Acting Like The World

3 John. This is the last of the three epistles written by John, and it is the most personal of them all. It was written to Gaius and has a very personal, intimate tone in this brief letter. In addition to commending Gaius for his hospitality towards the traveling Christian missionaries, John also address two other men. He condemns the self serving ministry of Diotrephes, and he congratulates Demetrius for his good testimony.
Diotrephes had become what we would call the "church dictator". He was a dominant personality who wanted control. He had usurped authority, run people off, expelled people from the fellowship, and had rejected the apostolic authority of John. And John was so aggravated with him that he was coming to pay Mr. Diotrephes a visit. When John gets there, he and Mr. Diotrephes are going to have a "little prayer meeting", if you know what I mean.
Unfortunately, Diotrephes is a picture of some folks in church today. They sit on the front row but act like the world. They sit on boards, chair committees and the such, and they throw their weight around, all the while, running people off from the church. And here's the problem. Like Diotrephes, they "love to have preeminence." The Greek of this literally means "to be fond of being first." Like Diotrephes, they want to be in charge. They are self-serving, self-centered, domineering, manipulating, and it's "my way or the highway." The species of first century Diotrephes is by no means extinct today. Sitting on the front row and acting like the world. Fond of being first. Wanting preeminence. Let me remind us all that there is only ONE who can have preeminence in the church, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church. Look at your hands. Any nail scars there? No. There's only One who died for the church, and it's His Church!
Thank God for John calling this man out and exposing his true nature. May God raise up more John's in these last days to expose church dictators that hinder His church.