Hello All
This Saturday we will finalize our journey through John's powerful
Pastoral Letters. Candidly, we did not have Bible study last week.
Please use that introduction
Please join us, our Zoom Link and Bible Study notes are below for this
Saturday's session at 8:00 AM PST 03/08/2025. I pray you and yours are
well.
Please remember that you bless us with your presence, and may the Holy
Spirit bring you His comfort and His peace. Join us!!!
Zoom Link:
For Study, Prayer and Fellowship - 8:00 AM PDT on 03/08/2025:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82968961343?pwd=LzcwVjJKcWVESDRURlhDcXlNV0JUdz09
Meeting ID: 829 6896 1343
Passcode: 77299ere:
Zoom Link:
.us/j/82968961343?pwd=LzcwVjJKcWVESDRURlhDcXlNV0JUdz09
Meeting ID: 829 6896 134
03/08/2025 – Prologue – We will conclude John’s Pastoral letters with
the study of [3 John]. These letters vary slightly in form, [1 John]
being more like a sermon and the latter two as letters. An overarching
consideration in the letters is the relationship we have with our
congregation and our fellowship. Greet your fellow Christians as
beloved brothers and sisters for whom Jesus gave His life. Even though
John warns about false teachers he is trying to help us understand the
true character of Christian love, faith and good works. John loved the
people to whom he wrote – they were God’s people, dear children. We
have every indication that John had been shepherding these folks for
some time and knew them deeply and intimately. We rely on John for one
constant – the truth never changes! And his final constant – Jesus has
not changed!
[3 John 1-8] – Hospitality for God’s People – Just like our Internet
software, when we read John’s three letters, we can zoom in. In the [3
John] John zooms in on a specific leader, Gaius and that is about all
we know of him. We do not know what church or why he received the
letter. But there are things we may learn from this brief letter. John
is delighted that someone is walking in the truth – behaving with
integrity. This is reflected in correct doctrine, proper outward
behavior, and love for God and our fellow believers. God working in
His people. This love is reflected in hospitality to fellow believers.
In the early days, all people knew of this new movement was that it
was bizarre, crazy and socially undesirable. Not long after this
letter, rules for hospitality were created. Apostles could stay for 2
days and ordinary Christians three days. Clear boundaries were needed
so as not to abuse love. As we see in [1 and 2 Thess; 1 Tim.] it was
clear, to care for one another was not the same as being stuck with a
lazy sponger. However, Gaius had gone out of his way to be generous.
Thus, the letter was one of thanks. It was a demonstration of love in
action. [1 John 3:18] For early Christians, ‘love’ was not what you
did with your heart and emotions, it was your whole life – your money
and home. Those that went out for the ‘Name’ were put at risk thus
they did not seek help from non-Christians. [Ezra 8:21-23] They sought
God’s protection therefore God provided the hospitality they needed
from His people. This is how faith is to work. We are to be
fellow-workers with the truth.
For John, truth was not simply fact or quality; it is an energy, a
power, the dynamic quality that transforms people, communities and
eventually the world. Turning the wicked world into a place where God
is glorified and honored comes down to a meal, a bed and a good start
in the morning. Aside from Paul we know very little about Christian
leaders and missionaries in the first two to three generations, other
than to say it seems they were numerous. It is a worthy task to think
about those early days and today. Again, it seems, as though they were
cheerful and courageous. That statement holds true for the receivers
and givers of hospitality. Nosey neighbors could make following Jesus
an adventure. A stranger walks through the front door and quickly
everyone realizes they are members of the same family. [v. 5] That
indeed may be the main message of these verses. There is something
intrinsically beautiful about that and is a human construct preferable
to the hyper-individualism of western culture. Walk with John, Gaius
and the unnamed others trusting in truth … and … walking in it.
[3 John 9-15] – Authority and Example – There are regional issues,
often fuzzy and difficult to corral in your mind. Then there are the
fire storms that engulf local churches or even smaller groups within
the local church. As in [v. 1] we come across a name that hangs among
the unknown. That is Diotrephes. John has already warned us about
false teachers. Big ‘D’ was trying to keep his church ‘pure’. But was
he? Some members wanted others (teachers) to come to share in worship.
Is Diotrephes a saint or a villain? As in virtually all cases neither
side is 100% correct. When bullies operate, they tend to try to make
their victims imagine themselves to be the blame., It is in that
roiling stew we have to make judgements, make decisions and not
everyone will be happy. And those called and entrusted by God with
oversight and care for their churches have to exercise their ministry.
They will have to give an account of their ministry to God Himself .
[Rom. 14:12] [“So then, each of us will give an account of himself to
God.”] John knows, and none better than he, what he has seen and
heard, what it meant to meet and know and love the living embodiment
of God’s Word. That knowledge had left him humble and convinced that
love, love of God’s own nature is the one thing that matters. John
himself was actually a meek person. That was the secret of his
pastoral strength. Can you feel it line by line in these three
letters? He says what he has to say. Thus, John has to warn Gaius
about Diotrephes. In reading about this time, “Very Early
Christianity” there appeared to be significant petty bickering. Folks
staking out territory and positions. Pettiness on full display. The
early church fathers seemed to have sorted it all out. I will go with
their decisions – willingly. I have not the time, the knowledge or the
inclinations to wander through all the minutiae. Not a big he said,
she said person, ever.
Nor do I know about the relationship between Gaius and Diotrephes. We
do know their churches were very close to each other or may have been
in the same church at one time.
Despite how the sides were divided John seems inclined to sort things
out. He wants to nip the problem quickly. The other party, Demetrius
[v. 12] was the person entrusted with carrying the letter to Gaius so
he needs formal introduction. [Rom. 16:1-2] John and all who know him
think highly of him. The truth of the gospel has made its way into the
bloodstream of his thinking, his believing, his acting and his entire
personality. There is an integrity that emanates from him. John adds
to this [John 9:35; 21:24] ‘you know that our testimony is true.”
As with others this letter ends abruptly with John iterating
preference for a ‘face-to-face’. Maybe this was a standard letter
closing, but this comes from John’s heart. John seeks those where love
and truth shines through the whole person. In that case John will not
be satisfied with anything other than a full human relationship;
filled with sight, sound, touch and even smell – all played their
part. Why does this letter close with friends rather than family? Did
John want this to appear to be a routine letter? It is the shortest
document in the Bible, 219 words. 2 John contains 245 words. Even more
remarkably the name Jesus does not appear. He does refer to ‘the Name’
[v. 7] and that is equally as strong. The final verse speaks of peace
not as often achieved via silence, but the deeper peace that comes
from confronting issues in the knowledge that truth and love are the
two arms with which God in Jesus now enfolds both church and world in
one embrace. AMEN
Love, hank
Hank Hohenstein, OFS
Land Steward
161 Osprey Vista
Shady Cove, OR 97539
Cell: 541-973-5442
hankhohenstein@gmail.com
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