Reflections on 3 John 1

3 John 01 (Contemporary English Version)
1. From the church leader. To my dear friend Gaius. I love you because we follow the truth,
   
2. dear friend, and I pray that all goes well for you. I hope that you are as strong in body, as I know you are in spirit.
   
3. It makes me very happy when the Lord's followers come by and speak openly of how you obey the truth.
   
4. Nothing brings me greater happiness than to hear that my children are obeying the truth.
   
5. Dear friend, you have always been faithful in helping other followers of the Lord, even the ones you didn't know before.
   
6. They have told the church about your love. They say you were good enough to welcome them and to send them on their mission in a way that God's servants deserve.
   
7. When they left to tell others about the Lord, they decided not to accept help from anyone who wasn't a follower.
   
8. We must support people like them, so that we can take part in what they are doing to spread the truth.
   
9. I wrote to the church. But Diotrephes likes to be the number-one leader, and he won't pay any attention to us.
   
10. So if I come, I will remind him of how he has been attacking us with gossip. Not only has he been doing this, but he refuses to welcome any of the Lord's followers who come by. And when other church members want to welcome them, he puts them out of the church.
    
11. Dear friend, don't copy the evil deeds of others! Follow the example of people who do kind deeds. They are God's children, but those who are always doing evil have never seen God.
    
12. Everyone speaks well of Demetrius, and so does the true message that he teaches. I also speak well of him, and you know what I say is true.
    
13. I have much more to say to you, but I don't want to write it with pen and ink.
    
14. I hope to see you soon, and then we can talk in person. (1:15) I pray that God will bless you with peace! Your friends send their greetings. Please give a personal greeting to each of our friends.

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Though John's third letter is addressed to an individual, it concerns a church. Gaius, the person to whom it is addressed, was an upstanding Christian to whom John was appealing to extend Christian hospitality to those who had "set out for the sake of the name." (1:7) It was necessary for John to encourage Gaius in this because the leader of the church was forbidding church members to extend such hospitality and even expelling them from the church when they did. This leader, Diotrephes, seems typical of leaders who are insecure in their leadership and compensate by controlling.

In his encouragement of Gaius, John tells him that by helping those who have 'set out for the sake of the truth,' he becomes a co-worker with the truth. In contrast, if he were to buckle under to the demands of Diotrephes, he would be imitating "what is evil." (1:11) By doing what is good instead, he shows that he is of God. Gaius should not fear Diotrephes for Paul will deal with him when he comes to the church.

In verse 12 John comes to the point of his letter - for Gaius to extend hospitality to Demetrius who was one of those who had set out for the sake of the name. John attested to Demetrius' good character by offering three witnesses. The first witness was the testimony of everyone. The second was the truth itself. Demetrius' adherence to truth, which was obvious to anyone, provided witness of his character. It may have been this witness that gave evidence upon which the first witness, the testimony of everyone, was based. Then the third witness was John's testimony. This character reference for Demetrius should be sufficient for Gaius to risk offering hospitality to him.