Archive for the '3 John' Category

3 John 1:13-14

Published on November 5, 2001 in 3 John. 3 Comments
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“I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; 14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face. Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.”
 
Now we come to the conclusion of 3rd John – verses 13,14. 
I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink;
John wanted to write more but he will wait until he comes to Gaius’ church to talk to him personally. 
14 but I hope to see you shortly,
This is the reason for the shortness of the epistle. 
and we shall speak face to face.
Some things should be communicated in person rather than a letter because written communication cannot convey context and tone as person-to-person communication. 
Peace to you.
John’s desire is that the church in Ephesus would experience “peace” even in the face of the problem with Diotrephes. 
Ga 6: 16 “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”
 2 Th 3: 16 “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.”
1 Pet 5: 14 “Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.”
Our friends greet you.
John’s church greeted Gaius’ church at Ephesus.  Jesus employed the term “friends” to refer to those for whom He gave His life (Jn 15:13).  Christians network on the basis of their common family relationship – they are members of the family of God.  There is a family bond even if they never met. 
Greet the friends by name
John wanted Gaius to greet “the friends by name.”  Greeting by name was a more personal greeting making it warmer.  Every last individual in the church at Ephesus was important. 
PRINCIPLE:  True friends care enough about each other to take the effort to communicate properly. 
APPLICATION:  Friends support one another.  They show hospitality to those in need. 
He 10: 24 “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Personal conference and communication may save significant misunderstanding.  We need to be careful about flat statements of a letter.  People cannot read our tone and cannot understand the full context of our issue without personal contact. 
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3 John 1:12c

Published on November 4, 2001 in 3 John. 1 Comment
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“Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.”
 
And we also bear witness,
John’s evangelistic team attests to the credibility of Demetrius, “As over against Diotrephes, Demetrius is a man you can trust.  He lives consistently with the Word.  We approve of him.  We vouch for him.”   
and you know that our testimony is true
John and his team as well have strong credibility so they had a basis for endorsing Demetrius’ credibility. 
PRINCIPLE:  Reputation gives us credibility with others. 
APPLICATION:  If God gave a report card on your life at the end of each year and published it to the Christian community, what would be your grade?  An “A” or “F”?  He does not give an “E” for effort.  Your character is what it is.  Reputation is good but character is better.  Nevertheless, a good reputation is important. 
Ac 6: 3 “Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 ‘but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’”
Ac 10: 22 “And they said, ‘Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.’”
Ac 16: 1 “Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.”
Ac 22: 12 “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there…”
1 Ti 3: 7 “Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
People know what kind of person we are.  They know if we are serious about applying the Word to our lives.  They know whether we are interested in introducing others to Christ.  The crucial issue is not what others think of us but what God thinks of us. 
Parliaments in Great Britain and Canada have votes of confidence in government.  Sometimes they have a vote of “no confidence” in the Prime Minister.  If your church had a vote of confidence in you, would they give you a vote of “no confidence”?  You may not have anything overly wrong in your life but you do not have anything outstanding either.  There is not much there.  They sized you up. 
Some of us are all show and no dough.  We are just window dressing.  We are more concerned about our reputation than we are about our character but our reputation ultimately takes a beating if our character is not there. 
A powerful testimony takes years to develop.  People need to observe us under pressure.  They need to watch us when we are crossed.  They need to see us when everything goes wrong.  Would people recommend us without hesitation to an important role?  Would they give us a sterling credit reference? 
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3 John 1:12b

Published on November 3, 2001 in 3 John. 1 Comment
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“Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.”
 
and from the truth itself.
The second witness to Demetrius is the truth itself.  Truth witnessed that his belief, conduct and character conformed to reality itself. 
The definite article in the Greek points to the corpus of truth in the Word.  Demetrius practiced the body of God’s truth in his life. 
PRINCIPLE:  If we apply God’s Word to our lives consistently, we will have credibility before God and others. 
APPLICATION:  Is your life in harmony with God’s truth?  If it is, you will enjoy the trust of many people.  What a wonder your life will be to many who come into contact with you!  A rare bird indeed!  You will be a person with a testimony. 
Jn 21: 24 “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.”
The Word of God shapes our character.  The truth of the Word of God will mold our lives and shape our character into the image of Christ.  After God forms His character in us, people will not say, “That person believes the Bible but undermines others.  That Christian believes the Bible but is full of anger, resentment, hostility and bitterness.”  They will say, “God uses the Bible powerfully to change lives.” 
Jn 17: 17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”
Ti 2: 5 “…to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed…. 10 not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”
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3 John 1:12

Published on November 2, 2001 in 3 John. 0 Comments
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“Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.”
 
John now turns to the last of the three personalities that he deals with in 3rd John – Demetrius.  John says in effect, “Extend hospitality to Demetrius as a member of my team because he is a man of integrity.” 
John gives a threefold tribute to Demetrius:
  • A good testimony among all
  • Truth spoke on his behalf
  • The elder John speaks well of him
Demetrius has a good testimony from all,
John now commends Demetrius.  “Demetrius,” a common name in the first century, means belonging to Demeter [the goddess of agriculture].  Demetrius probably had a pagan background.  He is not the Demetrius of Acts 19:24.  He may have been the leader of the itinerant evangelists sent from John. 
In any case, Demetrius held a good testimony to “all.”  His testimony was so extensive that it was commonly reported among all those who knew him.  His integrity made his reputation.  His character stood the test of many people. 
PRINCIPLE:  Our character is our commendation.   
APPLICATION:  There is a danger if all men speak well of us because that may indicate that we are without conviction.  Yet it is another thing if people speak well of our integrity and disagree with our viewpoints.  It is our stand on integrity that makes a good testimony. “His viewpoint is wrong but he is a good man.” 
When conduct matches our profession we are deemed a person of integrity.  We are more than our reputation.  Our reputation is what others deem us to be.  Our character is what we are.  Our character commends us to others. 
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3 John 1:11b

Published on November 1, 2001 in 3 John. 1 Comment
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“Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”
 
He who does good is of God,
The idea here is not whether this person is a Christian but that he is a godly Christian.  Doing “good” is doing something that profits other people, to be of help, to benefit.  Diotrephes was not very helpful. 
1 Pe 2: 14 “…or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.”
The words “of God” indicate source.  The source of actions can be found in God (1 Jn 3:6, 3:10, 4:7, and 4:20). 
but he who does evil has not seen God
Evil does not find its source in God (1 Jn 3:6).  Good and evil are always products of something.  Diotrephes’ conduct did not come from his God.  To imitate pernicious evil puts one out of phase with God. 
PRINCIPLE:  Christians should be careful about the source for what they do. 
APPLICATION:  There is a “good” and “evil” in the issue of power lust within the church.  All too often people within the church today mimic power lust in carnal people.  Others go along with these tinhorn dictators in order to keep the peace.  These are people with jelly for a backbone. 
The issue is this – is Christ increasing and am I decreasing.  Any other attitude than that in the local church causes havoc and chaos within the body of Christ. 
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3 John 1:11

Published on October 31, 2001 in 3 John. 1 Comment
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“Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”
 
Beloved,
John now addresses Gaius as “beloved.”  The following is a command on how to deal with Diotrephes. 
do not imitate what is evil,
“Do not” in the Greek means to stop something already in process – “Stop copying Diotrephes’ conduct.  Don’t cave into pressure from him.” 
but what is good.
“Imitate what is intrinsically good, Gaius.”  “Good” means good of intrinsic value. 
PRINCIPLE:  Christians should be careful about their role models. 
APPLICATION:  Godly men should never be intimidated by Diotrephes types of today.  If they see leaders jockeying for the top spot because they want to build a name for themselves, recognize this for what it is – a power grab.  If they acquiesce and yield to the Diotrephes of today because he has money or influence, then they put their church and the work of God in jeopardy. 
Do you follow “good” or “bad” leadership?  Paul deemed himself adequate for others to follow, “I am following the Lord closely enough for you to follow me.”  We imitate others only to the extent that they imitate Christ. 
1 Co 11: 1 “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
The Thessalonians saw God in three men: Paul, Silas and Timothy.  They could see what God was like through these three men.  God can reveal Himself through regenerate men.
1 Th 1: 6 “And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.”
Ga 1: 15 “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…”
God exhibits His Son through our conduct.  People who watch our lives should see Jesus in us like a daughter sees what she wants to be in her mother.  A consistent testimony is a wonderful sight to behold. 
Sometimes sheep follow so far behind the Shepherd that they cannot see Him so we follow other sheep that see Him.  We must follow godly sheep if we are new sheep or out of touch sheep.  That is the next best thing to following the Shepherd.  Our ultimate aim is to follow the Shepherd. 
The Shepherd will change the entire trend of our lives.  Sin all of a sudden becomes a big issue to us.  Our orientation to please the Shepherd becomes all-important.  We have a new trust, a new tone and thrust to our lives.  We do not receive a rebuilt motor but a brand new motor for living. 
Some sheep follow wayward sheep.  Other sheep even follow goats.  When sheep follow wayward sheep or unsaved goats their lives will go far astray. 
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3 John 1:10b

Published on October 30, 2001 in 3 John. 2 Comments
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“Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.”
 
And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren,
Not satisfied with undermining the authority of John and his team, he refused them hospitality on their journey making it difficult to advance the gospel. 
and forbids those who wish to,
The audacity of Diotrephes was amazing.  His pontifical impudence and effrontery was blatant.  His palpable nerve was something else.  He prevented others in the congregation from fellowshipping with a gospel team! 
putting them out of the church
The third area of his malice was to develop an intimidation policy of excommunication against the gospel team.  Against those who did not join him in not welcoming the gospel team, he personally vetoed their fellowship with the church. 
 The problem of 2nd John was doctrinal.  The problem in 3rd John is a practical problem.  John condemned Diotrephes publicly not because of his system of belief but because of his conduct of life.  He ran things with an iron hand.  He was a religious tyrant. 
PRINCIPLE:  Conduct within the local church is important to the vibrancy of the church. 
APPLICATION:  Trouble from within the local assembly is a real problem.  What cannot destroy the church from without but we can destroy it from within.  It is important what we say and do in the local church.  It is not only who we are but also the way we operate that is important to the function of the body of Christ. 
Ac 20: 29 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”
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3 John 1:10

Published on October 29, 2001 in 3 John. 0 Comments
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“Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.”

 
 
Therefore,
 
“Therefore” refers to immediately preceding statements indicating John’s reasons for giving Diotrephes a dressing down when he comes to Ephesus. 
 
if I come,
 
The “elder” (v.1) John will deal with Diotrephes personally when he comes to Ephesus (v. 14). Diotrephes will answer the authority of an apostle at that time. 
 
I will call to mind his deeds which he does,
 
John will manifest the deeds of Diotrephes publicly to the congregation at Ephesus. He will lay the following charges against him:
 
·       Prating against us with malicious words
·       Not receive the brethren
·       Putting people out of the church
 
prating against us with malicious words.
 
Diotrephes threatened the spread of the gospel by his actions and personal intrigue. He spread unjustified charges in a malicious way about John and his team. 
 
The word “prating” means to bring false charges of tattle, to babble with gossip. This is the only occurrence of this Greek word in the New Testament. Diotrephes talk was nonsense and senseless. He deemed John as a rival to his authority and sought to undermine him by false accusations. Diotrephes was a man of little content for he was filled with empty talk. 
 
Diotrephes hurled “malicious” words that tore down the reputation of the gospel team. He spread vicious innuendos about them. 
 
PRINCIPLE: Religious tyrants do great damage to the cause of Christ.
 
APPLICATION: Power lust is a problem in church leadership today. It will cause havoc to the work of Christ. People with power lust care little about what they say or how they say it as long as they remain king of the mountain. They will pull anyone down on the way up to the top of the mountain. 
 
People with power lust will verbally run down any rival to their power. They will cut the ground out from under any Christian leader by attacking their person. They will assassinate anyone’s character or reputation as long as they deem that it reflects well on them. 
 
1 Ti 5: 13 “And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.”
 
2 Ti 2: 16 “But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort…”
 
Ro 14: 4 “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand…. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ…. 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”
 
Abuse of leadership, however, does not negate balanced biblical leadership. 
 
He 13: 7 “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct…. 17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
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3 John 1:9

Published on October 28, 2001 in 3 John. 0 Comments
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“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.”
 
