As we often say about God’s word, it is timeless. By that we mean that it is just as applicable today as in the day it was first given. Can the Bible really provide guidance in situations that arise today? The answer is yes. A case in point would be this: how do you deal with a preacher/teacher that wants to “run” a church? What should the church do? Thankfully, the scriptures are not silent concerning this issue. Let’s take a closer look.

In the book of 3^rd John, we are told about a man that many students of the Bible are familiar with, his name is Diotrephes. Notice what John wrote about him. “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the pre-eminence 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.” (vr. 9-10).

Does this kind of behavior exist in the world today? Of course it does. There are a few principles that we can read to help us learn what a church should do in dealing with such a person. Now, we are not told whether this man was the local preacher. He may very well have been. Whether or not he was, he was a member of the church who wanted to run things. To desire the pre-eminence means he longed for the right to rule. Of course the only one who is to have the pre-eminence in the church is Jesus Christ (Col. 1:18).

Here are ways a local church can deal with a person like Diotrephes that are lawful:

1. Don’t ignore sinful behavior. Problems are not so bad within a local church. They become more serious when it is not taken care of. John said that when he comes he is going to bring up all his evil deeds (vr. 10)
    
2. Let everyone know what’s going on. Think for a moment what we are reading in 3^rd John. The apostle is telling everyone about this man. There is nothing sinful in pointing the finger at evildoers. This dispels the false notion that we are not to “judge”. When you read Matthew 7:1-5, we are told to identify sin. That’s not being judgmental, it’s being a faithful servant of Christ.
    
3. Confront the person face to face. It is true that the apostle was going to deal with him, but in our text, members of the church confronted this man (vr. 10). You can’t help but notice that John said certain ones went to Diotrephes, and not the whole church. It doesn’t matter if certain ones refuse to confront, that shouldn’t stop those who know they should.
    
4. Don’t worry about what might happen. Perhaps those members who didn’t want to confront Diotrephes thought about what might happen. We are told by John that when brethren did approach him that he turned around and put them out of the church (vr. 10). The fact that this evil doer didn’t repent and acted worse, it didn’t mean he shouldn’t have been dealt with. To ignore his actions would have been worse.
    
5. Understand what a fallen brother can’t do. In our last point we pointed out that Diotrephes put those brethren out of the church who opposed him. This doesn’t mean they were cast out of the body of Christ which the Lord added them to (Acts 2:47). To be cast out of a local assembly by those who refuse to do right is not a bad thing. This doesn’t mean those faithful brethren stop gathering to worship, they just do it somewhere else.

Chuck

Handling brethren like Diotrephes

Local churches can face all kinds of hardships. Sometimes, a member will feel like the church should revolve around them. This is a person who elevates themselves above the rest of the members and wants the preeminence. This is not a theoretical situation – it is described in the Bible! In III John 9-10, we read about a man named Diotrephes conducting himself this way.

This article’s focus is not so much about recognizing the ungodly behavior as it is about learning how a congregation should deal with a person like this. In our text, we are told that such a person needs to be confronted. Letting a person continue with that kind of behavior helps no one. John said he was going to deal with this man when arrived (verse 10). Interestingly, the local church did not have to wait until John showed up. The verse stated, “And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church” (verse 10).

The fact the John used the word “brethren” indicates that there were some brothers and sisters who stood against Diotrephes. As a result, they were put out of the church by this man. While Diotrephes prevented them from assembling with their brethren, keep in mind that no man can remove you from the spiritual church which the Lord added you to (Acts 2:47).

Whenever a brother or sister transgresses, our goal is to act in love to try and get them to repent (Gal. 6:1; James 5:19-20; I Cor. 5:1-7). Those who stoop to the level of the transgressor are also guilty of sin. Saints must know how the Lord wants them to conduct themselves. This can be a genuine challenge when dealing with a self-righteous man like Diotrephes, but the faithful still have a responsibility to “take the high road” and not return evil for evil (Rom. 12:21).

We all need to remember that the church belongs to Jesus (Matt. 16:18). Let us all seek to put Him first both when things are going well in the local church and when challenges arise.

                                                                                               Chuck