3 John is a very short letter. I have argued time, and time again, that the author of this letter is none other than John the Apostle, brother of James, with the two being the Sons of Thunder. Before Christ, he was a commercial fisherman, and made his living on the Sea of Galilee. I believe John and James were seeking Christ before they knew him, and were first disciples of John the Baptist. It was presumably on the shore of the Sea of Galilee that John heard John the Baptist claim Jesus was the Lamb of God.

They left everything, and followed him.

Jesus incarnation and earthly ministry altered the entirety of the created universe. Everything was impacted and changed, forever. At a grand scale this concept is massive, and infinitely incomprehensible. In a much more personal sense, we can read through the Johannine literature and see how one seemingly insignificant man was so consumed and changed in his relatively short time with Christ and the proceeding years of vocational ministry.

In this letter John, who insists on the Truth (the Gospel & the Spirit), models Spiritual Fatherhood. He praises the faithful, faith-filled life (living and walking according to Truth), while doing everything in a manner worthy of God, offering mercy and grace. He warns Gaius against bad leaders, and models how to engage with them, and praises Gaius for his cooperation and co working in ministry. Ultimately, he hoped to connect Gaius to Demetrius, until he himself could visit again.

It has been widely understood that John wrote this letter, in or around 90 AD from the island of Patmos, where he was exiled from the mainland Roman empire in Christian persecution under Domitian. This was not his first experience of persecution in the years following the ascension of Christ. His brother James was executed many years before under Herod. We don’t seek persecution or martyrdom, but we do seek Christ, no matter the cost.

John finishes his letter to Gaius with the following:

Peace be with you. The friends here greet you. Greet the friends there by name. (3 John 15 NET)

I want to highlight two final thoughts before closing this letter.

1. We should pray for, and expect Peace in persecution.
2. As Christian brothers and sisters, we are intimately bond to each other and Christ.

To expand on these thoughts, I want to present correlating scripture from Johns Gospel where Jesus is quoted.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 14:27

How could John remember these words on Patmos? How could he not only himself experience peace, but hope for it in someone else life? Again, we see Johns deep understanding of these spiritual truths. Peace doesn’t mean a good life of minimal worry and anxiety. It doesn’t mean financial freedom or marital happiness. It doesn’t mean a long lasting legacy and vocational fulfillment.

I enjoy the Greek definition in the NET notes, Peace is “the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is”

Jesus doesn’t give peace like the world does, because the world cannot assure anything. Only the creator of the entire universe, who hung the stars in the heaven, who taught whales to sing and who the seas obey – only Him who is entirely and completely sovereign over every other thing – only He can give assurance. His peace is everlasting, into eternity. John knew nothing could separate himself from the peace of Jesus Christ.

Although we don’t know the full extent of persecution that was happening in or around Gaius, John wanted him to be encouraged in the same way, to be ready and not let go of peace.

And he wanted him to remember, hes not alone, and neither are you or I.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

John 15: 13-15

Christ laid down his life for us, he broke us from the bonds of slavery. God is the master of all, no one can do anything without God. He is Lord over all. The day and the night. The sinner and the saint. The dead and the living. Everyone.

Some will know him as a task master. They will resent him, and forsake His mercy and kindness. They will reject His grace. They will not know of Him and His work. They will not seek to understand. They will be blind, and lost in darkness and confusion.

Others, will learn from Christ, and therefore learn from the Father. They will learn of salvation. They will, and only by his good grace receive the Greatest Love and become Friends with Christ. They will know him intimately as He shares himself with them. He will know them by name and their names will be forever recorded in the book of life.

We were once his enemy. Dead in our sins. Separated and disparaged.

Friends, we are now in Christ. Let us be of this unity. No matter where you are in the world, we are in Christ. We are all his body. We are His bride. His portion. His friend.

His enemies will be ours, and they will hate us as they hated Him.

If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.

John 15: 18-19

Our friends across the world suffer greatly, for our Sovereign God has determined this to be good according to His purposes and will in and around their lives, but let us remember to be their friends.

Pray and support the missionaries around the world sowing in hard soil. Pray for the persecuted church. Pray for the underground church and movements of Christ across MENA. Consider supporting faithful missionaries, sending churches and agencies.

Peace be with you.