3 John

3 John is a personal letter from 'the elder' to a friend named Gaius, praised for his faithfulness and his generous hospitality to travelling missionaries. It contrasts him with Diotrephes, a domineering leader who refuses to welcome them and even expels those who do.

A rare window onto the everyday life and tensions of the early church, the little letter commends support for those who go out 'for the sake of the name', and closes with the hope of a face-to-face visit. Its motto: 'imitate not evil but good' (verse 11).