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I wrote to the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to have preeminence among them
receives us not. – III John 1:9
In the Apostle John’s third epistle, he records his experience of being rejected by the elder, or pastor of a church he wanted to minister in. It’s amazing to me that this church leader named Diotrephes could reject an apostle who was one of Jesus’ most beloved disciples; someone who personally saw, heard and touched the Lord, who even rested his head upon Jesus’ breast. John, the eyewitness to Jesus’ death, His resurrection and ascension, did not rate a booking in this man’s church, because as John aptly recognized, Diotrephes wanted “preeminence” among his congregation and could not tolerate anyone other than himself to be the center of attention. His ego and jealously tainted his entire ministry, as it also does for many in the church who operate under the same spirit of preeminence.
This affliction is not only limited to a pastor who hogs his pulpit and refuses to allow any other guest speakers to share his sacred space. The example we are given in John’s epistles, also applies to those who reject the authority of those first century apostles and their doctrine.
John shows us in his first epistle that “We (the apostles) are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears us not. Hereby we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (I John 4:6).
The same spirit of preeminence also seeks to prevent sound apostolic doctrine from entering into the church. Those who are under the influence of this spirit no longer think they need to rely solely on the first century apostolic authority that is recorded in the Bible.
The church tumbles into apostasy when man’s religious ego exalts itself above the apostle’s words, and rejects or negates the apostolic model we are instructed to humbly follow.
We are taught to avoid man’s philosophy and to test the spirits to see if they are of God (I John 4:1). We do that by comparing what we are hearing in the pulpits with what is written by God through the people that the Lord handpicked to propagate His word.
The church that is operating in the spirit of truth, submits to the authority of the founding apostles, welcomes their words and shares them from their pulpits without reservation.
If the Apostle John were alive on earth today, would he be welcomed to speak from the pulpit in your church? It’s a question you need to ask yourself – and your pastor.
Copyright 2020 by H. D. Shively
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