LEADERS OR SERVANTS?
Opening Prayer
Gracious Father, I come to you asking that you fill me to overflowing with your Spirit. Help me to live every moment of this day in ways that glorify you and that show the love of Christ in my every word and action.
Read 3 JOHN
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
1 The elder,
To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,[a] even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.
13 I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
15 Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.
Footnotes
- 3 John 1:5 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Jesus, born in a humble manger to be a servant to all, gives us the incredible invitation to serve with him now!
The pursuit of truth is still in John’s mind as he begins this short epistle – but truth always reveals itself in actions. John calls this ‘walking in the truth’ (v. 4) and it gives him supreme joy to see this in the lives of two out of the three characters mentioned in this letter. He commends and builds up those servants of Christ that he does respect and love. Gaius and Demetrius are both worthy of their roles within the fellowship; this is marked by walking in the truth, expressing love to the brothers, showing hospitality to God’s servants, and being well spoken of by others. In this way John gives us an example of resisting that which is evil and holding fast to the truth, encouraging others to do the same.
The abuse of power is, sadly, a recurring problem for churches today. Diotrephes is the forerunner of those seeking popularity and pre-eminence rather than Christ-like service. Jesus warned his disciples, John included, that those who desire to be great among his followers must first become their servant, in fact their slave!1
The marks of Diotrephes’ insidious control of God’s people were that he loved to be first and spread untrue gossip about God’s servants. He also refused to welcome and accommodate the team, banning from the church those who did support them. Jesus alone is the gate or door of his church,2 not Diotrephes, and John is right to challenge the domineering and detrimental effect of this man’s influence.
John concludes by repeating his earlier preference for face-to-face fellowship and the hope that he and these believers will meet again soon. When circumstances permit, we should cherish the privilege of being together with others of like mind, who love the truth.
Apply
Our servant King began his ministry in a lowly stable, setting the bar high! Pray for the leaders of your own church today.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to be a source of encouragement and blessing. If there are any ways that I’m not representing who you are, convict me and bring me to repentance, ready to serve you with grace and mercy.
1 Mark 10:43, 44 2 John 10:7–9
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