Bible study course
An incisive academic and pastoral study of the Third Epistle of John, examining its Johannine authorship from Ephesus, its personal address to the beloved Gaius, its theology of missionary hospitality as becoming fellow workers for the truth, its candid exposure of the tyrannical arrogance of Diotrephes who loves to put himself first, its apostolic commendation of Demetrius, and its vision of holistic pastoral care and face-to-face communion.
An orienting academic introduction to 3 John, examining its epistolary genre as a private apostolic letter from Ephesus, the pastoral bond between John and the beloved Gaius, the prayer for holistic health and soul prosperity, the historical landscape of early Christian itinerant missions, and the theology of becoming fellow workers for the truth.
An advanced theological exposition of 3 John 9-14, examining the tyrannical arrogance of Diotrephes who loved to put himself first, his malicious words and excommunication of faithful believers, the apostolic commendation of Demetrius who was testified to by the truth itself, the ethical summons to imitate good rather than evil, and the concluding benediction of peace and face-to-face joy.