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3 JOHN
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3Jn-1
(86n) Thy kingdom come
>>
Obedience >> Be doers of the word from the heart >> Love the truth –
John the elder wrote a short letter to Gaius and had a few
criticisms to say about others who were trying to tamper with the doctrines of
the Church, who tried to subvert the brethren and run roughshod over the leadership in attempt to
take over the
church. His name was Diotrephes, and he was
an evil man. John said about people like him, “They went out from us, but
they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have
remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all
are not of us” (1Jn 2-19). John encouraged Gaius to remain faithful to the
Lord and not to follow people like Diotrephes.
(124m) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of
faith >> Love is the motive of faith
3Jn,2-11
(182g)
Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception
>> Three causes of interpreting Scripture falsely >> Because they
want to be approved by men – John’s prayer
was, “that in all respects
you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” We know
that God wants our spirit to be healthy, because the entire word of God is
devoted to that one subject; then he said, 'to the degree our soul prospers.' To
the degree that our soul prospers is the likelihood that we will receive a
miracle from God, so where is it? Charismatics have seized upon this
statement and made it one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, though they
consistently cite it out of context, quoting verse 2 in ways that seem to suggest
that they are entirely incognizant of the many other writings of John, the
disciple whom Jesus loved, because John's heart was in synch with Jesus, who taught
as much against the love of money as He did about hell, equating the two. So, to use this verse to support the idea that God wants
us rolling in dough is ludicrous. We have probably all heard televangelists
misuse verse 2. In this
very short letter John tells how to receive a miracle and how not to receive
one—the one thing to do is walk in truth, and the second thing to do is not join a cult. Often, a
pastor can have cult-like tendencies and the assembly not
even know it, because they are not trained to discern the signposts that blare the warning
signs against such a person. See also: Prosperity; 214g
(214g)
Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >>
Dispensation of God’s revelations >> Dispensation of the last days – When God sent His Son to die for our sins, it
was a significant time that God set aside to do extraordinary things.
He needed to get our attention, and one of the ways He did that was through
signs, wonders and miracles, suggesting that whenever God makes a change in
covenants with man and needs our attention, He uses miracles, signs and wonders. Therefore, getting a miracle from God is easier
during divine events, but between these
events there have been long, dark periods when God infrequently performed
miracles among
His people. The early Church had something else we don’t have—unity. God was busy
establishing His Church, and He knew that darkness would soon overtake it (the
dark ages), so He needed to give them a good sendoff. See also: Prosperity; 3Jn,2-8;
115g
3Jn,2-8
(115g)
Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Laying on of hands
>> Seeing signs, wonders and miracles – This is a very popular verse with the
Charismatic group, who claims to believe the full gospel and wants to see
everybody in the congregation financially prosperous and in good health. They
use Jesus’ example, who went about healing people with the touch of His hand.
They try to
emulate Him, which is commendable, but there are a couple of big reasons for the
discrepancy between Jesus ministry of power and our deflated experiences. For
one, Jesus was the Son of God and we are not. That could explain why He
could perform miracles and we can’t, but there's more to it than that. Jesus
never claimed to perform a single miracle but gave all the glory to His Father,
whom He served. Therefore, Jesus didn't perform miracles based on His own will
but on the will of His Father. Jesus said, “Greater works than these shall
you do, because I go to the Father,” suggesting that it is the will of God
that the Church be fruitful, which includes performing
miracles, but if we are unwilling to perform the other aspects of His calling,
then He is unwilling to effect miracles among us. That is, there are extenuating circumstances that
cause our prayers to go unheeded. Unity appeals to
God like prayer, so without unity, it seems to God that we are not praying.
Unity proves that two or more people in the
congregation are fully committed to the faith. In fact, unity proves that a
large nucleus
is devoted to the word of God and prayer, which is the foundation of our faith,
and they are committed to seeing the Kingdom of God manifested through the
members of the Church.
Divine healing is a manifestation of God's Kingdom, so is the fruit of
the Spirit, and we have complete control whether we produce the fruit of the
Spirit. Consequently, if we choose not to walk in the Spirit, God will not cause us to prosper.
