Take Two: 3 John, Proverbs 26

3 John is another short and unique letter sent by John. He writes to Gaius, who is likely an elder (pastor/teacher) in the church.

As in 2 John, he begins with commending them for walking in the truth. They are living with integrity as they live out what it means to be the church. It is neat too...that John hears of their "walk" and then writes to the pastor. It wasn't the pastor "bragging" on his church...but it was the reputation of the church that John told the pastor about.

One of the outstanding characteristics was the way this church showed HOSPITALITY to strangers. In v.5, their "walk" is seen in how they care for one another, but especially in how they treat strangers. Chew on that. It is a good point of meditation and a good place to ask about ourselves. Do we welcome "strangers" and meet their needs before our own? In John's day, this meant putting up "passers by" in one's home, feeding them, caring for their animal if they had a donkey, etc, and even giving them some supplies/money for their journey when they left. This kind of HOSPITALITY is a hallmark characteristic of true Christianity.

(Pardon me while I climb upon my soapbox for a moment: Perhaps those who would cry out for the church to become more biblical...to return to its biblical roots...to get back to first century Christianity...THEY should join with their brethren in caring for strangers rather than trying to design something that agrees with and relates to them alone. Biblical Christianity is "OTHERS" Christianity, not "ME" Christianity.)

vv.6-8 speak to the place our church finds itself. During our missions conference (GOC) we will meet many strangers (fellow believers passing through) and we would do well to show hospitality and join with them in the labor they are engaged in.

vv.9-10 speaks of a "church boss" who rejects the apostolic (biblical) authority of John and asserts himself as the supreme voice in the congregation. John said that he wrote a letter to the church...but Diotrephes would not allow it to be read. John's response was to plan a trip to the church to call this dude out and point out his unbiblical actions. This is a bit difficult for us to grasp as a concept since we do not live in an apostolic age. However, here is what we know to be true. John was appointed by Christ as an authoritative voice in the church. Diotrephes was a leader (probably one of several elders...but the leader) in the church and he (Diotrephes) asserted his voice over that of the apostle as authoritative. The applications abound both in the church and out.

Whenever we subvert lawful authority (whether by speeding, cheating on our taxes, lying on our timecard) we erode confidence in a true authority and undermine a system that God ordained. Notice that the applications were not even "church" applications. When we speed...we say to our children who are watching: "Some rules are able to be broken. You get to choose." Is it any wonder that these same children choose to ignore rules (lines of authority) that are more significant to us later? We taught them that they got to choose which authority to submit to.

Beware of anyone who sets themselves up as a better authority than they ought. In the church, the Scriptures are the ultimate authority. They are God's revelation of Himself and His purpose.

If a teacher or leader claims to have better insights that are contrary to the Scripture...think Diotrephes.

God has set up a leadership system where pastors serve as "servant leaders" for the Congregation. This role is God's role...not ours to question. When someone says that they have a better read on something than the pastor and we should go our own way and ignore biblical authority...think Diotrephes. (Be careful now: Someone may read this and think that the pastor thinks he is infallible.) Nothing is further from the truth. He errs every day. His standard though (and ours if we understand the Scriptures), is the Bible. He is not the ultimate authority. He is submissive under the will of God as revealed in the Scriptures. If he errs acording to the Bible, then we help him get better and repent and realign. If His view is biblical, but different than ours, then we are to yield to that authority which God established. Not because the pastor is super-smart or infallible...but because God has said it is to be this way. Those who have ever gotten close to a pastor personally...know that God is fully capable and active in keeping his undershepherds (pastors) in line.

THE POINT BEING: we do great damage when we erode the confidence in biblical authority. If we set our course to redefine what is right and wrong according to our judgment alone...then we should not be surprised when those who come after us follow our example.

Proverbs 26:8 is my takeaway today: "Like one who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who give honor to a fool." We should be careful what we affirm...either explicitly or implicitly. When we elevate that which is wrong...or implicitly do so by not rebuking it when it occurs, we empower someone to be very destructive. We should call a fool's folly what it is. To do otherwise...is to be politically correct and biblically irresponsible.

Grace,