3 John 1:13-14

"I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name." 3 John 1:13-14

These are the last two verses in the book of 3 John. John's closing comments to the church to which he was writing in this letter.

In sharing these verses, I want to share directly from one of the commentaries that I use when studying scripture, Enduring Word. I cannot think of a better way to express my own thoughts outside of what they have written here.

On the phrase The friends greet you -- "In addition to a familiar blessing of peace upon Gaius, John also reminded him (and us) of the common ties of Christians - even if they are separated by miles, they are still friends in Jesus, and appropriately they should greet one another."

On the phrase Peace to you --- "This is a letter about contention and conflict; yet John appropriately ends the letter with a desire and expectation for peace. As Christians, we can and should have a sense of peace even in the midst of difficult times. Christians have the resources in Jesus Christ to have peace even in unsettled times."

How comforting these words are for the time in which we are living. Not only should we desire peace, but we should EXPECT peace. As Christians, we can KNOW there will always be peace as followers of Christ. Even in the midst of many difficulties there will always be peace. And, if that wasn't enough, we can also know that we ALWAYS have Christian brothers and sisters that are praying for us, supporting us, and seeking Christ right along with us.

Oh, how thankful I am for the peace I find daily in Christ. What comfort that brings to me as I walk this road on which I travel each day.

Thank you, Lord, for your peace and the comfort it provides each and every day!

3 John 1:5-12

"Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they bear witness to your love before the church; and you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, that we may be fellow workers with the truth. I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, neither does he himself receive the brethren, and he forbids those who desire to do so, and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen. God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we also bear witness, and you know that our witness is true." 3 John 1:5-12

I would say the central theme in the books of 1 John, 2 John and now in 3 John have been how, as believers in Christ, we should show the love of God to the world in which we live. By doing so we are being obedient to God and we are showing non-believers what an awesome God we serve. In loving others unconditionally, we show them a God that loves them unconditionally.

In the passage of scripture above, John gives us some great examples of ways to show this love and also of things that we should not do as they get in the way of loving others and of loving God.

John speaks of a man named Diotrephes. Diotrephes caused great strife in his church as he would not receive or support traveling brothers and sisters in Christ. During this time in the early church, it was a very common practice to take in traveling preachers and missionaries, so for one in the church to refuse to do this would be very distressing.

Diotrephes' problem was that he wanted to always be first. And, it's hard to be first when we are caring for and supporting the work of others, isn't it? He wanted the glory... not to give it to others by supporting those traveling and sharing the Word of Christ. In his desire to be first, he would:

~ Refuse to receive or support traveling church leaders
~ Maliciously attack those church leaders, discrediting their character and ministry
~ Forbid people in the church from receiving or supporting any church leader, except himself by implication
~ Put people out of the church if they supported these church leaders

As Christians, we should run far away from these types of actions as it is the exact opposite of what God wants of us. Instead, we should always be supporting and receiving others into our homes. We should always support with our kind words instead of spreading malicious untruths.

In the last few verses of this passage of scripture, John gives us three principles to always remember in showing Christian hospitality:

~ Do not imitate what is evil but what is good
~ Always be teachable
~ Strive for consistency in your life

It can be so difficult to show Christian love and hospitality in the world we live in today. However, we must remember that this is what God calls us to do. He knows it is hard... He knows we are criticized... He knows it "interrupts" OUR plans. But, He helps us to make it easier.... He comforts us and helps us to put aside our hurt feelings when criticized... and He always has better plans than those we had that were "interrupted".

3 John 1:1-4

"The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. For I was very glad when brethren came and bore witness to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." 3 John 1:1-4

Shortly after graduating from college and settling back into my church home, I began teaching a 3rd grade Sunday School class and, for awhile, also taught a preschool children's choir. Oh, how I enjoyed these children. Sharing with them the love of Jesus thru the Bible and thru music was such a blessing. In turn, they also taught me many things along the way. I learned how to come before the Lord with the heart of a child, how to put my adult cares and concerns aside and focus only on the moment and the time we had together, how to be open to new lessons and new truths about God, and the list could just go on and on and on.

It has been about 15 years now and I have since moved to another state, married and have children of my own, joined a new church, and teach a new group children in Sunday School. However, what I am learning now is how these children that I first taught have grown up and "gone forth into the world". My sister is still an active member in that same church and below are a couple of things she has told me about where several of these children are now:

* One little girl I taught in children's choir is now married with children and they are leaving for the mission field later this year as missionaries.

* A little boy I taught in children's choir is now married, an active member in their church and involved in their church music program.

* Another girl is now praying about the Lord's leading her into the mission field.

Each time I hear a story such as this about one of these children my heart soars. It is such a joy to know they have grown up to be such strong Christian adults going out into the world and sharing the love of Christ with others.

This feeling is what we hear John expressing in these first 4 verses of 3 John. John says he has "... no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth." The man to whom John addresses this letter is a friend and brother in the Lord, Gaius. John is rejoicing that Gaius is still walking with the Lord with love and in the truth.

God feels this same way about each one of us. As our heavenly Father, He rejoices with us as our earthly parents also rejoice with us as we grow and succeed. He rejoices as we grow more and more in Him. He rejoices as we seek Him each day. He rejoices as we turn more and more of our lives over to Him.

How comforting it is to know that God is right alongside us rejoicing as we navigate our daily lives while seeking Him and sharing His love with others!