Introduction

In John’s 3^rd letter, he mentions an individual of a congregation who seems to set himself up as the “controlling factor” of that group. He writes, I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. (3 John 1:9-11)

Not a lot is known of this individual, Diotrephes, aside from what is revealed here. But we can draw some conclusions and then look at the church today.

Who Was Diotrephes?

John writes that he “loves to have the preeminence among them”. It may be that the congregation met in his home or he may have been a large contributor of money which, he assumes, gives him more sway over that group.

He also writes, “prating against us with malicious words”. This would suggest that he’s inciting negative comments against the apostle and his fellow travelers. He’s going so far as to refuse them to enter the place where they meet or, even, having them physically removed from the property.

One might ask how does a local group allow one, such as Diotrephes, to maintain this unchristian type of control? If the group meets in his house, they may not have any other place large enough to meet. He might threaten to remove his contribution, which would put the congregation in a financial bind. Or, it might be a simple matter that no one in the congregation is bold enough to take a stand against such an individual.

The Spirit of Diotrephes

The question then arises, does this type of person exist in today’s local congregation? The answer, unfortunately, is yes. However, he, or she, might not be as forthcoming, or as obvious, as the man, Diotrephes, himself.

Church Splitters—As John wrote earlier, They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us (1 John 2:19). This isn’t to say that they departed the congregation but, rather, they sequestered themselves and attempted to gain others who were of the same belief. Church splits start this way when one sways others to their side; thinking them to be a more pious individual.

They might cite that they do more to teach outsiders than anyone else in the congregation. Even if that might be true, this isn’t something that should be bragged about. We’re not in a competition with one another in the local congregation. Some act like they’ll get a better place in heaven if they do more work than others. Jesus, in the parable of the vineyard (Mt. 20:1-16) says otherwise.

It’s not so much as believing a different doctrine but, perhaps, how the congregation does its work. The local congregation, that I’m a member of, once had a small group who insisted that the KJV was the chosen translation of the bible and that if we used any other translation, we were not representing God, and His Word, correctly.

There is absolutely no authority in scripture for what is the best translation. They state that all the translations to come later have a more modern language to it and takes away the reverence. Okay, let’s, for a moment, consider that to be true. Here’s a verse in two different translations; which, do you believe, has more reverence to it?

KJV— But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:23)

BBE— But he, turning to Peter, said, Get out of my way, Satan: you are a danger to me because your mind is not on the things of God, but on the things of men. (Matthew 16:23)

I don’t know about you, but when talking about Satan, it shouldn’t be reverential anyway. Both say the exact same thing, just a little differently. That doesn’t make one superior to the other.

Controlling what is Taught—There are those who believe that only certain subjects should be taught when first studying with a new prospect. In other words, everyone should start in the same part of the bible when they begin to teach them.

The problem with this is that not every prospect is on the same learning level as others. Most have a grasp of the fundamental stories of the bible: Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, Moses and the 10 Commandments, etc.

A great place to start a new study with someone is Christ’s authority on earth. Why? Because if every religious person believed Jesus was the sole authority figure, there wouldn’t be any denominations!

After His resurrection, and before His ascension, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18) The question to ask from this is, ‘If Jesus has all authority, what’s left for man?’ If they say, ‘none’, then you explain why having a pope is wrong, why a church president is wrong, why a church council is wrong, why a denominational convention is wrong, and so on.

This is a make-or-break situation for your study. If they refuse to hear anymore because they hold to the pope or other leadership, then you can move on to the next prospect. Otherwise, you could spend weeks floundering with someone not knowing if you’re making any headway at all.

It’s the Lord’s Money—As referenced, in regard to Diotrephes, there are some who believe that since they contribute a large sum of money every Sunday, they have a right to delegate how that money is spent. While they can have a say in the matter, their word is not final. It’s up to the elders, or others, as to how the money should be used. Monthly bills, including the preacher’s salary, need to be considered before moving on to other opportunities. Once that money goes into the plate, it’s no longer yours!

Paul writes, So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7) The latter part of the verse, “or of necessity”, suggests that one might put their money in as a sense of duty. They might think, “If I contribute this amount of money this week, they we’ll have enough to buy that new set of study books that I’ve asking for during the last three months.”

Sometimes it’s hard to look past that idea; but not every congregation needs new bibles every couple of years, or new songs books every time a new version comes out, etc. Maintaining what your currently have to keep the congregation going is essential.

Conclusion

It’s called, the church of Christ because Jesus died and paid for it in blood (Acts 20:28). With this in mind, it is clear that whatever is done should be done according to the scriptures. As the apostle Paul wrote, And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)

And, as the church belongs to Christ, and He is the God-appointed head of His church (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18), it leaves no room for those of His followers to set themselves up as a sort of “Christ-on-earth-head” of His church and to dispute the unity that God requires of His children in their local word together. Appreciating this fact, no room is left in Christ’ church for such a one who would in any way be a modern-day Diotrephes.