3 John, 17 August 2014

Big Idea: Hospitality—welcoming the stranger— is a key characteristic of Christ-followers.

This series is designed to encourage reading the less-read books of the Bible (according to BibleGateway.com).

Overview: John writes to a Christian named Gaius, encouraging him to continue showing hospitality to others, even though a rogue church leader condemns it.

Background
Author: John (author of the Gospel of John, one of Jesus’ three best friends)
To: His friend Gaius (we know nothing more about him)
Date: around 90 AD (85-95 AD)
Setting: Diotrephes rejected itinerant teachers sent out by John. Gaius is encouraged to continue to extend hospitality to and support these teachers.

Gaius

He was beloved.
He was in a local church.
He is urged to extend hospitality to the true teachers of the Word.

The elder,

John is both a church elder and an old man when writing.

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. (1)

John is writing to a dear friend who is obviously a fellow Christ-follower.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
(2-4)

John clearly loves Gaius.
John prays for good health and blessing.
What health is to the body, holiness is the the spirit/soul.
Gaius has been faithful to the truth.
John delights in seeing his disciples walk in the truth.

Gaius may not have been in good health but still served Bible teachers.
He walked in love and truth.

Walking in the truth also means walking in love, loving others.

“walk in the truth”
“walking in the truth”

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth. (5-8)

John commends the faithfulness of Gaius again.
Hospitality is important.

1Pet. 4:9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Rom. 12:13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Rom. 16:23a Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.
1Tim. 5:9-10 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.

We are all different parts of the body. We can’t all preach, but we can all be a part of the proclamation of the Gospel.

2 John: warning against false teachers
3 John: receive the truth teachers

We don’t ask unbelievers to give to the cause of Christ.

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. (9-10)

Diotrephes is a jerk! He is a selfish, gossipping heretic. He opposed John. He wouldn’t open his home to traveling evangelists (they had no Holiday Inns!).

John had five issues with Diotrephes:

  1. must occupy the leading place
  2. refused to receive John
  3. made malicious statement against the apostles
  4. refused to entertain the missionaries (he wanted the spotlight)
  5. he ex-communicated those who supported the missionaries

This man wanted to run the church.

Humility is a rare trait in the church. We live in an era of Christian celebrity.

Why do you lead? Preach? Sing solos? For our glory or God’s? We need people in the spotlight, but search your heart first.

“If I come” may mean “when I come.”

Gaius: delightful brother
Diotrephes: dictator
Demetrius: dependable

Meekness does not mean weakness.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone — and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. (11-12)

Imitate what is good. John is an example. Jesus is the ultimate example.
Demetrius is a good example.

We only have one verse about Demetrius. He is a humble saint. His name indicates he was raised a pagan. He was one of the men Diotrephes did not welcome.

I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

There’s nothing like face to face.

Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name. (13-14)

Peace and greetings.

So What?

In a word…hospitality.

Church leaders are required to be hospitable.

1Tim. 3:2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

Titus 1:8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.

Heb. 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

What can you do to welcome strangers on Sunday? What can you do to welcome strangers during the week?

Credits: some ideas from J. Vernon McGee

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