Overall Question: What struggles did John see in the churches as far as power and authority were concerned?

Memory Text: 3 John 1:11 NKJV “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”

Sunday – The Elder and Gaius
3 John 1:1-4 CEV “1 ¶ From the church leader. To my dear friend Gaius. I love you because we follow the truth, 2 dear friend, and I pray that all goes well for you. I hope that you are as strong in body, as I know you are in spirit. 3 ¶ It makes me very happy when the Lord’s followers come by and speak openly of how you obey the truth. 4 Nothing brings me greater happiness than to hear that my children are obeying the truth.”
3 John 1:2 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES It argues a high state of piety when we can, as the expression of our highest desire for the welfare of our friends, express the hope that they may be in all respects as much prospered as they are in their spiritual concerns.
3 John 1:3 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY The best evidence of our having the truth is our walking in the truth. Good men will greatly rejoice in the soul-prosperity of others; and they are glad to hear of the grace and goodness of others. They glorified God in me. Love envieth not, but rejoiceth in the good name of other folks. As it is joy to good parents, it will be joy to good ministers, to see their children evidence their sincerity in religion, and adorn their profession.
3 John 1:13-14 CEV “13 I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to write it with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and then we can talk in person. (1:15) I pray that God will bless you with peace! Your friends send their greetings. Please give a personal greeting to each of our friends.”
1 Corinthians 13 God’s Word to the Nations “1 ¶ I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal. 2 I may have the gift to speak what God has revealed, and I may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. I may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if I don’t have love, I am nothing. 3 I may even give away all that I have and give up my body to be burned. But if I don’t have love, none of these things will help me. 4 ¶ Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant. 5 It isn’t rude. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. 6 It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. 7 Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. 8 ¶ Love never comes to an end. There is the gift of speaking what God has revealed, but it will no longer be used. There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will no longer be used. 9 Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete. 10 But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will no longer be used. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways. 12 Now we see a blurred image in a mirror. Then we will see very clearly. Now my knowledge is incomplete. Then I will have complete knowledge as God has complete knowledge of me. 13 So these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the best one of these is love.”

Monday – Gaius and His Ministry to the Church
3 John 1:5-8 ESV “5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”
3 John 1:7 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES The term Gentile embraced all who were not Jews, and it is evident that these persons went forth particularly to labour among the heathen. When they went, they resolved, it seems, to receive no part of their support from them, but to depend on the aid of their Christian brethren, and hence they were at first commended to the church of which Gains and Diotrephes were members, and on this second excursion were commended particularly to Gains.
Revelation 14:6 ESV “Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.”

Tuesday – Diotrephes
3 John 1:9-10 CEV “9 ¶ I wrote to the church. But Diotrephes likes to be the number-one leader, and he won’t pay any attention to us. 10 So if I come, I will remind him of how he has been attacking us with gossip. Not only has he been doing this, but he refuses to welcome any of the Lord’s followers who come by. And when other church members want to welcome them, he puts them out of the church.”
3 John 1:9 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Diotrephes harbored unholy ambition in his mind. He aspired to be first for the sake of position rather than for the sake of the good he might accomplish.
3 John 1:10 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY “to hinder,” “to prevent,” “to forbid,” suggesting that Diotrephes took active steps to prevent others from offering the hospitality that he himself refused to give. The form of the Greek verb implies a repeated hindering. The unfriendly act reflects the power possessed by Diotrephes in the local church, but the situation shows that the church was not wholeheartedly with him, for some, at least, were in harmony with the apostle and wished to receive the traveling workers.
Mark 9:35 Holman “Sitting down, He called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.””
Isaiah 14:13-14 NRSV “13 You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; 14 I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High."”
Matthew 12:37 NRSV “for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."”
Matthew 18:3-6 NRSV “3 and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. 6 "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
Philippines 2:3 NRSV “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.”

Wednesday – Bearing Witness About Demetrius
3 John 1:11 NIV “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”
3 John 1:11 COMMENTARY BY WILLIAM BURKITT Here St. John advises his beloved Gaius, and those with him, not to imitate and follow this evil example of Diotrephes, (who not only refused charity towards the Christian Jews that wanted it, himself, but would not permit the Gentile Christians to receive them or relieve them,) but to follow the example of God, who is good to all; and, accordingly, he that is merciful is born of God, but he that is malicious hath no true knowledge of God, but is a mere stranger to him.
3 John 1:12 20th Century NT “Every one has always had a good word for Demetrius, and the Truth itself speaks for him. Yes, and we also add our good word, and you know that what we say about him is true.”
3 John 1:12 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY The most that can be said with certainty is that Demetrius was a faithful Christian, loyal to the apostle, and that John felt impelled to give Gaius a specific and strong recommendation concerning him. This makes it reasonable to suppose that Demetrius’ conduct had been under suspicion, and needed to be cleared by John before he would be unreservedly accepted by the apostolic party in the church of which Gaius was a member.

Thursday – Leadership Crisis in the Early Church
Principles of church government:
[Note: the early church had a definite plan for leadership]
Mark 10:42-44 NLT “42 So Jesus called them together and said, "You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. 43 But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all.”
Acts 6:1-7 NLT “1 ¶ But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. Those who spoke Greek complained against those who spoke Hebrew, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. "We apostles should spend our time preaching and teaching the word of God, not administering a food program," they said. 3 "Now look around among yourselves, brothers, and select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will put them in charge of this business. 4 Then we can spend our time in prayer and preaching and teaching the word." 5 This idea pleased the whole group, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (a Gentile convert to the Jewish faith, who had now become a Christian). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them. 7 God’s message was preached in ever-widening circles. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.”
Acts 15:6 NLT “So the apostles and church elders got together to decide this question.”
Acts 15:22-25 NLT “22 ¶ Then the apostles and elders and the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the church leaders—Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas. 23 This is the letter they took along with them: "This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings! 24 "We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but they had no such instructions from us. 25 So it seemed good to us, having unanimously agreed on our decision, to send you these official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,”
1 Timothy 4:14 NLT “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.”
James 5:14 NLT “Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.”