The book of Third John – Gospel over Ego

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.” – 3 John 11

In the brief letter of 3 John, the apostle John writes to Gaius, a beloved believer known for his hospitality and commitment to the truth. This letter likely accompanied 1 John when it was sent; that letter was intended to a broader community while this letter was written just for Gaius.
 
John’s advice to Gaius is simple and yet valuable for our walk of faith today.  His words in verse 9 about Diotrephes point out the human tendency towards pride and a need for control that still exists in faith communities today.  Certainly, many leaders inside and outside the church today can fall victim to these tendencies.  John’s warnings in this letter help us to see that allowing our ego to get in the way of Christ’s message can ultimately create division within the church.

Our call, like John’s call to Gaius so many centuries ago, is to be “coworkers with the truth” (vs 7) putting aside our egos for the sake of Christ’s message.