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Search me oh God...
Ken Silva3 John 1:9-10
I wrote to the Church but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the Church.
I did a little bit of study and found that Diotrephes was a self-seeking troublemaker in an unnamed local Church in the first century. We know nothing of his back ground except that he was probably a gentile. From John's description, we can assume that Diotrephes was a leader, or at least an influential member in the local Church where Gaius was a member. Diotrephes was abusing his position of authority. He appears to be jealous of the Apostles and refused to allow them in his Church.
1) He loves to be first 2) He refuses to welcome the Apostles into the Church 3) He spreads gossip about the men of God 4) he withholds hospitality from other believers 5) He requires others to follow his poor example
My application is a question to myself...do I display any of the characteristics of Diotrephes? Do I gossip and judge others in the Church? Do I display hospitality to staff and Church members? Do I want to always be first, want recognition? I need to look in the mirror and have a honest heart check. "Search me oh God...". What about the brothers and sisters around me, do I recognize any of these traits in them? If so, I need to lovingly speak into their lives and help point them back to Jesus. Our Church is at a critical juncture. We need unity and must be guarded against division. The enemy is on the prowl and can break the Church down if we allow it. The greatest threat to our Church is not from the outside. The greatest threat is the unseen division that can arise from within our own ranks.
Dear Lord Jesus, Father God, thank you for the blessing of New Hope. I pray for our leaders, our volunteers, our congregation. I ask for your continued blessings upon this Church and Pastor Wayne. I pray for unity of thought and unity of purpose. No matter the storms that may come, through our faith and love in you we await a bright new day. Thank you for loving us. Amen
