If the Truth Be Told
If the Truth Be Told
A One-Hit Wonder That Echoes
Some songs explode onto the scene, live forever in movies and commercials, and shape culture—even if the artist never lands a second hit. Norman Greenbaum’s 1969 “Spirit in the Sky” is one of those. Written in 15 minutes and featured in 60+ films and more than 30 commercials, it became a one-hit wonder with massive influence (even if it won’t be on our Pathway worship setlists!).
That idea sets up our series One Chapter Wonders—short biblical books with outsized impact. Today we open 3 John, the shortest of them all by word count. Written by the Apostle John, he signs as “the elder,” signaling pastoral authority and a seasoned, fatherly heart. The letter centers on three people—Gaius, Diotrephes, and Demetrius—and three truths that should shape our life together.
Faithfulness Inspires (3 John 1–4)
John writes to Gaius, “whom I love in the truth,” praying that his physical health might match the strong health of his soul (v.2). Imagine that standard: What would my physical condition look like if it mirrored my spiritual condition? For Gaius, the report is glowing—believers testify that he is “walking in the truth,” and John says he has “no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (vv.3–4).
Faithfulness like Gaius’s sparks more faithfulness. When one person quietly shows up, serves, gives, and keeps step with Jesus, it emboldens others: I’m not alone. We can take this hill together. What feels like a small step—joining a team, mentoring a student, showing hospitality—can become a wave of encouragement that lifts an entire church.
Takeaway: Your steady obedience is never just about you. It’s fuel for someone else’s courage.
Partnership Enables (3 John 5–8)
John commends Gaius for caring for traveling gospel workers—“even though they are strangers to you” (v.5). In the ancient world, inns were unsafe; hospitality from believers was crucial. Gaius said yes. The result? Mission advanced. Testimonies spread. Needs were met. John explains the why: they went “for the sake of the Name,” and “we ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth” (vv.7–8).
Not everyone can go everywhere, but everyone can partner. When we give, host, encourage, and resource ministry, we “work together for the truth.” Locally and globally, that partnership enables baptisms, student discipleship, missionary care, mercy ministry, and the weekly rhythms that help people meet Jesus.
Takeaway: Gospel momentum doesn’t ride on superstars; it rides on partners.
Discernment Protects (3 John 9–12)
Not all influence is healthy. Enter Diotrephes, a man who “loves to be first” and resists apostolic authority (v.9). Prideful, controlling, slanderous, inhospitable—he even blocks others from welcoming gospel workers and expels them from the church (v.10). John says he’ll confront it head-on.
Then John points to Demetrius, “well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself” (v.12). Demetrius’s life lines up with the gospel: humble, faithful, honorable. John’s charge is simple: “Do not imitate what is evil, but what is good” (v.11).
Takeaway: Unity isn’t niceness at any cost; it’s goodness guarded by discernment. We reject prideful, self-exalting patterns and follow humble, truth-shaped leaders.
A Pastoral Send-Off (3 John 13–15)
John has much more to say but saves it for face-to-face conversation (v.13). What can’t wait is clear: faithfulness inspires, partnership enables, and discernment protects. He closes with peace and personal greetings (v.15)—a reminder that church isn’t an institution first; it’s a family on mission.
Living It This Week
Examine: If your physical health matched your spiritual health, what would change? Take one concrete step toward “walking in the truth.”
Partner: Choose one tangible way to resource gospel work—give, host, join a team, write an encouragement, show hospitality.
Discern: Refuse pride-driven patterns. Celebrate humble, truth-aligned examples. Protect unity by confronting what harms and imitating what heals.
Let’s be that church—faithful like Gaius, discerning like John, exemplary like Demetrius—so the truth can run freely among us.
SERMON DETAILS
Speaker: Jeff McNicol
Series: One Chapter Wonders
Sermon Title: If the Truth Be Told
Date: Sep 7, 2025
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
3 John 1-15
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