The Danger of Diotrephes

What type of Church Member do you desire to be?  Perhaps you have never even given this much thought. Well, whether you have thought about it or not, I want to warn us all today about the Danger of Diotrephes.  In 3 John 9, the Apostle John tells us that “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.” 

We do not have time in this blog to dissect exactly what Diotrephes’ role was in the church but needless to say, he was a church leader.  Notice the first problem in his ministry:  he “loves to be first among them.”  Diotrephes sought to be first!  How many of us want to be first in our church?  We approach church with the attitude that it’s all about me; it’s all about feeding me; it’s all about my rights; it’s all about my comforts; it’s my way or the highway.

It’s so sad that many of us approach church and ministry with this selfish, prideful and arrogant mindset.  But does that fit with Paul’s description of Christ in Philippians 2?  Paul said that Jesus, “being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  Obviously there is a glaring difference. 

Or what about John’s detailing of the Last Supper where Jesus “knowing that the Father had given all things into His Hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.”  

Jesus, who alone is worthy of being first, always desired to serve others!  The danger for us is that we want church and ministry to be about us rather than about taking up the humble service and ministry of the towel.

As Diotrephes sought to be first we read that he accused John with wicked words (v. 10) and that he would not receive missionaries and Christian brothers that John sent to the church, and he even cast out those who disagreed with him.  This sounds crazy!  Who would not welcome the Apostle John or those sent by him?  Unfortunately, if you look closely enough at our modern churches, you will find a Diotrephes in many of our congregations.  Maybe it’s the pastor, or a deacon, or a Sunday School teacher.  Maybe it’s an officer in the church or maybe it’s a church member who has been there for decades, or perhaps it is a faithful tither. 

Honestly, a Diotrephes can be lurking anywhere in the congregation.  Even within your own heart!  So let us be careful.  Let us avoid the Danger of Diotrephes.  Let us humble ourselves and imitate Christ.  John says in verse 11 that we are not to “imitate what is evil, but what is good.”  Therefore imitate Christ.  Humble yourself and serve within your congregation. If you want to see your congregation grow, then begin serving more.  As we like to say at Macedonia:  “God comes first, people matter more than things, and needs matter more than rights!” 

Fear Not?

Fears and anxieties; we all have them.  Some of us have more than others.  There are those obvious fears such as being afraid of snakes and spiders, being afraid of the dark, or fears of bad weather.  But there are also less obvious fears and ones that many people are even afraid to admit that they fear such as being alone, being in front of a crowd, going into a shopping store, or just generally being afraid of people.  Fear and anxiety are gripping and binding and can easily cripple someone and keep them from living the life God intends for them. 

If you will allow a moment of transparency on my behalf, I will confess that these are things that I struggle with.  I have battled anxiety my entire life, even since becoming a follower of Christ at age 19.  I have prayed many times for God to remove these anxieties from my life and to this point He has not.  But I will tell you that although He has not delivered me from them, He does deliver me through them.  I constantly battle anxiety and I constantly wage war with the fear of being around people.  Isn’t it interesting that God called me to be a pastor and speak in front of crowds of people each week?  His will be done … His plans are better than mine … He knows what He’s doing not me. 

So how do we get through these fears and anxieties?  The world is kind of a crazy place and can be terrifying for anyone so how can we “not be afraid?” How can we "fear not?"

Psalm 91 provides us with great promises:

“(2) I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!’ (3) For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.  (4) He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. (5) You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by the day; (6) of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.  (7) A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. (8) You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. (9) For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place.  (10) No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. (11) For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. (12) They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. (13) You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down.”

Such a beautiful promise of guidance from the Lord and protection from the troubles of darkness.  But what is our role in this?

Look closely at verses 1 and 9 and you will see the answer:

(1)  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

(9) For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. 

Those who DWELL in the Lord receive these great promises.  So take steps to do the following:

-       Time with God – your dwelling place is where you live and it is where you spend time; so spend time with God in His Word and in prayer

-       Think about God – to dwell on something means to spend a lot of time thinking on that subject; so spend time thinking about who God is and the many great things He has done, can do, and will do

-       Keep him at the forefront of your mind – God must be priority in your life.  Where you dwell and what you dwell on will be priorities so make God that dwelling place at the forefront of all your thoughts.

-       Work at it – you consider your dwelling place to be your home most likely.  You take time to make it better, to make it secure, to make it the best home it can be.  Likewise, make your relationship with God stronger.  Take steps to know Him more and get yourself out of the way and allow Him to fix areas in your life that are messed up or broken. 