If we control what we are able, maybe
God will guide miracles in our direction. Through the fruits
of the Spirit in devotion to prayer, we can ask God for whatever we want and he will give it to us,
just like He said (Jn 14-14,15). Genuine unity, which the Church
has scantly seen since the early church, confirms that there are some important
things that are out of place. Unity guarantees love exists among His
people. As a close second, unity proves we understand and believe the true
doctrines of the faith. Therefore, a lack of unity indicates that these things
are missing or partial among the members of God's Church. These are the core factors of unity, which double as a
means of appealing to God. If we want God’s attention and His hand to move, then we must
develop unity within our assemblies, not socializing about
their lives in the flesh. The early Church's unity was based on
spiritual fellowship. See also: Prosperity; 3Jn,2-4; 182g
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False unity; Rev 17,15-18; 160c
3Jn,2-4
(145e) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear
witness of Himself >> Healing >>
Pursuing the healing power of God – John speaks of walking in the truth right
after mentioning his desire to see us remaining prosperous and healthy, so
walking in the truth becomes the condition for receiving
from God. If we want our bodies healed, then we must walk in the truth, for how can we remain prosperous or expect
God to heal us if we are not using our bodies to live according to His purpose and
glory? Walking in the truth is the same as walking in the Spirit. According
to Jesus’ term “Spirit of truth,” He combined these two ideas to show
that the Holy Spirit and the word of God are essentially the same in the
sense that the Holy Spirit only speaks the word of God. When we walk in truth, it
proves we know the truth; James called it “Perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” This is
the goal of the Spirit in our lives, and if we are busy working on this, the doors
of heaven will swing open for us to effect signs,
wonders and miracles. Expectation is tied to hope, which is a spiritual environment validated
by meeting the conditions of receiving a
miracle from God. See also: Prosperity; 3Jn,2-11; 182g
3Jn-2
(82a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Three elements of prayer >> Direction (Attitude) >> What to pray for
(247b) Priorities
>>
God’s priorities >> God’s interests >>
God is interested in His people >> God is
interested in our spiritual health
(249h) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> The infinite and
eternal wealth of God >> Being rich in Jesus
KJV
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3Jn 3-8
(44j) Judgment
>>
Transformed >> Fulfill your ministry according
to the will of God
(92c) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> Trail of good works >>
Practice walking a straight line -- These verses go with verse 11
(234d) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of
God >> Seeking the glory of the body of Christ
3Jn-3,4
(72l)
Authority >> Hierarchy of authority
>>
Authority makes you accountable >> Parents are responsible for their children
(86j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Obedience >> Be doers of the word >>
Clothe yourself with the word of God >> Walk the
truth -- These verses go with verses 7&8
(116a) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Through Good Works >>
Works that God put in your heart
(125e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Joy >>
Joy is the result of partaking of the Holy Spirit >>
Joy of the revelation of Jesus Christ
3Jn-3
(155i) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Witness of the
believer >> The Church bears witness of the
believer -- This verse goes with verse 6
3Jn-4
(33h)
Gift of God >> Believers are children >> God is our Father
>> Children are being molded after their heavenly Father
(248j) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Values >>
The Highest Values >> Top Priority –
“My children” refers to people John had personally converted to the faith
and were under his discipleship. This phrase, “walking in the truth”, what does it
mean? Paul commanded us to walk in the Spirit, and there is no difference between
these two. Jesus spoke about the Spirit of truth (Jn 14-17), and
so whether we walk in the Spirit or walk in the truth is a matter
of semantics. Truth comes from the Spirit, so to walk in the truth is to walk
in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit produces the fruit of the
Spirit, and walking in the truth produces the righteousness of God’s
kingdom, and there is no difference between them, as Paul said in Rom
14-17, “The kingdom of God is… righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit.” When we walk in the Spirit, we produce:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control, whereas walking in the truth leads to freedom, as Jesus said, “You will know the
truth, and the truth will make you free” (Jn 8-32).
3Jn,5-8
(14n) Servant >>
Ministry of helps >> Helpers take the last place as a
better service to you
(101k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ambitious to promote the Kingdom of God >>
Building up the body of Christ
(130h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Committed to caring for the needs of the body >>
Commitment stimulates intimate bonding
(235g) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
Giving (your inner self) >> Hospitality
(providing a temporary home)
>> Being a good host – These strangers were missionaries,
people devoted to the faith, who came through the area and sought haven among the saints.
