A) Let's return to 3rd John, picking it up at verse 9. In this small letter, we get a glimpse of the early church. We can already determine that in the first 60 years, there were already people in the church who were difficult to deal with. If anyone thinks that church leadership was much better back then, they haven't read much of their Bible.

B) We are now introduced to Diotrephes. After hearing such great things about Gaius, our attention shifts to another leader within the church. Keep in mind that this is a valid church with recognized members, acknowledged by the Apostle John. It is not a cult. John addresses the church both then and now. Not all churches are bad, but not all churches are good, and not all leaders are bad.

C) The first statement regarding Diotrephes defines his character as someone who loves to be first. Here’s the simple problem with that: a person who loves to be first does not love to serve; they love to be served. That means the power and authority they acquire are used to benefit themselves. This, of course, is the opposite of how Jesus taught people to function. We have His authority for the benefit of others and for advancing the Kingdom, not ourselves.

D) The second mark of a bad leader is that Diotrephes would not accept instructions. Here’s the problem: when a leader, even someone like myself, always feels like they need to be right, no matter the case, there’s an issue. There is only one who is always right all the time, and His name is Jesus. There is no other name to which that can be attributed. We need to be aware that leaders make mistakes, and if the church did a better job of loving them through that, it wouldn’t be so difficult. On the flip side, someone who can’t admit mistakes is just delusional. Fret not; I make a thousand mistakes a day, so in a certain sense, praise the Lord.