Reading through The Bible - 3 JOHN

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is the 

• shortest of them all by no. of words
• joint shortest of them all by no. of chapters (5 books all have only 1)
• second shortest of them all by no. of verses

you can find these comparisons in  The 10 Shortest Books

In fact it only takes 2 mins to read it according to Crossway and their lovely barchart

3rd JOHN  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

25th book of the NT 

64th book of the Bible

It starts with the reassurance that John prays for the elder Gaius

  in 3 John v 2 we read

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."

What is it?

The Book of 3 JOHN is one of the EPISTLES in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.

How Long is it?

It only has 1 chapter.

When was it Written?

It was written between 95 & 90 AD

Who Wrote it?

John the beloved disciple of Jesus

The name of the letter tells us the writer.

Other letters in the bible are named to show who the recipients of the letters were specifically intended to be but these were letters written by John son of Zebedee and brother of James.

One of the three disciples who Jesus often took with him apart from the others. 

Who was it Written to?

It was written to Gaius as stated in verse 1

 

"To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth:"

What is it normally well-known for?

That John was happy the believers were walking in the Truth as seen in the fourth verse 

but also about concern about a false teacher and John wanted the people to continue to remember to differentiate between good & evil as verse 11 says

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"An even shorter letter about Christian fellowship."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"John criticised a false teacher in this very short letter.  He even called him out by name."  

 

Why was it Written? 

It was written to encourage about love and truth and to warn about the false teaching that was coming into the church and specifically warn about a certain person.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"This letter repeats many themes from John’s first letter, and Second John reflects these themes as well. Third John shows us what happens when people follow sound teaching . . . and when they don’t:

• When Christians walk in truth, joy abounds (3 Jn 4). When someone in the church rejects the truth, everyone hurts (3 Jn 19).
• When Christians support one another, they share fellowship in the truth (3 Jn 8). When someone seeks his own power, the fellowship is at risk (3 Jn 9–10).

Overall, the three letters from John give us an idea of what the apostle thought was most important at the time: sound teaching, obedience to God, and brotherly love."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"The letter shows us that even when the church was less than 50 years old, it had the same types of problems we have today with divisions and dishonesty."  

Which other books of the Bible is this linked to? 

John wrote three epistles of which this is the third which follows

 1st John and 2nd John  

other books would be

The Gospel of John (also written by John)

Revelation (also written by John)

Jude (also only one chapter long)

Philemon (also only one chapter long)

Obadiah (also only one chapter long)

How does it end?

With the wish to visit in person in the 

first half of verse 13

and a farewell greeting in the 

second half of verse 13

"Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name."

The Overview Bible  gives us this

Quick outline of 3 John

1. Praise for walking in truth (1–4)
2. Praise for loving the brethren (5–8)
3. Caution regarding Diotrephes (9–12)
4. Anticipation of a visit (13–15)

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 

 

The Wooden EverEarth Noah's Ark Toy for Young Children - Review

We will share the

• Unboxing
• Views & Features of the Ark
• Animals
• Our Opinion
• The reaction of our grandson

UNBOXING

The Ark was double boxed and padded with polystyrene and extra cardboard boxes

It was all a tight fit so this gave us great confidence for an unharmed Ark.

We then saw that the smaller boxes contained the animals wrapped in polystyrene bags.

 

As we had thought, the Ark was in perfect condition when we eventually got it maneuvered out of the box which we had to tear partly.

VIEWS & FEATURES

The two sides were almost identical

Side 1

Side 2

The main difference was the top was closer to one end than the other.  

At the end with more space the top of the Ark had two swing opening doors.

Both sides of the Ark could be opened & part of the roof lifted off.

Plenty of room inside the bottom of the Ark for the animals and a set of steps went from the top to the bottom.

Investigating these features let us see and feel the movement and thickness of the wood.

ANIMALS

As we unwrapped the animals they were placed on and entering the Ark

and around the Ark

OUR OPINION

We were very impressed with the sturdy frame and the simple decor to the outside of this wooden Ark.

The inside was not forgotten when it came to detail as it featured a step/ramp and segregated area in the main section of the Ark; the top area had the opening down to the lower section and room for some of the animals too.

The outer side doors were a large part of each side and were attached at the top with strong string/cord which were very apt for a boat.

The finish of the wood left us with no doubt that this was a gift that would not be easily broken or damaged which is very important when it is for a young boy who is eager to investigate everything.

The Reaction of our Grandson

For his first birthday Matthew had received a piano (by Melissa & Doug) and the keys had been excitedly played or should we say banged.

On seeing this, his second birthday gift, Matthew just launched in to explore it and did not speak to any of us for quite some time.