Once these missionaries went on their way, they spread the word of their
hospitality, which added to the reputation of the Church in John’s care. Our
ministry pertains primarily within the Church, and what ministry exists
outside the Church is mostly evangelism. Spending our resources on people
outside the Church is playing the role of the Good Samaritan, but
spending our resources in this manner is not like the investments we make in the Church.
Our money
and resources such as our time and energy are better spent on the Church
than on people in the world, in that those in the world may not seek to pay the
blessing forward. This is not to deter anyone from being a Good Samaritan, for there can never be enough of them,
but our investment on
the people of God will surely multiply, as in this case their efforts increased their name throughout
the region as full of love and hospitality, and this in turn spread to other churches who wanted to emulate what is good.
It gave John great joy for the opportunity to commend them for their
generosity of heart.
KJV
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3Jn-5
(102e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Faithfulness is
dependable >> Dutiful –
The Bible uses the word “faithfulness” more than loyalty. Although
they are synonymous, they don’t mean the same thing. People who are loyal
may not always be faithful; they might be klutzy or forgetful, and allow their
weaknesses get in the way of their loyalty. With that, “faithfulness” is
always loyal, though ironically God is more after our loyalty than our
faithfulness. God is faithful, and we are loyal to Him, and that is the
relationship between God and man in a nutshell. He wants us to be faithful
because it guarantees loyalty, and in heaven He won’t have to worry about
faithfulness, because all our weaknesses will be resolved. John gave the
brethren a good report and confirmed their faithfulness and said they were
especially faithful to strangers. We are living in desperate times. Being kind
to strangers these days is a tremendous risk. Sometimes people get the wrong
idea about our motives when we are kind to them. People are deathly afraid of
other people; we live in an isolationist society; it’s hard to talk to
people; they don’t want anything to do with strangers; they want to be left
alone, because they are afraid. They don’t want to take any chances, and
they don’t like to interact with strangers for fear of their motives. Today
with so much sin and corruption in the world, the gospel moves very slowly.
Many people are in bondage to drugs and alcohol and just fear. It is hard to
present the gospel today, because it is hard to communicate with strangers.
3Jn-6
(71f) Authority >>
Ordained by God >> Worthiness of man >> Preachers are worthy of their
support – To support missionaries is to be fellow
workers with them and fellow beneficiaries of their reward.
Not everyone is called to be a missionary, but everyone is called to support them.
(124a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Acts of love >> Love takes from the rich and
gives to the poor >> Love takes sacrifice
(143a) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >>
Having a reputation for knowing God >> known for
walking close to God -- This verse goes with verse 12
(155i) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Witness of the
believer >> The Church bears witness of the
believer -- This verse goes with verse 12
(249d) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> Do not trust the
carnal perception of wealth >> Do not try to
hold on to your money
3Jn-7,8
(86j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Obedience >> Be doers of the word >>
Clothe yourself with the word of God >> Walk the
truth -- These verses go with verses 3&4
(116j) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Through giving –
John was talking about missionaries, who came to the Church to be refreshed
and replenish in their needs and then return to the field seeking more
converts, making more disciples and establishing more churches. These churches
that were already accomplished become support structures for the missionary
work that was happening all around them. It says they accepted nothing from
the gentiles (unbelievers), but came seeking sustenance and support from the
Church, from those who believed. John was describing a support system for
missionaries. These bases were meeting places for Christians to fellowship,
known to the missionaries but incognito to the world. They were not churches
as we understand them, because of persecution; they were disallowed to build
meeting places for Christians. Instead, they usually met in people’s homes,
and not always the same houses but regularly switched them to keep their
persecutors on their heels. These locations were communicated among the
brethren, meaning there was also a sophisticated communication system in
place, so that missionaries knew where to find these churches, but their
enemies didn’t know. Missionaries would have a good supper, be among friends
and fellowship, take a bath, receive new clothes and shoes if needed, fresh
water and sent on their way, filled in body and soul.
