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. Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true. (3 John 1:9-12)

Two Kinds Of Church Members

The early church faced internal problems because the human spirit would not submit to the will of Christ. Luke traces the origins and history of the church in the Acts of the Apostles, including the many problems it faced. The Jerusalem church dealt with prejudice and neglect against the Greek widows, and then the shocking news of the death of Ananias and Sapphira, who lied to God and were struck dead. Certain men came down from Judea to Antioch, teaching that circumcision was necessary for salvation, causing no small stir among the churches. Paul’s letters to the churches addressed problems of carnality, sexual immorality, false doctrine, submission to government, disputes over doubtful things, abuse of the Lord’s Supper, and a host of challenges the early church faced.

There were problems in the church because the body of Christ is made up of sinners. What hindered the work of the Lord were those members who were carnally minded, seeking their own wills rather than submitting to the will of the Lord. Such was the case when the apostle John writes to a fellow saint named Gaius. It seems that in the church where Gaius was a member, there were problems with a member named Diotrephes. This man loved to have preeminence among the saints, making false claims against men like the apostle John and casting out some members of the church. His actions were full of deceit and maliciousness. Diotrephes ran the local church as if it were his own group of saints.

John asks Gaius not to allow the ungodly example of Diotrephes to influence the work of the church. The malicious character of Diotrephes should not be allowed to guide the spirit of the church. John exhorts Gaius to follow the examples of good people among the brethren, especially the example of a saint named Demetrius. His example was that of goodness and kindness. The example of wicked men shows themselves to be wicked, and the example of good men shows themselves to be good men. John wants the brethren to look to the good examples among them and to imitate their lives as they imitate Jesus Christ. Demetrius was a model of seeking the higher calling of God’s will with humility. Diotrephes was an example of carnality and worldliness.

Many congregations have members like Diotrephes who try to impose their will on others for their own glory. Men like Demetrius are quiet workers doing the work of the Lord with little fanfare. The church was bought by the blood of Jesus. Headship of the church belongs only to Christ. No man should think the church belongs to him. The early church faced the challenges of members who were examples of ungodliness and those who were godly. John exhorted the saints to seek out those who gave good examples of faith and fidelity and to follow their example. He warned them against following men like Diotrephes, as both will fall into the ditch. Paul asked the saints in Corinth to imitate him as he imitated the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the only model of following another man’s example. The example of a godly man reflects the glory of God. That is the example that leads to righteousness.