From the Elder—3 John 1:1–14
Topics: Ambition, Attitude, Caring, Children, Church, Evil, Faithfulness, God, Gossip, Jesus Christ, Joy, Love, Popularity, Prayer, Reputation, Self-centeredness, Serving, Status, Truth
Open It
1. What gives you the greatest joy in life?
2. *What sort of people in your church are well thought of?
3. What famous people are presently the objects of malicious gossip in the tabloids?
Explore It
1. To whom was this letter addressed? (1:1)
2. For what did “the elder” pray? (1:2)
3. *What gave the writer of 3 John great joy? (1:3–4)
4. In what was the recipient of this letter faithful? (1:5)
5. *What information was circulating among the people in Gaius’s church? (1:6)
6. Why were “the brothers” sent out? (1:7)
7. Why did the elder say that believers ought to show hospitality to Christians who serve God? (1:8)
8. What did Diotrephes love? (1:9)
9. What was Diotrephes doing? (1:9–10)
10. *What did the elder encourage Gaius to do? (1:11)
11. What is true about people who do good and people who do evil? (1:11)
12. What was commendable about Demetrius? (1:12)
13. Why is 3 John so short? (1:13–14)
14. What did the writer of 3 John hope to do? (1:14)
Get It
1. What does it mean to love someone in the truth?
2. *If other believers were to give a report about you, how would they describe your faithfulness?
3. What about being a believer gives you joy?
4. In what area of life do you struggle to be faithful?
5. How can we show hospitality to other Christians?
6. In what situations do we love to be first, like Diotrephes?
7. What motivates people to gossip?
8. In what areas of your life do you need to do better at “imitating good” rather than evil?
9. *What can you do to improve your record of faithfulness?
10. What kind of reputation do you have at your church?
Apply It
1. *In what area of your life can you be more faithful this week?
2. To whom can you show hospitality this week?
3. In what way will you imitate good rather than evil today?
Adult Questions for LESSONmaker (2024). Bellingham, WA: Logos, p. 3 Jn 1–14.