3Jn-7
(62h) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> Being clever >>
Do not commit yourself too hastily
(67i)
Authority >> Jesus delegates authority
>>
Preaching the gospel in Jesus’ name
3Jn-8
(129d) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Bearing the fruit of
evangelism >> Bearing the fruit of the gospel
(226c) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >>
God crowns us with glory for sharing our rewards
3Jn, 9-11
(164d) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> The world system >>
Satan rules the world >> Satan is a tyrant over
the world
(172c) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Tares among the
wheat >> Devils among the saints >>
Wolves among the sheep – If pastors receive the brethren, their church
will flourish, but if they don’t, their ministries are doomed to attract
mediocrity and sluggish people, who have no vision of developing a genuine
relationship with Jesus. Their ministries will never go anywhere; they will
never realize the truth; there will never be any insight in their preaching,
and the
people will never receive anything from the Lord. This unfortunately is the
Case with American Christianity, the complacency having gone on for too
long, and it has become the new norm in Christendom. Diotrephes
tested the water and found the apostle John a formidable opponent, but after the
original apostles fell asleep, the sheep were supposed to monitor
themselves, and many were willing to keep the torch burning, but some like
Diotrephes wanted to take over the Church and turn it
into something that glorified themselves instead of God. After the original apostles
fell asleep, false shepherds had better success turning the disciples away from the true faith with the
hope of personal gain. Thus, Catholicism was born.
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3Jn-9,10
(6l) Responsibility
>>
Protecting the Gospel >> Expose hypocrisy in the Church – Diotrephes saw the darkness in himself and
projected it onto the apostles, as Paul said in Rom 2-1, “Therefore you have no
excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge
another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”
When it comes to cult leaders, this statement is law! False judgments made
against the saints occur in every cult. Their accusations invariably revolve
around the very things of which they themselves are guilty. This is a form of
witchcraft, a type of demonic spell pronounced against their enemies that
eventually backfires on them. Anyone
who came to Diotrephes in the Spirit of God and tried to
reason with him was immediately excommunicated and put on a blacklist
consisting of those whom his congregation should avoid, and if we receive into
our home or are caught associating with those the cult leader has vilified, we
too will be blackballed. This is an attempt to separate light from darkness to
keep truth at bay. Even something innocent as sitting next to
someone in church who has been shunned can lead to being shunned ourselves.
Every cult follows this pattern, and
satanic entities never change. All cults are based on hypocrisy
and the desire to be first. See also: cults; 158f
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Christianity is the
one true cult; 2Tim 2-1; 36m
(18d) Sin
>>
False Judgment lacks evidence >> Undefined
charges
(23d)
Sin >> Pride wants to be first
(56b) Paradox
>>
Lose by gaining >> Lose your place by seeking
the first place
(56j) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> He who exalts himself shall be
humbled
(84k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Your words can lead to your own demise >> They
will condemn you
(130j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Accept one another >> Accepting the great and
the small >> Small people cannot accept great
leaders
(158f) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >>
Division (Cliques) >> Jealously seeking
prominence in the body –
Many callings have been squandered in the Church by pastors like Diotrephes. Some people get saved and
really understand Christianity. They sit under a pastor a couple years until he begins
hearing reruns from the pulpit. He knows there is more to the gospel than
that, so he begins to grow beyond
the ministry of his church, but the fact that he is growing in spite of his
fellow believers means that no one recognizes his gifts. He keeps hoping somebody to be
faithful enough to notice him nurturing
his calling from the Lord, but nobody does. Eventually he comes to the inevitable conclusion that nobody is
scouting for giftedness in the Church. The pastor who wants to be
first jealousy suppresses giftedness in the assembly, pushing them aside to make
room for his own gift, defrauding the saints.
