THE NEW TESTAMENT: AN UNDERSTANDABLE VERSION Table of Contents
III JOHN
CHAPTER ONE
1) [This is being written by] the elder to my dear [friend] Gaius, whom I love in the truth. [Note: This probably means Awhom I truly love@].
2) [My] dearly loved [friend], I am praying that you will do well in everything [materially?],and that you will have [good] health, just as your soul [i.e., your spiritual life] is doing well. 3) For I was very happy when some of the brothers came and told me that you are being [faithful] to the truth [i.e., the word of God], and that you are living according to it, [as well]. 4) I do not have any greater joy than to hear that my [spiritual] children are living according to the truth.
5) Dear [friend], you are accomplishing a faithful work whenever you do something for the brothers [traveling in the Lord=s work], especially when they are strangers [to you]. 6) These people testify about your love [for them] before the [assembled] church. You will be doing a good thing to send them on their journey in a way that is pleasing to God [i.e., by furnishing them with travel expenses for their ministry]. 7) For they went out, [ministering] for the sake of [Jesus=] name, without taking [any money] from Gentiles [i.e., non-Christians]. 8) Therefore, we should show hospitality to such men, so that we can be fellow-workers [with them] in [the cause of] the truth.
9) I wrote a letter to the church [there], but Diotrephes, who loves to be first [in importance] among the members [of the body there], does not receive us [i.e., he did not listen to or acknowledge the authority of us apostles]. 10) So, if I come [to visit you], I will remind you of what he is doing, [such as] using wicked words to talk nonsense against us [apostles]. And, not being satisfied with that, he [also] refuses to welcome the [other] brothers, andprevents [other] people from doing so [i.e., from welcoming these brothers], and even kicks them out of the church [for trying to].
11) Dear [friend], do not imitate what is evil, but [only] what is good. The person who does what is good is [a child] of God; the one who does evil has not seen God [spiritually]. 12) Demetrius has been given [a favorable] commendation by everyone, and [is commended] by the truth itself. We [apostles] also give him [a favorable] commendation and you know that our testimony [about these things] is true.
13) I had many things [I wanted] to write you about, but I do not want to do it with pen and ink, 14) because I hope to see you soon, and [then] we can speak face to face.
15) May there be peace in your lives. Our friends [here] send you their greetings. [I ask that you also] greet each of our friends [there] by name.
Table of Contents
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