III John 1
1 The elder to Gaius the agape-beloved, whom I agape-love in truth.2 Agape-beloved, above everything I wish you to be prospering, and to be prospering, and to be being healthy, just as your psyche-life1 prospers. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when [the] brothers came and testified of the truth in you, just as you walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than these, that I hear that my children are walking in the truth. 5 Agape-beloved, you do trustworthily whatever you work to the brothers and those strangers, 6 who have testified [of your] agape-love before [the] assembly2 , whom you will do well having sent [them] worthy of God. 7 For because of his name they went out, taking nothing from the nations. 8 We therefore ought to be supporting such, in order that we become co-workers to the truth. 9 I have written something to the assembly2, but Diotrephes, the [one] philia-loving preeminence among them, did not receive us. 10 Because of this, if I come, I will call to mind his works which he does, talking nonsense against us with wicked3 words, and not being content with that, neither does he receive the brothers and hinders those intending to, and throws them out of the assembly2. 11 Agape-beloved, do not imitate the evil but the good. The [one] doing good is from God. The [one] doing evil has not seen God.
12 Demetrius has been [well] testified of by all and by the truth itself, and we [also] testify, and know that our witness is true. 13 I had much to write to you, but I do not want to be writing to you with ink and pen. 14 But I hope to see you straightway, and we will speak mouth to mouth. 15 Peace [be] to you. The philia-[friends] greet you. Be greeting the philia-[friends] by name.
1from PSYCHE (ψυχη): an individual manifestation of life/consciousness. Animals have PSYCHEs as well as humans. Contrast ZOE (ζωη)—Life 'collectively', interdependent, interconnected.
2EKKLESIA (εκκλησια) from "called out". Appears 114 times in the N.T., but only in two places in the Gospels ( Matt.16:18 (twice) and Matt.18:17 (twice)). It's worth noting that when Jesus uses the term EKKLESIA, Christian community as we know it didn't yet exist—there were only the disciples. EKKLESIA is apparently different from 'synagogue' (SYNAGOGE (συναγωγη) which occurs 56 times in the N.T.) EKKLESIA is used in secular Greek literature of a popular assembly 'called to assemble', and also of those 'called' to a cult. EKKLESIA is used frequently in the N.T. outside of the Gospels to refer to Christian communities, but in Acts.7:38 it is used of the people of Israel led through the desert by Moses, and in Acts.19:32 ff. of a secular assembly. Thus, all told, the common translation of EKKLESIA as 'church' doesn't really reflect 1st century usage—it seems to mean more like 'a group of people assembled for some specific purpose'.
3PONEROS (πoνηρoς ) here. The Greek word KAKOS (κακoς ) is always translated `evil', PONEROS is usually translated as `wicked' although occasionally as `bad'; it can also mean 'diseased', 'sickly' and is thus translated where appropriate. Like KAKOS, PONEROS also means `evil', but the harm that evil does is more in view, where KAKOS is more `evil as evil'.