Today” booklet created by Riverland Hills
threatened with being put out of the church.
Baptist church and was blown away by
Now, does that remind you of yourself at
its contents and I am going to reference it
one point in time or your children’s behavior
today as it is very applicable to what I am
when they don’t get what they what? I
trying to articulate to every reader. One
would say yes for I have seen it represented
of the devotionals that I read was entitled
in my own actions along the way and I have
“The Spirit of Diotrephes.” In the opening
seen it manifested in my child’s behavior at
portion of the devotional, it pointed out
different times as well.
that, “some people
When you read
are so insecure and
and study the Bible,
easily threatened that
one thing becomes
That which has been is what
they feel a need to tear
extremely evident and
down anyone they
that is, “that there is
will be, That which is done is
perceive as a compet-
nothing new under
what
will
be
done,
And
there
is
itor.”
the sun (Ecclesiastes
nothing new under the sun.
As I continued
1:9, NKJV).” As it was
to read, the devo-
back then with Diotre-
tional referenced
phes and the church,
Ecclesiastes 1:9
“Diotrephes” in (III
so it is today in all
John: 9-10, NLT). It
relationships, churches
highlighted “Diotrephes as one of the New
and businesses. Just like the illustration I
Testament church leaders.” For those of us
used earlier with children having a selfish
that spend time in the word of God and are nature and not wanting to share with others,
acquainted with Diotrephes, we understand that is likewise how many people relate to
that when John indicated to Diotrephes
each other, they power-posture, manipulate,
that he had some talented traveling teachers scheme and otherwise because in actuality
come and speak at his church, instead of
they are acting like Diotrephes and the chil-
the appropriate response which would be to dren and saying “It’s mine.”
receive the “men of God” with open arms
That is the ultimate reason why many
recognizing they are doing the work of the
relationships are destroyed because of the
Lord, as the Bible suggests, Diotrephes
spirit of “Diotrephes” in operation in many
treated them contemptuously. He went as
people. Someone is insecure and threat-
far as to spew evil accusations against the
ened by someone’s success, education,
men of God, he refused to welcome them
physicality, qualifications and experience,
and when that wasn’t enough, he went as far and, as a result, they try to block someone’s
as to tell others not to help them and, when
progress.Whether it is a church and people
other people tried to help them, they were
scheming and power-posturing for posi-
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