Imitate What is Good

You’ve met them. They frequent almost every crowd and ease their way into situations where they are not welcome. On the outside they might appear to be all they should be, but they harbour deep feelings of entitlement and superiority.

These people figure their agenda is always the correct one. After all, they know better than everyone else, so they think. A connected value they seem to share is that of selfish ambition. They are thinking more of their own advancement and power than the needs and wants of others.

The Church is not immune to the influence of people like these. Most church groups have those that fit this category. The Early Church is no different. The Apostle John recounts the dealings of one so-called Christian in one of the churches in Asia.

“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and put them out of the church.” (3 John 1:9-10 NIV)

Diotrephes is a handful. He wants to dominate and dictate what is going on in his local congregation. He is not interested in following but in leading. Diotrephes figures he has it right and so doesn’t want to have any dealings with John and his messengers.

The fact that Diotrephes is perpetuating gossip of any sort is deeply saddening for believers. Think of the upset he must have caused with his poor example. That is not the way a Christian leader should behave.

The reason that Diotrephes wants to stop the brothers from visiting and step on the desires of anyone else who wants to encourage them to visit, is unknown. All we can say is that is not the way a believer in Christ behaves. We are to be welcoming to all, not be put out of the church for wanting to do so.

John does not retaliate in the vein of Diotrephes. Here are his words:

“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.” (3 John 1:11 NIV)

John is encouraging his reader to take the higher ground. Rather than dwell on the negative things that surround Diotrephes, John encourages Gaius, to whom the letter is written, to consider who it is that he will imitate.

Gaius has a choice to make – one that we do also. Who are we going to follow? Are we going to go the way of evil or follow the light of Christ? Are we going to stand up when these challenging people try to dictate when we know they go against the Word of God?

John praises Gaius for his faithfulness to the truth. Dear friend, that should be our goal as well. Seek God’s truth and uphold it. Put aside selfish ambition and follow what is good. Do not give credence to those who seek to promote ungodly ways.

We Christians are known by our actions. May we continue to follow Christ’s example and use it as our guide and measure.

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