Introduction to 3 John

The cause of Christ is expanded through a variety of means by a variety of people with a variety of different functions.  Itinerant preachers were an important part of the expansion of the early church as they carried messages from the apostles as well as were instrumental in providing consistent teaching for the churches.  These ministers of God’s Word needed to be lovingly received and cared for by those to whom they ministered.  As we saw in 2 John there were also itinerant false teachers who would travel from church to church destroying what the faithful messengers were striving to build.  The purpose of this letter is to encourage an elder named Gaius to continue his practice of offering hospitality to the faithful ministers of God and to condemn Diotrephes who refused to serve in this way.

HOSPITALITY EXEMPLIFIED BY LOVE: Gaius must have been a personal friend of John’s and a leader in one of the churches for which John was responsible.  He was a great example of love and stood for the truth.  He had a reputation for serving the ministers who passed through his town and showing them genuine love.  He had a reputation of defending the truth and aiding those who promoted the truth. His discernment and disposition were examples that brought great joy to John who was most likely his spiritual father and mentor.  As believers we must dedicate ourselves to being like Gaius and strive to invest in the lives of others so that they will become like Gaius.  There is no more rewarding task on this planet.  Demonstrating love and defending the truth are hallmarks of the Christian faith.

HOSPITALITY EXCLUDED BY PRIDE: Diotrephes was the polar opposite of Gaius.  He was, more than likely, a local pastor of a congregation in the same vicinity of Gaius.  He was full of pride and would have nothing to do with hosting itinerant ministers.  He was probably jealous of their abilities and did not want to share any of his spotlight with other ministers.  It was not just that he was a private person who did not enjoy company; he simply did not want these godly ministers around “his” congregation.  He did not allow the members of his church to host other ministers and he made a habit of slandering John and the other spiritual leaders.  He is a prime example of pride that is demonstrated by tearing others down in an effort to promote himself.  The scary thing about Diotrephes is that all of us have this same exact tendency in our own hearts.  We all like to be first in line and can easily find ourselves stepping on others in order to get there.  We must learn to evaluate and guard our hearts from this evil of pride.