So the gifted person embarks on his own relationship with God and grows apart from the
Church, and he receives flak from his fellow
believers, who accuse him of feeling superior, so he goes to church less and
less until eventually he stops going altogether, and then he is considered a
renegade. His own fellow Christians
have rejected
him; the Church is his greatest persecutor, and of course
the world persecutes him too. There is
no place for him in the world, and so his kind grows fewer. There is a saying, “Your
gift will make room for you.” That is easy to say, but with so much jealousy and
disloyalty in
the Church this is never realized. See also: cults; 166k
(166k) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism
(mindset of the world)
>> The carnal mind cannot discern between good and evil >>
The carnal mind’s idea of justice –
When we compare righteousness and holiness of the truth with worldly, pretentious
replicas of faithfulness, they look about the same, passing as mere variations of truth that can be
misconstrued as flavors of Christianity, mimicking idiosyncrasies and
opinions, but the discerning Christian knows better. Diotrephes tried to bluff
believers into accepting a facsimile of
godliness, while replacing the substance of faith and love with a cheap
imitation of righteousness engendered by the flesh. Some might say that truth
and error are hard to distinguish; this is why cults can fool people, convincing them to give their money, because they appear
to be doing the will of God. However, the difference between what they are
doing and the true Church is the difference between light and
darkness. According to this passage, the means of determining whether a
church is a cult or not is to observe how leadership treats those who are
faithful in Christ. If they are treated with honor, then Church
leadership is seeking the will of God, but if the disciples of Jesus are treated shamefully,
then leadership is running a racket like Diotrephes. Are the leaders of your church
scouting for giftedness, striving to employ the people's strengths in the ministry while helping them rise above their
weaknesses? That's great; however, leadership like Diotrephes did just the opposite; he exploited their
weaknesses and suppressed
their gifts. See also: cults;
180a
(168f) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> The world listens
to itself >> The world receives itself
(178e) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy >>
Hypocrisy of the Church is rebuked >> The Church is rebuked for rebellion –
John said that if he comes (he didn’t know if he could), he would deal with Diotrephes. Note that John didn't speak with
threatening words; he wasn’t intending to start a fight. Rather, if he came,
he would tell everybody what Diotrephes was doing. With the world, those who don't know God start wars and kill people
to resolve their problems, but with the Church merely calling attention to his deeds
was sufficient to render his ministry of deception inoperative. God uses His
people's conscience to direct them into what is right
and good; the world only pretends to do this. Diotrephes was attempting to reproduce righteousness and holiness in the
ways of the world, pretentiously, making matters of morality and conscience irrelevant;
showing a mere appearance of righteousness.
(180a) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >>
Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people
for sordid gain – Diotrephes was clearly a cult leader, which
was something the original apostles could not endure. There is not much left
to say about some of the tactics of a cult; it’s all right here in these
verses. The cult leader sets himself above the rest and becomes the focus of the
ministry instead of Christ by overemphasizing his
importance in the Church and increasing the strength of central leadership, as
though without him the ministry would flop. Compare
that with the importance of Christ in the Church. The cult leader obligates his worshippers to
defend
him from those who would confront Him about his abusive ways; hence, there must be a
reward/punishment system in place to reward good behavior and
punish the dissonance. Eventually the reward for loyalty reduces to not being punished.
The entire motive of a cult leader is to inflate his massive ego,
and of course it is always about money. To achieve his goals he starts a
smear campaign to suppress the truth, according to our example of Diotrephes, who did not accept what the apostles had
written. Defying their authority as Christ's lead apostles, he ruled by his own authority, as though he had status
with those whom
Christ handpicked to establish the Church of God. This is a level of arrogance
that is hard to top. No one has ever received
status that Christ gave His original apostles, yet Diotrephes vilified them and spoke evil against them, accusing them of his own sins.
We should know the difference between genuine unity and forged unity, the kind that a cult
leader might try to generate by making everyone agree with him instead of
agreeing with the truth.
See also: cults; 198h
(184g) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Abusing the grace
of God >> Spending His grace on your pleasures >>
Abusing your position
(198b) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Man
withers when he is in control >> Unteachable >>
Too busy being a teacher to learn anything
(198h) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Ordained
by man >> Having evil motives for seeking
leadership positions >> Seeking to gratify their
flesh through the ministry – We
cannot expect God to prosper our body as our soul prospers in a
ministry where spiritual and emotional abuse is rampant; nor can we expect God to work miracles
in an environment of a cult. Diotrephes was excommunicating the faithful
brethren from his
church, no doubt because they were confronting him about his abusive ways. He
did not receive the brethren because they were blowing the
whistle on him, saying, ‘This man is a fraud!’ This is precisely what John
would have done if he came, and the Church would have listened to him, but
those who try to expose a cult today go unheeded because of a lack of
credentials, and so the problems of spiritual abuse continue. See also: cults; 199f
(199f) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Rejecting Christ >> Throwing God away >>
Rejecting Christ to steal His glory
–
All cults pose as Christian
organizations, yet their so-called ministries are performed in the dark.
