Thursday – Letters

Reading – 3 John

Highlight Verse:

“Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.”
‭‭3 John‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There was an unfortunate phrase among pastors that I heard when I was in Bible College.

“We’re just one funeral away from a revival.”

One person who, through the force of years attending and financial support, would gain enough clout to keep a church from fulfilling it’s mission.

That sounds like what Diotrephes was to that unnamed local church.

John writes to his faithful friend Gaius to try to stop the spread of that evil before he could get there to put an end to it.

It may be 2000 years later, but people are still people. Those like Diotrophes are still out there sowing dissension and evil in the church.

Even if we are not in a position to stop that person,

each of us can help stop the spread of lies.

Even though such gossip is tempting to believe,

John would tell us to not let that person influence us.

According to John, how can you tell if someone is being faithful or evil when talking against another?
How can we stop that type of evil from spreading?