This Saturday we will finalize our journey through John's powerful

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