John’s third letter is not written to a church, but to a particular leader, Gaius, whom John clearly loves. Gaius has been doing his best to make sure his church is being taught the truth about Christ and is walking in love. He has been welcoming the traveling teachers who are preaching and living the truth (compare 2 John 10-11), but he has met with resistance from a local teacher, Diotrephes. This teacher “loves to be the leader” and has been throwing his weight around to the detriment of the church. There is no place in spiritual leadership for this kind of attitude or abuse, and John will deal with him shortly.
In contrast, John is sending along Demetrius, who is spoken highly of not only by the apostle and his team, but by the truth itself. What a great way to characterize a godly teacher! We should embrace such leaders and thank God for their devotion to the truth. Can you think of a leader you can encourage today?