1. II. Blessings of Faithfulness (3-8)
    1. B. Faithfulness to Love Blesses the Lover (5-8)
      1. 2. Faithful Men are Recognized by Faithful Acts (7-8)
Thematic Relation: Realizing that those we help are co-workers with God, and that in helping them we become co-workers with them and God, serves to encourage perseverance in well-doing.

Some Key Words

 Went out (exerchomai [1831]):
to leave a place, to forsake an assembly, to arise from, go forth from, escape in safety, to go public, to emit, flow forth; to issue
Sake (huper [5228]):
for, on behalf of; in behalf of, for the sake of, more than, over; above, beyond, instead, regarding; Vine's - distinguished from anti which would be instead of.
Name (onoma [3686]):
from either onemi (to help) or nemo (to attribute) - the one because it helps us remember the one named, the other because the name describes the one named, the name as describing the character, reputation, the name with implications of authority, the name as representative of the person, giving importance to the confession of the name, or because of the person named, delegated power and authority; the name used to indicate all that is thought of or felt by that name's mentioning, the cause or reason named; authority, character
Gentiles (ethnikos [1482]):
nation, heathen, to do with those unconnected with God; adapted to the customs of a people, strange or foreign, alien to the worship of the true God, pagan; ethnic
Gentiles (ethnos [1484]):
nation or people, mankind, heathens as opposed to believers; a multitude living together, a troop, a swarm, the human race, a nation, people, or group, Gentile Christians; a non-Jewish tribe or nation, implying a pagan nature
Support (hupolambano [5274]):
to take up, bear on high, take up and carry away, to receive hospitably, welcome, to follow in speech in order to reply or supplement, to assume or suppose; to take from below, carry upward, to continue a discourse, to assume
Support (apolambano [618]):
to receive what is due or promised, take back, recover, receive as retribution, take from others, take aside, receive hospitably; to receive in full, or as a host
Fellow workers(sunergos [4904]):
a companion in work; co-laborer
Truth (aletheia [225]):
the unveiled reality agreeing with the appearance, the essence, integrity; what is true in any matter, moral truth, personal candor, free of pretence and deceit; truth
 
 

Paraphrase

7 Those workers of God's do their work for His sake, taking no support from non-believers. 8 Seeing as they've made such sacrifice on their part, we on our part ought to support them and thereby become co-workers with them.

Key Verse

8 - The task and the reward. To support such teachers is our task, to be counted as their co-workers in God's eye is our reward.

Thematic Relevance:

 Teachers need encouraging, too. When we provide for their needs it is an encouragement, for they are shown that the sacrifices they've made are recognized and worthwhile. It encourages us, as well, for we see that indeed God provides.

Doctrinal Relevance:

 God's workers ought to be supported by God's people. The body has many parts. Some go, others provide for the going.

Moral Relevance:

 We ought to be eager to support these workers, because in doing so we become workers with them, and being as they are about God's work, we become co-workers with Him, as well. It is that active love we are called to.

Questions Raised:

 What is the significance of 'Gentiles' in this verse? Does this indicate that John's churches remained fully Jewish, or is there a wider meaning implied?

Some Parallel Verses

7
Jn 15:21 - What is done to us is done because we associate ourselves with the name of Christ. Ac 5:41 - The apostles were proud to suffer for His name's sake. Php 2:9 - His name means more than any other. Ac 20:33-35 - Paul took no support from those he visited, but rather supported himself in order to demonstrate the greater blessing of giving.
8
 
 

New Thoughts

Isn't this interesting? The support we are called to here is not the throwing of money or other aid, but a welcoming, an acting the host for these workers. In this way, it becomes the exact antithesis of the warning in 2 John. There, the warning was against so much as greeting a deceptive teacher hospitably because it would be seen as condoning their teaching, and thus would make us co-workers in iniquity. Here, the proper application of hospitality identifies us with those of sound faith, and makes us co-workers in the truth. God, how often do we look at this idea of support and take the easy way out - the way that doesn't really ask much of us? How often do we treat your workers more like entertainers, saying "that was nice", and giving them a tip for being so interesting? God help us! That's not hospitality, that's belittling! Certainly we should support them in their finances, too. But the call, the higher call, is to be a companion to them while they're in our fields.