Matthew takes a good look around and into the top of the Ark

Matthew discovers the openings on each side of the Ark

Matthew discovers the roof comes off

Matthew is intrigued with the rope for opening the sides of the Everearth Ark

Every bit of the Ark was opened, closed, turned around and every animal examined carefully, matched up with its pair and allotted a position outside and then inside it's home.

Matthew was happy to share the Ark with his duplo as well as the animals

The final thing was:

  Testing how it was to be moved.

Matthew slides the Everearth Ark across the floor headed for the hallway

This 2 year old was very happy with his gift because not only was it strong and could take the care (abuse) of a boisterous 2 year old but it also left enough room for different arrangements of play and for imagination which led to a lot of talk then about what the animals were going to do and where exactly they would reside.

Nanny and Grandpa were very happy that on being pushed across the wooden floor the Everearth Ark did not leave any marks!!!

NOTE

The only thing I felt was disappointing was the fact that Noah and his wife and family where not part of the toy (or at least the husband and wife).

The Everearth Ark is very expensive but we know without a doubt that this Ark is of extremely good quality and will survive the adventures with Matthew and his little sister Ruby when she is older and any other grandchildren we may have.

I have not been compensated for this review - it is just my opinion of the gift we got for out first grandson.

Reading Through The Bible - 2 JOHN

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is the 

• shortest of them all by no. of verses
• joint shortest of them all by no. of chapters (5 books all have only 1)
• second shortest of them all by no. of words

you can find these comparisons in  The 10 Shortest Books

In fact it only takes 2 mins to read it according to Crossway and their lovely barchart

2nd JOHN  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

24th book of the NT 

63rd book of the Bible

It starts with a greeting that is different from most other epistles.

  in 2 John ch.1 v 1 we read

"The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;"

and quickly takes us to the assurance that this is about truth in the following verse 

"For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever."

What is it?

The Book of 2 JOHN is one of the EPISTLES in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.

How Long is it?

It only has 1 chapter.

When was it Written?

It was written between 95 & 90 AD

Who Wrote it?

John the beloved disciple of Jesus

The name of the letter tells us the writer.

Other letters in the bible are named to show who the recipients of the letters were specifically intended to be but these were letters written by John son of Zebedee and brother of James.

One of the three disciples who Jesus often took with him apart from the others. 

Who was it Written to?

At first glance it would look as if it was a letter written to a specific person "the elect lady" and greeting sent at the end by "the chosen lady" however there are 3 trains of thought about this

1. the whole church
2. a specific assembly (church)
3. a lady

 and I think I go with number 2.

What is it normally well-known for?

Truth & Love are widely quoted and even appear as quickly as the Greeting in verse 3 

continuing to emphasis Love in verse 6

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"A very brief letter about walking in truth, love and obedience."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"This short, one-chapter book offers great encouragement to walk in the light and love one another even when it is hard"  

 

Why was it Written? 

It was written to encourage and remind the believers not to forget the truth in the doctrine of Christ, the love they should have for one another and to keep the commands of Jesus.

Remembering as stated above that Truth and Love are even presented straight away in the greeting.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"He’d told them about truth, love, and obedience—now he writes to tell them what to do about it.

In Second John, the elder (2 Jn 1) briefly explains the relationship between the three:

• Love and truth. ........ When two parties know the truth, love comes naturally.
• Truth and obedience. ..... When you know the truth, obedience comes naturally.
• Obedience and love. ..... A sure sign of obedience to God is love for His church, and a sure sign of love is obedience to God.

He then warns that ........ They should beware of teachers who do not acknowledge Jesus’ human life and who deviate from the things He taught (2 Jn 8–9). Such people are dangerous: the church shouldn’t side with them, shouldn’t invite them in, and shouldn’t participate in their actions (2 Jn 10–11)."  

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"1 John was written to combat false teaching ..... in 2 John he is addressing the same issue but not in as much detail."  

Which other books of the Bible is this linked to? 

John wrote three epistles of which this is the second which follows 1st John and is followed by 3rd John  

other books would be

The Gospel of John (also written by John)

Revelation (also written by John)

Jude (also only one chapter long)

Philemon (also only one chapter long)

Obadiah (also only one chapter long)

How does it end?

With the desire to come and visit in person instead of writing another letter in verse 12

"Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full."

and another greeting in verse 13 

"The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen."

The Overview Bible  gives us this

Quick outline of 2 John

1. Walk in truth (1–4)
2. Love others and obey God (5–6)
3. Beware false teachers (7–11)
4. Look forward to a visit (12–13)

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE