A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Sometimes people will say, "I left my faith because this person that claimed to be a Christian was a hypocrite."

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie recommends focusing on Jesus Himself, not on people who may disappoint us.

Greg Laurie: Jesus Christ has never been inconsistent or hypocritical or abandoned me. He has kept all of His promises to me. So regardless of what all of you do, I am staying with Jesus and following Him to the end, and that's what we all should do.

Music: This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace how sweet the sound. Can you hear how the angels are singing? This is the day, the day when life begins.

Guest (Male): A ship's captain, approaching a foggy seaport, will navigate based on the light from the lighthouse, not from the light of other boats. Boats drift, lighthouses stand secure. Do we navigate the life of faith based on the conduct of other believers or based on the one we believe in? What does the hymn say? "On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."

Guest (Male): Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps put that objective into practice.

Music: This is the day, the day when life begins.

Greg Laurie: Why don't you grab your Bible and turn to Second John. If you don't know where it is, it's right after First John and right before Third John. And the title of my message is, "P.S. I Love You."

Before we dive in, let me just quickly review some of the things we learned in First John. First John was written to give assurance to believers, believers who were having doubts about their faith. Have you ever doubted if you are really a Christian? Have you ever doubted your salvation? Have you ever wondered, "Do I know for sure I'm going to go to heaven?" Because you think, "How could a person who says they are a Christian have just said the thing I just said? How could a person who claims to be a Christian have done the thing I just did? Am I really a Christian?"

Well, First John was written so you could know that you have assurance of salvation. He says in First John 5:13, "I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so you may know that you have eternal life." He did not say so you may feel like you have eternal life. Your salvation is not based on your feelings; it's based on what Christ did for you at the cross. It's not based on what you do; it's based on what He did.

And the Bible promises that God who began a good work in you will complete it unto the day of Jesus Christ. You see, salvation is God's work from beginning to end. He is the author and He is the finisher of your faith. I don't know about you, but sometimes I start projects I don't finish. Like my office will get really cluttered and I will say, "It's time to clean the office!" I will start sorting things out and putting them in little piles and I'm almost done, putting everything in its proper place, but I will just leave a few things out. Then those turn into the new messes again. So I don't always finish what I start.

Isn't it great that God finishes what He begins? Can you imagine Him saying, "I'm going to save that person right there. I'm going to transform them. I'm going to do an amazing..." "I'm done with them. I'm moving on." Just wait. What, you know. He completes what He starts so your salvation is complete.

Now, Second John, starting in verse one. He writes, "The elder to the elect lady and her children whom I love in truth. And not only I, but also all those who have known the truth because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace be with you all from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love." God wants us to walk in truth and love. You really can't have one without the other.

So if I see something in a fellow Christian's life that is harmful to them or dragging them down, the Bible tells me I should speak the truth in love. So it comes down to this, truth anchors us, but love moves us. Truth gives us the message, love gives us the method. We need to speak the truth in love.

Now we shift gears to Third John. Coming to Christ is life changing, continuing with Christ is life sustaining. Look at Third John 1. John says, "I rejoice greatly, brothers, as you testified of your faith that's in you as you walk in the truth," and I love this, "I have no greater joy than to know my children walk in truth." That's so true. No greater joy.

You know, people have asked me, "Have you ever thought about just being a full-time evangelist and not being a pastor?" In fact, when we started our Harvest Crusades back in 1990, I was being asked that by quite a few people. Then one day Billy Graham asked me that question. We were sitting around talking and he said, "You know what, Greg? I think you should leave your church and no longer be a pastor and become a full-time evangelist." I said, "Uh Billy, um, you know, it's almost like Moses said that to me just now." He kind of smiled. I said, "Your words do carry a lot of weight. I'm going to think about that and pray about it."

And I did. Honestly, it messed with my mind for about three months. Like, should I do that? Billy Graham said it. Surely that's the will of God. After I thought about and prayed about it, I realized that I'm called to be a pastor as well as an evangelist. Look, I love to preach the gospel and it's a privilege to go to a stadium and proclaim the gospel and to see a lot of people come forward. That's very exciting.

