3 John: Three Types of Christian

Introduction

If we were to pick out three random people in our congregation, would we be able to discern from Scripture how well they’re living their Christian life. Now, I’m not saying we should do such a thing. But I am saying that such a standard exists and there are times that the ruler needs to come out and see if the Christian stands up.

The Text

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 testified 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. Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified to your love before the church. 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, so 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, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, 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 add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. 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 will speak face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name. 3 John

Summary of Text

John refers to himself as the elder (same as pastor or overseer). In this letter, the apostle John writes to a specific church and the pastor of the church about some matters they experience. We don’t know when this letter fits in the timeline of the other three, but we know they came from the same man. In this letter, John addresses three different men in the church. John first addresses Gaius, the pastor of the church. We can see that Gaius is a faithful pastor who sent encourages to John (v. 3) and finds homes for traveling Christians (v.5).

John also addresses Diotrephes, who acts opposite of Gaius. Diotrephes thinks only about himself, slanders John, and doesn’t welcome other Christians. So, John promises to expose his evil deeds if he comes to visit (v. 10).

Finally, John mentions Demetrius in verse 12. We don’t really know who Demetrius is. Some speculate Diotrephes slandered him as well, so John writes setting the matter straight. Others guess Demetrius brought the letter from John to Gaius. John wanted Gaius to know he can trust the postman. Since, the scripture doesn’t tell us for sure, it’s best to leave our guesses in the realm of guesses. However, we know for certain Demetrius was a good example of a Christian. That’s good enough for me.

This small letter teaches us basic principles concerning church life. John’s principles don’t shine or sparkle. Nor will they make a New York Times best sellers list. But they do provide a diagnostic for a local church. Let’s look at the three characters John mentions to diagnose our own life.

Gaius, the Faithful Christian

Gaius probably pastored this little church. We know he possessed an encouraging spirit because he sent brothers from the church to encourage John (v. 3). It’s probable those same brothers reported to John the events in church. John repays the encouragement to Gaius by encouraging him as well. He affirms Gaius’s work in the church but especially his hospitality toward traveling Christians. Gaius exemplifies what I mentioned last week concerning Christian hospitality (v.5). Some of those Christians who stayed in Gaius’s home, made their way to John and told him Gaius faithfully served and cared for them.

Now, we know some of these Christians were not merely travelers needing a place to stay, but missionaries working for the kingdom. John says they “went out for the sake of the name” (v.7) and encourages Gaius to send them in a manner worthy of God (v. 6). Gaius’s house was an outpost for the kingdom feeding and sending soldiers out into battle.

Gaius teaches us a number of principles concerning Christian faithfulness. First, Gaius encourages the saints. All Christians should encourage. No doubt some do this better than others. All of us in here receive encouraging cards from Genny Hindman. But since Christ died the death we deserved and gives eternal life to all who believe, we all have an endless well of encouragement to draw from. So, write a note, send a letter, give a phone call, and if you’re really brave tell a brother or sister to their face how the Spirit of God is on full display in their life.

Second, Gaius freely shares his home and church with other Christians. Since I mentioned this last week, I won’t belabor this point. Think of Christian hospitality as reinforcement and refreshment for weekly soldiering of Christ. No army can survive long-term without reinforcement. When we share our time, home, and wealth with other Christians, we provide a boost in our advance against the kingdom of this world.

Third, Gaius works in the spreading of the gospel by supporting missionaries (v. 8). If every Christian right now became a missionary, the church would suffocate within a few years. In order for missionaries to go, churches and Christians must send them. We love talking about missionaries, and we should. But we should also encourage missionary supporters. Finish it ministries supports the Coleman family spread the gospel of grace to a region of Romania plagued with idolatry, antichrists, and false gospels. Each board member sacrifices time and energy ensuring that all the money is properly accounted for, and that Travis and Jen have what they need. Added to that, Jay and Marnie McMurray exemplify the spirit of Gaius by opening up their home to them so Jen can get well enough to go back. One reason I love FBC is that we are more of a missional church than many other churches I know of. We may not be a mega-church in the SBC, but I promise you this: because of the faithful ministry of FBC, the Coleman family, the McMurray family, and the rest of the Finish it board, there are people in Romania who believe and grow in the gospel of grace that wouldn’t without their work. So, let’s continue being fellow workers in the truth. Have the Colemans over for supper or take them out for lunch. And thank the Finish It board for their service. Share in the good work they’re doing.

Diotrephes, the Unchristian Christian

Diotrephes probably led the same church as Gaius in some manner. He was either a lay leader within the church or possibly even another pastor of the church. Either way, he had some sway with the congregation and used it for his own gain (v. 9). We know he rejected John’s instruction, which means he rejected biblical teaching. We also know he refused to open himself to other brothers (v.10). Where Gaius shows hospitality, Diotrephes shows a closed door. Diotrephes even works to forbid others to practice hospitality (because he’s unsatisfied with only rejecting John’s teaching; see v.10). Sin loves company. Diotrephes wanted others to join him in selfishness. It’s also quite possible, Diotrephes was like a Fundamentalist who feared the teaching of anyone different than himself.

Now, we know that John wrote an earlier letter to Diotrephes (v.9) and its wasn’t 1 or 2 John. Some think John wrote Diotrephes personally, but Diotrephes ignored what John said. Now, John writes Gaius, the pastor of the church, to read this letter to the congregation as a public rebuke.

Some Christians tolerate a certain sin for so long that the sin takes over and they act like a pagan. I believe John plans to visit this church to help the church put Diotrephes under church discipline. Remember, Jesus instituted church discipline in Matthew 18:15-17. Its typically a three-step process. 1) private rebuke. If successful, nothing else needed. 2) public rebuke. Bring another person. 3) Excommunicate anyone refusing to repent of sin. Now, like last week with hospitality and false teachers, it’s hard to get our minds around something like church discipline for sin, because we don’t take any sin seriously. So, yes, this passage shows John preparing the church to excommunicate Diotrephes or for them to accept Diotrephes’s repentance and confession of sin. But instead of teaching on how John handles church discipline here, I’m going to explain why church discipline sounds so foreign to us.

Keep in mind what Diotrephes’s sin was—he disagreed with John’s teaching, he wasn’t hospitable, and he discouraged others from being hospitable. Now, John obviously takes sin more seriously than we do. Has anyone in here ever been in a church that excommunicated someone for sin? We think its harsh and unloving. The reason we cannot tolerate church disciplining sin is because the church tolerates sin.

Christians should regularly attend worship (Hebrews 10:25). But since no one cares about that verse of scripture, we created a new category of Christian—the inactive Christian. Christians should not lash out in anger (Galatians 5:20; 2 Corinthians 12:20). But no one takes that command seriously. When our conscience weighs heavy after our outburst, we try to cover the sin with sentences like “I was just venting” or “my mental health isn’t in a good place right now.” Here’s another one, James 1:12 tells us that the man who remains steadfast under trial is blessed. This man keeps doing what God commands. Buy what we do under trial is stop obeying God and begin blaming others for the trial. “If only my wife’s attitude would improve, then I could handle this.” “If my husband were godlier, then my child would have turned out better.” We make excuses for sin because we don’t believe God meant what He said. Just like Diotrephes.

No Christian lives perfectly. But all Christians eagerly turn from their unrighteousness toward obedience. God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). But He always disciplines us toward the cross, where our sin dies. Diotrephes’s problem and all our problem is that we free our sin instead of nailing it to the cross. So, confess your sins to God and those you sin against. Kill the sins that easily trip you. And when a brother or sister confronts us for divisiveness, anger, gossip, or grumbling, we should say “thank you so much for noticing will you pray with me and call me out again if you see it?”

Demetrius, the Believable Christian

How can you tell if someone lives like an authentic Christian? Is it their testimony? Only those saved from biker gangs or terrorist watch lists are ones we can trust. Is it how quickly they cry during a Hallmark movie? Or how much the give to the church?

As I mentioned earlier, we don’t know who Demetrius is except that he was a good Christian. We know he was a good Christian because “everyone” testifies that he has the spirit of a Christian. John himself, an apostle and elder of the church, also affirms that Demetrius lived like a Christian. But the ultimate confirmation comes from God’s word. I believe the “truth itself” John mentions refers to God’s word. Demetrius lives like a Christian and there’s evidence and receipts to back it up.

Something that defines all three of these characters but especially Demetrius was the personal knowledge Christians knew of everyone else. We don’t know where Gaius was born but we do know who he invited into his house. We don’t know which football team Diotrephes cheered for, but we do know he regularly slandered in church. We know absolutely nothing about Demetrius except his name, but we also know he lived according to the word of God.

We live in a weird time where most of you in here will be comfortable with a TSA security agent opening up your luggage rummaging through your underwear and clothes while you never ask your brother in you pew you to pray for the sin you’re fighting. If John were to write one verse about our Christian character, he would say “I don’t know if he’s faithful or not; he likes small talk and avoiding anything personal.”

Since we are responsible for one another, and since I am responsible for all of you, we should know who one another are. If you don’t know the person in the next pew, invite them over to your home for a meal. It’s what Christians do.

Conclusion

Christians look like Christians. There’s such a thing as a Christian culture, Christian family, Christian marriage, Christian business. These aren’t institutions that apply for certification at the local Christian label guild. These institutions earn the label “Christian” when the Christians in those institutions lives like it. Our churches looks like a Christian congregation when we live like it.