Summary
The article subject is "2 John," but the source material provided is about neighboring (loving one's neighbor) and does not actually treat the epistle of 2 John as its subject. The only mention of 2 John in the source is as a navigation reference while locating 1 John in the Bible. Writing a substantive encyclopedia entry on the epistle of 2 John from this material would require fabricating content not present in the source.
Rather than invent material, here is an article shaped around what the source actually teaches—framed under the closest faithful heading the source supports. If you intended a different subject (the epistle of 2 John itself), that would need source material treating that book.
Loving the Neighbor God Has Placed Next Door
The two greatest commandments stand together: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself Matthew 22:36-39. Taking the second seriously means narrowing our focus from a vague "everyone" to the actual people God has set on our block. Our priorities run God first, then family, and from there our neighbors fit naturally into the life of faith.
A common obstacle is fear—or, more honestly, timidity. The surrounding culture trains us to distrust strangers, to be outraged at differences, and to write people off based on cooking smells, yard signs, religion, a perpetually closed garage door, or a Halloween display. Before dismissing a neighbor, the honest question is simply: is this an assumption, or is it true? Scripture answers the conditioning of fear directly: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear… we love because he first loved us" 1 John 4:18-19. Christ reconciled us to God while we were still his enemies, and he has prepared good works in advance to be our way of life Ephesians 2:10. "God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline" 2 Timothy 1:7. Setting fear aside is not setting aside discernment; wisdom and caution still matter. It simply refuses to let insecurity or awkwardness keep us from the neighbor in front of us. Historically, this is how the Church grew: in plagues and crises, Christians stayed and cared for those around them when others fled—an impulse that even gave rise to the profession of nursing.
A simple framework moves us forward: stranger → acquaintance → relationship. The first step is learning names. Honesty disarms awkwardness ("I know you've told me before, but I'm terrible with names—would you tell me again?"). Write those names on a block map and post it where you'll see it daily, both as a memory aid and as a visible reminder of the people God has placed around you. Some have turned a block map into a neighborhood directory, gathering and sharing contact information so neighbors can reach one another—a tool especially valuable when people need help with groceries, errands, or simply a phone call. See The Art of Neighboring: Lesson #2 for the practical walkthrough.
Relationships cannot be forced, but opportunities for them can be created. Move family life from the backyard to the front yard. Take walks. Host or co-host a block party. Walk a neighbor's dog. Offer practical help. When Levi was called by Jesus, he threw a banquet full of tax collectors and sinners, and Jesus used that table to declare, "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance" Luke 5:27-32. Hospitality and shared meals open doors precisely because they are not transactional.
Neighboring is never a bait-and-switch. People sense an agenda instantly, and a manufactured friendship rings false. As members of the priesthood of all believers, Christians have every right and authority to speak of Christ and should not shrink back—but we trust the Lord to open doors for those conversations in his time. Our task is to be present, authentic, and available; to push through the initial awkwardness, which is usually the hardest part. Once that is past, the Spirit has remarkable room to work for the good of our neighbors and the glory of God's kingdom.
Video citations
- The Art of Neighboring: Lesson #2 — Good morning. It is so good to be here, gathered with you yet another Sunday. We hope that you're enjoying these adult education classes. We're hoping that you're able to put into practice some of…