This is the deceptive thing about cults: they appear to give glory to God; and
this
is the part that really gets demented: cults are capable of twisting our mind
into knots, regardless how well we know the Scriptures. People are
capable of doing much wickedness under the influence of a cult, all for the reward of staying on the leader’s good side,
who knows how to use social order to his advantage. Most victims of a cult are
more willing to receive glory from one another than they are to seek the glory of
God (Jn 5-44), but even sincere Christians can get sucked into a cult, as this
passage suggests. Social acceptance is like a drug; woe to the
man who gets addicted to it, for it makes him sick in his mind. Religious
manipulators are increasing in numbers, so we should beware of them. See also: cults;
6l
(200l) Denying Christ
>>
Whoever is not with Jesus is against him >> He
is against Christ who does not receive Him >>
Whoever does not receive the Church is against Christ – Those who
seek God are being kicked
out of the Church, and those who
would contribute their faith to a lazy people would be insulted. Proverbs 9-7
says, "One who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and one who rebukes a wicked person gets insults for himself."
If we are forbidden or refuse to receive the brethren who are seeking God with
all their hearts, it is
a sign that many other things are wrong. Any
pastor who claims to be seeking the will of God is
obligated to receive the brethren who are devoted to walking in the
truth, or his ministry would resemble the cemetery outside
his church (Psalm 55,12-14).
(240i) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Taking away the key of
knowledge >> Hindering people from entering the
kingdom
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3Jn-10
(24h) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Being envious of your brother –
The word “brethren” in this context (and in virtually every context in the
New Testament), refers to those who are faithful in Christ. The brethren
attempted to go to Church, but Diotrephes excommunicated them, and no doubt he
invented excuses for his behavior that turned the circumstances
upside-down to make the brethren appear to be the culprits. The reason Diotrephes hated the brethren and
persecuted them and refused to let them in the church was because they
were in the light and he was in darkness, and their light exposed him.
(97h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attention >> Facing the direction of God’s
will >> Focusing your attention on what matters
to you –
The saints were being persecuted by Diotrephes, a
wicked man who pushed his way into leadership. He was not allowing the saints to
act like Christians or to love
the brethren or to seek their fellowship. He was afraid they would meet in
their homes and discuss his deeds among themselves. The saints were afraid of
him, because he had a mouth like the
antichrist, who used it to blaspheme God (and those who dwell in heaven; Rev
13-5,6). If John came, he would confront Diotrephes,
for he was not afraid of him, for he spent three years with the Master
and inherited His boldness that destroys his enemies with the truth. The one
thing that man has always feared since the beginning of time is his own conscience. Man runs from the very thought of having a
conscience; they deny it
even exists, and they condemn the righteous for making them feel guilty. They
say if it weren’t for the Church, guilt would not exist; they may possibly be right about
that; imagine the world without a
conscience. People have learned to ignore and manipulate their conscience
until it quits working. This is what psychopaths do, and Diotrephes may
have destroyed his conscience so he could do what he wanted without remorse or shame.
John could tell
Diotrephes things that would destroy him even without a conscience, as Jesus
did to the Pharisees. He
would tell Diotrephes that his future was the lake of fire if he didn't repent
of his unbelief, and that he would
burn in hell with the devil and his angels forever and ever.
(138e) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Reproof >>
Reprove your brother for spreading false doctrine
(178b) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >>
Presuming the facts about the circumstances >>
Presumption is not founded on facts
3Jn-11
(12a) Servant
>>
Examples of God’s people >> Good examples
(42h) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Transformed >>
Conform to the purity of Christ
(92c) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> Trail of good works >>
Practice walking a straight line -- This verse goes with verses 3-8. The
one who does evil has not seen God, yet John also said in 1Jn 1-18, “No one
has seen God at any time,” though Moses sort-a did, and so did Paul, yet
according to John neither of them saw God in all His glory. Those who
practice evil have no
vision, but the one who does good can see Him through the eyes of his
spirit. No one has ever seen God face-to-face, but those who practice
righteousness are in His presence. He
is in us, and He helps us see into His word, and by that we come to know Him.
We don’t have to wait for heaven to finally meet Him; we have already met
Him, and we have fellowship with Him, and though we have not physically seen His face, spiritually
we are never apart. We fellowship with Him as
though He were in front of us, as we will in heaven. We converse with God by the Spirit that He has given
us. We see Christ through
the Spirit, and we see the Father through His Son.