The more you dwell in God the more peace you will find.  The more you abide in God the less afraid you will be.  So DWELL!!

*Image courtesy of Graceway Media. 

To God Belongs the Day

12 

Unless you have been living under a stone lately (and I doubt you have); you have noticed how dark the world seems to be today.  Terror continues to strike at the hearts of nation after nation and political bickering has become as shameful as ever in the United States.  At times it is easy to feel that nothing good remains: that everything that is “green and good in this world” has been destroyed or taken away. 

Perhaps you have watched the morning news or nightly news, or even the twenty-four hour news and as a result have found yourself in a sorrowful place.  It is easy to look at the world around us and think that there is no hope.  It is tempting to believe that God has given up; that He has forsaken us; or even that He does not exist.  If you find yourself in such times of emotional sorrow look to the words of the psalmist in Psalm 74.  Quite likely written after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. the author was living during a time of enormous destruction, catastrophe, and darkness.  Yet in the midst of the darkness he declared:

            12 Yet God is my king from of old,

Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth.

13 You divided the sea by Your strength;

You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.

14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;

You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

15 You broke open springs and torrents;

You dried up ever-flowing streams.

16 Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;

You have prepared the light and the sun.

17 You have established all the boundaries of the earth;

You have made summer and winter.

God is still on His throne.  God still loves His children.  God is still the God of hope.  To Him belongs the day, the night, the nation, the politicians, the world, and the universe.  Let us not walk in the darkness but run to the light:  to the one true light of the world who is Jesus Christ the Son of God. 

Is God Big Enough? - Part 2

Yesterday I asked the question "How Big is God?"  How you answer that affects how you think God can handle the situations you are going through.  If you believe God is tiny then you most likely feel that God cannot adequately help you through the difficult times in your life.  However, if you believe, as Scripture declares, that God is MIGHTY and AWESOME and POWERFUL then you trust in Him and believe that He can deliver you from anything.

The problem for most of us is that we are unwilling to ask Him for help.  Be it pride or stubbornness, or just plain fear; we often fail to go to God with our needs.  We fail to cry out to Him as He desires us to.

If you need help with this, just flip over to Psalm 69:13-15 and look at the beautiful and honest prayer from David as an example:

• (13)  But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness      of Your lovingkindness, Answer me with Your saving truth.  (14) Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink; May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters.  (15) May the flood of water not overflow me Nor the deep swallow me up, Nor the pit shut its mouth on me.

I hope that you will notice a couple of things here:

1. David proclaimed the lovingkindness of God and His greatness.  Therefore, trust that when you pray that you are praying to the one true God who is loving and who is great.  Furthermore, acknowledge and proclaim His greatness.  Give Him thanks for how great He truly is.  Do not just focus on what He has done for you but just praise Him for who He is.
2. Cry out for help. Be open, honest, and specific with God.  He is big enough to hear your emotions and He is big enough to handle your honesty.  And finally, He is big enough to help you.  So just go to Him. 

Just go to Him. 

Is God Big Enough?

How big is God?  Sounds like a question a four year old might ask you doesn't it?  If someone were to ask you that question you might have a difficult time answering it . . . in fact there is no way to truly answer that question on a physical scale.  However, when you are facing the tough situations in life or just having a rough day you might need to stop and ask yourself:  How big is God? The way you view God and the power He possesses will determine how you make it through those rough patches.

You may have heard it said that you need to carry Jesus around in your pocket so you can pull Him out when you need Him.  That sounds cute and all, and may make a nice bumper sticker, but it's kind of ridiculous.  When times get tough we do not need a god that WE CARRY AROUND! We need a God that CARRIES US THROUGH!

Psalm 68:19-20 says: "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation.  God is to us a God of deliverances; and to God the Lord belong escapes from death."  Trust in these words that the God of the Bible is a God that is there for you and there with you and wants to help you through the rough days in your life.  If you don't think He's big enough to handle your burdens or to deliver you through the rough times then check out the rest of Psalm 68.  Look closely and soak in the descriptions of God such as:

• "A Father to the fatherless"
• "God makes a home for the lonely"
• "When You marched through the wilderness, the earth quaked"
• "You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God"
• "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands"
• "He speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice"

You see, God is VERY big.  Big enough to handle anything this life throws our way.  We just have to believe that, trust in that, and give our situations over to Him.  Maybe you're a bit like me and you're self-reliant, independent, and have a desire to do things on your own (some people call us stubborn and hard-headed....not sure why).  If you find yourself trying to do things in your own strength then it is difficult for you to ask God to bear your burdens; yet that is exactly the God that He is and wants to be in your life.  So you need to surrender.  You and I need to let go of the things that pain us and burden us and weigh us down and let God do His thing; because He is mighty, powerful, awesome, great, and wonderful and He wants to deliver you.  

