrary opinion to theirs. When other evangelists got to the town where he was, he would not welcome them. Again, he informed all other Christians under him not to accept the evangelists. All these attitudes did not go well with Gaius because they constituted a setback to spreading the Gospel. When Apostle John heard about what Diotrephes was doing, he was unhappy. So, he wrote a letter to Gaius.
In the letter, which is our study today, John expressed his joy for the good news he had received about Gaius and all the support he had been giving to the evangelists. John further encouraged Gaius to continue to be faithful in his hospitality to the evangelists and support for the Gospel. Also, in the letter, John talked about the arrogant nature and practice of the dictatorial leadership of Diotrephes. He discouraged such actions because they hinder the work of God. Thus, John encouraged
Gaius to maintain fellowship with other Christians as he has been doing. He mentioned Demetrius as someone who has been supporting the Gospel too. John concluded the letter with his words of promise. He said there were many issues to discuss, but he would not do so through letters. He preferred to address them face to face. So, he promised that he would come to them shortly, and then he would address all issues directly.
If you have not been entertaining visitors, especially ministers of God, you need to decide to start doing so today. If you have not seen reasons to support the good news with your money or other possessions, you need to decide to start doing so from now on. Do you want to make the decision now?
The Book of Jude talks about falsehood.
Read Jude 1-25.
The book of Jude that we are studying today is named after the writer. Jude was the brother of James (according to verse 1) and Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:55). He initially wanted to write about salvation, but he changed the topic to another urgent and vital issue — false teachings. Some false teachers had mixed with the Christians and had started teaching fake doctrines. By their teaching, they encouraged practices that make the grace of God an approval to sin and also denied Jesus as Lord. The false teachers were well known, but Jude needed to remind Christians to be careful of them. He encouraged the believers to keep their faith in Jesus Christ and not fall into the trap of unbelief like the people of Egypt, Sodom, and Gomorrah.
The Lord hates such people and always punishes them. They were likened to Cain, Balaam, and Korah, who disobeyed God and were greatly punished. Condemnation and destruction will be their end. Their ways of life are like a cloud without water and trees without fruits. It is full of emptiness. Jude also referred to the judgment of God on them as Enoch prophesied that God would judge every ungodly act. God will judge all their evil desires. Jude then shared the end time. He also said these to them:
They should keep growing in their faith in Christ.
They should continue to express the love of God.
They should show mercy to those that still doubt Christ, to save them from destruction.
Lastly, he prayed that God would keep them from falling away from Christ.
He concluded by giving glory and majesty to almighty God.
Jude stood against those who preached wrong doctrines and teachings. He also encouraged those who follow the teachings of Christ and His faithful disciples, known as the apostles. God also wants you and I to stand against those who teach wrong teachings and expose their wrongs. Also, he wants us to encourage the faithful followers of Christ in our midst. Do not join those people who practice falsehood in the Church.
The Book of 2 John talks about repentance.
Read 2 John 1-13.
Tolulope has been saving up part of her pocket money to buy a toy. When the money was eventually completed, she went to a toy shop along her street and bought the toy. Unfortunately, the toy got broken a few days later. Tolulope was disappointed that the toy did not last as long as she wanted. Her mother reminded her of what she had told her before: she should be careful when buying things because many fake products are on the market. Many deceivers are calling people to buy things from them. Open your Bibles to 2 John 1-13 to learn more about deceivers.
Do you tell lies? If yes, you are not walking in the truth. Do you hate other people? If yes, you are not walking in the love of God. If you are still lying, hating, stealing, abusing, and murmuring, you are not keeping the commandments of God. You need to repent today. Jesus loves you. The commandment of God does not change. It is the same always. God indeed wants all His children to walk and live in love. As a child of God, you must keep the commands of God. You must be an obedient child. Don’t listen to deceivers who do not believe in Jesus Christ. Instead, walk in the truth of the Word of God and love God and others as yourself.