But the greatest joy I find in my life is not doing that. The greatest joy I find in my life is standing behind this pulpit and preaching to you as your pastor. It's true.

Greg Laurie: You say, "Greg, you're just pandering to us." True. No, actually, I'm not. I'm telling you the truth. This is where I find my greatest joy. It's great to see people come to Christ, yes. But it's even greater to see people grow in Christ, and to see lives transformed and then to see generations of people where I think of families here that their grandparents served and maybe they've gone on to be with the Lord, and the parents, and the children, and then their children, and I see it just being passed on, that brings me the greatest joy. And seeing my own son, Jonathan, in ministry today, that brings me great joy. It really does.

Greg Laurie: Whatever my legacy is, the greatest thing I hope to leave behind is just people who have come to Christ and have grown in Christ. C.H. Spurgeon put it this way, and he said this to me personally. He didn't. A lot of you don't even know who C.H. Spurgeon is, but he was a British preacher from many years ago.

He said this and I quote, "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who love you and were helped by you will remember you. So carve your name on hearts, not on marble." Well said. Next point, God's people should underwrite God's work. Third John, chapter 1, verse 5, "Dear friend, you have been faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through. Even though they are strangers to you, they have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God, for they are traveling for the Lord. And they accept nothing from people who are not believers. So we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth."

So John is addressing these itinerant preachers that were traveling around ministering to the church and sharing the gospel. You know, they didn't have hotels they could go to. There was no Marriott or Sheridan or Holiday Inn. So he's saying to the Christians, "Take these guys in, give them a good meal, put a roof over their head, take care of them, show hospitality to them. Invest in what they are doing."

They don't want to ask non-believers to pay them. We, the believers, should take care of their needs. Bringing up this point, it pleases God when we support God's work financially. He says in verse six, "Continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God." It pleases God when we invest our money in the work of ministry.

We should never have a discomfort hearing about this. We should welcome it. Did you know that there are approximately 500 verses in the Bible about faith? Approximately 500 verses in the Bible about prayer, but then there are 2,000 verses in the Bible on the topic of money, possessions, and giving. Yet we get uncomfortable when the subject is brought up. Maybe it's because that's an area that we're not really giving over to the Lord as we ought to, and we're missing the blessing there. The Bible says where your treasure is, there where your heart be also.

So you also share in the reward when you invest your money. They shouldn't go to a non-believer. We should underwrite it. That's why the Harvest Crusades have been free of charge for over 30 years. No charge, right?

Greg Laurie: Now you have to pay for the parking. We have nothing to say about that. But you know, if we charged, it would be much easier and by the way, did you know it costs money to put a Harvest Crusade on? I think we get a lot of bang for the buck. I think we're great stewards of the way that we do it financially. But we want to pay for that so the non-believer will have no barrier put in front of them to hear the gospel. So that's what John is saying. Let's do that. Let's take care of that.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

Greg Laurie: You know, I've heard people describe a trip to Israel as seeing the Bible actually come to life. Hey, everybody, Greg Laurie, and I've been to Israel many times and I've led a lot of tours and I have to say that's absolutely true. Listen, when you're walking on the same stones that Jesus Himself walked on, that's something that's enriching to your faith. It's not just a travel experience, it actually energizes and enhances your study of the Bible. Think of it this way, it's a vacation with a purpose. And we're going to be taking a tour of Israel, April 6th to 15th, 2027. You can find out more at israel.harvest.org.

Guest (Male): Step right into biblical history. Join Pastor Greg for a tour of the Holy Land, April 6th through 15th, 2027. Get details at israel.harvest.org.

Guest (Male): Well, we're studying the wisdom of Third John today in Pastor Greg's message called, "P.S. I Love You." Let's continue.

Greg Laurie: Next point, there are real and fake believers in the church. There's real ones and there's fake ones. Third John 1:9, "I wrote to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us." Can you imagine, this is Diotrephes dude. He wants nothing to do with the Apostle John, who personally walked with Jesus. "He loves to be the leader," says John. "When I come, I will report some of the things he's doing and the evil accusations he's making against us." This guy is making evil accusations against the apostles.

"Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he tells others not to help them. When they do help, he puts them out of the church." "Dear friend, don't let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember those that do good prove that they are God's children, and those who do evil prove they do not know God."

One of the greatest criticisms of the church is hypocrisy, right? Too many hypocrites in the church. I've often said if you find a hypocrite free church, don't join it because you'll ruin it. Every church has hypocrites and let's be honest, every one of us has moments of hypocrisy. No exceptions. But we have to consider something else. Jesus told a parable about the wheat and the tares.

The tare is very similar to the wheat. In the story He told us, a farmer went out to sow wheat. Then he had an enemy that sowed tares next to the wheat. Initially, both the wheat and the tare look the same. But as time passes, it's revealed that one is bearing fruit and the other is not. So the point He is making is in our churches there will be true and false believers. There will be people that genuinely know the Lord and people that don't.

So sometimes people will say, "I left my faith because of hypocrisy. That leader was a hypocrite or this person that claimed to be a Christian was a hypocrite." Were they? Or were they actually never a believer to even begin with? What if they were a satanic plant? What if it was all a strategy from the devil to put these fake people in who sat next to us in our pews and sang the same songs with us and gave in the same offering and even amen at the right times in the sermons, but never were real believers to begin with?

And then we actually walked away from our faith because of that tare among the wheat. Then I would say that was a very clever strategy on the devil's part. I think people sometimes walk away from the faith, not because they saw so-called hypocrisy, but because they didn't want the faith to start with and that became their convenient excuse.

I'm not justifying hypocrisy, but I'm saying there's fakes out there. So let's get them and throw them out. Like Diotrephes. He was throwing out the wrong people, that's the problem with him. But Jesus said, "No, that's not for you to sort out. That'll be sorted out in the judgment." So I don't need to worry about who the tare is. Are you a tare? Look to the person next to you. Are you a tare? Are you a fake? No, the question you should say is, "Am I a fake?" I don't want to be the fake.

Remember when Jesus said, "One of you is going to betray me"? What did the disciples say? "Is it me, Lord?" I love that. "Is it me?" You would have thought they all would have pointed in unison at Judas Iscariot. "It's him, isn't it? We always knew it was him. We all wore white robes and he wore a black leather one." With his wallet on a chain. No, they didn't know it was Judas. "Is it me?"

So instead of pointing fingers and saying, "Is it him or is it her?" make sure it's not you. Remember the story when Jesus was talking to Peter and John and said that John was going to live longer than Peter. Peter didn't really like that idea and he said, "Well, what about this man?" Jesus said, "What is it to you, follow me?" The point of it is simply this. You just take care of yourself and just make sure that you are walking with me.

Listen, Jesus Christ is who I signed up to follow over 50 years ago. Jesus Christ has never failed me. Jesus Christ has never been inconsistent or hypocritical or abandoned me. He has kept all of His promises to me. So regardless of what all of you do, I'm staying with Jesus and following Him to the end, and that's what we all should do.

Greg Laurie: As the old song says, "Though none go with me, still I will follow." I want others to follow Him, but my focus should be on my own relationship with God. My last point, one of the weirdest points I've ever made. Try to write this down, I dare you. Be a Demetrius, not a Diotrephes. Be a Demetrius, not a Diotrephes. Let me explain.

Remember I mentioned Diotrephes in verse nine. He says, "I wrote to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us." So here's the thing. It'd be really cool to have your name written in an epistle to be read for all church history. Unless your name was Diotrephes, then it's not such a good thing. But if your name is Demetrius, it's a great thing.

So John writes about Diotrephes, then he talks about this other guy, Demetrius. Third John 1:12, "Everyone speaks highly of Demetrius. As does the truth itself, we ourselves say the same thing for him, and you know we speak the truth." What a great reputation Demetrius has. So who are you? Are you a Demetrius or a Diotrephes?

Demetrius had a good testimony. Diotrephes had a poor one. Demetrius was respected by everyone. John says, "Everyone speaks highly of him." Diotrephes was rebuked by John the Apostle for being divisive and proud. Demetrius was welcoming and faithful. Diotrephes kicked people out of the church and drove them away. Demetrius was a bridge builder. Diotrephes was a bridge burner. Are you a Demetrius or are you a Diotrephes?

