Today’s Devotion
Topic: In The Same Church With Diotrephes And Demetrius! (Self Assessment 115)
Background: Some people conveniently refer to the church “as a hospital” that admits every kind of situation without discrimination. So it is possible to find people from all walks of life, who have had different exposures and experiences with sin in past, congregate together in love to make the body of Christ.
After believing in the Lord Jesus, repenting of our sins and confessing Jesus as Lord and Saviour, the blood of Jesus is presumed to have cleansed each of us in church; giving us the Power (Holy Spirit) to be the children of God. “Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God (Jh 1: 13).
But that’s not always the case. Sometimes we find some people in church whose every action is to sabotage the body of Christ for their own advantage. They obstruct others from the opportunity to experience God by becoming an impediment with their impossible attitude. Yet you need another brother or sister, whose very smile makes you encounter the Jesus who lives in and works through them.
In today’s weekly bible study, we will be discussing two of such contrasting characters in the passage below and see what revelation the Holy Spirit will give us.
Text: 3 John 1: 9- 12
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. Amen
Questions:
i. John mentions in verse 9 that although he wrote to the church, one Diotrephes who loves to be first, will not welcome them. How does this throw light on people in church who always want to be first in all things (especially doing eye service to please the Pastor), hence sabotaging others?
ii. What other negative things are done by Diotrephes just to sabotage the work of the Apostle and his team (Read vrs 10).
iii. With reference to your answer in question (ii). Kindly explain:
a) why you think people get that way a lot in church?
b) what do they stand to benefit from spreading malicious lies about others and refusing to welcome other believers while putting some out of church?
iv. How does verse 11 assist us in understanding the nature, motive and source of such “Diotrephes” in the church and how we ought to handle them? (you may reference from other scriptures).
v. According to verse 12, there was another believer called Demetrius.
a) how did the bible describe him?
b) What is the difference between Diotrephes and Demetrius?
vi. What have you learnt from today’s discussion?
Kindly reply us through this same social media platform (facebook/ whatsapp). We learn a great deal from the answers you share.