So do you view God as one who is big enough to handle your problems?  Look to your BIG God today and trust in Him and surrender to Him so that He may deliver you and walk with you through your burdens today.  He loves you.  

*Photo courtesy of Graceway Media. 

To Prank or Not to Prank

It has been quite some time since I have taken the time to blog.  Seminary seems to have a knack for taking my time away from blogging as research papers and exegetical projects take top priority. 

And I must admit, for my return to blogging I have chosen a topic that will probably draw many criticisms and disagreements.  But that’s ok. 

I have noticed a growing trend among the students to whom I minister; a growing desire to pull pranks on one another. Ranging from the “classic” saran wrap on the toilet to the now popular vegetable oil on the tailpipe, these pranks are growing more and more outlandish and are occurring more frequently.  Allow me to say early on that I do not like pranks: never have and never will.  I have at times pulled pranks and regret many of those. 

I further admit that as Student Pastors go, I am an “old man” and way more boring that most Student Pastors around the state . . . and this could influence my “grouchy” opinion about pranks.  If you do a Google search you can actually find Student Ministry Sites on the web that tell you how to prank each other . . . even giving tips to Youth Ministers on how to prank their kids. So I know full well that I am in a minority here. 

So, why do I feel this way?

             1)   Pranks are a distraction.  I cannot begin to count how many times at a camp, retreat, dnow,                     or weekly service that the Holy Spirit has moved in a mighty way only to later have someone pull a prank that takes all of the attention away from God and places it on the “prankster” and “prankee.” 

            2)   Pranks can be emotionally damaging.  My teenage years were very difficult for me.  I had great friends and have wonderful memories of my teen years.  However, there was a constant hidden battle with depression, anxiety, and self-esteem issues that were only heightened when a prank was pulled on me.  Why?  Well just think about the windshield on your car for a moment.  When you bought your car it was strong, solid, and secure until one day a small rock flew up and made a peck in the windshield.  No big deal right? Until that peck begins to spread into a large crack, and then that crack feathers out and the windshield becomes very fragile.  Eventually it could even fall completely apart.  Emotionally, we are no different.  Teenagers are already struggling enough with their emotions and self-esteem.  Many of their emotions are already beyond “cracked” and a prank can be what pushes them over the edge.  ESPECIALLY when that prank is pulled by a Christian brother or sister they trusted. 

             3)   Pranks only escalate in nature.  Human nature is to “one-up” each other. Therefore, if you put vegetable oil on my tailpipe I am obligated by society to do that to you AND put Oreo cookies on your windshield.  It is then probable that you would retaliate with bugs in the cab, dead fish under the seats, and/or more.  Eventually, these games can escalate into pure vandalism. 

           4)   Pranks do not model Christ and His Word.  This is the primary reason I dislike pranks. I personally feel that they do not follow along with the Word of God.  Jesus made it plain and clear throughout His ministry that “whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.”  The model that Christ gives us is to lift others up, not tear them down.  Although most young people (and probably most adults who are way more fun than me) would say that pranks are not actually tearing people down; I believe that they can.  Granted, not all pranks are damaging; however, can we ever really know for sure.  Almost no one knows what goes on in my head and in my heart and I would imagine it could be the same for those who have been pranked.  They cannot act hurt because that may only lead to worse pranking and/or bullying.  So what if we assume that the prank could be emotionally hurtful and just avoid it all together.  Christ teaches us to serve and to build up.  To lay down our lives for the sake of the Kingdom and for others.  Most often, pranks are destructive rather than constructive. 

Ultimately pranking is about making you feel good about yourself and getting a good laugh for you and your friends.  Rarely if ever does a prank build someone up or encourage them. 

Think about this for a moment:  Do you remember the story in the Gospels where Jesus stole Peter’s sandals and hid them from him and made him walk barefooted all day?  And what about the time where Paul replaced Timothy’s water with vinegar without Timothy knowing?  WHAT?  YOU DON’T REMEMBER THOSE STORIES?  That’s right!!! Because there are no stories like that.  I would guarantee that Jesus and the Disciples laughed and had fun together but I feel extremely confident in saying that it never occurred at the expense of someone else. 

So I would say to all of us . . . think before your prank.  If we were as creative in coming up with ways to encourage others and to serve others as we are at messing with people and their stuff, we might make a major difference in this world.  So let’s give it a shot!