What you’re about to read is the book introduction of the
third epistle of John: out of Nelson KJV
In third John the apostle encourages fellowship with
Christian brothers. Following his
expression of love for Gaius, John assures him of his prayers for his health
and voices his joy over Gaius’s persistent walk in truth and for the manner in
which he shows hospitality and support for missionaries who have come to his
church.
But not everyone in the church feels the same way. Diotrephes’ heart is one hundred and eighty
degrees removed from Gaius’s heart. He
is no longer living in love. Pride has
taken precedence in his life. He has
refused a letter John has written for the church, fearing that his authority
might be superseded by that of the apostle.
He also has accused John of evil words and refused to accept
missionaries. He forbids others to do so
and even expels them from the church if they disobey him. John uses this negative example as an
opportunity to encourage Gaius to continue his hospitality. Demetrius has a good testimony and may even
be one of those turned away by Diotrephes.
He is widely known for his good character and his loyalty to the truth. Here he is well commended by John and stands
as a positive example for Gaius.
As true saints, we have to make sure we’re leading people to
Christ and not to ourselves. There are
many Babylonian church systems that have perfected in doing so. This very thing has gone on for centuries; as
you can see above because there’s nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes
1:9 Conformity is a damnable thing when dealing with winning souls for God’s
kingdom. It’s a very thin line between
leading someone to salvation and feeling the vanity of power to control someone’s
beliefs. In searching for and finding my
own liberty I’ve come across people who weren’t teaching the true gospel of
Jesus Christ, let alone living it. We
can go on and on about the disparities of one church from another but there’s
no need. Just know and understand; not
all churches are created in Christ. What
gets into a man once he’s called that corrupts his way of thinking? Living?
Many will say it’s hard to live a life of righteousness with so much
temptation, but I beg to differ. For it
states plainly in James 1:13-14 Let
no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth he any man: But every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his
own lust, and enticed.
Having an altered vision is similar to what’s still in our
flesh that keeps us enslaved to our sin, be it pride, vanity, love of power,
self-righteousness, and/or greed. So, to
have someone in church leadership who isn’t completely conformed to Christ can
stunt the growth of the ministry. Another
form of altered vision is the making of positions within the church that does
not exist in the bible; such as the first lady and definitely the first
gentleman. 1Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9 These scriptures clearly define the
office of elders, bishops, and deacons.
So where did all of this extra stuff come from??? From people who would rather lift up
themselves than lift up Jesus Christ! Instead
of giving a word to help people see the error of their ways and the opportunity
to truly repent, most only give a word of prosperity and what feels good to
them. Then you have those who believe in
some scriptures but not all. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21 We can’t pull from certain scriptures and
make them fit the dynamics of our own filthy lives.
We are living in a time where the lines have been drawn and
a choice must be made. You have to
choose to believe AND stand on EVERY word of God. Continuing to straddle the fence just won’t
cut it in the eyes of God. 2 Peter 1:10 The blueprint
for the church starts and ends with Jesus Christ but man has found a way to
subvert the gospel and change the pathway.
We have to get back to the old pathway that Jesus Christ laid before us
in order for the church to belong to him.
Brothers and sisters, let’s pray we correctly form the body of Christ
which is the true church that will be raised up in these last days.
As Always,
It.Is.Written.
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