The story of the Early Church is full of twists and turns, chronicled by the book of Acts and told through the letters of Paul. But there is a third important New Testament voice worth listening to from this same time period, and it turns out we have been listening to it for a while now. Since January, we have been talking about the beginning of the movement that started in the early days of Jesus’ ministry, as told in John’s Gospel, which continued through and included his post-Resurrection appearances. We have been reading about the “anti-society” community that Jesus began to build, his counter-cultural message of love, and the proclamation of abundant life that permeated the Gospel. But what if the Gospel of John was just the beginning?
Many New Testament scholars suggest that John’s Gospel was likely the first part in a four-part series of works that was created by an Early Church community that was busy building the Jesus-movement. Likely based in Ephesus, this community continued to preach and live out the themes of John’s Gospel: light, love, and commitment to Jesus amidst a world that doesn’t understand him. Three short letters were likely penned in the context of this community, and they help us understand how the Jesus-movement rippled out from its source. While these other works fail to include any mention of Paul, Barnabus, Lydia, or Timothy, they are an important continuation of the message of John’s Gospel, proclaiming the power of the Church in the world!
May 3: Fellowship with One Another (I John 1.1–9 and III John)
May 10: Antichrists Among Us (I John 3.16–4.6 and II John)
May 17: God is Love (I John 4.7–19)