John now transitions to the 2nd main character of 3 John – denouncing Diotrephes.  This is the climax of 3 John.  The conflict is not between Christians and non-Christians but between different orientations to ministry.  One is interested in self-promotion and the other is interested in advancing the cause of Christ. 
I wrote to the church,
John wrote to the church, which Gaius attended. 
but Diotrephes,
Diotrephes means nourished by Zeus.  Zeus was the chief god of the pantheon.  Diotrephes may have had a pagan past.  John introduced Diotrephes’ power lust to contrast it to Gaius’ love for ministry and God’s ministers. 
who loves to have the preeminence among them,
Diotrephes was motivated by a love of preeminence in the church.  The words “loves to have the preeminence” come from one Greek word and means loves to be first in rank or position, wish to be first, to strive to be first.  Diotrephes wanted the attention of being number one in the local church. 
does not receive us
Diotrephes did not want to kowtow to the apostle John or his ambassadors so he refused to financially support these itinerant evangelists.  John’s group of leaders endangered his power base.  He was on a power trip and he did not want any competition.  His clandestine self-love exploded in the disruptive conduct of the next verse.  Diotrephes eventually excommunicated those who disagreed with him (v. 10).  He was an influential person whose power went to his head. 
James 3: 16 “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”
PRINCIPLE:  Self-seeking always diminishes the work of Christ on earth. 
APPLICATION:  Love of preeminence is the plague of many churches today.  If churches neglect to deal with this issue, they are going to have difficulty advancing the gospel of Christ. 
Self-interests get in the way of Christ’s interests.  Love of place and power is unadulterated carnality.  Carnality always blunts the cause of Christ.  Carnality always pushes self to the fore and is more interested in self-advancement than advancing the gospel.  Not everyone owns the objective of world evangelism. 
Mk 10: 42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 “And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’”
1 Pt 5: 2 “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”
Some people do not want to kowtow to anyone.  They reject authority from anyone, anywhere.  The root problem behind this is self and self-interest. 
Jn 13: 20 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
Ambition is an archenemy to churches and to their advancing the cause of Christ.  People who put themselves first love preeminence.  They are in church work for themselves, not for the Lord.  This is a dead giveaway for carnality.  This robs Jesus Christ of His glory and detracts from the work of Christ on earth. 
Co 1: 18 “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

 

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3 John 1:8

Published on October 27, 2001 in 3 John. 0 Comments
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“We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.”
 
Verse 8 is set in contrast to verse 7.  Non-Christians do not support Christian workers but it is incumbent upon Christians to support them. 
We therefore ought to receive such,
The “therefore” implies not receiving financial support from non-Christians.  The “we” is emphatic in the Greek, that is, “we Christians as over against non-Christians — “Since evangelists do not depend on non-Christians for support, we Christians must provide that support.  We Christians are the only ones who will supply the means to make evangelism possible.” 
The word “ought” implies moral obligation.  It is a moral obligation to provide financial means to advance the gospel. 
“Receive such” relates to giving financial support to Christian workers.  The word “receive” conveys the idea to welcome, to receive as guests.  “Such” points to John’s evangelists, hosted by Gaius, who did not receive support from unbelievers — “Underwrite the expenses for this evangelistic team who totally depend on Christians for their support.” 
that we may become fellow workers for the truth
“That” indicates a result of support for itinerant evangelists.  Those who provide financial support for them become co-workers for the truth with them. 
The word “we” is emphatic in the Greek.  Since Christian workers do not rely on non-Christians for support, Christians must support them.  As Christians we must do what we do not expect non-Christians to do. 
By receiving these itinerant evangelists, Gaius became a part of the movement called “fellow workers for the truth.”  The word “become” means to become something that you were not previously.  Gaius was not a fellow worker for the truth until he started financially supporting itinerant evangelists. 
Christians work for the truth.  If it were not for Gaius, the interest of the truth would not advance.  If Gaius did not provide financially for John’s itinerant evangelists, the truth would not go forward as it does now that Gaius provides for them.  Gaius, by his financial support, is a partner with John’s evangelistic team.
The word “for” in “for the truth” conveys the idea to promote the truth.  Financial support for evangelists makes evangelism more operative in its dynamic. 
PRINCIPLE:  Those who financially support people in ministry share personally in their ministry. 
APPLICATION:  Giving financial support to Christian workers makes the giver a partner with the receiver. 
1 Co 3: 9 “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.”
1 Co 9: 23 “Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”
Co 4: 11 “…and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me.”
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