⁹I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.

Serving the Lord does not come without opposition. John was an apostle, authorized by the Lord Jesus Christ as an official witness of his life and teachings (Acts 1:8, 21–22), but his apostolic authority did not insulate him from the pushback that many experience while serving as missionaries, elders, and teachers of the Word. From what we know of John being the “beloved disciple,” we might wonder how anyone could not love him. But he had detractors just as the apostle Paul had: “[F]or a great door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me” (1 Cor. 16:9 NIV).

Who was the man that opposed John? Diotrephes was his name, and we see him in contrast to the beloved Gaius, who walked in the truth. The latter gave John great joy, while the former brought John much consternation. Diotrephes was trying to undermine John’s apostolic authority, and John outlines clear indicators of his evil heart.

First, he rejected the instructions that John had written to the church previously. Today, we see people trying to lead others away from the Word of God through clever interpretations or, in some cases, an outright rejection of parts of Scripture as being antiquated by modern learning and science. Sometimes the rejection is blatant, but uncontested because of the personal power and persuasiveness of the false teacher.

Second, we see in Diotrephes a love of power. John’s comment, of course, is a judgment call, but sometimes godly people must make righteous judgments and not shrink back from the false accusation of “judgmentalism.” Such counter-criticism is a false accusation and a diversionary tactic that false teachers often use to deflect just criticism against themselves. Diotrephes’ love of being first reflects that he wanted authority and ultimate influence to reside in himself. He wanted the prominent role; he wanted to be the decision maker. He wanted everyone to think the church was his. You might see his name on the front marquee of the modern church that exalts the “senior pastor.”

God raises up leaders (Rom. 12:8) in the church, and we need to encourage them to lead well and to support them (1 Tim. 5:17–18). It is not wrong to seek to be a church elder who meets certain spiritual qualifications (1 Tim. 3:1). But we must safeguard the church against ambitious men who strive for positions of prominence and authority for selfish benefit and privilege.

Lord, I pray for the leaders of my local church that they may be humble.