“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.
1:13
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.
1:14
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 desires 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 based on 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 make an effort to communicate properly.
APPLICATION:
Friends support one another. They show hospitality to those in need.
He 10:24-25, 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.
All are important in the family of God.Many misunderstandings will be cleared if there is personal contact and one -to- talk in person.
All are important in the family of God.
As living stones built upon one another,Every member in the Body of Christ must support one another spiritually and physically, for that we are designed.