3 John 1-14

3 John 1-14 … I call these books the “Little John’s” because two of them are just part of a page, but are still the Word of God for us and therefore very valuable. This letter from the Apostle John is to a man named Gaius, which was a common name of the time and can’t be otherwise identified in Scripture. We can tell that he was converted to Christianity through the ministry of John (v.4 implies this), and that the letter is prompted by John receiving a report from others on the faithfulness of Gaius in his Christian walk. The letter has two objectives: the first BIBLE READING FOR EVERYONE is encouraging those who are committed to faithfully representing the Word of God. There are two examples of that, Gaius and Demetrius (v.12). Secondly, the letter discourages and warns of discordant and prideful actions in the church; Diotrephes (v.9-10) is an example of that. The letter illustrates the strong impact that reputation has on a person’s Christian witness and that we can extend that impact through gracious hospitality in inviting others into our homes. On the other hand, there was at least one in the church who apparently was exerting some negative influence, but did nothing to encourage the faith; that’s the self-serving and bad example of Diotrephes.