So let's wrap this up and conclude. What have we learned? Number one, walk in truth and love. Number two, support God's people and God's work. Number three, be a bridge builder, not a bridge burner. Number four, leave a godly legacy. Fifth and lastly, don't be a Diotrephes, be a Demetrius.

The ultimate example of truth and love was Jesus. He was the very truth. He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life," and it all came together at the cross when He died there in our place. And I close with this question. He did that to assure your salvation. Do you know that you are saved? Is there any more important question I could ask you right now? Do you know that you will go to heaven when you die? If you don't, you need to know this. You say, "How can I know?" By accepting that Christ paid the price for you, shedding His blood, and it is completed, purchased, and finished.

From the cross of Calvary, Jesus cried one word. And that word was, it is finished. That's how it's translated, but it's from the root word tetelestai. He said, "Tetelestai, or it is finished, or it is accomplished, or it is completed." He did it all for you. And you need to say, "Lord, thank you for that and I believe in you." But there's somebody I'm talking to here that doesn't have this assurance, but you can have it.

Listen, Jesus is coming back again. And I ask you, if He came back today, would you be ready to meet Him? What if death knocked on your door today? Would you know you would go to heaven? If not, respond to this opportunity that I'm going to give to you as we pray. Let's all pray. Father, I pray for any person here or any person watching or listening wherever they are. If they don't know that they know that they're saved. If they don't know with certainty they'll go to heaven. If they don't know with confidence that they're ready for your return, help them to come to you now, we pray. Amen.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer. And if you'd like to make a change today in your relationship with the Lord, Pastor Greg will help you in just a moment before we wrap up today here on A New Beginning. Are you receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions each day via email? If not, let's take care of that right now. You can sign up today free of charge at harvest.org and you'll receive a daily inspirational thought from God's word each day in your inbox. Again, go to harvest.org.

Pastor Greg, you've mentioned before how someone can become a Christian with just a simple prayer.

Greg Laurie: True.

Guest (Male): Maybe somebody would like to do that right now. Could you help them with that?

Greg Laurie: Sure, I would love to. A simple prayer is right. In fact, I would like to just pray a prayer and I would ask you to pray it after me. You might even pray it out loud. This is a prayer I've led a lot of people in over the years, and I've seen God change lives. There's no magic in this prayer. It's the God you're speaking to who will hear this prayer and answer this prayer. So if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want to be sure your sin is forgiven, if you want to be confident that you will go to heaven when you die, just pray this prayer even out loud after me right now.

Pray these words, "Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. But I also know that you are the savior because you died on the cross for my sin and you rose again from the dead. Jesus, come into my life and forgive me of every sin I've ever committed. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer, Lord, and I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen."

If you just prayed that prayer and meant it, I want you to know on the authority of Scripture, God Almighty has heard your prayer and He will answer this prayer. You are now a newly minted child of God. So congratulations, you've made the right decision and welcome to the family of God. I want to send you a special gift because of that prayer you've just prayed. It's called the New Believer's Growth Packet, and in it is a copy of the New Testament in a very understandable translation called the New Living Translation. It also is filled with hundreds of notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you've made to follow Christ, and there's some other outstanding materials in this little packet I'll send you as well. So order your copy today and let me be the first to say to you, congratulations and welcome to the family of God.

Guest (Male): Yeah, we'll be glad to send it all your way free of any charge if you prayed along with Pastor Greg today. Just ask for the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. You can reach us any time 24/7. Again, at 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click, "Know God."

And then thank you for partnering with us to help these daily studies continue. Your investments have eternal benefits. Why not make this a part of your personal ministry to partner in an effort that's making a real difference with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and for prayerfully considering how God might lead you to help tangibly. Online, you'll find us at harvest.org. And there you'll see the way we'd like to thank you for your donation right now. That's harvest.org. Or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. We're here around the clock to take your call again at 1-800-821-3300.

Next time Pastor Greg takes us to the book of Daniel and a heart-stopping lesson learned by King Belshazzar. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.