1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
Think about the strongest person you know. Clearly you can tell that they work out and are probably in good health.
Now think about verse two.
How I long for someone to look at me and say I am praying that the rest of you is as healthy as your relationship with God. And sadly I think we get it backwards most of the time. How often do we look at someone and say "Wow girl you look so good! You must be working out!" and then later get to the question of hows your walk with God? How I wish someone would say wow I can tell you are so spiritually heathy and then later ask how I am doing physically. Apperently Gaius was doing just that becuase in verse three all of the fellow brothers and sisters in christ that came to see John couldnt stop talking about awesome Gaius is and how he is faithfully walking in God's truth!
In the next few verses we see Gaius continually walking with the Lord in His actions and being faithful to Him.
5 Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and [b]especially when they are strangers; 6 and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to [c]support such men, so that we may [d]be fellow workers [e]with the truth.
The next few verses we find two people who are common in the church, who we will find ourselves imitating. We are born imitators, whether we like it or not. We glimpse over the covers of magazines while in line at the grocery store contemplating the hottest new trends of 2018 and how we can pull them off with a thrift store budget. We take stelthy pictures of peoples hair while at church, and try and recreate the blurry awkward angled picture you took from 5 pews back for next Sunday. We try and be exact photocopies of celebrities, authors, and youtube stars copying everything from what they eat to how they talk. We are natural born imitators and in fact, we were designed that way. Ultimatly we are constructed to imitate God and He yearns for us to try and be more like Him every day.
9 I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept [f]what we say. 10 For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.
Finally we see our last few verses and the type of people we should imitate, Demetrius.
11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
13 I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; 14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face.
15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.
I love how John ends this letter. He says you know I have alot more to say to you but I'd rather say it face to face. Alot of times things get lost in translation, and John is smart enough to relize this. Sometimes the most well meaning of texts, turn into phone calls of people crying saying how could you say that to me. The most important types of conversations are meant to happen face to face. Be reminded in a culture that runs from social interaction, that imitators of Christ are willing to have tough conversations face to face and not hiding behind a screen.
I hope 3 John encouraged you as much as it encouraged me. Rest in the fact that we are wired to be imitators and ultimatly an imitator of Christ. Becuase of the cross, the thorns on His head, the blood and the water from His side, there is nothing in all creation that can seperate us from being more like Him. We have an undeserving privledge of imitating Him. How wonderful is that truth.