Loving the Preeminence

Loving the Preeminence

“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.”

There is a great difference—a difference as great as night and day, light and darkness—between being preeminent and wanting to be preeminent. Satan wanted to be great; therefore he fell and ended up in darkness, losing all his glory that he had with God.

It is written: “If a man desires the position of an overseer [marg.], he desires a good work.” 1 Tim. 3:1. But if anyone “desires” something to which God has not appointed him, he has let in the evil one and is in darkness.

When a person has made it his goal to “desire” to be someone, it is evil, and wherever there is a “Diotrephes,” it is easily noticeable. The consequence is spiritual warfare, and when Diotrephes is unwilling to give up his will, this results in constant strife and harm. What is to be done about it? We need to do what the apostle John did. He saw to it that he was revealed, by writing about it to the church. By writing to the church, he performed a valuable ministry for the church; but Diotrephes could also benefit from this ministry if he made use of it.

Satan’s desire is to enter the church in order to disturb and to destroy. He gains access to the church by means of a “Diotrephes”; then he can carry out his ruinous work in the church. But he loses his power when he is revealed, for his strength is in being unknown. Diotrephes was sure to have spoken the Word and proclaimed the apostles’ doctrine, but his person was defiled by Satan, which made him useless as a servant of the Lord. It is written that Jesus disarmed principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them by triumphing over them on the cross. Col. 2:15. Consequently, this is the way for all self-will and everything that is of the flesh: onto the cross with it! By doing this, we have surrendered to God and agreed to be led by Him. We can overcome spiritual powers on the cross where they are revealed and consequently lose their power. The fact that evil powers seek to appear in the likeness of light can deceive many and that such people desire to have the preeminence in the church and speak the Word makes it difficult for impressionable souls, but on the cross all lying and falsehood are publicly displayed.

The person who does not want to take up his cross daily and bear it cannot be a disciple of Jesus, for our own will dies on the cross. Therefore I want to give the following exhortation if there is a “Diotrephes”: Do not try another place, but rather seek out the cross. There you will become obedient to the faith, and God’s word will also grow and multiply in you.