(127o) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Overcome evil with good
(155k) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of
salvation >> You will know them by their
fruits >> You will know them by their good
deeds
>> Good works that prove we belong to Christ
– Don’t let anyone lie and say, ‘Even though I don’t walk in truth, I still know God.’ John
advised us not to listen what a person says but to listen what he
does. Consistently, a good man cannot do evil and an evil man cannot do
good. A man who does not walk in the truth does not know God.
(156k) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being
hell-bound >> Living an ungodly lifestyle >>
Practicing sin
(169f) Works of the devil >>
Manifestations of the devil >> The world is
blind to God >> Willful blindness –
John said that the one who does evil has not seed God; the fact is, nobody
has seen God, except John. He said in 1Jn 1-1, “What was from the
beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have
looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life.” Jesus
is God and John saw Him, but the rest of us haven’t seen Him. The fact that John and the other disciples saw Jesus in the flesh
did not benefit them as much as we might think. Paul never saw Jesus in the
flesh but in the Spirit on the road to Damascus and it changed his life
forever. That was his testimony, and he virtually turned the world
upside-down as a result of that flash encounter. Seeing Jesus in the flesh
was great, but seeing Him through the eyes of our spirit is better (Eph
1,18-23). God is looking for those who are willing
to be transformed into the image of Christ more than He is looking for
people with leadership skills, for the person who knows Christ is a leader
of the Church.
(194h) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>> Turn from sin to God >>
Hate evil >> Victory over sin >>
Hate evil by doing good
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
3Jn-12
(40k) Judgment
>> Judgment of Christ
>>
God’s word judges the Church
(143a) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >>
Having a reputation for knowing God >> known for
walking close to God -- This verse goes with verse 6.
Diotrephes
persecuted Demetrius and tried to destroy his reputation, and John was
making efforts to restore his good name, vouching for him. If the wicked can
destroy our reputation, they have won, because reputation is all we have to
reflect our character in the world. Paul valued his reputation above his position as a minister of the
gospel, for without a good name, his ministry was worthless. John was
protecting Demetrius, because he was useful to the gospel; he had a strong
faith and willingness to serve the Lord, and he was good to the brethren. One
of the tricks of the devil is to slander those who carry the gospel, usually
taking a grain of truth and warping it into a bombastic lie that spreads
throughout society, hoping others replicate the meme to become assumed without question.
(155i) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Witness of the
believer >> The Church bears witness of the
believer -- This verse goes with verse 3
3Jn-13,14
(61c) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> Author—Paul or John
/ Jesus
(104j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see Jesus >> We shall see His face
(108ha) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith
>> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Spiritual revelation
>> Revelation of His return
(112j) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Light >> Being in the presence of truth
(123g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Spiritual affection >> Ministry of the saints >>
Emotional benediction toward helpers
– Many
of John's communications with Gaius he wanted to say face-to-face, things that
mattered only to them that could only
be discussed in person, pertaining to their friendship and history. John wanted to hear
his voice; pen-pals miss a lot in their friendship. A relationship with pen and ink is currently what we have with
God in this life; we are pen-pals; He has written us His Bible and has given us His Spirit, and we are to follow His word and walk in His Spirit,
until we meet Him one day face-to-face and are able to embrace, hear
each other’s laugh and see His face, furthering the
relationship and strengthening the bonds between us.
(208i) Salvation
>>
The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >>
Being the friend of God >> Having fellowship
with God
(214h) Sovereignty
>>
God controls time >> God’s timing >>
God’s time is soon >> Relatively soon
(234c) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of
God >> Seeking the glory of His Spirit
(245n) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >>
Literal manifestations >> Spirit realm
superimposed upon the natural realm >> The
spiritual manifesting into the natural
3Jn-14
(83j) Thy kingdom come
>>
We have the ministry of intercession >> Church prepares itself to meet Jesus –
John was writing to a man named Gaius, saying, “I hope to see you shortly,
and we will speak face to face.” This is how the Lord would like to speak to
us, for He has the same sentiments. He too hopes to see His Church soon and speak
face-to-face with each of us, and we feel the same about Him. We long for
His return, to finally see Him and talk with Him in person, instead
of always communing with Him in prayer. We speak to the Holy Spirit and He
relays the message to Christ, and He
relays the message to His Father in a hierarchy of authority. Christ and the
Church long to be together, so we can start our relationship in earnest,
starting at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which represents the very first
time that Christ and the Church are together, and it will be a celebration
like no other.
(126a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Peace >>
God is at peace >> The peace from God
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