So if I come, I will
bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content
with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to
and puts them out of the church.
THE STUDY:
In this verse John is continuing on with the
subject of Diotrephes and his refusal of the Apostles authority. He says, “I will bring up what he is doing, talking
wicked nonsense against us.” This is not to imply a face-off between the
two but a more candor acknowledgment that in the near future this matter will
be addressed, personally, by John.
The resistance from Diotrephes went
beyond refusing to receive those approved by John. Any who offered hospitality
to the elder’s group he put out of the
church.
The verb ekballō, puts … out,
means throw out or away. It describes what Jesus did to demons (Matt 8:16; Mark
1:34) and to the moneychangers in the temple (Matt 21:12). The
word in this context suggests an expulsion of some sort of those who were
providing hospitality to the elder’s representatives. We can only speculate
that Diotrephes was a host of a local house church. We can say for sure,
though, that his actions were that of a local discipline and not an overarching
church decision.
Although Diotrephes was a person of
some authority, his position seems not to have prevailed. The survival and
canonization of this little letter suggests that the elder’s appeal was
successful. Otherwise the NT may have included letters written by Diotrephes![1]
WHAT WE CAN WALK
AWAY WITH ….
- We walk away this morning with the understanding that the truth of Christ (the Church) will prevail. We know that some individuals who believe that their own convictions, in regards to the church, should rise to the top and become a focal point. In this scenario those individuals are the ones who eventually lose credibility and position. Credibility with God’s people and position with God! What they must do to regain what was lost is repent!
CONCLUSION:
In ministry, I have seen many individuals feel
the need to challenge the authority and even attempt to remove leaders
(Pastors) in the church. The feeling that resonates from me regarding these circumstances
is that this is wrong! I have seen good pastors encounter such actions and have
left the ministry. I have seen some who have weathered the storm but they have
paid the price. No one wins in these situations, everyone loses! This is not to
the Glory of God!
I am not implying that all pastors
are right and all laymen are wrong! I know this is not always the case. We need
to understand that God calls few to lead by all to follow! All of it should be
for the Glory of God.
There will be disagreements and
disputes and this is where the words of Jesus should be put into practice: “If your brother sins against you, go and
tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have
gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along
with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three
witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he
refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax
collector (Matt. 18:15-17).
Don’t let Satan have a foothold on
you today! If you have an issue or a disagreement with your brother/sister (pastor
or laymen) put Matt. 18 into practice. Let’s not be a Diotrephes, let’s be Jesus!
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3
John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary
(215). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.
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